What motivated you to start your business? This young entrepreneur shares his story
At the 01:11 mark of this episode of the Masters of Home Service, Zech Osburn (who started his business right out of high school) says he started out of necessity as he had to move out of his parents’ house and start paying rent. What motivated you to start your business? Was it survival, opportunity, or something else? Never miss an episode of Masters of Home Service. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
When pressure hits, who do you become?
Met with PBD today on our monthly call for Energize Us Edu. These were the lines that he shared with me about our current state: “Watch your language—the world will gives it to you back.” “Overwhelmed? The man upstairs says: give him more, he can handle it, or give him less” “You need the BEST people to handle pressure. Find the pulse on your team, their pain threshold, remove negative or “real talk” mentality, focussed on negative aspects calling it real talk.” Gods listening: Don’t ask for more if you fold when it shows up. I wanted to share this with you all. What do you think ?3 Lessons from Leviton for Electricians
3 Things I learned about Leviton Longevity takes vision: Leviton has been in this industry for over 100 years. That doesn’t happen by accident. It takes resilience, smart pivots, and staying relevant to the people you serve. Innovation is constant: Their origin story ties all the way back to Thomas Edison, when gas lamps were being replaced with electric fixtures. And still to this day, they’re thinking ahead, building for what’s next, For example their new Load Centers with Smart Breakers. Preparation x Planning: Learning how they plan ahead for storms, outages, and supply readiness was eye-opening. They anticipate, so when people need them, they’re ready to deliver. I’m grateful for the experience and already thinking how we can apply those same principles to Energize Us EDU.Do Home Service Pros Never Make It Past This Point?
You start out doing the work. You stay busy. You make decent money. But then what? You feel like you’re building something just because your phone keeps ringing. But if you’re not learning AND applying, I feel as if you’re wasting time. I was watching all the videos, reading all the books… but nothing was actually changing because I wasn’t acting on it. I’m saying this because I’ve lived it. And I know there are other guys out there right now doing good work, but they’re not leading. Not building. Just staying busy. How do you all handle these feelings? All the IG post hit , motivate then Im just stuck scrolling. What helped you take action?Before You Change ANYTHING — Be Honest About What Needs to Change
Am I overthinking?? Whenever I feel stuck, or entering a new phase of my business, either uncertainties or a new challenge, these are the exact questions I ask myself: - Am I happy with where my business/life is right now? - What’s actually working: financially, operationally, personally? - What’s not working: stress, cash flow, structure, balance? - And the big one: If I keep doing what I’m doing… - Will I get the results I want? How about you guys ?You Didn’t Buy Freedom. You Bought Responsibility
A lot of people think starting a business means they’ll finally have freedom. Their own schedule. No boss. No rules. But here’s the reality check: If you stop working, the money stops. If you miss a call, the customer walks. If you push a job back, you have to make it up later. You didn’t escape the 9 to 5. You just traded one boss for twenty. What have you all done to stay flexible ?Built a $1M Contracting Business in 4 Years
I have only been contracting for 7+ years now, but from the beginning I did not want to end of like the majority of the businesses I saw. Out of shape, back hurting, always complaining about work. Just the unapologetic rough side of contracting. I thought, this couldn't be the solution. So I started from the beginning putting myself in rooms with people who do better than me in every aspect of my life. Family, health, business, finances you name it. I was the smallest guy in every room and it squashed every ounce of pride I had in myself, but in a healthy, I want to grow sense. What I learned shocked me, this wasn't a business issue, it's about the urgent need for a blue-collar leader. - We need more contractors who are trained to lead. - More tradespeople who know their worth. - More builders willing to pass the torch. The skilled trades don’t have a labor shortage.We have a leadership gap. If you hyper focus on leadership qualities, your business will blow up as a side effect. Thats why I'm so proud to be in this community of leaders. Can't wait to learn from you all in this new venture I'm in. Read our story. Learn how we unlocked the secret to scale. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnour/2024/11/27/urgent-need-for-blue-collar-revival-shift-mindsets-invest-in-skills/?I don’t really share this much —
I just passed the 100 contractors mark that I’ve been able to help through @buildnational. Now, a few of you have seen how I built a $1 million revenue electrical business in my first 4 years. And it had nothing to do with working harder. It’s actually the opposite. It came from securing long-term relationships/contracts, repeat/bulk work with service agreements attached. And the key to it all was understanding MY NUMBERS so I could stay competitive and still close the year at 42% NET profit. We’ve been featured in Forbes and, together, broken down stigmas around construction that keep contractors stuck. All of this—while traveling the U.S. sharing our story. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure you have everything you need to take full advantage of contracting. If you want to have a conversation or just connect, I’m here to serve.The Hardest Thing in Entrepreneurship? Looking in the Mirror.
Hands down, The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in business… was look in the mirror and ask myself: ➡️ Where am I actually going? ➡️ And am I the person to get us there? We talk a lot about growth, but most people can’t define what success even looks like for themselves. This is when so many get caught up in business, rather than on the business. Is it freedom? Is it hitting 350k, 500k, 1M in revenue? Is it peace of mind and time with your kids? And don’t forget: Your business can’t grow if the person leading it refuses to. What are you working towards ? Half way through 2025, keep it up.
