Eternal optimism. It’s one of the most important traits that a small businessperson can have: the belief that, against all odds, we’re going to be successful. We know that most small businesses fail within the first two years. But we’re going to buck the trend; we’re going to be the one that makes it! It’s good that we’ve got a …
What the Hell
When I was young, if you’d asked me if I wanted to grow up to be a home inspector, my first reply would’ve probably been “What the hell is a home inspector?” Then I would’ve probably given you a standard young boy’s response about wanting to be a doctor, astronaut or professional football player. Working as a home inspector had …
What Do You Want?
It’s a fact of life: we’ve all got to work for a living. One way or another, we’ve got to do something to make money. It’s hard to live in today’s world without an income. If we like food, shelter, and the creature comforts available in our modern world, we’ve got to figure out a way to earn money to …
Fake It ‘Til You Make It
Everyone had a first time. We’ve all suffered through our first day of school, that first dance, the first time we had a date, our first kiss, and eventually, our first home inspection. Some of us remember each of these experiences in vivid detail, while the rest of us try to block them from our memories. Whether they were good or …
In Home Inspector We Trust
I recently received a phone call from a home inspector who was frustrated by an incident that had occurred on his most recent inspection. This inspector is relatively new to the profession, and he contacts me often, as I enjoy serving as a mentor to help guide him along in his journey to developing a success inspection business. He was irritated …
Practice Makes Perfect
While a good percentage of our lives are spent working (probably too high a percentage), we all have things that we enjoy doing when we’re not at work. Hobbies, pastimes, interests, or diversions; whatever we call them, we all enjoy a little downtime every now and then. Whether they involve time with people we love or time alone to ourselves, …
Marketing Like a Kid
We were all young once (and if you ask my wife, I still haven’t grown up yet.) We can all remember the times when we were small and purposefully did things to test our boundaries, to see exactly how much we could get away with before we got into trouble. And if you were anything like my brother and me, …
Just Give Me a Second
Marketing. It’s one of the most stressful words in a small business owner’s vocabulary. Marketing can be overwhelming. It can be expensive. It can be frustrating. It can push you to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Most importantly, marketing can mean the difference between running a successful business and running yourself into the ground. No pressure here. No pressure …
Three Stress Points for Home Inspectors
Everyone wants be be faster at their job. Even professional home inspectors, who are typically very detail oriented and spend time looking in every crack and crevice of a home, would like to work more efficiently. We’re under a lot of stress during the on-site inspection process, with everyone involved wondering when we’re going to be done looking around (and …
It Was an Accident – Part 4
Note: This article is part 4 of a series. Click here to read part 1. There are no mistakes, only happy accidents. Bob Ross Our lives are filled with things that happen when we’re not expecting it; accidents we call them. So, why should our jobs be any different? We’re all going to have accidents when we’re inspecting houses. It’s …