Frank Blau
Contributing Writer
I’d like to share with you a letter I recently received from a contractor’s wife that basically speaks for itself.
The Letter: “Ten years ago my husband’s partner died. As no one else came running forward, I picked up his job managing the books. How hard could it be?
“After years of struggling, we joined the PHCC. We went looking for kindred souls. Surely there were folks out there who could help us figure out what were doing wrong. We were working hard and getting nowhere, but we were doing, it seemed, what every other contractor was doing. Why were we going broke? What were we missing?
“At the convention I asked lots of questions. ‘How are things in your business? Are you making money? How many hours a week do you work? The men huffed, ‘Busy as hell. Things couldn’t be better.’ But I noticed behind each pompous fellow, a woman with a slightly wrinkled brow and a bit of a frown. I started to figure out there was more to the story.
“Women in this industry often take on the role of bookkeeper. The plumbers are too busy doing the ‘important’ stuff, like turning wrenches. They have neither the time or ability to do things like bill paying, determining pricing strategies, laundry or dusting. So the little woman, bless her heart, does the housekeeping and the bookkeeping. One of the two things happen at this point.
“Scenario 1: Mrs. Herman’s job consists of sweeping up after Mr. Herman. Her husband can’t be bothered to talk to customers or get approval before he starts working. He goes at it, turns wrenches and tells her to bill Mr. Fernwicky. She does. Mr. Fernwicky calls and accuses her of highway robbery. She apologizes. Mr. and Mrs. Herman argue. She tells him to work harder. They need the money. He tells her she is a spendthrift. She should be wasting money on those business seminars. She gets a second job to make ends meet. Every once in a while they attend a PHCC function. They dress up and pretend they are wealthy and successful – like all the other plumbing contractors.
“Scenario 2: Mrs. Progressive acknowledges what she’s learning – the most contractors don’t know how to run a business, and to blindly follow their lead is foolish.
She reads the financial data she collects and realized that their selling prices must go up. Drawing on her experience as a consumer and housekeeper, she understands the need to improve their customer service and selling systems. She meets with Mr. Progressive. They argue. But they both commit to improving the business. They determine that the reward for their hard work should be commensurate with the risk and hassle. They objectively view their strengths and weaknesses. They refine and delegate job positions, respecting each other’s areas of expertise. They develop a company they can be proud of.
“Perhaps it would be wise to pursue a separate career or focus solely on homemaking. Certainly there are very successful contractors who rely on the suppose and understanding of their wives. These women allow their fortunate husbands to spend a lot of time and energy on business development, while they handle the home and children. As a team, they can achieve a lot – providing Mr. Allwork realizes the importance of her role. (Ever listen to the words in the Mary Chapin song, ‘He thinks he’ll keep her’?)
“Though there are days I wish I didn’t work with my husband, I feel my place is in the business. When I took on the accounting duties, I had no idea how incapable I was. But over time, by keeping an open mind and learning and changing, I’ve become a businesswoman.
“If other wives out there will validate what they know is true (‘Honey, we are not charging enough to cover the costs of doing business’), they can become a powerful force in bettering our industry. Surely we care about these guys and understand their worth. By realizing our own capabilities, we can work together to create family businesses worth passing on to our children. It’s time to accept our own responsibilities in this industry.
“Incidentally, we quite the PHCC. Remember the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes’? We joined Contractors 2000 and have found a great group of men and women who are interested in improving our industry and the quality of our businesses. It feels like home.”
The Slave Trade: There are many husband and wife teams in the PHC field, working lond hours side by side for substandard compensation and benefits. Regular readers know that one of my pet peeves is that not only do most contractors fail to compensate themselves fairly, more often than not they pay their working wives nothing at all! This is a form of modern-day slavery, yet it’s the only way they can make ends meet with the typical prices charged for PHC work.
This lady was astute enough to pinpoint that root cause of under-pricing. She also deserves applause for taking action to correct the problem.
Her point is well taken, that frequently it is the bookkeeping spouse who has the best perspective on what ails the business. The hard part then becomes pounding this message through the thick skull of a husband who thinks first, last and always, like a plumber rather than a businessman. Habits are hard to break – such as not being able to pay bills on time, not being able to provide for one’s family, or putting money aside for investment. Most owners in this industry believe that’s what life is all about and there’s nothing they can do to change it. I applaud all the wives who tell them differently.
Developing a business requires a great deal of commitment and hours. It requires paying attention to numbers, to developing strategies, to attending trade functions after business hours. For those able to go the complete route, it can include traveling the country to visit other businesses or attend dynamic brainstorming sessions with organizations such as Contractors 2000.
As a business owner or manager, you will encounter worries that may be too burdensome for one mind. Share with your mate fears about finances, thoughts about problem customers and employees, or that new advertising campaign. Developing support on the home front can be reassuring.