Swindled.

Small business ownership is different than “having a job”  or “contributing to the bottom line”  or “moving initiatives forward”  with “full plates” in order to “meet or exceed our sales quotas”.   Small business ownership is like wearing a heavy wool sweater that is slightly damp.  It weighs on you.  You feel it always.  It invades all that you are and all that you do.   It can be uncomfortable.  It also can be a comfort.  It is everything.   We are in our 14th year.  The things we have learned would astound you.   The mistakes we have made would bring you to your knees.  But we are doing it.  This is the life we were meant to have.  

When it comes to customer communications,  our intent is to stay ahead of the questions  - it is to be upfront and transparent about what is happening, why, and when.  So much when.   Because everyone is aware of someone – maybe themselves, maybe a friend, or a friend of a friend,  or maybe just an overheard conversation in a crowded chipotle line about how a contractor took their money and ran.   Or how a contractor promised to (fill in the blank) and then… didn’t.    That isn’t us.  That isn’t how we are wired.  As humans.  We are good people and we care.  We care too much sometimes.  We should care less sometimes.  But that isn’t us.   Lead times from our manufacturers are coming down, but there is still a much longer production time than we’ve ever seen before. (Like 4 -5 times longer).    We have compensated by providing monthly updates to everyone in our sales funnel.    Each month, without fail, every customer waiting for their installation is getting a message from us on status,  anticipated install timing, and eventually, their place in the queue.   We are actively working to avoid being lumped in with any story that includes “they took our money and we never heard from them again.”   We are working against the notion that we could be swindlers.  

And then we were swindled.   We became the ones who hired a contractor who didn’t do what he said he would do,  took our money,  and wouldn’t successfully remedy the issues.

Let me back up.

Raise your hand if you’re sick of hearing about Covid.   I know.  I get it.   But the ongoing supply chain disruption on top of the labor shortage on top of the unprecedented spike in volume is the number one story in our office.  All day.  Every day.  It is like a web of invisible strings that we walk into as we enter the office, the strings that pull us through the day, and indeed the strings that follow us home and prevent us from sleeping some nights.

No one likes to feel powerless but there are real situation when you have no power.  Indeed many of the things making life challenging right now are not things we can have any impact over. And it feels gross.  You know that.   Introverts like me need to take a strong silent step back to say “Ignore all that.  WHAT DO YOU NEED?”   And my answer is always  “installers”.   Cool  So how do we get them?   Because I guarantee you with all that I am that if an installer shows up all wide-eyed with a trailer full of tools and whines  “they don’t have enough work for me” that we don’t want that guy.   Because everyone has work.   Everyone has more work that we can handle.  There is no reason for a capable and skilled window installer to be wondering why he can’t stay busy.  So how then - once you’ve identified the ONE THING that you need - how do you get it?  

You take massive action.  Just like the great late Bill Barr always said.  Massive.  Action.    I am all about taking massive action.  I made a long and impressive list and we spent 8 weeks doing everything we could think of to find an install crew and then, somewhat magically,  at 6:45 pm one night while at the ice rink with our daughter I got a text from Steve.  “I got a strong lead on an installer.   He just messaged me.   I’m going into a house but can you contact him right now?”   Yes.   A million times yes.   I stepped to the back of the rink, dug my glasses out of my purse, and started texting like a dude to get a response from him.  It worked. I missed most of the practice but when Steve got home that night I had pictures of installs,  pictures of his job trailer,  and a great story about why he was available. 

His wife got a new job in the Cities so his family was relocating here from out of state.  He has been installing for the same company for 12 years and he has two guys on his crew who are following him here. Gold mine.   A “this is why I am available” story that actually makes sense.  During the next week, he demonstrated that he was a person who did everything he said he would;  followed up when he said he would, provided insurance docs when he said,   etc.  A week later he was in the warehouse.   We loaded up the trailer, reviewed the job details, and sent them on the way.   He was above average communicator.  He was positive and customers enjoyed him and he was forthcoming with praise.  We inspected his jobs.  They looked good.  This unicorn great communicator kept checking in with us.  Asking questions.  Providing pictures of completed installs unprompted. He was everything he said he was.  Bright-eyed and smiling the crew showed up day after day and got us to a place where we were caught up.

Caught up!!  But more importantly, they got us a place of confidence.  A place where we didn’t need to inspect every job.  A place where we dared to think we were ok. A place where we were taking deep breaths and smiling more and daring to hope that this was the guy.   Wanting to keep the momentum going,  we scheduled his crew and our other crews,  to keep installing the week we were out of town on vacation. 

And then everything burst into flames. 

Because he is better at talking than installing.  Because he is better at making things up than telling the truth.  Because he will not be held accountable.  Because nothing is his fault.  Because we are the ones doing it wrong and if we just did it his way this wouldn’t be an issue.  Because actually his crew did the best work but when he stopped paying them they quit and left the state. 

I’ll spare you the gory details but I will tell you that I would watch this show on Netflix.   The sheer quantity of lies we’ve been told.  The depth of deception that has occurred.  The flagrant disregard for our customers.  Or Us.  Or the business we have spent over a decade building.  The notion that perhaps this little mom-and-pop shop would be dumb enough to not notice.  Like perhaps a 3-5 million dollar company running lean would take longer to figure it out than a 10-20 million dollar company.   False. Not today. Not ever.

Ultimately,  we did everything we said we would do.

He did nothing.

And then he pretended he did.

And pointed fingers.

And blamed.

Like every manipulator and narcissist and gas lighter throughout history.  .