40 Things I’ve Learned in 40 Years
Me and Jennafur, at my 40th Birthday Party!
It was my birthday at the beginning of this month. At the turn of each decade, it’s natural for me to reflect on what I’ve learned and where I’d like to go in the next 10 years. Reflecting on Hire Possibilities Home and all that led up to it is extra special for me because I only started a little over a year ago, but looking back, it’s clear that I have been building up to this business for a long time (between my volunteer work, owning my own houses and rental property, etc).
My hope is that this list can shine a light on some of my related experiences, and the values of Hire Possibilities Home, and you can get to know me a little better. And for those who keep up with both arms of Hire Possibilities, this list is completely different than the one I wrote here. :)
Volunteering for the roles no one wants can teach you a lot! (It's not sexy being a House Corporation Board President for a sorority, but nothing else could've taught me those valuable skills at that age)
Doing is one of the best ways for me to learn a new skill.
Find opportunities that help you work towards larger goals (being HCB President for my sorority taught me the skills I needed to manage my own property when I bought it a few years later).
The best investment I've made to date was the property I bought in 2014.
People who work in industries that are in high demand will sometimes forget how important customer service is.
Keep connected to folks you really like working with and create a symbiotic relationship/community.
People may assume you know nothing about maintaining a home or construction projects because you're a woman, and may either be rude to you or take advantage of you with cost.
Always get 3-4 bids, especially for larger projects and go with the person you want to work with and support, even if cost might be slightly higher.
You get what you pay for when it comes to projects around your home. If low cost is most important to you, expect lower quality results and customer service.
If you want to make money off of and stay in full control of your rental property, you may not want to work with a brokerage.
Hiring a property manager doesn't make you less likely to experience the scary stories you may hear about renting out your house.
Working with a huge historical property like a sorority will make projects around your home feel easy breezy (and cheap!) in comparison. :)
The system is not well set up for women to own their own handy businesses. (shocking, I know!)
Some women assume they can't do projects around their home, or that they aren't able to learn - this is not true!
I should've paid more attention when my dad tried to show me how to do various types of projects around our house when I was growing up.
There are amazing resources out there that can teach you to do anything around your home - books, youtube videos, etc.
It's important to have a trusted team of professionals you can call if something goes awry, or you want to get a project done quickly that is out of your expertise.
It's important to work with licensed, bonded and insured contractors!
The trades are an industry that will always be needed.
100 young women bouncing on a floor (recruitment) will result in replacing a $100k project replacing a beam (would be more $ today!).
Including contingency in your estimates is even more important for handy projects than digital projects.
WA State tax auditors are very kind and helpful if you make a mistake. :)
It is not fun to work with customers who believe they are better than people in the trades, or that people in the trades should be paid less than minimum wage.
Always get updated material costs for your estimates - they go up quickly these days!
Good and trustworthy handy people love sharing their knowledge with others, and teaching their customer how to take good care of their home themselves.
Referrals are the best way to support a growing small business.
It's hard to find the balance between investing in helpful tools for operating a business (too early vs. too late).
When you make a big career pivot, you'll quickly find out who is supportive and who isn't.
Hot take, but Nextdoor may be one of the better social media platforms?!
Labor unions are still not always able to provide fair compensation and safe work environments for women in the trades.
Certifications/Licenses can be important, but can also be a barrier to entry for really talented folks with a more challenging socio economic status.
Cleaning and Yard Work are two very challenging markets to compete in because many people want to pay contractors less than they're worth.
Don't ever mess with flooding/water by trying to fix it on your own (unless you're an expert). It's expensive, but work with a remediation company, especially with how prone we are to mold in the PNW!
If you replace galvanized pipe with copper and hook it up to galvanized, make sure you do it correctly. :)
Even if you think the property you bought is completely turn key (or new construction), you'll probably have to fix some things right away, so make sure you set aside some cash.
If you find a problem related to what you're working on, try to solve it.
Relationships are the key to a successful business (with customers, contractors, everyone).
It's okay to say no if a project or customer isn't a good fit (and refer them to someone else who can help!).
Building a business takes more time and money investment than most expect.
Work doesn't feel like work when you're helping both customers and handy people, breaking systemic barriers, and creating connections along the way.
If we aren’t already working together, our Seattle handy professionals and I would love to help you maintain your property! Reach out anytime.