What is Building Moxie (aka they say when starting a small business it is better to follow then lead)

Part 1 of 2 -- click here for the last post from this series

In my best Costanza . . .

Aside from my wife, my attorney, and a guy (yes, a guy) I call my Director of Visioning, no one knew. And it took me a year, but I did it. I wrote a business (read: life) plan – 120 pages all totaled (if you include the embedded attachments, and various worksheets). I learned a little bit about the players in the home improvement industry (both national and local), a lot about marketing in general, and I might even have learned a thing or two about myself.

Thank you, Good Night!

Ok, just kidding . . . . Going in, I knew it would be fluid; I guess that’s just how I am. What I mean by that -- my efforts, even if I just filed that document away -- never to touch it again, would never go to waste. From now on -- I would land correctly.

Among other things, some might say -- I now have that much of a leg up on about 75% of the general contractors out there today (if I ever wanted to try that again). Plus, I would be just that much more capable at helping my friends, and/or at executing work around my own house.

Networking (minus the social or something like that)

I guess I am fortunate really to have some bright people around me. In my camp, within my immediate circle, I have several marketers, entrepreneurs, and small business people. I have access to a prof in Hopkins' Business program, access to a vc (the biggest naysayer of the bunch), and I have access to an mba, who in my eyes, is a sales guru.

So . . . I spoke with them, September to November, 2008. I won’t go into too much detail here, but generally what I heard was, first, this plan is too long – “you need to break it up,” they said. So I did. I divided it into a short-term and a long-term plan.

(Now down to an 18-page PowerPoint presentation – the short-term portion details what I feel I can realistically accomplish before 2012.)

And second – this is what I heard across the board – “You will kill yourself if you don’t at least try AND . . . you won’t really know until you do.”

Those who cannot do -- teach, and those who cannot teach -- consult

It didn’t take long to find out that there was actually a name for what I was proposing . . .

There it was – and probably not that distant from what most owner-builder operations are doing -- “Checkpoint Consulting." But still . . . not widely documented and found almost exclusively related to the software industry.

This method of implementation – as I understand it -- says, “ok, I will help you do that; I will come in and partner with you . . . you will pay me for my time (whether I wear a toolbelt or not) at checkpoints along the process. And if you fail – I will be there to bail you out.”

Really doesn’t sound all that earth shattering, and especially considering I really don’t have the need, under my current revenue model (the two -- inseparable), fully gauged. But that’s what I came up with – in my eyes, a better how-to. (You know – kinda like a human-driven diy insurance policy, with a few other add-ins.)

Now – of course my vc friend objected all over this. . . . “There is so much free information out there,” he would say, “And how do you know there is even a need? It is going to be tough for you to find people to pay you." And I understood -- so the plan evolved, a little.

Subscription model . . . hmmm . . .ad revenue? No, well, ok maybe eventually, Subsidies always welcome!

I knew going in, and even though I was starting out only on a local scale, that I wanted both a strong online and offline presence. At this point to me, most solid, lasting organizations -- have both working in concert. There should be no division between the two.

Practically speaking, it, my website, was one asset I was willing to invest in.

And of course, I did consider generating how-to content for it. But . . . there are heap loads of it (some better than others) out there already. Some very excellent writers and personalities are staffing some very well-run websites, publications, and productions; others are working alone. Serving it up . . . and more is coming everyday.

So . . . those things considered -- I just didn’t see the point (tongue in check) . . . of diving in on that immediately. In general, I just let the information come, and I evaluate -- picking and choosing what we need.

So . . . why write?

I’ll admit – I think I drew, with my last two posts, a little more attention than I actually probably want, right now. It's true -- I am not planning any sort of general launch until about March of next year. I mean -- Baltimore doesn’t really even know I am here. Just you, and the 40 or so friends I have told.

Do I love my brand? Yes – it is very personal. (A mantra. In fact, I wanted to name my first daughter Foxie Moxie). Is it the best for my business? Maybe not.

Is my business plan complete? Nope – it never will be.

Those things said, though -- I do believe in the traditional values of truth, trust, and transparency. And if there is one thing that my professional career has taught me -- it is always best to know from where exactly someone is coming. And I offer it up – now, so you will know -- where I am at, and where I am coming from. Plus . . .

Who knows, maybe you will help, or maybe you could learn . . . or maybe . . . you'll tell me, "jb, you're a lune," and that I should just stop now.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment.

Next (and last in this series) --Short term obstacles and an action plan.
click here to see the next in this series

---

More Moxie:
I know it is not hard to tell -- and while I did not do-it-myself (I hired out the scripting & have an artist friend who helped with graphics and layout), I did teach myself enough html and css to slap a site together. For now, it fits my needs - and if you are wondering, it was about the 6th design I had on it -- each subsequent mock-up scaling back. Thanks for visiting and BMoxie BMore: http://www.buildingmoxie.com/

His website is currently in rework. Thanks for all your help so far -- the Artist :: Jack Pierce -- http://studiojacko.blogspot.com/

Building Building Moxie (the big boxes and you)

click here to see the last post in this series

Repetition is the key :: This is true in strength training and in music and probably in a few other things

“you can do it we can help.”

Wow! When it comes to tag lines, they really don’t get much better than that.

And I do not know much about retail; it is true. But any discussion on the home improvement industry, I know enough, really isn’t complete without first visiting the Home Depot, and spending a minute or two talking about its impact on, well . . . all of us.

When Home Depot first appeared on my scene, I’ll admit – the only houses that interested me were those that contained a keg. I was aware of course of the idea of the home improvement “warehouse.” I was often sent to the one that preceded HD – to retrieve this, that, and/or the other thing.

However, while others faded from my local landscape, the big orange box repeated itself.

Eating, Drinking and the Home Depot

At this point, it seems that trips to the Home Depot are as base as eating, drinking, and sleeping. Ok, they are really not that frequent; they probably can be equated more with say trips to the grocery store . . . Once weekly at least.

I mean, I know my local Home Depot (same one for about seven years now) like the back of my own hand: In and out most times in five minutes or less.

And it probably wouldn’t fair to at least mention their chief competitor – Lowes Home Improvement (fewer, and farther between). I like Lowes too -- especially for certain things – but not the point of my rambling here. I will save that for another time.

Big things come in big boxes

So . . . Why did the Home Depot thrive where others failed? I have spent a little time on this recently.

Sure, they brought almost any product that you possibly could ever need for a home project together under one roof – economy of scale, buying in gigantic quantities – and delivering it all through a myriad of locations.

But that's not it alone. And I must give credit where credit is due -- They took the intangible, what your local hardware store had been offering for years, bundled it, packaged it, and presented it for easy consumption. Service with a smile -- Ok, no – the products with the know-how you need to get your project done.

“You can do it, We can help.”

Your Do-It-Yourself Home Center

USA Today formatted microbytes of just-in-time literature served up where and when you need it -- immediately above the items you are choosing from, at the initial point of sale. Good, Better, Best – just look up. Couple that with free weekend how-to clinics, and they empowered us to do it, do-it-ourselves.

Now, I know do-it-yourself was nothing new. My grandfather, your father, our ancestors throughout history didn’t “do-it-themselves.” They just did it, and it was done.

But at this point in history, I tend to think that the population simply bought in. Markets shifted, maybe? And hard data may not support any of this, but again my intuition tells me that a new pulse of the do-it-yourself thinking was thunk.

Home Depot helped to create a culture where even complex do-it-yourself projects were possible.

The try reflex

Now, you might be saying, “Come on, jb, out of the 1287 trips I have made to the Home Depot – why then is it so difficult to find a sales associate when I need help.” Answer -- You are not only one fighting for their attention; many have bought in. Plus Home Depot, physically, is a big store.

Marketing, pseudo-psycho, and other analytical terms aside – and whether or not Home Depot actually shifted market mentality, converting more do-it-yourself activity, they did make an impact on the American consciousness. They fostered, along with a few other factors, an effect that I sometimes call the “try reflex.”

I know this from being immersed in it, and having spoken with handfuls of friends. The thinking here is . . . “Hey, can I do that myself?”

Most times, in the demographic of my friends: late 30s, young families with above average incomes -- larger tasks actually in the end get hired out. It is true, and hence the need for a service like ServiceMagic.com. But, and again whether or not real data supports this, at least the impulse seems to be there . . . always.

Big boxes and little windows

It’s unfortunate really that Home Depot has never translated/addressed this, at least for me and others like me (hi-functioning do-it-yourselvers), to/in the online arena. There is a disconnect here.

And as much as I want to resist going here again – they are just missing one opportunity, one vehicle through which to support their clients, and better their sales. Maybe they feel they don’t have to – or the feasibility studies just don’t point to the immediacy.

In comparison -- take a look at Sears and the plethora of online tools and tips, as well as general access, that they offer in support of their customers. To highlight one in a suite of many -- and they are twitter friends, Manage My Home dot com.

That said, though, it happens to be another big box store, and the way they have done things in recent years, that I repeatedly come back to.

Ok, one or two more posts in this series, then I will get back to managing the delicate balance between supporting both home services firms and do-it-for-yourself activity -- More than likely next week sometime.

Here's the next.

---

More Moxie:

Home Depot's Clinics' website got a new look at some point in the last year: http://www.homeimproverclub.com/

And my fav for online home project management: http://www.managemyhome.com/

What is Building Moxie (an outtake)

House keeping (or something like that)

For the record: I am a do-it-yourselfer. Always have and always will be, and that’s me.

Because it is right for me, and despite all philosophical discussion that could be had on the meaning of the words, does not necessarily suggest that I would ever prescribe this for all.

That simply would not make sound, practical advice (financial or otherwise). Many, many factors (esp. skill, time, and money) come into play when deciding whether or not to do a specific home project for yourself.

Building Building Moxie (the internet and you -- one of maybe two)

click here to see the most recent post in this series

The online landscape

May 2008 -- I needed a place to start, a starting point, for a systematic review of the online landscape. And I found that rather quickly in http://alexa.com. Plugging in phrases like “Home Improvement” and “How-to,” boom, bam, like that I had a great point from which to begin my exploration.

Focused only on US-based websites, these initial searches yielded a list of about 400 sites. And . . . off I went asurfing the internet. I will point out again that I wasn’t necessarily reading content per se, or viewing galleries, at this point, I was looking, instead, at 1.What these sites were offering their visitors, and 2. How these sites were making their money.

I am not suggesting, no way no how, that just like that I had a comprehensive list. I am not certain that any list of websites could ever be totally and absolutely complete. The online landscape changes frequently.

Even recently, the Twittosphere has turned me onto http://www.homesavvi.com, a great site out of the Northwest, as well as a very promising community-oriented site in http://www.homedigz.com.

On the ground and running, though, banner, Google, and various other ads guided me down the right avenues. In the short term, my list grew . . . later, it ebbed.

Pondscapes (to borrow the name of a friend’s business)

First impressions -- well, since my first look, back in 2004, the online world had changed . . . a little; I was not oblivious to that. While not yet linked into the social networking scene, I was still aware of the movement towards “Web 2.0.”

With video streaming smoothly at that point, the online delivery of how-to video content was not only possible, but being done.

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t let that distract me. Technology had evolved a little, yes, delivery methods were maturing, but the audiences still there, were the same; right?

Chiseling (or is that raking and aerating)

I started first by systematically eliminating websites that were tightly tied to a product and/or a brand. In this category, http://www.benjaminmoore.com/ and http://minwax.com/ -- Great tools and tips available at both these and other locations, but not necessarily within the scope, and/or in the spirit of, my venture.

Mind you, too, that Alexa did not at the time have much focus on the blogosphere, and frankly I didn’t give it much credence either -- the irony in this of course is funny.

For me, blogging has been liberating, and certainly, there is great content being served up using better blogging tools. Strong and fluid voices are coming out of destinations like http://homefixated.com/ and http://www.younghouselove.com/ . . . to name a few.

But alas, these sites were not included in my research. And ultimately, I dwindled my list down to approximately 130 websites. These 130 sites, in the period between May 2008 and August 2008, were actively generating “how to”-oriented home improvement content.

Warning again – I am not suggesting that my list was anywhere near complete, nor on the other end, not overstated; but I did feel that it offered a large enough slice to allow me to do some significant analysis.

In the words of D.Boon . . . Enjoy the detour

In the five-month period that I researched, I categorized and I explored and I documented my impressions.

There were four websites, however, that had a course-changing impact on what and how I wanted to do my thing. I will talk briefly about three of them here: http://www.angieslist.com/, http://www.servicemagic.com/, and http://www.managemyhome.com/.

First, Angie’s List – I don’t think that there is anything more that needs to be said about this operation. Frankly, their growth strategy is tough to punch a hole in, and I admire, among other things, how they got that thing off the ground (shout to Angie Hicks). This service obviously has great value, and has gained many supporters/subscribers over the last few years.

Next, Service Magic – The near perfect home improvement website -- They balance equally do-it-for-me matchmaking with very robust, and intelligently-generated, support information. It was tough for me, when looking at this website (as someone who has worked in web development and who also understands their business model), not to simply drool all over myself. But . . . I didn't, and I will stop there.

The Spotlight Dance

And then, there it was . . . MMH – Manage My Home – I will call this website, flawed perfectly like a flower, the stunner (you know, that incredibly beautiful woman that walks into the room, stopping hearts, and spilling drinks).

In fact, if I were designing a website, this would be the website that I would want to model mine after. It’s the level of interactivity, laid out for those that like words, as well as pictures, for those that respect the AJAX, and for those who don’t like to click much -- that does it, all backed by expert experience and a vibrant homeowners community.

That said, though, they had me way before that: The one thing about MMH that really stood out for me -- their focus on the “you”. Countless numbers of great tools (synced with email reminders) just waiting to help you get things done around your house . . . with efficiency. And yes, I have occasionally referred my friends here. This site is simply a pleasure to visit and use.

Coming on like Vincent, the kid that tricked Elaine into bringing him vodka, cigs and a R rated movie (aka at this point, you might be saying, so what jb -- you haven’t done anything yet)

And it is true – I am in the early stages of slowly implementing my business plan. And with me, it is for practical reasons . . . this battle between ego/superego – ok no, it is a battle between sharing and guarding.

Bottom line is – I know what I want to do, I think -- thanks in part to the exploration above -- I know what I think my market might want, but I just don’t know fully how I am going to go about supporting it.

Maybe, I might write more about this in my next post, and thanks for reading.

click here to see the next in this series

---

More Moxie:
Understand that I can be overly verbose, poorly edited, and it was written by someone who is sometimes called a technical writer, but I would be willing to send the full copy of my Web Market Report to anyone who asks. There might be something useful for someone in there. Email: j.bmoxie@gmail.com -- Anyway, BMoxie BMore.

Building Building Moxie (an outtake)

no more writing on this this week . . . coming next week 8.9, I promise (I removed this from last because it flows better without it). Great weekend. jb

A lay over

I want to point out that I did look at other things -- Not just how-to websites. I explored several business models not limited to, but including -- 1. diy workshops 2. diy clubs 3. Owner-builder operations. Each was ruled out for their own reason, and guess what, here they are:

1. I felt that a diy workshop was not viable unless the space being used was doubling also as a shop for a contractor or a craftsperson. I have seen several go by the wayside in the last two years. Does Home Depot have the market cornered? Maybe not, but I figured I could do better.

2. Diy clubs were interesting -- and while I still envision hosting and/or proctoring one eventually, I moved on quickly; I did not feel they presented a strong enough nucleus, in a business sense, from which to build around.

3. Owner-builder services -- and there are franchising options. While these operations are probably doing a great job at assisting with the construction of new homes, it appeared that the framework many were using could not scale.

Building Building Moxie (developing a little business idea) aka . . .

Click here for last

I have done a few things; open a Lemonade stand wasn't one them

So . . . September, 2007 -- maybe under the cover of delusion, and definitely silent, I settled into the regiment. I would rise some mornings as early as 4am. I was going to knock out this business plan.

I had downloaded a template from sba.gov a few years back, and actually started working on it, then. It was a sample developed for a fictitious magazine publisher. For me, it seemed to work. My goal – already decided upon -- figure how to develop the better home improvement how-to.

It had been agreed upon, already, that since my wife really couldn’t contribute substantial household income until sometime around . . . September, 2009 (then, two years off), I had some time to work on this.

Carry on luggage

I feel in some ways that I have a slightly unique view of houses: 1. For me, they are very utilitarian; form and function, yes – but function over form, always. & 2. We (my wife & I – perpetually stepping up) simply have a high tolerance for the unfinished project. All projects eventually get completed, and these projects add value (this last point may only be true if you invest time and money wisely).

And they tell you that all business plans are based to some degree on, in my big monster truck voice, ASSUMPTIONS. And yes, I made some. Beyond these as I will tell you – I pretty much emptied my head of everything else.

Some people I have talked with do discount the idea of writing a formal business plan. SBA says something like only 15% of businesses have them, but, again, I simply had that time.

Writing for me has always been an incredible thinking tool, and, now with a business plan drafted, I can say with absolute certainty that it, the writing of it, was a fantastic way to corral a gagillion ideas.

The plan, in form

The template I was working with contained the following sections: Executive Summary, Venture Summary, Management Summary, Industry Analysis, Market Overview, Strategy & Summary, a Products section, a Sales Strategy section, and a space for Financial Analysis. (I added two additional sections later; these were called BuildingMoxie.com and Implementation/Exit Strategy.)

I started with some free writing under the heading Business Description. And I found quickly that I was still carrying some additional baggage. You see, having pored over many how-to articles through the years, I did have some preconceptions about them.

How-tos, no matter how well written, and except at either the highest level and/or at the lowest level . . . are merely starting points.

I can’t tell you how many times – even with some assembly instructions – I read and I followed, in the end, just to discard them because they did not fully apply, because I felt I could think of a better way, or because it felt as if the writer, simply a writer, had not actually performed the task.

Anyway, Band :: Guided by Voices, I moved forward

It was easy to complete the Management Summary portion of the plan. I assumed early on it would be me, and just me, managing this thing in the short term. Because of that, too, I would later assume that I simply would not have a lot capital to play with.

But with a draft for the Venture Summary completed, I moved onto the Industry and Marketing portions of the plan. Again, I highlight, I had no budget and was developing this in my free time. (I assumed -- Access to real market intelligence was either buried at the library, or simply out my reach, financially.)

Ok, Let's take off

The industry, that is the home improvement industry, typically divides its end users into two camps – do-it-yourself and do-it-for-me (you can throw buy-it-for-me in there if you want).

These audiences of course are addressed through three main channels: in the real world via suppliers and/or service organizations, through traditional media (print and television), and via the internet.

Industry research (aka. . . one simple truth)

The home improvement industry had consistently been growing for years and years and years, cool. (Remember: researching in 2007 – and we are seeing a little hiccup now.) The population had been growing: These people will eventually need a place to live, cool. The market had been expanding: Houses, especially in my locale, continue to age, cool.

Generally there was nothing that I saw that persuaded me to end this pursuit. One fundamental assumption was not disproven:

As long as there are homes, there will be need for . . . home improvement.

Getting scientific (almost)

I guess, they say, you need an offering that is unique from others, and you need someone who desires it. So for me – I started with a look at the lay of the land. What and who was out there, and what was missing. I mean, I already knew my target – Anyone who owns a house around Baltimore, Maryland (just kidding, I know a little more about my demographic than just that).

But that will have to wait for the next post . . . My research on Home Improvement websites, click here for that post.

---

More Moxie:

Helpful resources for small business owners: http://www.sba.gov/

These guys are smart: http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/index.htm

And these guys have a lot of statistics: http://www.census.gov/

Ironically -- This DIY Workshop opened less than a mile from my house this past August -- and I have yet to speak with the proprietor, though I intend to. It surprised me, yet offered validation. I wish her luck: http://www.bethsdiyworkshop.com/

Building Moxie (part 4 of a few) aka you have to do what you need to do before you can do what you want to do

Click here for part 3

(I might have to trademark the "un-post")

I was hanging a door, when I got the call. At some point after being let go, I must have put my resume up on Career Builder dot com. And that’s how they found me, I guess. My former company (remember that global web-software provider) called and said, “Do you want to come back?” I said, “Let me ask my wife.”

Well, and I almost laugh out loud, it had been a tough year – you know – not getting thrown into a new thing. Not having to dig up clients; not having to pay for health insurance; not having to pay taxes; not having to rehab a house, and definitely not having to figure out how to estimate and bill for the work I was doing.

What do you think my wife said? Well, . . . you know.

As with most things in life, I feel that I do more right than wrong

I consulted with my former boss (a one time custom home builder) before I jumped in. I said, “I guess I am just going to work for myself.” His initial response, “Just don’t make any mistakes.” Sound advice, I thought.

Did I make a mistake or two that year? Absolutely; actually I probably made a few more than that. And yes, some were . . . work related. I was hungry, after all – taking anything I could get my hands on, and just giving it away. A couple of the jobs I took on – well, I really didn’t "nail." And when you (as a new small guy trying to do right by clients) don’t hit expectations for quality and/or expenditure, it is tough to have billing power.

Do I regret some of the decisions I made? Absolutely not. (I mean, by now you should know me; I was . . . .) And I did learn a thing or two about myself that year. Most notably – that I, not as contractor, move slowly.

I also learned that the jobs I felt most comfortable doing, the ones I excelled at – were the larger ones, the ones where the client & I could engage each other early . . . in the planning phases. These jobs did not produce the pictures below (among some others):














Anyway, back on the horn

Financially, it was getting tight. Though the real estate market was slumping, we had funds left over from the sale of our most previous property. My wife, though, not working full time as it were – was getting even fewer leads and prospects, and we were burning through that cash quickly. The girls two and four then – were starting pre-school, and it was time to pay.

So, as any good head of the household, I sucked it up, negotiated a slightly higher salary, and, well, went back to the desk job I had abandoned four years earlier. And . . . as you might have guessed – I currently work that job. To make that decision sit, though – I told myself (and my wife) – I am going to take this time to finish that business plan, started back in August of 2004.

I mean, this was the only way I was going to possibly keep my sanity (or loose it).

Jobs do not make a career

I always squirm (especially now) when I get the question: What do you do? And I answer as best I can, “I am a software analyst,” my head nearly exploding.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I really do like the company I work for, always have. I am proud of the product I work on, and of my contributions to it. I even own stock. And yes, I am risking myself by putting myself out here like this.

Though I do most of my research, development, and writing before I enter the workplace . . . well, to be honest, sometimes it is unavoidable – I just need a fix . . . .

I convince myself it is OK. Others surf YouTube, play fantasy football, and do this, that, and the other thing. I instead focus on my baby. And by September of 2007, I already had a name picked out; I was calling her “Show-How.”

Building Building Moxie :: Some Methods and Means

---

More Moxie:
Career Builder: http://www.careerbuilder.com/
The most fantastic school in the world: http://www.dulaneydayschool.com/

Building Moxie (part 3 of a few) - me and the Big Builder

Click here for part 2

May, 2005 – I quit my job and started as a construction manager with a big builder. Sure, it was a little risky. And married to a real estate agent, I certainly wasn’t numb to the idea of the bubble-bursting, new reality that was headed our way.

We (my wife and I) had our second child, Eva, on the way, and we had just completed the purchase of our second property in Lauraville, an 1880’s farmhouse. (It can be categorized as a “fixer upper." LOL.) And . . .

Ok – I wasn’t the Construction Manager for our site; I was one of two assistant construction managers (I did not have experience in this field after all). The way our work duties were divided, more of my responsibilities fell to the finishing and service portions of the construction schedule. To spin it, I was a finish-end construction manager.

Stop here – I definitely have mixed feelings about my time with the big builder. And I am not sure exactly how this will all come out. But . . . I do not think it is wise for me to be overly critical of either the company I worked for, or of any of the people that worked with them. What I have to say, here, probably, is more indicative of the industry as a whole.

Just add water

This organization, a one-time Fortune 500 company, really seemed to have their act together; from the top, almost down to the bottom. They held (and probably still hold) a butt load of land, most of the material for certain building systems was integrated and generated internally, and they had an in-house architectural department putting out simply excellent floor plans.

To the public, to investors, and to prospective employees, this all added up to one hell of a bulletproof operation. They were leaders in what I like to call instant community. (Just add water and it grows.) The site at which I worked, to put it one way – was choice. It was choice Baltimore County property, a perfect location for a Luxury home line.

Building on paper (aka the formula)

I don’t want to get hung up here too much. They did what they do well. (And I did have enough experience to fit nicely into their system.) They were/are “production home builders” and that’s what they did: they produced houses. How/why would I have thought that that was anything less than the ultimate goal – I don’t know?

I guess, I did have a few preconceived expectations. No, I never thought that I was going to swing a hammer. Did I think I would learn the nitty gritty of how home systems actually work, and why things are done they way they are done? Yes, Yes I did – and I did learn a little bit about this and that. Did I think I was going to learn how to build a house? Yes, I did, and I did – just not in the manner that I expected.

You see, within the formula of production home building, clients pick their home site, a house style they like, and fill in the myriads of selections in a blitzkrieg of meetings that ultimately ensue.

My immediate boss, who I count as a friend and a mentor, did an excellent job of working with – to be fair, even if you read this, a “hard to please” clientele. Generally, the whole process (at least in this organization) was guided by top notch professionals.

With all these systems in place, you might think, the houses could build themselves

Quite frankly, this was a very stressful job. (And I think everyone that encountered me in that period of my life probably knew.) Did I like it? Yes; was it stressful? Yes; was I good at it? Well, maybe not. And I guess it was all in the management of things; Am I good at managing stress? Sometimes, No.

And sure on paper, you knew the selections, usually you knew what and how everything was going in – on what schedule. (This too comes from a guy who had spent some years managing “paper.”) But maybe the problem (at least for me) was the disconnect -- I mean, the communication tools were there, even service requests. This is a good way to be; I am in fact an advocate of getting things, and seeing things, in writing.

But I ask, does everything in construction actually happen as planned, as it is laid out on paper? What do you think? Paper doesn’t build houses, and paper doesn’t make new homeowners happy, people, and the things they do, do. (I said do do.)

And in lies another point at which I begin Building Moxie.

Laid out and laid off

I mean – you think I was in grade school again, not building million dollar houses. He said, she said (as much from the organization) – like you wouldn’t believe. And when push comes to shove, it really is the money that makes things happen. Again, I try to resist the urge of hammering any individuals; we all have our own stresses, strains, and others to answer to.

I really wasn’t that surprised when I got the word the day after Labor Day, 2006. Yes, I got laid off. Was it performance-related? Maybe, I kinda sucked. I was a little too soft with sub-contractors, and found that way too often (in a business sense) I sided with homeowners despite documented procedure.

I mean, I took it as a relief. It meant I could pursue other things; not least of all – working on our newly acquired fixer upper. Of course, I had thought about it previously, and as any good cast off construction manager, I thought to myself, "This might be my opportunity to pursue a business as a home improvement contractor."

My wife, however, was not so optimistic.

More Building Moxie soon. Thanks for reading.
Click here for part 4

---

More Moxie:

I actually grew up in Perry Hall; Baltimore County, MD: http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/