Some jobs are not worth taking, I thought I was getting good at saying no, but I found out this year I was wrong.?ÿ
Although, did finally get paid for a job with a 1995 #. That thing went on the entire time till the Clerk took it and filed it over the top of the mortgage company who refused to sign the plat.?ÿ
The hornets nest for the latest one is going to get stirred up next week, at least I'll have thanksgiving vacation to relax.?ÿ ??ÿ
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For some reason I get the feeling that some folks think the simple word "no" means "I'll ask you later when you feel better".?ÿ?ÿ?ÿ Or maybe they think it's a ploy for me to jack up the fees or something.?ÿ Whichever, I've found the words "hell no" have a more rigid ring than just "no".
I've never lost a penny on a job I turned down.
Yep, the ability to say no is mission critical.?ÿ You'll know your shop is thriving when you only accept 20% of solicitations and you still have problems with scheduling and cutting overtime costs.?ÿ ?ÿTime to grow, raise your prices and cash in on your proven expertise.
Yep, the ability to say no is mission critical.?ÿ You'll know your shop is thriving when you only accept 20% of solicitations and you still have problems with scheduling and cutting overtime costs.?ÿ ?ÿTime to grow, raise your prices and cash in on your proven expertise.
For some reason I get the feeling that some folks think the simple word "no" means "I'll ask you later when you feel better".?ÿ?ÿ?ÿ Or maybe they think it's a ploy for me to jack up the fees or something.?ÿ Whichever, I've found the words "hell no" have a more rigid ring than just "no".
I've never lost a penny on a job I turned down.
Ahh, but have you ever lost money when you said yes?
My attitude toward new work inquiries comes from a professional poker player I saw interviewed on TV a few years ago. He said "An amateur is always looking for a reason to stay in the hand; a professional is always looking for a reason to get out of the hand."
My motto is as follows: Do not make THEIR problems MY problems.
Be cautious and suspicious and know that people will lie if they feel it is in their best interests.
??I've never lost a penny on a job I turned down.? True Paden Cash ism wisdom.
You can only lose money on the ones you accept. ?ÿBeen out on my own for nearly 32 years and have never ran out of projects--EVER! ?ÿSomebody willing to pay me will replace the so-called lost job where money problems would surely arise. ?ÿAnd, yes, I have lost money on a few jobs each year. ?ÿThought for the day: Do not accept jobs from senile widows over 80.
I turned down a fun job a couple of days ago, several miles of GNSS horizontal control with First Order Class II levels throughout. The problem? It ran down the middle of a freeway, which would require more in the way of staffing, safety training, and subcontractor management than actual surveying, so I let it go.
My motto is as follows: Do not make THEIR problems MY problems.
Be cautious and suspicious and know that people will lie if they feel it is in their best interests.
Many times their problems lead to the best paying jobs.
....several miles of GNSS horizontal control with First Order Class II levels throughout. The problem? It ran down the middle of a freeway....
I know that job. I did the recon for it. First time in my 41 year career I found myself in the freeway median for work. Didn't like it one bit. What did I do? Came in the next day and told the boss "no", as in I am not going to do that again. As I have "matured", the thing I may have improved the most is the ability to say "no" without guilt. It is very empowering in all aspects of life.
My motto is as follows: Do not make THEIR problems MY problems.
Be cautious and suspicious and know that people will lie if they feel it is in their best interests.
Many times their problems lead to the best paying jobs.
Tommy, I suppose I was a bit vague but when I refer to THEIR problems I mean money.
I get all kinds of phone calls from folks who can't rub 2 nickles together and they expect me to loose money because they have none. Nope, not gonna do it.
Another common occurrence is where someone with a prominent family name inherited land from his father who in turn inherited from his father and now the surviving descendant owns a 50 acres in what used to be many hundreds of acres and once again he can't rub 2 nickles together but they expect you to work for a loss. Nope, not gonna happen. I will survey it for a trade of some land but I won't work for a loss because you beg and plead and whine like a beotch.?ÿ
There is a plethora of morons in this area who will work for wages but I refuse to be one.
I did one of my best no's two years ago. I got a request for a bid and everyone thought I would be the guy to work up one. I quickly reviewed the job and it was perfect, we had done extensive topo for the complex, had all the control, a simple layout, off the top of my head I figure if it all goes right (like that ever happens) $6000, realistically #11-15k somewhere in that range.?ÿ
It really is a simple construction job from a surveyors point of view, but the requirements were insane.?ÿ
It took me about an hour of reading and I dropped it.?ÿ
The guy bidding called me in a panic looking for a price and I said I'm not interested and gave him a piece of advice that if they really want to enforce their requirements he needs to hire an LS on staff and buy all the gear he needs. Figure in the cost for that and he should have it covered.?ÿ
The job was to break ground in May 2017, the put up fencing, scrapped around on the ground, parked a few construction rigs around the fenced area and that's where it stands last time I went by, about a month ago. The specs were out of control, worst I'd ever seen, maybe that's the story behind why it's a mess, federal project, who knows...??..
at one point I enjoyed near total autonomy.
we were aggressive, grabbing all we could... we had lots to do, too much.
I cut the department volume, and some less than stellar staff.
Annual gross revenue went down.
Net Profit was up.
We enjoyed the work we were doing.
Later, the company evolved and constant pressure to "grow" prevailed.
heartache went up, profits went down.
I know that job. I did the recon for it.?ÿ
I asked the PM why your forces weren't doing it, he said you guys were too busy.?ÿ I guess I'm too busy as well.
When I first started my business; I told myself that I wasn't going to turn down work. If the client was willing to work with my terms; for the fee I wanted; I would be happy to provide them a professional service.?ÿ
I've had some clients that I wished I'd said no too; some I wish I'd been a little more adamant about what my terms were, and some projects I wish I had charged a little more. But I made those learning experiences and feel I'm a little better off for the experience.
Dougie
