The 25 Hour Day by Joe Schum, Sales Director The RetroTechs, Inc.
Ok, I confess, outside my role here at The RetroTechs, I am a small business owner. Yes, I am the proud founder of 2000 square feet of coin laundry and dry cleaning pick up service. And recently I decided to repair one of my own washers in an attempt to save some money and not have to get out the checkbook for my service repairman yet again. (I love my service repairman. He comes when I call and always takes care of me.) Yet, I try to avoid him whenever possible.
What was the result of my donning the coveralls and lifting the hood on a 55 lb. front loader washer? Well, for starters I dropped two set screws into the body of the unit. I can still hear them clanking their way to China. Next, I managed to connect a couple of disconnected wires and shock myself at the same time. Nothing like 150 amp service to wake you up and get the heart started. Finally, I fixed the device but there was a noticeable hum emanating from the unit. My customer just stood there shaking her head. She didn’t want to come near my Franken-washer.
I buttoned up the washer and called Kevin. After he got done chuckling at my new found skills, he told me he would be right over and take care of everything. I told him I had a new found appreciation for his knowledge and profession and thanked him for not letting me start a fire or flood the neighborhood.
We small business owners are the passion behind our businesses. We have a vision and want to share it with everyone who crosses our threshold as a client, vendor or employee. We also develop a character flaw that says “I can do this myself”, or, “It won’t get done unless I do it”, or, “If I want it done right…”. Sound familiar? In the end I saved my business no money, wasted valuable time I could’ve spent generating revenue and would still be able to hold a cup of coffee without shaking uncontrollably. Leave certain things to the experts. Do what you do best. And remember to hug your repairman today.
I buttoned up the washer and called Kevin. After he got done chuckling at my new found skills, he told me he would be right over and take care of everything. I told him I had a new found appreciation for his knowledge and profession and thanked him for not letting me start a fire or flood the neighborhood.