Shock and denial
pain and guilt
anger and bargaining
depression and loneliness
upward turn
reconstruction
acceptance and hope
This List May Read Like - Something out of a Psychology textbook and that is because it is. The time required to work through all seven steps depends upon the extent of the change.
I Take Between - One minute and twenty four hours to work through the process. Shortcuts skipping steps increases the time required because the process is what it is and no amount of will power can alter it. We live in a world of what is...not what should be.
As A Business Owner - And someone with responsibilities there is not a lot of time to waste so I have learned the hard way to relax and enjoy the ride and it is quicker and less painful.
With Every Life Changing Event - I look back and marvel at how the new paradigm serves me so much better than the previous one it replaced that I held onto for dear life.
A Carpenter Whom I Admire - Said something to the effect: "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."
Simple, Elegant And True - Sometimes it seems the old wineskins in my life are old paradigms that served their purpose and the new wineskins arrive with the life changing event as a vessel to hold the new wine or as I see it a new paradigm.
Construction Business Owners - Have experienced some life changing events in the past few years. Some have gone through the entire process mentioned above and others have gotten stuck in step #4.
I Have Several Residences - Places where I spend time away from work for rest and recreation and "Denial" is one of them. Sometimes I get stuck in Denial for 30 to 60 minutes because it is so comfortable and everybody else who is stuck in step #4. It is like going to a neighborhood bar where the Contractors Business Round Table meets and everyone knows each other's name.
Now For The Good News - We recently started getting involved in our local Master Builders Association in Bellevue Washington and I met some of the finest people on earth. As we all know all contractors are among the finest people on earth considering the Heritage of the construction industry.
My Old Paradigm - The Master Builders Association was just another place to spend money to get our name in front of the people we wanted to do business with and we treated it like another ad campaign. We have been members off and on since the 1990's. Up until 2000 we focused our membership on our construction business and since then the focus changed to our Construction Accounting and Bookkeeping Services.
These Past Several Years - Have provided remarkable new character building opportunities and some new paradigms. This in turn has caused me to re-think where I am putting my time and attention. I am very passionate about working with contractors and helping them get their financial records in order and subsequently make a lot of money.
So I Attended A Couple Of Events - At The Master Builders Association with an open mind and lo and behold these folks sincerely care about their fellow contractors and associates like me. It is not lip service designed to generate money for a favored few.
They Have Staff - Who work every day and earn a paycheck which makes sense; however, what really opened my eyes to what was there all the time is a lot of the work in keeping the operation going is provided by dues paying volunteers. These are men and women who spend time and money to show up and provide support for the events and each other.
Dialing For Donuts - Is a program to bring back members who let their membership lapse. I thought about the idea of cold calling and wondered is it possible they really mean what they say about supporting contractors so I showed up and made some calls for an hour or so, made some new friends and got to overhear the sincerity emanating from the other volunteers. This was the real thing, real people making real connections with fellow MBA members.
Everyone I Spoke With - Was kind, courteous and glad I called. It was like talking with a friend I had not seen in a while. What was most enlightening was I could sense most of them are laboring under the exact same old paradigm I had.
The Master Builders Association - Is not a good fit for everyone. Just builders, contractors, trades contractors and those of us who provide products and services to them. It is also a good fit for those people who are independent hard core, rough and tumble, get-r-done, tough as nails, no nonsense people like me who understand the value of being around people who make things happen and more importantly understand how Leveling Up Makes You Money.
If You Were A Member - And your membership lapsed or you dropped out of whatever occurred or if you have never been a member please consider accepting my personal invitation to join this great organization and together we will build something great!
For Construction Company Owners who do not need the full power of QuickBooks for contractors and want 24/7 online access we offer Xero Accounting Online and we have custom setup for construction companies. Click Here For More.
This Is One More Example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners all across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that and a lot more valuable to people like you so stop missing out! Call Sharie 206-361-3950 or sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com and schedule your no charge one-hour consultation.
Profitable Contractors and Construction Company owners have known about the value of outsourced bookkeeping services and contractor coaching services like ours for a long time and now you know about it too!
We Scan Your Receipts And Invoices link the appropriate transactions to QuickBooks or Xero Accounting Online depending on the construction accounting service you are using and provide ongoing Cloud Based Contractors Bookkeeping Services by accountants who understand construction.
About The Author:
Our Co-Founder Randal DeHart - Is a Certified PMP (Project Management Professional) with several years of construction project management experience. His expertise is construction accounting systems engineering and process development. His exhaustive study of several leading experts including the work of Dr. W. Edward Deming, Michael Gerber, Walter A. Shewhart, James Lewis and dozens of others was the foundation upon which our Construction Bookkeeping System is based and continues to evolve and improve. Check out our Contractor Success Map Podcast on iTunes and Follow Randal on Google+