On every job there is a time for the trust to be established. Usually with in the first two days. You can feel the moment where the client thinks “You are who you said you were - someone I can trust.” Then they step back and start to let you take charge. We love this moment. This is when the fun starts. Creating anything is a process. We always have an idea of what we are going to create, what product we are going to use, what the customer doesn’t like etc…but how it all comes together is a trust factor. Creating something is always upredictable, in that lies the danger and the excitement. When we are finished and the customer is blown away we know that every conversation, all the time with samples, listening to concerns…all of it…was worth it. No matter how demanding a customer can get, make sure you take the time to establish the trust. Without it you are another hack and noone will remember you or your work.

On every job there is a time for the trust to be established. Usually the first two days. You can usually feel the moment where the client thinks “You are who you said you were - someone I can trust.” Then they step back and start to let you take charge. We love this moment. This is when the fun starts. Creating anything is a process. We always have an idea of what we are going to create, what product we are going to use, what the customer doesn’t like etc…but how it all comes together is a trust factor. Creating something is always upredictable, in that lies the danger and the excitement. When we are finished and the customer is blown away we know that every conversation, all the time with samples, listening to concerns…all of it…was worth it. No matter how demanding a customer can get, make sure you take the time to establish the trust. Without it you are another hack and noone will remember you or your work.

There are certain customers you work for who are more than a customer. They see something in you that you don’t, they leave an impression with you after the job is done, they become supporters of your work. Dean and I have been very lucky to work for some great customers. Today we were reminded of one, Beverly Martini. She and her husband John owned Colony Rug Company. Funny how people from the past come to mind - today we were applying Transeal WB sealer over a stone job. Beverly loved this sealer. Every job we did she had us seal. Beverly was adamant about that sealer look. She was a beautiful 60 yr old woman. We were always taken aback by her looks. She was a knock out and had a personality to kill. Always making us laugh. And of course she had good taste in stone work/design.

Before anything happened with our tv careers, we were standing in her driveway talking business, she took a pause, looked at us and gave us that Beverly smile:

“You know I’ve seen a lot of business partners over the years, and you two are a great team.”

We laughed.

“You really are. You two are going to do well.”

When we landed ROCK SOLID she called up and reminded us of that conversation in her driveway. She would always call Dean “the relative” in her tongue and cheek way and all three of us would laugh.

Beverly passed away a few years ago from a sudden illness.

The last time we all spoke she said “When you drive by the store stop in for an espresso.” One day we did and of course all we did was laugh and look at really expensive rugs.

Thanks Beverly.

Dean and I are constantly talking about bills, planning the month ahead and making sure we have what we need in the account to pay everything on time. True we work with DIY for the shows but we still have our company to run. Why bother? It is our trade and it keeps us in a great position to try new products and figure out how they work, also we want to keep this 2nd generation of the family business going so when our kids are needing that summer job they can work their tails off for us…like we did for Dad, and lets face it just because we have a few shows on tv why stop doing what it is that makes you who you are? We’re not in the business of pretending to be something we’re not…that’s just bad business. So for you small self-employed businesses out there, here is the main question every month? What money do we need to bring in (monthly/yearly) to stay afloat? That question has to be asked constantly because of all the growing pains, weather issues and increases in taxes/insurances etc…What does it take to pay our truck payment, truck insurance, liability and workers insurance, taxes, fuel, storage rental, tools, disability insurance, phone bills, office supplies, and general maintenance …etc? That number is a kick in the ass and a motivator at the same time. Don’t just get to work and wing it. Get good at knowing where you are going monthly instead of blindly, hopefully making it work out. No matter how talented you are, if you are not good with the paper work (or not good at hiring someone good with the paper work) you are going to be loosing money/profit. You will not survive, especially in times like we are in now. It all sounds so basic and it is, but it is the basics that we tend to neglect/take for granted. Get out there and make some money.

The job went very well and the customer was amazed by the product/results. One mistake we made that we want to share. When you mix the 2 part epoxy you mis them in the drum mixer first then add your stone to it. We were in the process of mixing the epoxy and then we got sidetracked with one of those “construction interruptions” and the epoxy started to react chemically without the stone and create a firm substance in our mixer. We got it out and had enough material to do another mix but it didn’t take long for it to react. So when you mix the two, let them mix for a minute and then add the stone…otherwise you may have a creation that starts to crawl out of the mixer and start eating downtown Tokyo!

Tomorrow we are working with one of the new exciting products out there, Eco Systems Grout. Some of you have seen it on our DIY shows, but many of you still haven’t seen or heard of it. It is a 2 part epoxy system that comes in a kit. You pikc out your favorite loose gravel stone, mix in the 2 part epoxy in a drum mixer. THe epoxy coats the stone, you pour it out into your form. Either a walkway, patio or individual paver forms (we recommend using strapping or 2×4’s for forms). Take your float or trowel and trowel the coated stone (work it as if it was like concrete) screed it, smooth it out. Keep in mind your base for this should be a gravel/crusher run or road rock base that is compacted. The next day pull your forms and you will have a beautiful natural gravel stone paving area that looks loose but is all connected (like a big Rice Krispy Treat). THe epoxy brings out the color in the stones and also allows water to permeate through the paving back into the environment. Looking forward to doing this tomorrow.

“Attention to details” rings in my ear today. Dean and I just finished up a medium size backyard makeover. The customers are hard working and trustworthy. We kept to their budget, always a good thing. But our profit on the job was on the 400 sq foot Canal St. Brick patio, the Versalock sitting walls and the Weathered Stepping stone walkways, not on the concrete demo/removal, repointing of the steps, and grading loam. Today was the day to finish up the punch list and we did. But at the end of the job as our customer was writing out the final check (and wrapping up some amazing homemade tomato soup!) it was the attention to the details that she commented on. She loved the whole job, but to know that all the pain in the ass, little things were taken care of, made her happy. Finishing the detail means that we listened to her. We had no problem attacking the “not so exciting” parts of the job and getting them done right. When your customer sees the physical proof that you listened to them they have no problem paying you and will hire you again. It all goes back to a good business relationship. The construction world has gotten a bad rap over the years due to hacks out there not listening and ripping people off. We love proving all that wrong! Details are huge no matter what size they are.

Dean and I grew up in self-employed homes. We know that ebb and flow of surviving as the paycheck changes. With the construction business my Dad was always a victim to the weather. Everyday was unpredictable. We will never forget the long days of pouring concrete decks around pools in August/September making sure the concrete doesn’t get away from us. And there was always 1 or 2 full concrete trucks WAITING for us to get done on time. Not everyone is made to be self employed, but if you decide to take this road make sure you don’t fall in the trap of “I’m my own boss and I don’t need help.” It may sound silly but that is a huge problem with working for oneself. We fall into the trap of “it will be easier if I just do it instead of trying to find the best options.” For example always surround yourself with a great excavating crew, solid laborers, experts in their fields and if you can invest in the people who are meant to manage the jobs. Not easy ones to find. Working for yourself you can exhaust yourself and burn out very fast. Customers are always afraid of paying too much but that can easliy mean that you do more work on things you shouldn’t just to keep the job going. Bad choice. A customer will respect that you want to get the job done right and once. Saving money for them can lead to costing you more money. Surround yourself with the right people, know your strengths and do not be too prideful to ask for help. After 20 years in the business I have been there making every mistake one could make. The best thing about the mistakes is you learn and you vow you will never make that same mistake again. You will. But after the 2nd or 3rd time, you won’t. If you have questions about self-employment get us your questions. Good luck.

Our monthly classes continue on Sat. August 21st from 9am - 3pm at The Plymouth Qaurries in Hingham, MA. For more info and to register contact the Quarries directly at the above link or at (781) 335-3686. See you there.

Been introduced to a new venue on the web with The Pulse Network when we skyped with Matt Light. Brother Butch runs the sports channel at pusle under the leadership of Steve and Nick Saber. What these guys are doing at The Pulse is ground breaking and exciting. If you’re a sports fan check out The Pulse and watch Butch between 10am - 1pm everyday. You can also check out past shows in their archives. The Skype interview was from Matt’s camp in Ohio where we filmed a new DIY Indoors Out show. Great experience.