New Orgs ???

jlpressure

jlpressure

JL Pressure Washing
Alright I've been thinking this for a while. Russ's new thread about networking org in Alabama started me thinking this again. Now Im not trying to put down any ORGS at all, There are several attempts or new orgs starting and i wonder if its a good thing or a bad thing for individual PW companies

Like Russ's post says there will big things for the area and everyone can make money. I believe in helping others that are cool, but why does anyone want to help a lot of people, share your knowledge and possibly take money out of your own pocket. Theres other orgs that you might want to direct your customers to and they have websites with all your competition on those sites and then maybe your customer will use one of the other contractors or at least cal 3,4, 5 for estimates and waste your time.

In general i think all these orgs are noble causes and do help in many different ways and I may be sounding selfish. But i have a few local guys that we share info, leads jobs etc with each other and its great, but there are some that I want nothing to do with for several different reasons, why would i want to be in an org with either a hack, or a guy that would stab me in my back and try to cut my throat. I rather pick who i want to deal with instead of having a room full of guys that some I don't trust or know would purposely undercut me.

Why would I want to educate my competition/

Dont beat me up, I'm just looking for the pros & cons of it

Round tables are cool but you get to choose who you share info with an org that gives the same info to pro or hack I wonder about. Its just like the orgs with contractor list, why do i want my customers to look at those list?
 
Jeff, this was discussed at the PWNC meeting - at length, as far as educating your hack competition. I can also tell you that there is a pretty detailed thread on THIS bbs between Matt Johnson & myself about 3 years ago on the very same subject. I was losing sleep over this stuff at 2:30 am this morning - typing this: http://www.thegrimescene.com/forums...5-we-re-focusing-wrong-things.html#post124374

Here's the fact on training your competition. There's someone out there that will do it - because they're NOT their competition. And as I said at the meeting - it's not 100% about training them to actually WASH - it's about how to be a professional and stay in business.

Need coffee.
 
Jeff, how could you feel any different about an org at this point? Most of them are, I'll be nice, empty shells. (in this industry and others). Here's a little sideline before I move on with my point. My only god given skill is business development. I didn't get a whole lot else to work with but I know what I'm supposed to do with my life. I am 99% certain I could lay an outline that will make everyone in an org benefit and benefit nicely. My vision of the org has one mission statement.. make companies money. You do that in two ways.. you market to get contracts and you market to raise public awareness. I don't have pipe dreams, Jeff. I'm not going to be on the BOD of any organization. I know there would be too much opposition, too much dissention, too many chiefs to ever execute a perfect business plan. One thing I like about Carlos and that has me excited over what the UAMCC can do, is that he and I have very similar business outlooks. I also believe him to have the same level of business integrity and honesty I try to carry with myself. I am very happy that the new plans for the UAMCC look nothing like the same old crap we are all used to seeing.

I don't expect to see too much in 2008 as far as org development as the approach of the industry has to be grass roots and focus on the individual contractors that may be struggling in the drought areas. Its a tough time of year. You, me all of us, we need to not lose site of one thing.. this is when we make our money. My business philosophy is "slow and steady wins the race". I hope a lot of companies step forward and help with the Relief For Washers. If we get together we can move forward from the drought and really start making a dent in the bigger picture.
 
I know i'm probably being near sighted. I think its just in the past year i have heard so much about orgs and I wonder why.

all this awareness, I guess I think sometimes I like being under the radar

Good luck, show me how to make some $$$ and I'm all in. Good luck to all
 
jlpressure said:
I know i'm probably being near sighted. I think its just in the past year i have heard so much about orgs and I wonder why.

all this awareness, I guess I think sometimes I like being under the radar

Good luck, show me how to make some $$$ and I'm all in. Good luck to all
Click to expand...

There has to be some point where change is made. Maybe its the last year, maybe its the last 6 months. That's not real important. Its what happens over the next year that will tell the tale, I suppose.
 
Im about 8 months new into the business, and scanning blogs, and talking to people, one of the main concerns is that the fly by nighters, go in, do a shotty job, and that makes customers wary of power washers.

I get customers 2-3 times a week specifically asking me about my process (ie psi, chemicals, etc..) because of horror stories they have heard about power washers.

If you have a hack out there blasting people homes with no regard for damage, then they probably dont have any business sense either, and will probably be out of business in a few months anyways. But at least educating them could stop the destruction of people faith in us.

I dont know if im off base, just the first thing I thought of when I read the posts above....
 
Scott D. said:
Im about 8 months new into the business, and scanning blogs, and talking to people, one of the main concerns is that the fly by nighters, go in, do a shotty job, and that makes customers wary of power washers.

I get customers 2-3 times a week specifically asking me about my process (ie psi, chemicals, etc..) because of horror stories they have heard about power washers.

If you have a hack out there blasting people homes with no regard for damage, then they probably dont have any business sense either, and will probably be out of business in a few months anyways. But at least educating them could stop the destruction of people faith in us.

I dont know if im off base, just the first thing I thought of when I read the posts above....
Click to expand...

No not off base its one of the good points of it. I'm not against orgs, I just wonder if its worth it sometimes.
 
I Dont know if it is worth it, but can it hurt? As long as you do quality work, look professional, and run your business like business, and not like a weekend hobby, then I dont think they can take enough business away from you to put you out. However, they can scare customers away from using PW's altogether. Not only that, but if enough damage is done, government begins to step in at some point.

Just my thoughts...
 
First of all I am NOT Starting an org.

secondly Ken is right on , I am simply networking , I will share info in MY/OUR chosen network of washers , we will work together , share business plans , and simply talk shop.

Like yesterday , someone I know in what I would call "my network" sent me the Pres of an HOA, I went there today and LANDED the deal , just got it signed via fax less than a half hour ago !

Also tomorrow I am taking pics of a job (kitchen) for him and I have 3 more locations for him besides this one. That folks is networking !

More and more to share but you get my drift

let me put it another way , I didnt meet with folks in Montgomery today I met with guys from Birmingham , talked with one from Huntsville and another two from Mobile and Atmore , all over 70 + miles from where my office is , yes I do work in those areas but I dont want too , too much travel time , guess what ? They work around here but dont want too ! Are you statring to see where I am going ? Also I have spoken with Kitchen and wood and deck guys , I dont like doing wood and I dont do Kitchen Exhaust , so why not network with those guys ! They dont do roofs and houses and flatwork but I do ! Hey look we are all making money and we are now specialized , better fot the business owners and home owners and they are happy , we are happy ect ......

More to come !
 
Folks,
Orgs. are what the members make them. If they are empty shells, it's because of it's members. I used to belong to a Fraternity years ago. 4,000,000 members and healthy. Today a few hundred thousand and poor. The members did this. People today do not want to belong to anything. The modern mentality. Only sit back and let someone else do the work. Check you little league or PTA membership. Same old, same old. I was a member of PWNA for one year. I got nothing from it. I wasn't contacted or showed the value of it. This was because of it's membership. Not the few leaders left to do the work. If I belong to an organization and sit back and watch it go to crap, it's my fault. I let this happen. We can all blame someone else for the problems of organizations. That is the modern way. Think about an organization that helped you grow by 20% a year for 8 years in a row. How about giving you all the education you could handle. Advertisement, National Accreditation, National Standards, networking with the very best in the industry. Having numbers from folks nation wide that can solve your problems in one phone call. All this for $500. a year. Of course we have to rub shoulders with Mr. know it alls and the jerk from Bumkinville. It's all there in any organization. You know what? The guy that has the smallest business and doesn't know 1/10th of what you do, may save your business with their common sense response to a silly question you ask. You never know. I don't believe any one here or any web site knows everything. If they did, they wouldn't be here? Sharing info will grow your business. You may not get life giving info everytime, but you may get info once that will grow your business like it has never grown before? Are we afraid if we tell XXXX how to mix chemials better that they will put us out of business? What if we show them our invoices or maybe a test to hire the best person? If you think this will destroy your business, you are very shallow. You are not a contractor, you are a worker afraid of the other workers? Sorry if I offended any one. If I did, I feel sorry for you. I believe helping others grow their business and helping them do the right thing will help us all. Get the trunk slammers & help them understand the right way to run their business. Help them understand that insurance and paying employees is the best way to run a business. Show them that raising their prices will make us all grow. This is only my 2 cents. We all know what that is worth today.
 
Local networking answering to ourselves is the best means to an end. Should the networks be united in the end by a large common goal.....wonderful. It does take small steps to build a strong foundation.

Celeste
 
you cant build a home from the roof down !

I am excited about what we are doing , it seems the best means possible of raising the standards for our industry , if we educate each other and share some of not all of what we know and work with each other and not against each other we will all benifit

Like Ron said about grocery stores , the management always visits and tours stores together ---- helping each other !

If you were the only company in town you would never be able to do it all but the more the merrier , back in the day when Manufactured housing was growing in the South , there were two dealers in Selma and they hardly sold a house but by the end of 1997 there were 8 dealerships and Selma Alabama was delivering over 100 homes a month , people like to do business where business is being done ! More washers = more work, thats just how it is !

Believe it !
 
many know i share info about the type of work i do. I am very open on these BB's and on the phone, open to share some of my targeting, I share proposal, pictures basically if anyone needs something I try to help. I like networking it does work. I guess I am part of a network we have some great local guys around here and we share and help each other often.

Some good points. Keep the responses coming. I want to hear everyones views, thats why I posted this, I think many want to hear the PROS & cons.
 
Russ Spence said:
First of all I am NOT Starting an org.

secondly Ken is right on , I am simply networking , I will share info in MY/OUR chosen network of washers , we will work together , share business plans , and simply talk shop.
Click to expand...

I heard you and Ken are running for the top spots at PWNA. Any truth to these rumors? It was all over a recent issue of Cleaner Times.
 
jlpressure said:
many know i share info about the type of work i do. I am very open on these BB's and on the phone, open to share some of my targeting, I share proposal, pictures basically if anyone needs something I try to help. I like networking it does work. I guess I am part of a network we have some great local guys around here and we share and help each other often.

Some good points. Keep the responses coming. I want to hear everyones views, thats why I posted this, I think many want to hear the PROS & cons.
Click to expand...

Jeff - you should read some of your own posts. You don't want to train the guy next to you, but you are more than willing to train guys next to everyone else. You want to network with the guys in your town, but you don't want to network with other contractors in your state or others that you service?

Hard core question......are you looking for the $$ pros & cons - what YOU are personally going to get for your "investment"? You donated selflessly to a concept that was going to try to help contractors - yet you won't spend to be a part of a network with goals to specifically help your business as well as help contractors?

Why don't YOU lay out the guidelines of what YOU are looking for - Pros & Cons. What are the orgs that you are a member of charging you and actually providing back that make them more worthy than your own colleagues and industry as a whole?

And just for the record - I am not in any way diminishing what you donated to RFW nor am I trying to push you to contribute to PWNC - either is a commendable move - I am just trying to understand what you expect or are looking for.

Celeste
 
The above post about orgs are what the members make of it I agree to a point. You also need to have strong leaders to give direction and to want to make the members care....to give a damn. Orgs,meetings,networking etc is what you make of it. If you do squat you get squat back in return. That is the bottom line. We are contractors and we know how to work hard. If you also do this with any local group or nationwide org you can see the fruits of your labor.

If anyone is asking what is better a local group or a nationwide org. there both good as long as they have good leaders and members that do give a damn. IF they just sit back and expect the leaders to do it all then its all predestined to fail. Thats both the national org and also local groups.

Personally I have much more of an interest for a nationwide org to be successful. Anything local here will attract at most around 30 contractors. On a National level you can attract hundreds and you can build a national org most likely faster then you can build a local sector. This is my opinion of course and as always many may thinks its no correct.

I look at it besides the networking end of it all the marketing end is HUGE. Ron Musgraves knows the value of a national org as we had many discussions about this in the past. A national org is a very strong voice for education purposes and also you will meet alot more successful people in this field then in most local groups.

Once again both idea's are great but don't discount the importance of a national org just because you just want to focus on a local group. These are both very important and to discard either idea is just being plain shortsited.
 
CarolinaProWash said:
Jeff - you should read some of your own posts. You don't want to train the guy next to you, but you are more than willing to train guys next to everyone else. You want to network with the guys in your town, but you don't want to network with other contractors in your state or others that you service?

Hard core question......are you looking for the $$ pros & cons - what YOU are personally going to get for your "investment"? You donated selflessly to a concept that was going to try to help contractors - yet you won't spend to be a part of a network with goals to specifically help your business as well as help contractors?

Why don't YOU lay out the guidelines of what YOU are looking for - Pros & Cons. What are the orgs that you are a member of charging you and actually providing back that make them more worthy than your own colleagues and industry as a whole?

And just for the record - I am not in any way diminishing what you donated to RFW nor am I trying to push you to contribute to PWNC - either is a commendable move - I am just trying to understand what you expect or are looking for.

Celeste
Click to expand...


Not hardcore just some good questions Celeste. I know I am all over the place on this, this is part of the reason I put my questions, thoughts and just wondering why everybody is into the org thing out here in public. Its to get reasons or ideas why to join an org or network. I'm a little hesitant at times because I have seen or heard, say with the PWNA the the public & private fighting. I was at one time going to join the PWNA and then I saw/read all the stuff and glad I didn't waste my money. I hear and see the in & out fighting between many on these BB's about orgs now and wonder at times is it worth it join any of the orgs at this point. I know stuff happens and I think I am just waiting to see what comes about and how it will benefit all in our industry.


Yes I have locals I enjoy talking to, I have local guys that help me out and I them. some truly great guys that are great at what they do, Christian, Dave V, Jim Carrol just to name a few. These guys are such an asset to the PW industry, they are smart and or driven to be good at what they do and I can trust them but I get to choose who i deal with and yes its easier for me to help others in other areas. i guess i am a protectionist somewhat. I have worked hard to get where I am, endless hours, days, months & years figuring how to get my contacts and work and I'm just not sure i want to share it with local guys, because yes they might use my information and get some of my work. Like Coca Cola, they don't give up their formula for success. I have said to myself, Jeff why are you putting all this out there where as i know now some in my area are reading what I know and can & have used it against me. Not against me but have used my ideas and got jobs that I may have gotI have had local and others tell me, Jeff why do you put all this stuff out there? they know like I do it can take work from us. I have had people talk sh*t about me to PM companies I have had PM's tell me some stories and they have said Jeff your our guy. I never tell a customer or talk crap to a customer about another company, its stupid to put down others to make yourself look better, my dad taught me that a long time ago. I'm not perfect and I am sure i have said negatives about others , but not to customers. So thats some of the reasons i wonder about joining local stuff or any org. Even other bigger org stuff, as I have said before do I want a customer looking at a list of other companies and maybe going to them for estimates because they have all these company name to choose from. Like I said protectionist. So its easier to share with contractors out of my area and I do like to share my experiences and help other I enjoy it a lot when an idea i give helps someone. I know theres many companies that visit these BB's VERY successful companies that would never post company or trade secrets because they want to protect their stuff or they just couldn't be bothered.

So in a nut shell I wonder if joining might hurt or help me, I wonder as an industry can we work together or fight each other. these are some of the negatives i think about and I am really not a negative person, but i do want to see what comes of some of these orgs before I spend money to join them. Take the recent thing with carlos, I read out here alot negativity (I'm just picking the carlos thing because it is recent), I know and understand that people wonder why he's doing it, I understand Scott K reaction, because of the PWM money was to go to RFW not something else and Im not picking on Russ's he has his reason for not supportting it, just like i am not joining it either right now. I was just taken aback by Russ's resonce, he is always such a positive person and helpful, it just threw me off. its just like everyone wonders the whats his angle or who does he have in his inner circle, because if he has this person or that person someone wont join because they don't like or trust a certain person or he must be up to something. He could be but I doubt it from talking to him. I understand not trusting everyone, but we also got to give all a chance and its not just Carlos's thing I'm talking about its any idea quite often that gets treated with negativity out on these BB's. A lot of my hesitation is just the negativity we all have seen, so I just dont want to like others just jump in right away

Another thing I think of is i hear and read that we want to make officials aware of what we do, yes i want all to know there are professional companies out here that that are an asset to their areas and we are not a bunch of hacks, but I also like to stay under the radar at times too. do we always want the scrutiny it can bring. i know of a few companies that have reclaim in the Carolinas and I am sure theres more, but I know the majority dont. Do I want officials rushing to require it. Or stuff like that do i want some local good ole boy start to regulate what they dont know. it may be the wave of the future, but if they dont know what they are talking about or even if they do, they may choose the wrong path and end up screwing with us. I know we need to educate, but can we do it later and just keep on like we are LOL I guess i have a problem with change LOL

Now about the orgs I belong to. They are yes real good for networking and putting me in touch with decision makers, community & business leaders or just a place to learn. Every org I have joined has made me money or helped get my name out there or have given me discounts that save me money.

Now pros and cons and what would I like to see. Yes I'd like an org that makes me money and or educates me.

Lets just take PWNC and please Celeste I am not try to pick on you or the PWNC. I am just waiting to see what goes on with it. I like the idea of the networking, I love talking the biz with everyone, I know networking ca help me and others, but that isnt enough for me to spend the money on. I can network at RT's on these BB's for free. I commend you for taking this on, its way to much work for anything I could do. I really like what you have done on the drought stuff, the press stuff was fantastic and just trying to get help to those who might need it is a noble cause. I am willing to help, I myself have been trying to think how I could help in other ways than just giving some small donation, i felt bad i could not go to the thing at Xterior, but its I'm always busy with something it seem like, not always a good excuse, but its the only one I have and its true. I have been trying to figure a way to offer a drought area contractor some work or maybe have some company come down here and work with us. but I cant pay a company what they are worth so I dont want to insult anyone. My idea was have some come down and like a work for teaching thing, I couldn't pay someone $500-$1000 to bring their rig and work. IBut everyone needs money i was thinking hey pay them a good wage and show them the ins & outs of cleaning Multi unit buildings, Show how to clean then efficiently, explain how I bid them, show them 1st hand how to target this kind of work, give them some secrets so they can learn to go after this kind of work maybe in areas outside the drought areas. But it would cost someone to stay here in the busy season, its not like they could stay at my house with my crazy kids and messy house LOL. I'm not no king at all aspects of this biz, but I know a guy come here for a couple weeks or a month could learn some stuff. Off topic sorry. with the PWNC like I said I am just waiting, The PWNC is now set up for residential and mainly the drought worries. I don't do residential and helping organize the noble cause of the drought restriction that you are spear heading in the Carolinas, its not my main reason to join an org now now, I want to help for sure, but do i need to join an org to do it. I go to the PWNC site several times this months. I know your busy but I am looking for something that will benefit my company. we talked about it on another post a while ago. I know your busy and cant get to the stuff now. I would like to see stuff that will help me and other. Like a library of stuff on stuff we deal with and could use. articles we could use in our advertising, stuff directed to commercial PWing companies, commercial and residential property management. discounts from vendors. I am waiting for a little more out of the org and i will be more than willing to join and gladly spend my money joining. I not cheap but an org designed for residential isn't really going to help me. I know like you said something may happen in Myrtle Beach and we may need an org to help us, but for now without other benefits its not a reason to join. believe me I was just going to join the PWNC to join, but then I said why, lets wait and see what becomes of it 1st, it was more a business decision more than anything. I hope this doesn't sound like I'm saying screw the drought are, I'm not.

I got to be going, but what do I want from an org

Library of articles
discounts
discounts to join other industry orgs
logos to use in advertising
maybe group advertising rates
theres a few more but I got to fly

I hope I explained some of the reason I am hesitant right now, most is because most of the orgs are new and maybe not completed, some is biz decision, some is the fighting, we all know its going on and I think a lot of its silly, some is i am such a damn fence sitter.

I hope we get several networks, I would like to be part of that for sure, so please anyone, just because i haven't joined doesn't mean i wont and I'm sure thats the same about others that have not joined or supported any network or org yet. I would like to see an Org or two start, local and National.

I will stop some of my BS negativity and just wait and support as much as i can and hope for the best for our industry. We can have several orgs & networks but the best way is for them all to work together.

Celeste, Carlos, Ron M, Russ Scott, Bob and the new PWNA and others that are trying good luck. you can count on my support HUH. Man do I sound like a democrat ...Flip flopping LOL Have a great one. I'm off to crush my competition LOL LOL
 
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THAT was exactly what I was looking for Jeff - Thank you for taking your time to put it out there.

I have been spread very thinly over the past few weeks but now that I am past a few things that have required a large block of my time, I will be able to spend the next several weeks bringing other projects up to the level that I expect from myself.

Again, I sincerely appreciate your input and time you took to do that.

Celeste
 
jlpressure said:
Not hardcore just some good questions Celeste. I know I am all over the place on this, this is part of the reason I put my questions, thoughts and just wondering why everybody is into the org thing out here in public. Its to get reasons or ideas why to join an org or network. I'm a little hesitant at times because I have seen or heard, say with the PWNA the the public & private fighting. I was at one time going to join the PWNA and then I saw/read all the stuff and glad I didn't waste my money. I hear and see the in & out fighting between many on these BB's about orgs now and wonder at times is it worth it join any of the orgs at this point. I know stuff happens and I think I am just waiting to see what comes about and how it will benefit all in our industry.


Yes I have locals I enjoy talking to, I have local guys that help me out and I them. some truly great guys that are great at what they do, Christian, Dave V, Jim Carrol just to name a few. These guys are such an asset to the PW industry, they are smart and or driven to be good at what they do and I can trust them but I get to choose who i deal with and yes its easier for me to help others in other areas. i guess i am a protectionist somewhat. I have worked hard to get where I am, endless hours, days, months & years figuring how to get my contacts and work and I'm just not sure i want to share it with local guys, because yes they might use my information and get some of my work. Like Coca Cola, they don't give up their formula for success. I have said to myself, Jeff why are you putting all this out there where as i know now some in my area are reading what I know and can & have used it against me. Not against me but have used my ideas and got jobs that I may have gotI have had local and others tell me, Jeff why do you put all this stuff out there? they know like I do it can take work from us. I have had people talk sh*t about me to PM companies I have had PM's tell me some stories and they have said Jeff your our guy. I never tell a customer or talk crap to a customer about another company, its stupid to put down others to make yourself look better, my dad taught me that a long time ago. I'm not perfect and I am sure i have said negatives about others , but not to customers. So thats some of the reasons i wonder about joining local stuff or any org. Even other bigger org stuff, as I have said before do I want a customer looking at a list of other companies and maybe going to them for estimates because they have all these company name to choose from. Like I said protectionist. So its easier to share with contractors out of my area and I do like to share my experiences and help other I enjoy it a lot when an idea i give helps someone. I know theres many companies that visit these BB's VERY successful companies that would never post company or trade secrets because they want to protect their stuff or they just couldn't be bothered.

So in a nut shell I wonder if joining might hurt or help me, I wonder as an industry can we work together or fight each other. these are some of the negatives i think about and I am really not a negative person, but i do want to see what comes of some of these orgs before I spend money to join them. Take the recent thing with carlos, I read out here alot negativity (I'm just picking the carlos thing because it is recent), I know and understand that people wonder why he's doing it, I understand Scott K reaction, because of the PWM money was to go to RFW not something else and Im not picking on Russ's he has his reason for not supportting it, just like i am not joining it either right now. I was just taken aback by Russ's resonce, he is always such a positive person and helpful, it just threw me off. its just like everyone wonders the whats his angle or who does he have in his inner circle, because if he has this person or that person someone wont join because they don't like or trust a certain person or he must be up to something. He could be but I doubt it from talking to him. I understand not trusting everyone, but we also got to give all a chance and its not just Carlos's thing I'm talking about its any idea quite often that gets treated with negativity out on these BB's. A lot of my hesitation is just the negativity we all have seen, so I just dont want to like others just jump in right away

Another thing I think of is i hear and read that we want to make officials aware of what we do, yes i want all to know there are professional companies out here that that are an asset to their areas and we are not a bunch of hacks, but I also like to stay under the radar at times too. do we always want the scrutiny it can bring. i know of a few companies that have reclaim in the Carolinas and I am sure theres more, but I know the majority dont. Do I want officials rushing to require it. Or stuff like that do i want some local good ole boy start to regulate what they dont know. it may be the wave of the future, but if they dont know what they are talking about or even if they do, they may choose the wrong path and end up screwing with us. I know we need to educate, but can we do it later and just keep on like we are LOL I guess i have a problem with change LOL

Now about the orgs I belong to. They are yes real good for networking and putting me in touch with decision makers, community & business leaders or just a place to learn. Every org I have joined has made me money or helped get my name out there or have given me discounts that save me money.

Now pros and cons and what would I like to see. Yes I'd like an org that makes me money and or educates me.

Lets just take PWNC and please Celeste I am not try to pick on you or the PWNC. I am just waiting to see what goes on with it. I like the idea of the networking, I love talking the biz with everyone, I know networking ca help me and others, but that isnt enough for me to spend the money on. I can network at RT's on these BB's for free. I commend you for taking this on, its way to much work for anything I could do. I really like what you have done on the drought stuff, the press stuff was fantastic and just trying to get help to those who might need it is a noble cause. I am willing to help, I myself have been trying to think how I could help in other ways than just giving some small donation, i felt bad i could not go to the thing at Xterior, but its I'm always busy with something it seem like, not always a good excuse, but its the only one I have and its true. I have been trying to figure a way to offer a drought area contractor some work or maybe have some company come down here and work with us. but I cant pay a company what they are worth so I dont want to insult anyone. My idea was have some come down and like a work for teaching thing, I couldn't pay someone $500-$1000 to bring their rig and work. IBut everyone needs money i was thinking hey pay them a good wage and show them the ins & outs of cleaning Multi unit buildings, Show how to clean then efficiently, explain how I bid them, show them 1st hand how to target this kind of work, give them some secrets so they can learn to go after this kind of work maybe in areas outside the drought areas. But it would cost someone to stay here in the busy season, its not like they could stay at my house with my crazy kids and messy house LOL. I'm not no king at all aspects of this biz, but I know a guy come here for a couple weeks or a month could learn some stuff. Off topic sorry. with the PWNC like I said I am just waiting, The PWNC is now set up for residential and mainly the drought worries. I don't do residential and helping organize the noble cause of the drought restriction that you are spear heading in the Carolinas, its not my main reason to join an org now now, I want to help for sure, but do i need to join an org to do it. I go to the PWNC site several times this months. I know your busy but I am looking for something that will benefit my company. we talked about it on another post a while ago. I know your busy and cant get to the stuff now. I would like to see stuff that will help me and other. Like a library of stuff on stuff we deal with and could use. articles we could use in our advertising, stuff directed to commercial PWing companies, commercial and residential property management. discounts from vendors. I am waiting for a little more out of the org and i will be more than willing to join and gladly spend my money joining. I not cheap but an org designed for residential isn't really going to help me. I know like you said something may happen in Myrtle Beach and we may need an org to help us, but for now without other benefits its not a reason to join. believe me I was just going to join the PWNC to join, but then I said why, lets wait and see what becomes of it 1st, it was more a business decision more than anything. I hope this doesn't sound like I'm saying screw the drought are, I'm not.

I got to be going, but what do I want from an org

Library of articles
discounts
discounts to join other industry orgs
logos to use in advertising
maybe group advertising rates
theres a few more but I got to fly

I hope I explained some of the reason I am hesitant right now, most is because most of the orgs are new and maybe not completed, some is biz decision, some is the fighting, we all know its going on and I think a lot of its silly, some is i am such a damn fence sitter.

I hope we get several networks, I would like to be part of that for sure, so please anyone, just because i haven't joined doesn't mean i wont and I'm sure thats the same about others that have not joined or supported any network or org yet. I would like to see an Org or two start, local and National.

I will stop some of my BS negativity and just wait and support as much as i can and hope for the best for our industry. We can have several orgs & networks but the best way is for them all to work together.

Celeste, Carlos, Ron M, Russ Scott, Bob and the new PWNA and others that are trying good luck. you can count on my support HUH. Man do I sound like a democrat ...Flip flopping LOL Have a great one. I'm off to crush my competition LOL LOL
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Don't feel alone in this Jeff.In the last week I have been doing the same thing .It's a rare that I find myself in such a position.
I want to do what's best for the industry,but I know I can not dedicate all of the time needed to helping develope an Org.
This thing needs to be build gradually so it will a have strong foundation if it's going to last and be something everyone wants to join.
The smaller networking groups and state based chapters are a the best start to that strong foundation.These groups are where you will see the future leader of this industry come from.
Where do I fit into all of this.That I still haven't figured out.I like you may want to be part of several groups to better benefit my business.
 
Something I want to point out - there is a MONUMENTAL difference in what the networks are and what is expected in a formal organization.

The networks are created by contractors, decisions are made by contractors, specific knowledge of the area is already held by the participating contractors and the whole thing is put together with the joint efforts of the contractors involved.

An organization that sets itself up to handle the needs of all states has to have a completely different structure - it requires staffing, more money, different tax status, infinitely more legal attention.

While RFW/UAMCC has all of that red tape to deal with, in addition to amassing national information that changes daily in order to keep a whole country informed, the local networks can deal with their local issues, their local wants & needs.

FWIW, the PWNC account has spent less than $60.00 of money that has been brought in through "participation fees"....and that was for tables/chairs for the March 1 event and bank fees. Every other dollar spent has been out of the pockets of contrators who just want to help. Time is more willingly given because how we handle things locally affects us DIRECTLY. There is so much we can do that doesn't require anything more than a will and a desire to make our industry a better place.

Celeste
 
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