This Business About Woodworking

The biggest conversation going right now is related to how we treat others. The current focus is on how men in positions of power treat women.

I have always tried to maintain a positive outlook. Even when things get difficult, it’s not impossible to envision things improving. But these days, I’m finding that it is taking a lot more mental energy to combat the negative energy that seems to be pervading everything.

There’s an old expression: Out of sight, out of mind. People will not do business with you if they do not know you are there. Even people who have done business with you in the past tend to forget about you once the current transaction is completed. Staying in sight is important.

Current stats show a very low unemployment level across the country. This is a good thing. People have jobs.

We all know about spring cleaning, the once-a-year, take-everything-out cleaning binge that is usually accompanied by a dozen other tasks that have been put off for one reason or another.

I saw an article the other day about home prices. This particular home was in Sunnyvale, Calif., and sold for over $2,000 a square foot. Yes, this was a record.

In the normal course of our day work, we often encounter what are known as design opportunities.

There is a lot of concern these days regarding the amount of waste we are producing.

Some years back, I put forth a thought about design. At the time, CNC machines were just coming into play and computers were starting to work their way in to the woodworking world.

Here we go again. Threats of a government shutdown, plunging stock markets, bickering over totally irrelevant issues while the real business gets pushed to the side.

It should come as no surprise that scientists and medical experts have determined that remaining active can extend your lifetime.

With all of the technology available these days, we tend to look for ready-made fixes for everything.

For some reason I’m having a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it’s 2018.

We were delivering a huge TV cabinet that was standing up in the back of my pickup truck. Everything was well tied down but the cabinet was tall and heavy so the center of gravity made the truck not so easy to handle.

How often have we been in the position of having to do something, knowing that there is a tool or a piece of equipment that could get it done easily, quickly and efficiently? Personally, I have been in this position many times.

My father in law ran a cattle ranch in Nevada. He always stressed the importance of being able to do any job on the ranch.

How many times has an employee asked for a raise, saying something like “I’ve been here for x-number of years” or “Joe is getting more money than I am.”

A good salesperson will go to great lengths to avoid giving a customer an opportunity to say no. But what about the times when we want to say no?

Many years ago, I spent some time studying sales techniques. Some of the stuff is pretty hardcore but there is a lot of good information to be had.

We plan out our jobs, workflow, schedules … everything we can think of. And then we try to factor in the unexpected with contingency clauses and other exclusions.

The devastating fires that recently raged through the Santa Rosa (Calif.) area destroyed many homes and businesses. The Oakland Hills’ fire consumed over 1,500 homes, and the Inverness/Point Reys’ blaze also took a toll.

My agreements with clients always call for staged payments. There is a small deposit on signing. Then a larger deposit to total 50 percent once the design is finalized and drawings are completed. Then next payment is upon completion of all casework.

Legalese is everywhere. We are commonly asked to sign documents, terms of service agreements, for example, or insurance policies that are book length and incomprehensible.

Having made the decision to remain in working mode and not retire, I am finding that as time goes on, there is less and less time available.