Learning to Walk

A baby's first step is one of those events that parents treasure. It represents a milestone of sorts-- movement towards indepedence. For a painting contractor, learning to walk is also a milestone.

At one time or another, most contractors have an opportunity to bid a job that they think will result in a pot of gold. Maybe it's painting a large apartment complex, or an office building, or a strip center. And while any of these could be extremely profitable, they can also be a potential mine field.

Jobs with a large reward often also have a large risk attached. While you could make a lot of money, you could also lose a lot of money.

The excitement of a large job can sometimes cause one to put reason aside. With visions of dollars flashing through his mind, he fails to properly plan and manage the job. Problems develop and then escalate. Cash flow becomes a problem. The contractor gets stressed and starts putting pressue on his workers and his customer. It can become a very ugly scene.

This is not to say that big jobs cannot be done profitably. They can. But for someone who has not done so before, extreme caution should be exercised. And sometimes it is best to walk away. That is not always a fun thing to do. Losing a lot of money isn't fun either, and you will never lose money when you learn to walk.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008