Lessons Learned

Every project seems to have a lesson to teach us something. It is important that you take notes and document your progress of the progress as you go about the task of building your company.  When the day is over, take a moment or two to write what events happened. Tell what went wrong as well as what went right. Tell of the problems you faced and the solutions you found for the problems. Tell of ways you think may have helped the project go smoother.

When I was working in the track housing world I did so as a piecer. Basically, I was paid for the end product not an hourly wage. I would be given tasks to preform and a fixed amount of money to accomplish them. Sometimes I’d be told the amount they wished to pay and we negotiated until we could agree on a price. Before starting there was a price agreed upon and the first time through the task took longer but which time I accomplished the task I would change some approaches and cut the time significantly.  It was a process of cutting the time needed to complete the task. Their would-be people who would see I could do something easier than someone else and try to add it to my assignment but I would not agree without more pay. There would be those who would tell me to try one and then we’d talk, but I did go that way.

When you begin to look for your next or first property to adapt to your needs. Write the steps you take. Think about it and document the lessons you’ve learned. Maybe another team member is better at a task than another. Maybe a team member isn’t a team player or at least they not your team player. Maybe you see how one member takes advantage of another, through lies and manipulation and needs to be replaced. Once I see someone is not honest, I am past them. I cannot risk someone laying to cover themselves destroying my reputation and the bond of the team.

I don’t discus it with others I simple move on and do not use them or their services again. Mistakes are forgiven, but lies to cover up or deceive are death traps waiting to be sprung. When I served in the Army there was a saying that rank had its privileges. The truth was that rank came with responsivities and you earned the privileges. When you are building your business, you will be the hardest working employee that business has or you won’t have your business long.  

There will be something that come up out of the blue and you will be glad that you took the time to document the days activity. Your records will not only serve you well as a method to improve your procedures they may help you if a dispute arises. There are times your lessons learned can be used to teach others.

Note: Images on this blog site are from a free source or taken by the author. No image or group of photos is intended to represent the people the author serves. The author does not care about Race (that is a politically correct term that he does not like because we are all of the same Race, the Human Race. He prefers the term ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, marital status, disability, genetic information, national origin, source of income, Veteran or military status, ancestry, citizenship, primary language or immigration status.) He is a service provider for all people. We will all rise together when we band together and help one another. Joseph Erwin is a Real Estate Broker, DRE # O2131799, and a CA general contractor # B 696662. He’s a member of the CRMLS and The East Valley Association of Realtors located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.