Starting The Blog

Good Day,

This blog is all about the business of design, something I have been intimately involved with for most of my 30 years since the Univ. of MO.  I wish to run the gamut of topics related to marketing design services, to meeting with potential clients, to turning those potentials into real projects, and then... actually getting paid.

Let me start off today talking about my good friend, we shall call him "Bill".  Well Bill and I worked together on a nice high rise project in Myrtle Beach, I as the MEP engineer and Bill as the contractor's QC person.  This project went very smoothly, except for the fact it was right at the end of the Condo Boom, starting into the Condo Crash.  The units just would not sell, and that was just a symptom of what was to come, for before long my friend was out of a job.  For new construction projects of any kind were now going the way of the dinosaur.

My friend, not being the kind of guy to sit on his hands, got some encouragement to start up his own business, doing maintenance inspections on large buildings, mostly high rise condos or hotels on the beach.   Now this had been work he was doing for his contractor employer, mostly as a hedge against future lawsuits.  If you can keep a building maintained, it is much easier to keep those million lawyers (all looking for work) at bay.  I did my best to keep Bill encouraged, and filled him with my advice on how to get this idea from concept to reality.  He, being a "quality" kind of guy, wanted to make sure he had all those ducks in a row before jumping in with both feet.  He met with insurance people, lawyers, accountants, drawing up sample contracts with all the right language, absolving him of liability for the unseen aspects of his work.  He was a patient man, waiting for one professional after another to bless his plans, before he went to the next step.  I would call him every 2 or 3 weeks to see how the process was coming along, and try to encourage him.  He would ask me questions about how to write up his proposals, who to use for accounting, how to set pricing.  I was very glad to help a budding entrepreneur, as I remembered all those who helped me get my start. 

Bill, being an employee of someone else for his whole career, had a little trouble getting into the mindset of being his own boss.  He went over some pricing with me on his proposed inspection work, and seemed overly concerned with how his rates would be perceived.  I reminded him of the reasons building owners would be hiring him, and that was to avoid future maintenance related problems.  Price was not going to make or break this decision, it would be decided on the value perceived.  If Bill could save a building from saltwater intrusion, how much was that worth?  Way more than whatever he was worried about charging or not charging.  My point to him was, make your best argument, show photos of what happens to buildings that are not maintained with re caulking against the salt spray.  Let that be your focus, not trying to beat out some fly by the seat of the pants competitor by charging less.  A low price can cause the perception that your services are not really that valuable.  This is not the position you want to occupy in the market place.

I hope to cover more topics like this soon, and want to update you all on "Bills" progress as a new business as time goes on, have a great day.
Brian