HVACR NewsMagazine December 2017

they would. Many in our industry are now at the age they’d like to retire but don’t know how. They want to sell but can’t find a buyer, have a retirement that consists of Social Security and whatever they can get out of the old trucks and building they own, and have no idea of how the business will continue after they are gone. It’s OK! They’re glad they “scratched that itch” but it didn’t feel quite like they thought it would. I recently heard of a contractor that did not want to send their guys through apprenticeship training because he thought they would leave him as soon as the apprentice became a journeyman. Here is my point, if a man has an itch, he’s gonna’ scratch it whether you like it or not. That is life. Besides, the HVACR industry has almost no barrier to becoming a licensed dealer / contractor. Work for someone two years doing anything, pass an open book test, and pay the fee. Yesterday I couldn’t spell HVACR and today I are one. It is a disgrace but it was all we could get through the legislature in 1991. So here is the deal, failure to educate your techs is the biggest failure a contractor can make. While they are with you, they aren’t nearly as profitable untrained as they are if they were trained. Not providing education is like saying, “I want my guys to be dumb. They’ll stay with Yesterday I couldn’t spell HVACR and today I are one.

Sometimes you just have to scratch it. Almost every contractor started out as a tech, installer, metal bender, salesman, something. But they just couldn’t be satisfied until they “scratched that itch” to be in business for themselves. The reason? A couple stand out— “Wanted to be their own boss.” Now that is funny. The business owner has more bosses than anyone else. He can’t take off when he wants, is last on the list to get a paycheck, listens to every crazy excuse and lie in the books as to why employees can’t come to work, and puts up with customers always looking for something for nothing. “Wanted to get rich.” Look around. A few, very few, have done exceedingly good. You can name them and we’re all proud for them. It is the American Dream. But like I said, look around. Most of the contractors do OK but don’t make the money they thought 1. Wanted to be their own boss. 2. Wanted to get rich.