Ever since creating the new business card for thinkpierce.com, I’ve been reminded of all of the business cards I’ve had from my remodeling days. At the end of 2007 I was wrapping up two years of operating www.thinkpierce.com. I was frustrated. I was producing a lot of content, but I was also wearing myself out. I didn’t know it at the time, but I needed a better balance, clearer direction and more business and technical insight. All I knew was that I was overwhelmed with my own goals and needed a break. In hindsight, if someone had slapped me around a bit and sent me back in to the ring, I probably would have kept going. But that’s life. In truth, because of what happened next, I gained both the technical and business insight I needed that helped shape the new direction my wife and I are headed in now.
Shortly after I had thrown in the towel with thinkpierce for the time being, I was working for a woman named Betty Turner. I had first met her during my early real estate days when I was interested in purchasing one of her properties. Did I know exactly what I was doing? No. But the books I was reading at the time sure made me feel like I did! Lol. I had run in to her again a couple years later at a local event and after one thing led to another I was helping her re-open a resale business she owned which sold furniture, collectibles and antiques. One day I was walking with her down an isle of Home Depot picking up some supplies. I still remember the words she said to me, “Jonathan, you know what you should do? You should start doing remodeling work and charge $30 an hour.” I don’t know why it clicked with me, but it did. During those early real estate years, I had gotten my first taste of remodeling work when I bought my first three bedroom two bath investment property. (There’s more to that story but I was 20 years old, as green as it gets, and didn’t make any money! ha ha). None the less had gained a hand full of remodeling experience.
Ironically, a few days after Betty’s suggestion I received a call from someone that had known me in connection with that first residential investment I had done, asking if I did any remodeling work on the side, which I didn’t. But after having the recent recommendation from Betty, my response was “Yeah, I charge $30 an hour”. And the rest is history. Starting with a Ford Taurus and some hand tools, I went from starting with next to nothing to owning 3 work vehicles, adding 1 helper, and obtaining $10,000 + in tools a couple years later. Throughout that time, in addition to completing all kinds of remodeling jobs, I had personally completed four total home remodels, all including full kitchen and bathroom tear outs. Do you think I had the camera running during those remodeling jobs? You bet I did, and it’s all headed your way in future thinkpierce.com posts!!
When the economy took a turn I was also getting ready to get married. I was already beginning to change gears with a new idea, and after we got married, I sold off my vehicles and tools and we began working on some brand new ideas. One of them was the reconstruction of thinkpierce.com. Having a remodeling business was the only thing I’ve done other than thinkpierce that I truly put myself in to and it will always be a part of me. I have many more remodeling stories to tell and am excited to share more pictures and video footage with you. For the time being, take a stroll down memory lane with me and get a kick out of all of the business cards I had while remodeling, including the new thinkpierce business card I pass out today. I’ve even included pictures of me on the site of that first remodeling job mentioned earlier that got it all started. I have some exciting things headed your way next week! There’s always something new every friday at thinkpierce.com….stay tuned and get ready to laugh with next week’s surprise…
