What Skills Can You Learn From Running A Window-Covering Business?

We recently purchased a home that was built in 2000. It needed one of everything. We only had 16 days to get most of the work done before moving in. So we did what comes naturally to us and started to prepare for the transformation to take place. I won’t bore you with all the details of what we did, but let’s just say there were a lot of trucks here for 16 days.

After 30-plus years of selling window coverings and going into hundreds of homes that are either under construction or being remodeled, I knew we would get this project right.

The day we moved in we started to meet our new neighbors and they all commented on how many workers we had onsite. They could not believe someone could do what we did so quickly. So I started to give some thought to what skill sets we develop as window-covering retailers.

We become really good at keeping track of the details and the order of the processes to get things done. We pay attention to budgets, we stress-focus on what companies we hire and we obsess over the details. We know what is a priority and what can wait, and we know how to solve issues with contractors and time frames. We know how to manage teams to work together and get things done. (This skill came in very handy with painters and flooring guys working together.) We know to stay onsite as much as possible to keep contractors motivated and on time. We know when to bring the guys El Pollo Loco for lunch and when to bring coffee and donuts. (I did forget to put this into the budget.)

But how did we plan ahead? The same way you do when you get ready for a sales call. Preparation.

We made lists and schedules for everything. We shared this document via Google Sheets and Docs. My wife and I divided many of the tasks and updated each other daily. We made decisions together and did a lot of shopping ahead of time. We planned every detail and shared the responsibility for each task.

In the end, we both sat back and were amazed at what we accomplished in such a short time. It is amazing what you can accomplish as a team and with preparation and cooperation you can do great things.

It’s time to look at your business with a new attitude. Do you need to make bigger plans? Is it time for you to remodel your business or at least do an update? Have you had the same website for 4-5 years? Have you been using the same logo for 20 years? Have you been relying on the same marketing strategy for the last 15 years? Is it time to freshen things up?

If you’re looking for a new fresh perspective, ExSeed Marketing can help.

Take a look around and see what others are doing around the county. I like to use Google maps for this. Pick a random city and see what the competition looks like. I like to keep an E-Notepad open for sites and ideas I like. There’s no time like the present to get started.

If you would like to discuss your growth, please feel free to reach out to me at steve@exseedmarketing.com