MISSION AND VALUES
Bringing Respect And Dignity Back To The Trades
I started my painting business in 2001 with just a beat-up Ford van and an extension ladder. I had no clue.
I’d been around the trades all my life and thought I could do it better than my dad, my uncle, or any of the countless others I’d watched work themselves into premature old age. I was wrong.
Within a few months, I was part of the problem. I undervalued my work. I didn’t treat my employees as adults. I gave customers the ‘typical’ contractor experience.
Eventually, I learned that the customers didn’t respect me because I didn’t respect myself.
It wasn’t easy, but over the next decade I built and sold a well-respected and profitable painting company in my community.
In 2017, I started The Contractor Fight to bring respect and dignity back to the trades.
By educating one contractor at a time, we’re quickly restoring our industry to a place of respect in our communities. No more will the trades be looked at as a “fall back” position when college doesn’t work out. No longer will tradespeople be looked upon as the uneducated and undeserving.
Doctors, lawyers, accountants, and civil servants are all looked up to and revered. Why not us?
It Comes Down To What You Value
Every company needs a set of values to ground them. Without a clear statement of what you believe as an organization, it’s easy to default to the wrong things. Here’s what makes The Contractor Fight tick…
Own Your Crap
Take responsibility for your performance and actions. No throwing others under the bus or playing the victim card. It starts with you.
Positive Peeps Only
Life and business are challenging enough without pessimistic people hanging around. Everyone can have a bad moment or a shitty day, but overall, the cup needs to be half-full.
Get Oxygen
Be selfish when it comes to taking care of you and yours. Pay yourself first. Take care of your mind and body. Get yours first.
Roll The Red
Be excellent in whatever you choose to do. Always strive to improve the experiences you give each other and our clients.
The Long Game
Do what’s right ten years from now. No shortcuts. This isn’t about any single transaction. It’s about adding value for the long-term.
Shed Assumptions
Don’t give advice or criticize without first understanding the context of someone’s situation or point of view. Ask questions and listen with genuine curiosity.
Go For It
If it’s ethical, safe, and you feel it’s best for the relationship or the organization, then do it. You’re trusted to take the shot.
Earn Confidence
You have a responsibility to show up every day and earn the trust of our clients, our partners, and each other. Don’t expect to win today just because you did yesterday.
Simplify
Complicated creates chaos. Keep things simple at all costs. Always look for the simplest level of any problem and off the simplest solution.