To say there was a whole lot they didn’t tell me when I signed on with this outfit would be an understatement. And by this outfit, I mean deciding to make a career out of building houses for people. In many ways, I’m suited to what I’m doing. (Plus I’ve been doing it for 19 years and don’t like sucking, so I’ve learned to do it well.) In other ways, I’m more suited to something else, what that is I have no idea. I’m suited to this because I’m creative, dedicated, work hard, believe in and see details, need a mix of physical and cerebral work, and have a correct instinct for how buildings work. I also love architecture, believe in peoples need for good spaces, care more about clients than money, and will trade good work for driving an old pickup. Having bragged all of that, I’m better suited to an industry where innovation matters, precision is rewarded, and the competition tends to drive everyone to continually raise the bar. (I have no idea what that industry is, maybe luxury cars or electronics. Doesn’t sound fun for me.)
There’s another challenge here; I’m an introspector, (fake word). As in, I think about most things in relation to myself and/or always assume that if something isn’t working, I’m the problem. Or, in the positive light, if something isn’t working, I’m the solution. At my worst, I take things personally, at my best I’m relentlessly searching for improvement. As a company, we make very few mistakes more than once as a result of this search for improvement.
So months like this one when we don’t have enough work to do are, well, interesting, and “they” never told me how to navigate them. I’ve had multiple epiphanies this month, though, and despite their painful expression I accept the bargain of pain for learning. Always have. Epiphany #1 is that I’ve been focused for years on improving this company with the assumption that those improvements would equal more success. (Measuring success by more clients.) What I forgot to consider in all those years of introspection and effort was the other half of the equation, clients. What if I operated a perfect company and there just weren’t enough clients out there? Gulp. Wish I’d have thought of that earlier. Alright, we’ve sort of been dealing with this for a while and have increased the services we’re able to provide, (Architectural Design and General Contracting), to cast a wider net, better serve the clients we do have, and mean we need less clients in any given year since we do more for each client. Still, what if there still aren’t enough clients?
Less from the “epiphanies” list and more from the “Stuff I need to really think about some day before it eats me up inside” list, is this question, “Does anyone need what I do?” No. (Insert downtrodden tone of voice.) Keep in mind I’m trained in self-denial as a virtue so my definition of need is pretty narrow. I thought about it at lunch today and got all the way down to vegetable farmers before I found a business that could prove an undeniable need. And then I took a deep breath and decided to give us all some credit, assume that humans had a higher potential than survival to age 30, and tried to weigh us in a balance that included prosperity. So, to live, eat, breathe, survive, no one needs a timber frame home, or any home at all, or a home built with exceptional quality. But to prosper, to commune, to advance, what we do is essential. Here’s why.
- Our business is important to our community. Forgetting for a moment the direct contribution of subsidized buildings we’ve made to a local non-profit, this community needs us because of the kind of people that work here. They’re good people who cycle, recycle, garden, volunteer, support non profits, vote in elections, care about their neighbors, support other local businesses, practice health, care about the environment, and in general are part of the solution and not part of the problem.
- We build amazing buildings. I don’t usually, (read ever), say this. But we do. They’re inspirational to design, to build, and to be in. They are positive contributors to the quality of life of the people who live in them.
- Saying that people don’t need shelter is just too austere and approaches anarchy. Even I, ten years removed from consistent study of the Bible remember the first Bible verse I memorized, “Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath no where to lay his head.” If you know this verse, you know it’s Jesus’ description of a life of sacrifice, where even returning home to bury your father was not part of the plan. Having nowhere to lay your head is not part of the good life, and is by nearly any authority a sacrifice. It’s not always correct to extrapolate, but I will here with confidence and suggest that not only are houses a need but beautiful, well crafted houses built by people who really care about what they do and why they do it are exceptional contributors to the lives of people who live in them.
- Supporting local businesses who support local businesses is sustainable. In other words, it takes out of the world less than or equal to what it puts back in the world. And so, can be repeated indefinitely.
If there’s a scale that slides from wallflower on the left to shameless self promoter on the right, I’m pretty far left. I’ve learned to promote Frameworks Timber as a necessity to survival, (didn’t I mean to say prosperity?), but I’d still prefer to be discovered than announced. Despite my personal trepidations, I’m asking for help from any and all of you. We need help finding projects to do. We’re really good carpenters, (not just timber framers), and can build pretty much anything out of wood. I believe we’re part of a community, part of the circle of life, and like so many other people right now, need the support of our community. We’re always happiest on the giving end, and do expect to return there, but also know that it’s not really a circle unless we let ourselves be on the receiving end.
So if you need us to build something or know someone who might, great. If you have ideas about where we could effectively market and find the people who might need us, great. We’d love to hear from you. Phone is 970.568.4900, email is adrian@frameworkstimber.com
Adrian