The episode "The $600 Screw Up" explores a pivotal mistake that led to a significant learning experience and ultimately built the speaker's business. The story revolves around a $600 error in material costs due to rushing and not double-checking details. Despite the initial setback, the speaker reflects on how this mistake became the most profitable loss ever taken, offering valuable lessons in attention to detail and resilience.
The episode "The $600 Screw Up" explores a pivotal mistake that led to a significant learning experience and ultimately built the speaker's business. The story revolves around a $600 error in material costs due to rushing and not double-checking details. Despite the initial setback, the speaker reflects on how this mistake became the most profitable loss ever taken, offering valuable lessons in attention to detail and resilience.
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Connect with Jeff:
Contact: (307) 372-9052 O. (630) 973-6481 D.
Email: Theconstructioncowboyshow@gmail.com
Email: Jeff@merchantcommodities.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-williams-merchant-commodities/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559698873942
Jeff Williams:
Top of the day folks, here we are on the Construction Cowboy Show and it is super to be with you for the next five to ten minutes. This is where we talk about real business for real builders. No fluff, no theory, just boots on the ground and lessons from the job site to the boardroom. The topic today, the $600 screw up that built my entire business.
Jeff Williams:
Today I'm going to tell you a story one of those stories where you don't look like the hero. In fact, it looks like the guy who screwed up because that is where the lesson, real lessons hide. So let's get into it. The story, the $600 screw up. Years ago, back when I thought being an entrepreneur just meant working harder.
Jeff Williams:
than everybody else, I took on this panel package for a GC, I knew, who was taking a chance on me. Small commercial job, nothing fancy, but for me, it was everything. This was the job that was gonna put me in the conversation, as they say. I'm grinding, I'm hustling, I'm flying around like a one-man circus.
Jeff Williams:
And because I was moving too fast, I rushed the takeoff, missed the detail, didn't double check the supply quote, and by the time I caught it, I was short $600 in materials. You ever feel your stomach drop so hard it hits your boots? Yep, that feeling. I came to those well-known crossroads.
Jeff Williams:
Now I had a choice. Option one was to eat the cost, or option two, call the GC and tell him I messed up.
Jeff Williams:
And let me tell you, that phone was heavy.
Jeff Williams:
than a bundle of LVLs. I did not want to make that call. But I did. The call. He picks up, says, what's up? And I just spilled it. Look, I screwed up. I missed something on the takeoff. I'm short $600. You don't owe me a dime. This one's on me.
Jeff Williams:
I'm waiting for the yelling. I'm waiting for the lecture. I'm for that don't call us again energy. But instead he says, Jeff, everybody makes mistakes. What matters is whether you hide it or you fix it.
Jeff Williams:
That line hit me harder than the mistake. The real lesson, I swallowed the $600, but you know what I got in return? Trust, real trust. And here's the wild part. That GC gave me more work after that. Bigger jobs, bigger margins, more responsibility. Why? Because he knew one thing about me now.
Jeff Williams:
If this guy screws up, he'll tell me before the concrete dries.
Jeff Williams:
And that right there became the defining rule for my entire career. The takeaway for me, if you're in construction, if you're in the trades, if you're building something of your own, hear this. You can recover from losing money. You cannot recover from losing trust. Your reputation is worth more than your margin. Honesty beats perfection every single day.
Jeff Williams:
own your mistakes publicly, fix them privately. That $600 mistake ended up being the most profitable loss I ever took. So the next time you screw something up, trust me, you will remember it's not the mistake
Jeff Williams:
that defines you is how fast you step up and fix it. Thanks for hanging out with me today. If you got value from this, share it. And with another builder, another estimator, or another up and coming construction entrepreneur who needs to hear it. Stay sharp, swing straight, and I'll catch you on the next one. Happy trails.
Jeff Williams:
To all of our followers, until we meet again, today I'll share a cowboy lesson learned. When you lose, don't lose the lesson, but focus on the growth, not the loss. Look for the next episode coming soon.