1. You get paid for the size of problems you are solving
Not for the amount of education you have
2. Corporate America will love you as a black person until you get the bus out of the ditch.
Make you plans to transition BEFORE getting the bus back on the road
e.g. They talk shit about Obama AFTER he got the economy back on track
A little tricker than that.
You have to get the credit and have others do the work so there are some strategies to do that amongst a group who wouldn't want you to get the credit.
you're never golden despite your work
you are only in demand so long as someone can make money from your efforts in solving a problem they have.
The bigger the problem and bigger the reward
Speak Up!!! 
Maannnnnn Listen. This is ssoooo TRUE!!!!
They don't hear you... all the way in the back, playa.
Apparently these mf was moving me rough and I wasn’t under as deep as they thought. Socked the shit out of the doctor. He got the last laugh. Mf sliced all my flexor tendons. 9 months of rehab
- Here's a fun one for starters. EVERY PIECE OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT YOU SEE ON THE HIGHWAY OR JOBSITE HAS A UNIVERSAL KEY THAT YOU CAN EASILY GET AT THE DEALERSHIP OF SAID PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. There is usually an additional key on the motor, a location device on the equipment, and a padlock on the steering in a futile attempt to prevent site raiders (If they want your shit...they taking it.) but for every 10 pieces of equipment you see on the highway 7 pieces you could jump on, start up, and start tearing shit up. RIGHT. NOW. I personally am a collector of keys and have a key for damn near every piece of construction equipment known to man by manufacturer.
- We make and or have the capacity to make A LOT more money than you think we do. That dusty crusty fool you see holding the 'slow down' sign all day on a road crew? Pulling down $17 an hr. $27 if in a union state. There is TONS of money in the dirt.
- We are connected to EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING. Think about it- eventually...somebody is going to need something built, renovated, or tore down. Just in my career alone I have built courthouses, hospitals, colleges, and buildings for state officials and all types of other random shit. Plus, I've had everyone from cats with doctorates in engineering, ex pimps, to standing members of the Zeta working under me. Don't think for a second we don't know people...we probably know your boss.
- Most of the money made and loss in construction is tied in the man hours on our end. That's what you are paying for- our time and expertise. If you 'got it done for cheap' then you either got poor quality....or dude is family.... or you fucking him. Spend the money.
- The golden triangle: MONEY-TIME-QUALITY. Pick two. The other one is going to be the one fucking with you. Hint: you can only pick two.
- 85% rule. If you have agreed to a contract try to get as much work done BEFORE the contractor gets 85% of his money. Especially on smaller jobs- the job is usually bought out at 75% of the actual contract about that is agreed up. The remaining 25% is the profit margin. 85% is the point at which we start to be not as attentive to your phone calls. Definitely if you are a dick and we dont plan on doing another job with you.
- There are no stupid questions only stupid people who think they know what they are talking about and they don't. You hired me to build this shit right? Let me build it.
- 'I'll call you back in 5 minutes' can mean EXACTLY 5 minutes or next week depending on what I need from you, how deep I need to put my foot in your ass, or how deep you want to put your foot in mine.
- Your painter...is high. Don't even bother piss testing him.
- Getting at gov't contracts works like this. Either you need to be politically connected or a minority. How 'Minority' of a minority you are will determine what or who you have to bid against. Example if you are a WOMAN of NATIVE AMERICAN heritage the gov't will literally throw money at you. So the hustle is is to find a woman who is a minority, make her on the books 51% owner of your MBE (Minority Business Enterprise), have her get the jobs awarded to her, give her some "Bitch sit down somewhere" money, and you run the company or you subcontractor it out to a contractor who can do the work and you 'manage' them. Cats been milking that shit for years. BTW, ALL STATE AND FEDERAL JOBS MUST have 10% minority involvement....y'all know of any Pocahontas's that have a construction/engineer degrees???
- If you have 10 million dollars and don't know what to do with it, open up an asbestos abatement company. I call them the rich man's welfare.
- I don't advise it but it's easy as fuck to wash money in construction. Especially concrete, masonry, and cleaning crews.
- The hardest thing for a contractor to say is 'No' to more work. We will take your money and scramble to make it happen. WE ALL DO THAT.
- 80% of the issues you have in your house is due to you being negligent. Change out the fucking filter(s) to your AC unit (which is probably a split system) right now!
-You driving and you ever see 5 guys in clean hard hats, pants, and boots bird dogging one guy covered in filth who is physically working.
This is why. COVER YOU ASS.
I'll add more later tonight. I would love to see what @killagram could add to this list.
*two cents*
painters!
FIRE POST!!
- Your painter...is high. Don't even bother piss testing him.
last job my sub sent some new guys that he hired ...2 old raggedy looking White men, I passed by the jobsite at lunch and the Roller had nothing packed for lunch except for a Big ol bottle of Orange juice that he was drinking all day, pretty sure he had vodka in that shit too...I just shook my head and kept it moving, old raggedy CAC's were doing a good job.
Mayne.......LISTEN!
I had a young cat from my 3rd party subcontractor doing controls for my HVAC units two years back. Rail thin, smelled like Winston Red's, Red Bull, and ass.
Anyways cat could function worth a fuck Monday through Friday. Dude would forget his instruments, his laptop, his fucking mind- spaced out in his truck listening to Led Zepplin. I couldn't get shit out if him.
Until....
Saturday.
On Saturday he'd come in and FLAWLESSLY knock out a weeks worth of controls in 4 hours. Literally running from unit to unit then back to the network room to bang in points.
After about 3 months of this I pull him aside and ask him.
"You know you ain't worth a fuck Monday through Friday and then you Jesus with a laptop on Saturday. What gives."
Dude looked me dead in the eyes and said.
"I get paid on Fridays and spend the night getting tweaked the fuck out [meth]. I take my biggest hit before I come on your jobsite so I can bang this lil mickey mouse shit out...I'm a professional."
From that day forth I adjusted the schedule to have controls completed on Saturdays!
I have tons of these stories. I'm sure you do to and I know @killagram has several.
Construction is wild as fuck man! They just don't know!
*two cents*
stamp collecting is big business..... no different than coins or baseball cards. I collect stamps. Some people have people in the post office that HOLD a substantial amount of a particular run of a stamp. Quite a few stamps with a low face value can easily cost 20, 30, 40, 50k or more for a variety of reasons.
Don't do the actual work, your ass will be busy fixing shit why they are fixing for you to be gone and you will be too busy to see the shit.
- Frame the problem
- You strategically choose the time to present the problem: just the what NOT the how
- You ask who wants to drive this? You may have volunteers
- You then state that you would like to continue to assemble and lead this team as you have some ideas about how to solve the problem
- You explicitly ask if anyone has objections to solving the problem (no one will object and by doing so will implicitly give you the right to lead the team)
- You tell them that you are going to schedule another meeting to lay out an ACTION PLAN to get it done
- Explicitly ask for executive support and have he/she/them commit in front of everyone
- Assemble the team, assign a leader for work items and a leader for reporting. Make them feel it's a special position.
- Go shoot the shit with your boss while you figure out the next problem to be solved with the free time you have
I'm giving away free game mofos
Hope some people are paying attention.
You don't have to DO the work, you have to LEAD the work.
Doers don't make it far in Corporate America, doers are disposable and replaceable
LEADERS are indispensable, they find blindspots that would otherwise cripple an org
The larger the gap you identify, the more value you bring.
Silver and Gold?
Don't do the actual work, your ass will be busy fixing shit why they are fixing for you to be gone and you will be too busy to see the shit.
- Frame the problem
- You strategically choose the time to present the problem: just the what NOT the how
- You ask who wants to drive this? You may have volunteers
- You then state that you would like to continue to assemble and lead this team as you have some ideas about how to solve the problem
- You explicitly ask if anyone has objections to solving the problem (no one will object and by doing so will implicitly give you the right to lead the team)
- You tell them that you are going to schedule another meeting to lay out an ACTION PLAN to get it done
- Explicitly ask for executive support and have he/she/them commit in front of everyone
- Assemble the team, assign a leader for work items and a leader for reporting. Make them feel it's a special position.
- Go shoot the shit with your boss while you figure out the next problem to be solved with the free time you have
I'm giving away free game mofos
Hope some people are paying attention.
You don't have to DO the work, you have to LEAD the work.
Doers don't make it far in Corporate America, doers are disposable and replaceable
LEADERS are indispensable, they find blindspots that would otherwise cripple an org
The larger the gap you identify, the more value you bring.
I was not referringDon't do the actual work, your ass will be busy fixing shit why they are fixing for you to be gone and you will be too busy to see the shit.
- Frame the problem
- You strategically choose the time to present the problem: just the what NOT the how
- You ask who wants to drive this? You may have volunteers
- You then state that you would like to continue to assemble and lead this team as you have some ideas about how to solve the problem
- You explicitly ask if anyone has objections to solving the problem (no one will object and by doing so will implicitly give you the right to lead the team)
- You tell them that you are going to schedule another meeting to lay out an ACTION PLAN to get it done
- Explicitly ask for executive support and have he/she/them commit in front of everyone
- Assemble the team, assign a leader for work items and a leader for reporting. Make them feel it's a special position.
- Go shoot the shit with your boss while you figure out the next problem to be solved with the free time you have
I'm giving away free game mofos
Hope some people are paying attention.
You don't have to DO the work, you have to LEAD the work.
Doers don't make it far in Corporate America, doers are disposable and replaceable
LEADERS are indispensable, they find blindspots that would otherwise cripple an org
The larger the gap you identify, the more value you bring.
Don't do the actual work, your ass will be busy fixing shit why they are fixing for you to be gone and you will be too busy to see the shit.
- Frame the problem
- You strategically choose the time to present the problem: just the what NOT the how
- You ask who wants to drive this? You may have volunteers
- You then state that you would like to continue to assemble and lead this team as you have some ideas about how to solve the problem
- You explicitly ask if anyone has objections to solving the problem (no one will object and by doing so will implicitly give you the right to lead the team)
- You tell them that you are going to schedule another meeting to lay out an ACTION PLAN to get it done
- Explicitly ask for executive support and have he/she/them commit in front of everyone
- Assemble the team, assign a leader for work items and a leader for reporting. Make them feel it's a special position.
- Go shoot the shit with your boss while you figure out the next problem to be solved with the free time you have
I'm giving away free game mofos
Hope some people are paying attention.
You don't have to DO the work, you have to LEAD the work.
Doers don't make it far in Corporate America, doers are disposable and replaceable
LEADERS are indispensable, they find blindspots that would otherwise cripple an org
The larger the gap you identify, the more value you bring.
