What will be said about you at your funeral?

It’s a rainy Saturday morning as you slowly crawl out of bed – You had a rough night and a very hard week – your muscles ache after a week of sanding a pig of a pine floor, and hours on your knees are now evident as you slowly walk downstairs – Lift that belt sander out of the van with the motor still in it was a very bad idea – At least you have tomorrow off as well – with the weekend ahead you feel a little happier.  

You flick on the kettle and pick up the newspaper on the floor at the front door.  

As you sit down with a brew and wait for the toast to pop out of the toaster, you happen to glance at the obituaries – Poor people, you think – Each one has a story.  

The thought is still in your mind when your eye catches a name – bloody hell – That’s My name! How is this possible – Am I dreaming? You read again – no, that’s me for sure – but what it said breaks you – How is this possible? 

You work so hard you provide for your family – you care for your community – you give to charity – but This!! 

The above is exactly what happened to a man called Alfred – He lived in Sweden in the early in the mid to later 1800’s  

The thing is, his brother passed away, but the newspapers somehow thought it was him – so they published his obituary – It was grim – “Merchant of Death” – it horrified him.  

It was this event that set Alfred out to change.  

Now we all have to do a stock check sometime – We do not always get a wakeup call like Alfred – we may need to book a little meeting without ourselves and see if the path we are on is the one we wish to be on and the one that would take us where we want to go.  

Those painful knees, those muscles that ache as you come down the stairs – is that a sign that you cannot keep going as you do? 

Is it time for your floor sanding business to fire you as a technician and promote you as a manager instead?  

Is it time to bring team members in to help you grow the business and put you on the path that you deserve?  

Or is it time that you should stop using those floor finishes that is utterly bad for your health and the health of your clients and book on a training course and learn how to use modern products that cause way less harm?  

The change starts with you.  

I invite you to see this little email as a small nudge – Stop for a moment – take stock – Where do you want to be – what do you deserve – what does your family deserve?  

If only one thing – I invite you – increase your prices for your floor sanding service – even if it is just by £1 per sq meter – go on – you would thank yourself for doing it – or perhaps be bold – why not put your prices up by 10%?  

Just like Alfred, you can change yourself and your business –  

Alfred founded the Nobel Peace Prize as his dynamite invention caused many deaths, and he was not happy with this.  

Today is the day you can be your own hero! 

I urge you – You are worth it – Let your older self be proud of you and the decision you make today – the action you take now following you reading this can change where you are in the future and what is said about you.  

Until next month  

Keep fighting the good fight!  

Written by Pierre De Wet 

PS – If you feel unsure about what to do to get incremental improvement in your business – Join the waiting list for the next Quick Start Floor Sanding Business Enhancement calls - 6 1 hour calls on Zoom to help you make improvements in your floor sanding and floorcare business.