Editor's Focus: Jan. 2000

I can’t do it. I just can’t bring myself to write one of those columns about the new millennium and the time for change and breaking free from the past. To be honest, we’ve all been subjected to 12 months worth of those columns, and that was probably 11 months too many.

I am going to make one suggestion for you to consider, however, but this has nothing to do with a new year, a new century or a new millennium. This is a suggestion to help contractors – wherever you are – grow your business and improve your skills.

Join an association.

Getting involved in an association, be it regional or national, is one of the smartest things a contractor can do, and now is the time. Business has slowed down for most of you in these winter months. That makes now perfect for going to trade shows, conferences and association meetings.

I’m sure some of you will read this and dismiss the idea of joining an association because you don’t think these groups can help your business. Before doing this, though, look at your market. In particular, focus on the companies who have been in business for awhile, who are running the best operations in your market, who are consistently doing the best work and getting the best customers. How many of them belong to an association? I’ll bet they all do, and I don’t think that’s just a coincidence.

In fact, I would bet there isn’t a company in this industry that has been in business for more than 10 years and has been profitable but has never belonged to a local, state or national association. (If such a company is out there, I would love to hear from them.)

The majority of the associations operating today exist because a group of contractors who compete with each other 365 days a year realized they could all better themselves and raise the level of professionalism within their market by setting aside their differences and sharing ideas with each other every once in awhile.

If you’re completely satisfied with the way your business is operating today and you’re not interested in boosting profits or growing, then don’t worry – associations may not benefit you. But if you’d like to figure out the answer to that business challenge that has frustrated you for the last few months or if you’d like some reassurance that your estimating practices are accurate, there’s no better source of this information than other contractors. And the best way to talk to them is to join an association today.