Change 2013

It’s 2013!  Time to change!  If you didn’t see the video check out my YouTube page, it is time to change.  For the past three years I think we as an economy have felt the better part of pure stagnancy.  We have seen ups and downs.  I for one am tired of it.  This is the year business controls the economy.  I am so sick of listening to excuse after excuse about how we can’t be better than we are.  The economy sucks, the drought killed sales, the competition cut prices.  Done! I’m done with it!  Time to change.  No one controls your fate except you.  But how do you get ahead, how do you get on top.  I got a few ideas…

1.       Take chances….You can’t get anywhere playing it safe.  This is the time, this is the year.  Take the risk.  We have been saving up this energy for years now, let’s release it.  Take the risk.  Make products you haven’t made before, try new processes that may make you more efficient, invest in the new technologies…TRY!  You don’t know what is out there unless you try.  Plain and simple try, try, try.

2.       Believe in your people….Your people have either stood by you through the mud of the bad economy or you have hired new people who believe in a new vision, one of hope.  Most of you have a combination of both.  Now is the time to unite those folks under one common vision.  I believe in you, believe in me.  Make them understand your vision, make them understand your dream!

3.       Support your local economy….Do you know what your neighbor does?  Chances are you don’t.  Ask them.  Challenge your local manufactures to make things that will help you.  This will do three things.  It will inspire them to take chances, keep your costs low, and plug money in your locale.  Support your local economy; chances are they are as passionate about their business as you are in yours.  Help them help you.

4.       Support your organizations…Your organizations are the ones that have been behind you this whole time.  They are the associates who help you build that item, they are the members who gave you that advice, they are the professionals went to bat for you when you wanted change.  Support them.  Without your support they don’t exist, and sadly neither will you. 

5.       Be humble…Things will happen this year.  Good and bad.  I don’t care what you do, where you come from, where you work.  Things will be good and bad this year.  This is the year, though, that we as a nation are on the edge waiting to be pulled back down the sunset trail or pushed off the edge.  Don’t be pushed off the edge.  Stand tall, believe in your path.  Stick to you what you believe and you will succeed. 

6.       Learn…I can’t say this enough.  Learn! Learn! Learn! You have never ever learned enough.  Learn from your mistakes, learn from your organizations, learn from your elders, and learn from your experiences.  Be smart this year.  That is what it’s about.  Learn and react.

The construction season is about to start.  Let’s be smart this year and let’s succeed.  We have the power, we have the knowledge, and most important we have the people.  Everyone from top to bottom is hungry.  Let‘s do this thing!

Quality Thinking

I was reading one of my favorite magazines the other day when I came across an article on the Cost of Quality.  This intrigued me and as I was reading the author made the statement that quality cost can be 20%-30% of sales.  These costs are the costs not only of implementing quality programs, but the costs associated with diagnosing and fixing the errors of your day to day production.  I really have to agree with this 100%.  I have seen our company fix product and even scrap poor products and that just really hurts.  We as managers/owners really get a pain in our side when we have to do things like this.  Not only does hurt the pocket book, but the morale.  It is so easy and so cheap to implement quality thoughts in to your production staff.  It’s the retention that is hard.   We are going through that right now.  We have a younger work staff and we struggle to retain the quality trains of thought sometimes. We are actively reinforcing over and over again the teachings.  That is where the implementation costs really come into play.  But I would rather spend money teaching and reinforcing than patching and scrapping.  A perfectly delivered product speaks volumes for who you are and what your company is about.  I really am starting to see the tides turning as guys are more about how to progress than feel sorry about themselves.  The other day we had an issue with a form that was not caught in time and we had to patch a product.  This was a setback, but what I saw for the first time was immediate discussion about what we can do to correct this in the future.  There was no finger pointing, no complaining, just instant brainstorming and evaluation.  That is quality thinking in my mind and this making me very proud that the retention is happening.  Good things are happening! 

Arnold the Motivational Speaker

As most of you know I am huge into motivational positive thinking.  I cannot stand negative thinking.  I cannot stand unfocused thoughts.  The world is such a crazy place if thoughts aren’t pure, focused, and positive they will go nowhere.  I love this video.  Despite Arnold’s recent trouble he is one of the most motivating people and most successful people of the modern age.  He has accomplished so much.  To state a few seven Mr. Olympia titles, nationally acclaimed actor in multiple films, and most recently Governor of the state of California.  I’d like to dive into this video and comment on what he is saying. 

1.       Trust Yourself—Never saying I want to be like this guy or I went to school to be this.  What are you? What do you want out of life?  Go out and get it.

2.       Break the Rules – I agree with Arnold when people tell me I’m the youngest to do this or I’m the first one to do this I just glow.  That is the best thing anyone can tell me.  Why? Because I want to be that guy that does things that no one has ever done. Can you ask for a better high?

3.       Don’t Be Afraid to Fail – When you take risks, sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.  That’s risk.  But if you quit, how do you ever know what could have been?  Yes failure is part of life, but getting back up speaks the strongest words.  Get back up and never stop driving!

4.       Don’t Listen to the Naysayer – What really revs me up is when people say you can’t do this..this can’t be done.  Some people call me ignorant, well yes and thank you for that compliment.  I never settle for no this won’t work.  Instead how will this work?  How can we make this work?  What can we do to make this work!  I want this to work!

5.       Work you butt off – We’ve had jobs that on paper could never be done.  But how did we do them, worked our butts off.  Personally I find myself spending nights and weekends researching, learning, and writing.  Why?  I want to be the best in the industry.  I’m not a lazy person.  I will never stop working.  I will never stop fighting!  And when I get to the top I will keep going.  There is no finish line, there is no goal.  As long as I’m breathing, I’m going to drive. 

6.       Giving back—This to me is so important.  Realizing that you never get to where you want without help, so give back.  As little as giving back to your family.  Realize you have a support system and they need support as well.  Give back to everyone.  Give back to your family, your community, your organizations, and your country.  You may just inspire the next big change. 

So please take the time to watch this video if you haven’t.  I promise you will enjoy it.  Arnold is an amazing guy, and I personally would give anything to have a 5 minute talk with the guy.  I grew up watching his movies as I’m sure most of you have.   I have admired him since I was 12 and still do.  But he so much more than an actor and a politician; Arnold is one of the most motivating individuals of this era.

 

We Are Dalmaray

My brother and I were talking today about the business of precasting.  He is going to a local college for a degree in business administration.  As we were talking he mentions to me, “You know our business does not fit anything I have learned.” I had to think about this and of course I am engineer not a business man.  So after thought, I had to agree with him.  Personally I think we make the best septic tanks in the state of Wisconsin I think, possibly the nation.  But I can’t ship them to Texas or California, it’s just not logical.  And even if I targeted septic tanks for a marketing campaign I may pick up one or two customers and that’s it.  OK so septics are a hard sells, what about our other products?  As our discussion progressed we took apart product by product and how we can sell them better.  Eventually it turned into more a conversation about the company and not the products.  We learned that we can’t sell products on price.  Price is not our game that is for our competition.  We don’t beat each other up over prices. That’s not who we are, that is not how we were raised.  So that’s out.  What do we do?  First, quality, our quality standard is so high it makes some of our production guys ill.  I challenge anyone to make a more quality product than us.  Second, service.  Our service is untouched.  We do whatever it takes to get the job done.  WHATEVER IT TAKES!  We have had spans where the production crew including myself have considered putting a camper up because we were pouring around the clock, living on Monsters and coffee.  Our installation crews have done the same thing, just in the field.  They have had months without a day off.  Is it the nature of the business, sometimes, but we excel at it.  Lastly, and most important we don’t go away.  Being that we can’t sell price we get our asses kicked 99% of the time.  But you know we keep getting back up and doing it again.  That is who we are, maybe it’s the stubborn Norwegian blood, but we don’t quit.  We keep bidding jobs, we keep spreading quality, we keep high quality service, and we don’t lose who we are when times get rough.  So who are we, we are Dalmaray and we excel!

Where Is Your Bar?

My past blog I shared with you that I am and continue to navigate dark waters in business.  This past season has been rough on me.  I am trying and trying and failing.  But there are two things that I have realized

1.       I have awesome friends and a wonderful family.  My wife first and foremost knows me better than I do.  She knows when I am troubled and she knows what makes me better.  To my wife I am nothing without you and you know that.  You are my universe.  And my friends have been so supportive, particularly one.  I won’t mention names, but I appreciated your blog and your message really impacted me.  Made me realize there are people out there who care.  Thank you friend!

2.       You have to put yourself out there to grow.  Sitting in church today my pastor taught me an important thing.  He said that life get’s you down, you get overwhelmed, but your faith the cross will keep you going.  Normally I don’t get too religious, but this hit me hard.  Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with stuff it is hard to look past what is going on right in front of me.  I need to start doing that more often and believing that no matter what, my trust in the Lord will get me to the next step. 

Now to get to it I think these dark waters I am navigating I put myself here because I set my bar high. I wanted to come off last season and do better, build bigger things, and make things happen, but I didn’t.  I failed and that’s not acceptable in my book. I win, ALWAYS. A common misconception about me is that I grew up with my dad owning his own business so I could just walk right down the path and fall into a position, cake walk.  Not so, I am not built that way.  Everything I did, I did on my own, everything I got, I took.  I was never given a free meal ticket.  Everything I got I earned.  That has led to the mentality I have today. Every night before I got to bed I ask myself did I do everything I could have done today?  Did I work my hardest? Did I play with my boys enough? Can I do more?  What can I do?  I don’t go to sleep without knowing I couldn’t squeeze one more fraction of a second out of the day.   I am not satisfied with a common 9 to 5, I am not satisfied walking the line, I am not satisfied being one of the numbers.  I am better than that.  I drive so hard to be the best and I will not stop until I reach the line.  And when I do I will keep on going.  That’s who I am.  I remember being a kid.  I knew what I wanted to do when I was 10.  I always drew up floor plans of my dream mansion.  Every football game I was the quarterback, every snowball fight I was general.  I lead, I drive, I win.  So I will not stop, I will continue to drive, I haven’t found my way yet, but I’m looking, and I am looking real hard. 

So these blogs I write, I don’t know if they help you.  I hope they do.  I write because I find it makes me feel better.  I post them public so maybe someone walking in similar shoes can get some help and I have nothing to hide.  So if I am helping you, good, stay tuned I’m not going anywhere.  To part I ask you one question, where is your bar?

Motivation

I am going out of my norm here and blogging twice in a week, but I have something that has been nagging at me for some time and I want to share my story and video to maybe help someone going through this.  This has been a dark winter for me; I have gone through some dark times.  No my dog didn’t die, no my family is ok.  It’s just been dark in business.  I have tried and tried and tried to do right and be better and I felt like I’m getting nowhere.  Now I’m sure for some you have been down that road, but not me.  I’ve never known anything but success, however I think this is the first year that I am transitioning to putting myself out there.  I’m doing more and more to try and get more for the company and guess what I batted .000 this winter.  I failed. And what did I do.  I pointed my finger somewhere else; I blamed other people and things.  It’s taken me some time but I realize it was my fault.  I didn’t try hard enough.  In the end of the day I could have done more, I could have, but I didn’t.  For that and to those I blamed my faults on I am sorry.  It’s me and I will be better.

Now to try and get me out of the funk, besides finding the release in my family, I went to YouTube.  I came across this video and I want you to watch it.  It’s built around sports and leave it to sports to teach you perseverance, but it teaches you one thing.  It’s not about who you are, it’s about what you do.  Now go ahead call me corny, I don’t care…. Go ahead say, “What the hell do you got going on that you need a dumb YouTube video to boost your motivation?” But you know maybe it’s you who are experiencing the same issues I am or maybe it’s you who goes to your job runs your 9 to 5 and goes home accomplishing just the bare minimum.  Well you know what that is not me.  I am not that person.  If you are fine, good for you, but I’m not and like I said if this blog/video motivates one person I’ll be glad because the world needs more movers and shakers in my mind.  We are a society of robots, few dare to break down walls and attack the world head on.  I used to wake up every day and attack the day like war I wanted to go through the day blowing every single thing I touched out of the water.  This winter I was getting blown out of the water and my eyes glazed over.  Not anymore…We all need a little pick me up from time to time and I did.  This video did it to me and I hope this helps you.  Stay hungry my friendsJ