One of the things I have always done is work hard. I am not afraid of it. However, as I have aged and matured both as a person and a business owner one of the greatest lessons, I have learned is that sometimes you can work too much.
Many inspectors are advertising that they are available 24/7/365. I used to do the same thing. Then life changed. The challenges of life and business collided, and I found myself focusing on a more holistic view of life. A term that I may even define as happiness.
While I love our business, our team, and the many Realtors we work with, it became increasingly apparent that the 24/7/365 thing in the end is a distraction. It prevents one from recharging the soul and clearing the mind. Even the world’s most elite special ops teams, athletes, or business minds cannot perform at a high level and sustain their goals.
Work, parenting, education, and relationships are all sources of stress.
Research over the last two decades has confirmed the severe impact of our failure to handle situations in which we find ourselves.
Indeed, chronic stress at work is recognized by:
- Overwhelming exhaustion
- Lack of commitment
- Negative attitudes
- Dissatisfaction with performance
Self-care can help, but it needs to be planned, acted upon, and practiced.
When you call our office on weekends or late at night – we did that for a long time., please know that our team takes that time to have a life. To recharge their soul and prepare for work again on Monday. Yes, we still do some Saturday’s – no inspector ever does more than one – because we need that time. We have families, we have interest outside of doing inspections, and we have a duty to you. Part of that duty requires we make time for self-care to be our best everyday and every time you trust us to inspect your home or your Client’s home.
These guys working 24/7/365 and doing three inspections a day, they must surely be better than us. Out intent level of focus and detail requires an enormous amount of physical and mental execution at the highest levels. We are not going to rush through the inspection or report just to have higher inspection counts or generate more revenue. Steady wins the race, or you likely remember the adage that it is a marathon not a sprint.
As you search for your home inspector of choice, consider this when we are booked out 10 days. When you ask us for a discount, remember the quality and value we bring. The continuing education, advanced tools and technology, the team that you get while you may only see one of us. And it is not just the quality and value but the time. We make time to talk on the phone, over Zoom, or Facetime.
I guess the message here is truly we are not going to compete on how quick we can do your inspection, or how quick you will get your report. We refuse to deliver them onsite because they require review. Not only for grammar and details, but photo review to ensure what we are writing is correct, through and supported by evidence and facts.
We are not going to compete on price, because we do not have to. We deliver – time and time again. Without fail. And most importantly, we do not rely on warranty’s or free offers from vendors. We rely on our work to earn us more business. We rely on our people to build relationships and trust. And we rely on our time off to be prepared and ready to serve you when your slot on the schedule is our next inspection.
Dave