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A few things I've been reading on this grey Wednesday.... Lending, credit quality seen improving which could mean good things for small borrowers in 2013 (Inc.)
Manufacturing may be flippin' the script (Huff Post)
The myth that small business are the job creators (Forbes)
Fed up with banks? Try Simple (NYTimes)
Who is our greatest living CEO (Forbes)
Hotsee Totsee (Bloomberg)
CNC Plasma Table & Air Compressor
Been a few weeks since our new CNC plasma table and Air Compressor were delivered, so I thought I would give a little update.
First off, the machine and air compressor are still not hooked up and running just yet. In fact, I haven't even taken the plywood off the table top that was placed there for shipping purposes. Usually, I would chalk this up to dropping of the ball or laziness. Not this time. We have actually been hindered by some electrical issues, and by issues I mean really old building with screwed up voltages and the like. Minor problems, but still problems.
So we have a 600 volt 3-phase coming into our rented space and we need to transform that down to a 230 volt 3-phase. I was unaware that this is an odd ball transformation and that much of today's industrial electricity or bigger buildings run on 208 volts 3-phase.
For some perspective, I am a dummy when it comes to electricity, so a professional has been hired. I like to think of my father and I as pretty handy with skills to take care of many tasks. These do not however include electricity or water.
Anyway, we have had to order a transformer--15 day wait--so that we can have our electrician get everything set, giving us the opportunity to schedule techs to come in and make the final connections for the equipment and software that runs the machine.
My stock answer to everyone who enters the shop these days is that we have cut sheet metal by hand for 20 years, so a few more weeks won't kill us. However, we need to start paying for our new toy, so crunch time is near.
We are close and my minor issues are exactly that, minor. The transformer is ordered and our electrician is set. A few more weeks and we should be rockin' and rollin'. As for me, I have that child at Christmas feeling again, except this time the gift is open but the batteries were an oversight. Now my shiny new gift sits neglected until the stores open later in the day.
Patience young grasshopper.
A few interesting reads from my afternoon and evening.... Nothing is safe from the hackers of today...including HVAC (Threat Post)
HVAC tax credits have been renewed for 2013 (Service Experts)
Slower rate, but housing prices should continue to rise in 2013 (Calculated Risk)
America's 11th largest tech company is....the ipad? (Apple 2.0)
Shameless plug. Cool video showing the fabrication and assembly of shipping containers (Tin Blog)
This is a great video depicting shipping container fabrication and assembly from beginning to end for the company Big Steel Box. I thought we made metal boxes...wrongo! These are some serious containers with a very systematic and efficient use of man and machine to fabricate and assemble. Very cool.
An interesting question was posed to me over the weekend on Twitter by one of my favorite follows @RayFrith1.
@kesheetmetal we started with simple press brakes and worked up to these. How do you find so much to add to your blog I find it hard.
— Ray Frith (@RayFrith1) January 5, 2013
Honestly, finding things to blog about is the most challenging thing I do on a weekly basis. I would love to pump out a post daily like some of the best bloggers out there. However, in an industry where much of the information is either too technical or boring, the byproduct of interesting things can be slim. Many HVAC and sheet metal businesses aren't even attempting, which makes it hard for many of us to learn. I am always excited to see others in our same industry giving it a try.
I have started upwards of 10 blogs over the last 6 years or so. All of them were crap because I started them for the wrong reasons. I wasn't focusing on what I knew or was interested in at all, only what I thought would make my blog popular or what would make me money. Basically, a get rich quick scheme. Needless to say, not good reasons to start a blog.
When I started this blog for the company I was writing for an actual purpose, on a subject I have some knowledge in and one that I enjoy, along with an interest in business. All of theses things lead to something that is real and can ultimately be interesting. Nobody wants to read anything that is fake or always trying to sell you something. People want to feel like they are behind the scenes, learning something or following the gossip. These are skills I am still trying to master while I find things to write or post about.
On the other hand this is a business and our ultimate goal is making money, so there will be some marketing and sell in what we do. However, my father and I are humans with all encompassing interests, which lead the direction of the business. The blog is a way for me to hash these things out and help our customers understand who we are and how are business runs on a daily or weekly basis. This can be difficult, but I enjoy writing and posting, which can make the process more enjoyable.
Things are easier to do when you actually enjoy what your creating. That's how I feel about growing the company these days. For the first time in a long while I enjoy going to work, making the business what I always thought it could be. The blog is a way to hash out ideas and display that enjoyment when the inspiration hits. Hopefully what I'm putting out there is relatively interesting to read.
If not, no biggie. I will post stuff anyway.
Happy New Year to all! I was originally going to write a post looking back at 2012 and all that has happened over the year. However, after thinking on it for a few minutes I realized that looking back wasn't something that would benefit our company at this point. The end of the year brought our biggest change--financing and purchasing a new CNC plasma table--since the business began in 1989. Not much is going to trump that for us.
The weekend after the machine was delivered my father and I were text-ing back and forth about needed tasks to get things moving. He ended the conversation with "Start of a new era" and he is absolutely correct. We are starting from a whole new position, not to say we will forget anything that has gotten us to this point, but we are turning the corner and making a new path.
My father and I had stagnated up until a few months ago and honestly we are looking forward to what will be, rather than what has been, helping to focus on growth. I understand learning from history and all that jazz, but this company needs to focus on gaining positive momentum over the next few years. We are breaking it down and building it back up.
I expect 2013 to be one of our best due to our recent changes in procedure and mindset. The biggest is being mindful of not stagnating and searching for business rather than sitting back, waiting for things to come to us. We need to concentrate on being proactive, creating proper boundaries that will benefit us as a growing company.
Our company needs to take that fearful step forward and let the past fade, letting those new positive changes filter in.
Have a great 2013!
Over the last few days you may have noticed that many of our Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin links had a little more K & E panache than ever before. Well, your sharp eye could not be more accurate. Friday I decided to invest in a new short domain for all of our social media short links with the intent of helping to grow our brand as much as possible. For a $40 yearly investment I secured keshtm.tl as our new vanity short link. Therefore, when you're perusing our social media pages and see our new link, you can trust that you will be led to our website kesheetmetal.com or a trusted article sent out by my father or I. Who am I kidding...I would be the only one sending anything out :)
My nightly reading has focused more on branding the business and making sure that our web presence is as consistent as possible. The short link is just another step in that direction. We may be just a tiny local HVAC sheet metal fabrication shop in the physical world. However, with the internet, we can be as big as we wanna be, spreading our wings and finding new business wherever it is hiding.
Walking that same line we must keep in mind not to over extend ourselves, losing focus on finding new business and keeping our new investment running at all times. Marketing the business is new territory, so we must keeep things in perspective and not spread ourselves too thin.
