An Adult Daughter’s Thoughts about Growing up a Contractor's Child
My dad asked me if I would write an article for him about the value of being raised as a contractor’s daughter, and how that might differ from other people’s experiences. I can’t actually imagine what it might be like to not be a contractor’s daughter. My childhood was filled with the smell of sawdust flying through the air, and classic rock crackling in from a dusty radio. Many of my earliest memories are of playing with my sister at the office around proudly branded displays of windows and shutters, and pretending to be mermaids in the basement storage. It shaped who I am.
My ambitious driven father, tempered by my fiery compassionate mother, expertly juggled raising us and running the company. Custom Contracting was as much a home to us as any other; a spot where our family worked together towards earning our place in the world. It made our family unit a team capable of moving mountains.
More than once I watched my father and his brothers build a house or barn. I cannot begin to describe to you the lingering feeling of awe which this type of undertaking inspires. With synchronicity honed their whole lives, they would take a wooded hill and a stack of reclaimed lumber, and create monoliths to my child’s eyes.
Not every moment was filled with awe and inspiration. My sister and I cleaned and helped renovate rental properties, we split hauled and stacked firewood, and we slaved through endless yard work. We hated (nearly) every minute of it. But we took great pride in our accomplishments, and the warmth of our house in the winter. I find that, as a young adult, I am not only more capable than my peers, I also believe myself more capable. I can hammer a nail and fix a sink better than most people I know, male or female. Because I am so confident in my abilities, I never think twice about taking on the world.
As the dust settles on my wild adolescence I have carried with me a foundation of values on which to build my adult life. Now it seems I just can’t shake the need to buy my own house and some dirt to sit it on. I find that less and less of my down time is spent scrolling Facebook, and more and more is spent Googling the cost of putting in a septic system and what contributes to real estate values. As I drive down the street I find myself judging the quality of people’s roofs and cringing at water damage where proper gutter installation is begging to be.
So, I can’t imagine what life must be like for someone who was raised in world without wet paint and sawdust, without a family who builds monoliths and moves mountains, or without pride in the woodstove thawing my frozen fingers. I am defined by so many of these things. Being a contractor’s daughter created a world for me screaming with potential and teeming with possibilities, and a hard earned confidence to succeed at even my wildest dreams.
Guest Blogger: Kate McCadden is the oldest child in the McCadden family. She’s the one in the family with the creative artistic abilities. She is working on her career to become a writer and plans to get rich writing a book everyone will want to read.
The plaque below is for every contractor and construction business owner who has built their business from the ground up. Only those who have done it know what it takes and have experienced the joys, challenges and pride that come with small business ownership. This 4th of July be sure to once again recognize and celebrate the rights we have as Americans to stand erect and proud of our personal accomplishments. 
Fast delivery of that one joist hanger you’re missing so you can put the floor sheathing down and get the wall framing going
I first came across this topic in a 
A communicator -someone who can exchange ideas, and be open to other’s solutions in addition to being able to clearly articulate their ideas through verbal and written channels in a timely and responsive manner.
I want to be able to assign tasks and duties to employees, prospects and customers, and I want to be able to track and verify whether things are getting done and done in a timely manner.
A system that can provide true apples to apples comparison of estimated to actual job costs and estimated to actual overhead costs.
When I owned my remodeling business I had one prospect question me about a quote I gave her for some repair work at her home. She asked me what I was charging her per hour for the carpenter who would be doing the work. I told her the hourly rate would be $75.00 per hour. To that she responded in a very dramatic tone; “You pay your guys $75.00 an hour?” 
On another project my remodeling business was working on, a kitchen renovation, the client’s basement flooded during a heavy rain storm. Their gutters were packed with leaves and as a result the water on the roof just flowed over their gutters and right into the areaway for the basement access door. This all happened overnight after my employees had left for the day. 
One of my consulting/coaching clients told me one of his customers complained about a 1/32” gap in a miter joint on a built-in cabinet he built. The customer went on to make a big stink about it and made some threats. Then the customer told the contractor to forgive the final payment due or “ I will go to every place I can find you on the net and write a bad review”.
Here are a few times when saying nothing might just be the best thing to say:
A good number of contractors at one time or another find themselves in a financial hole. Rather than figure out how they got there, they just keep working, often assuming by working harder or longer hours they will eventually get out of the hole. Unfortunately many of them just dig a deeper hole and eventually the hole is so deep they can’t climb out so they stay in it. Sometimes the hole can even cave in all around them and bury them and their businesses. If you want to avoid the most common reasons contractors get into financial trouble 
Reading can be a powerful tool to help grow your remodeling business. However, reading is of little benefit when it is done casually. Casual reading works fine for the news, novels, and entertainment. But with business, casual reading isn’t enough because it brings only casual results. As contractors, we need great results with measurable change. If you haven’t been getting that from your reading, then perhaps it’s time for a reading pathway.
Read wisely – Identify industry movers and shakers, ask for their referrals and check online book reviews. Starting with the right book ensures you are getting the best answers and insights. It will save you time and money.
Notate – Use 1, 2 or 3 stars for anything you MUST remember or implement. Highlight key concepts and paragraphs. Underline key industry words, phrases and clauses.
Begin using the underlined words immediately. It will increase your communication and professionalism. 
On Saturday January 12th there’s going to be an international hockey battle in upstate Minnesota. Window manufacturing rivals Marvin Windows and Loewen will each be sponsoring a hockey team made up of their employees. The game is a charity event, but you can bet that winning the game, and taking bragging rights, will be a huge part of the event!
It’s about building and maintaining a community. This event is a fund raiser to help raise money for Warroad’s newly remodeled Olympic Arena. Refereeing the game will be Warroad native, NHL All-Star and 1980 Olympic gold medal “Miracle on Ice” team member Dave Christian. I also found out there are already plans for a rematch in March on Loewen's turf in Canada!
