Running a business is hard work. It takes time, money and more time to keep it going successfully. Along the way, you hit bumps in the road that force you to take time and refocus.
It’s kind of like water skiing. My oldest daughter, who is 11, is in her second year on the local water ski team, and it’s been a roller coaster. There are many good days and then there are days where she might fall, or never make it off the dock.
From starting off on the boom on the side of the boat last year, she is learning to ski with no hands this year. There have been plenty of falls along the way. There were times I thought she would just throw up her hands and quit, but she’s sticking it out and is determined to get better.
Back on the business side, Bobby Scirica, profiled in this issue with his company, Dinosaur Plumbing, has had his share of bumps but has fought through them. The company has grown every year and now has four plumbers and five vehicles.
Scirica started the company in Tucson, Arizona, five years ago. While many plumbers want to do jobs as fast as possible so they can move on to the next, Scirica takes a different approach, partly because of a learning disability that he’s learned to work with.
“When I assemble pipe, it takes me longer to visualize the process and procedure, so I operate to the beat of my own drum,” Scirica says. “I can’t keep up with a bunch of calls back-to-back, but I do excellent work on one job at a time. ... Each job I do represents my unique form of installation art, and that’s the way I envisioned my company would work.”
That hasn’t been Scirica’s only obstacle. A couple of years ago, he had an accident while repairing a behind-the-wall leak between the first and second story of an apartment complex. His boot string got caught on the ladder, and he fell through a single-pane window, causing nerve, tendon, muscle, and bone damage to his right arm.
Because of that, he had to become left handed. It took time, but he did it.
Just like in water skiing, you can’t take a fall and let it end your dreams. Scirica learned from each of his bumps and made his company stronger.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
What was the hardest lesson you had to learn in your career? Your experiences could help others in the industry. You can email me at editor@plumbermag.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Enjoy this issue!
