Let’s face it guys (and some girls), going to the tool section at Home Depot, Lowes or …….. moment of silence……… a DeWault Factory Outlet is just therapeutic. The feel of a well-balanced Estwing hammer or a new 20v impact driver is just comforting to the testosterone fueled manly soul in all of us. You can sense the capabilities and visualize the myriad of projects that you can begin……and probably not finish.
Every visit to a supply shop or building supply store, no matter what the purchase purpose, will involve a short or not-so-short trip down the tool aisles. Of course, you really don’t need anything but you just can’t resist. It’s kind of like flipping channels and coming across a movie you’ve seen 20 times and you just can’t help watching it (Diehard, Days of Thunder, Hoosiers, etc).
As the adage goes, “A poor craftsman blames his tools”. That being said, any craftsman will tell you that quality is demanded in your tool selection. For example, this past winter I finally broke down and upgraded my jobsite table saw. Holy Crap! The speed and accuracy compared to my old saw makes me kick myself for not upgrading sooner. Of course, now I need to buy the folding stand for it. Think of all the time I’ll save by not crouching and standing all the time (wink wink). No comments please on the exercise I get without the stand……..
Now, the biggest challenge here is in running a real business. Any flipper trying to run a business, instead of owning a job, knows he/she can’t be swinging a hammer if you want to build and grow. If you are working on the house then you aren’t out finding the next project. You aren’t out networking. You aren’t out working your Plan. If you are running a saw, you limit your potential to 1-3 houses a year in this biz. Don’t get me wrong, if you do well, that makes for a decent living. Many, many people do this every year.
I’m just sayin’ that if you wanna go big, stop buying tools, put down the hammer and hit the bricks.
Of course now my tool trailer is too full. I guess I have to buy a bigger trailer……..