August 27, 2020
A Story About Our Friend Chad
“Stalking you guys….house already looks better.”
It was 5:30 last Friday.
The supposed end of a busy week, but it didn’t stop Chad from rolling up to our house to check on a few things and to text us that he was outside.
Brooke and I were about to sneak away for a quick cocktail before our son’s soccer game, to celebrate (and maybe partially commiserate) the supposed end of a busy week.
“Hey bro, looks like you worked your a** off today man,” I said as I rolled out to the front yard.
“Yeah, I did. Had a customer with a composite deck, and we dripped a little bit of paint on a few of the boards, so I was over there replacing those today,” he replied.
“Like, you did it yourself?”
Handymanning isn’t my thing necessarily, so when a fellow business owner told me he was fixing a mistake, albeit a small one, by his exterior painting team, with his own hands, I was impressed.
But not surprised.
I didn’t even have to ask the natural follow up question, because I already knew the answer.
With most folks, you’d have to say something like, “Well…who is paying for that?”
But, with Chad, the answer is already known by watching how he runs his business.
Of course, he made that right. Of course, he paid for the mistake. Of course, he fixed it himself.
My guess is the homeowner didn’t even notice the paint drops on the deck.
But Chad did.
And he made it right.
Even if it meant beating the weather on a Friday night and doing it himself.
Dirty, dusty and maybe a little sore, he then took the initiative to swing by our place. After it was 5 o’clock somewhere close by.
Our house is close to the top of his list. Like the wait for a good table at a good restaurant, we’ve seen a few families go before us, but we know it’s well worth the wait. And our time is near.
And even though I think our late 90’s baby-ish blue exterior could pass the test for another few years, Brooke (with Chad and his partner, Toska’s help) have convinced me otherwise.
Brooke comes to the street, slides into the conversation, and before I knew it, he was in his element.
Late on a Friday, doing what he does.
Asking good questions, listening, painting a little bit of vision about what’s to come for us, and saying words that you know can be trusted.
And counted on.
I guess it’s kind of disappointing that it’s such a surprise when you encounter someone in business that shocks you when they do what they say they’re going to do.
But on the other hand, I guess it’s kind of refreshing when you do.
And I also guess it shouldn’t be very surprising to know that Chad and Toska’s wait list goes past the end of this current calendar year, and into the next one, when the winter will start to thaw again, long before it even threatens to do so.
Business is rolling for him. Jobs are steady. And you can’t get on his list for months. Unless, that is, his crew happens to make a rare mistake.
And in that case, he’ll be there right away.
Maybe even late on a Friday at the supposed end to the week.
Our team @GuildContent is proud to come alongside Chad and Toska and help them tell their incredible (and reliable) story.
