Moving On...It's Time to Share Your Story

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really ticked off by the overreaction to every shift in the economy, especially those that relate to the A/E/C and maintenance fields.

Talking heads on cable shows react as though each decline in existing home sales or new construction is Armageddon. They speak in sound bites, predicting a “double dip” recession or even a full-on depression is in our immediate future.

What’s so pathetic about these attention-seekers is that they ignore the obvious. Everyone except these clods knew the tax credits for new home buyers would create a dip following expiration.

But rather than report the logical market reaction, they give us shrill and dire warnings.

I’ve had enough and I’m moving on. There’s a different story to tell, and I hoping those of you reading this blog will help us tell it. Check out the 30-second video included in this blog to catch the direction we’re heading.

The idea came to me while running in Nashville. I was listening to the song Moving On, which just happens to be (shameless plug alert) recorded by my daughter, Jessa Anderson. As I listened to the words and looked around, I saw dozens of contractors repairing previously flooded homes.

We’ll take our chances on a big dream.   
Never won over by a sure thing.
No longer run for cover, hiding.
We’re moving on.

I realized that most small businesses have indeed “moved on.” They are not waiting for a government program to rescue them. Their entrepreneurial spirits have allowed them to survive, and in some cases thrive, despite economic challenges.

This was reinforced when I returned home to Rochester Hills, Michigan, where four new homes are being built in my neighborhood alone. Separately, I’ve noticed several new commercial buildings sprouting on my daily commute.

I’ve asked my friends in the trades to assess their business situation, and here are some of their comments:

“We’ve been staying busy.”

“We hit bottom and are starting to rebound.”

“We’ve figured out how to succeed despite the economy.”

Last week I heard even stronger declarations during the Best of Success Conference, an annual meeting of the top echelon of roofing professionals. One of the speakers exhorted the crowd by saying, “I’ve heard enough gloom and doom. I say that we refuse to participate in the recession.”

The positive-thinking crowd of 250+ contractors, distributors and manufacturers applauded loudly. They too have had enough.

In the A/E/C and maintenance markets, it’s time to change the conversation. Let’s talk about what’s going right.

Here’s how we can do it. BNP Media has 25 brands serving 15+ trades. We’re going to collect your “Moving On” short stories over the next several weeks and publish them in an in a special microsite available to everyone. And if we get enough response, we may even publish an “eBook,” i.e. a digital magazine. This electronic magazine of success stories will be free to anyone visiting our Web sites or receiving our eNewsletters.

We’d especially like to hear YOUR story. Here’s all you need to do. Visit www.bnpmedia.com/movingon and click “enter story”.  Answer six short questions. Then upload a photo of you or your management team. Once it’s entered, we’ll confirm receipt.

Perhaps you think other pros would not be interested in reading how your business is coping with these difficult times.

Trust me. They would love to read your story. We all want to move on to better things.