Running a stone shop is HARD. I make it easier. I give resources to help you reduce frustration and increase profits in your stone shop. Visit www.AaronCrowley.com and get the first 3 chapters of my book ”Less Chaos More Cash” for free!
Episodes
Dec 31, 2022
Dec 31, 2022
49 min
Running a stone shop is HARD!!!
On its best day, its more difficult than just about any business you could run.
As such, you deserve MASSIVE credit and honor for succeeding!
In this episode, I rant and rave a little bit, I even vent some frustration at the inherent flaws in our industry that create a very difficult environment to run a legitimate and successful business in.
Lack of Standards, low barriers to entry, compound custom manufacturing, Supplier - Retailer collusion, are just a few of the unique challenges that legit fabricators face every day.
These challenges require that we rely on PROcesses and innovation and hard work to overcome them.
Congrats on finishing 2022 so strongly, here's to an even better 2022!
Happy New Year and Happy Fabricating!
Dec 22, 2022
Dec 22, 2022
30 min
Gift cards, hams, and Christmas bonuses are GREAT ways to show your love your employees and share the fruits of their labor.
But there are 5 other gifts that are worth their weight in gold, and it doesn't cost you a cent to give them to your staff this Christmas!
1. Appreciation
2. Trust
3. Side Work
4. Vision/Mission/Values
5. Healthy and Safe Work Environment
Give them these gifts and they will know you care!
And I want you to know that I care about you fellow fabricator!
Merry Christmas and Happy Fabricating!
Aaron
Dec 16, 2022
Dec 16, 2022
18 min
If you're doing work for builders or remodelers, you're waiting to get paid. The longer you wait the bigger risk you take, especially if your customer experiences a decline in sales and revenue.
The fabricators that follow these tips wil get paid and get through an economic storm.
Those that don't may not have the cash to weather the storm.
1. Visibility - Aging Accounts Receivables Reports
2. Terms - When do you get paid and what will do if the check doesn't arrive on time
3. Leverage - You have leverage if your customer is sending you work. Use it to get paid.
You work hard fellow fabricator, too hard to let someone fail to pay you!
make sure you visit no lift system!
Happy Fabricating!
Aaron Crowley
Dec 8, 2022
Dec 8, 2022
22 min
Better to have a plan and not need it than to be caught unprepared! The simple principles in this episode will serve you well if an economic storm hits your business. They will serve you well if a storm doesn't hit your business.
1. Know your #'s - what numbers should you know?
2. Cost Cutting Plan - "If...Then..."
3. Debt Plan - Keeping Reserves
Enjoy and Happy Fabricating!
Dec 1, 2022
Dec 1, 2022
28 min
Times have been good in recent years, but will they continue? Hopefully. But if they dont, and the economic weather gets stormy, the companies that have prepared will be fine.
Those that aren't prepared will make many mistakes like I did in the Great Recession, and some wont survive.
In this episode, I share the 3 biggest mistakes I made so you can avoid them:
1. Not knowing the #'s
2. Hoping instead of cost cutting
3. Too much debt
I've never been shy about my many mistakes in running a stone shop, you wont be disappointed in this episode.
Happy Fabricating!
Nov 24, 2022
Nov 24, 2022
23 min
We have much to be thankful for, but sometimes bad news and our perceptions can cloud reality to the point we really miss out…and forget how much we have to be thankful for.
In this episode, we explore the POWER of gratitude and the positive effects it WILL have for those who practice it.
We discuss the following:
- The Chemical Reality of Gratitude
- Positive Effects of Gratitude
- Discipline of Gratitude
I hope this finds you well, taking time with loved ones this Thanksgiving weekend. If you have some spare time and want to read the source articles I mention in the episode, enjoy!
workplace
https://www.whartonhealthcare.org/discovering_the_health
chemical reality
https://www.whartonhealthcare.org/the_neuroscience_of_gratitude
gratitude study
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain
If you’d like to reach out, visit aaroncrowley.com
Or just email me: aaron@aaroncrowley.com
Happy Fabricating & Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 18, 2022
Nov 18, 2022
21 min
Stone Shops are in a catch-22. They can’t say no to the work otherwise their customers will go somewhere else.
So when the customer wants a full slab island installed, the stone shops have to say yes.
But what are they saying yes to?
They are saying yes to enormous risk. In this episode, we talk about the risk and the reality of moving full slab islands on site and the nuances that MUST be understood if we are going to solve the problems installers face while installing.
Safe Installing!
No Lift Install System is the official sponsor of the Fab Lab podcast. Learn more about the No Lift System at www.NoLiftSystem.com
Nov 11, 2022
Nov 11, 2022
31 min
If you run a stone shop, someone has to install those counters you’re manufacturing…We call them installers and we ask a lot of them.
You might be shocked and you may not believe that we ask them to lift over One Million Pounds of stone per year.
In this episode, I show the math, that proves this statement’s truth.
Additionally, I explain the massive negative EFFECTS the Million Pound Problem has for the installer and your stone shop.
Fellow Fabricator (and installer), this problem is as widespread and important as the risk of moving slabs and the silica in the air in your shop.
We as an industry must address it.
Happy Installing!
Learn more about the No Lift Install System at www.NoLiftSystem.com
Nov 4, 2022
Nov 4, 2022
1hr 15 min
If you are in the stone fabrication business, you are creating airborne silica. Its not a question of whether you or your employees are breathing it.
The question is whether the levels are safe for you and your staff and whether they are below the OSHA PEL (permissible exposure levels).
In this episode of the Fab Lab Podcast, we hear from Mark Meriaux from the Natural Stone Institute on changes to OSHA and what it means for you as a shop owner as well as what you can do to minimize the risk to your employees as well as the risk to your company.
Its sobering but good stuff.
Safe Fabricating!
Resource Links:
Natural Stone Institute Safety Page: https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/safety/
Natural Stone Institute Silica Page: https://www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/silica/
Natural Stone University (online learning platform) with free safety courses: www.uofstone.com
Oct 28, 2022
Oct 28, 2022
27 min
Safety might be the least popular, most uncomfortable, but all the while important topic a stone shop owner needs to face. In this episode, I share my near-death experiences and the uncomfortable fact that we had many close calls in my stone shop. This episode begins a short series where we will cover the following:
- Silicosis
- Slab Handling and Storage
- Installing – The Million Pound Problem
Safe Fabricating