Selling a luxury home in California is no small feat. Buyers expect perfection. And they can’t see past things like untrendy colors and worn furniture.
It has to be remarkable.
And so, even though I maintained and improved my home over the years, it still needed a lot of work to sell.
I worked 10-hour days for two months straight. No breaks, no downtime. I was able to devote so much time because I had been let go from my marketing job.
I had free time. And I knew exactly what to do with it.
I built an outdoor kitchen to complete the backyard. We expanded hardwood flooring. Replaced all the carpet. Painted inside and out. Refreshed the yard. Replaced 6 faucets and 7 light fixtures. Repaired dry rot on the roof. Fixed a half dozen minor code violations. Framed a few mirrors (looks so cool!). And so much more.
In all, I completed 106 projects in about two months. It was exhausting, and I had a blast.
It paid off: we sold the home in 4 days for 100k above our asking price.
You may be wondering how a Creative Director has all the skill it takes to build fire pits and fix roofs. All I can say about that is, I have a natural talent for understanding how things work and how to fix things that are broken (thanks, dad!), a passion for creating beauty, and an eagerness to get my hands dirty.
In fact, this hobby has turned into my next business.
Losing yet another job in the information economy made me realize I had tired of corporate America. Initiatives set by a faceless board, handed down through layers of management, and which ultimately landed on my desk felt very empty.
White collar jobs can be exciting and rewarding, but I was tired of all the BS.
I’ve been self-employed for about half of my long career so going solo again was certainly an option.
But what service might I provide? What is in demand, and also brings me joy day by day?
Those are key questions to answer before launching any business. Because, if you’re not happy, doing it alone won’t make it better. And even if you love it, a market must exist or else you’ll go broke.
Meanwhile, the work on my home became a topic of conversation with friends.
It soon became clear that there is tremendous demand for skilled labor, and it pays about the same as what I could earn as a writer.
So I created an LLC, printed some business cards and created a website.
Now, it seems, everyone I talk to has something that needs fixing. Neighbors, friends, business owners, realtors and others all need a new bathroom, have a broken garage door, or have a deck that’s falling apart. I can’t wait to see all the things I can fix.
So, the moral of this post is two-fold…
1: White collar jobs aren’t necessarily the best, nor are they for everyone. There are options.
2: One closed door means another has opened, just need to walk through it.
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