Difficult Beginnings
The media will have you believe that the recession started on 08’ sometime? But I’m here to tell you that those of us in the building Industry that the recession started for most of us in January of 06’ Yes two years prior to the great fall was the early warning that we in the construction industry have the great fortune to be the barometer for. Were the first to feel it taking off and unfortunately the first to feel it slipping away?
The media will have you believe that the recession started on 08’ sometime? But I’m here to tell you that those of us in the building Industry that the recession started for most of us in January of 06’ Yes two years prior to the great fall was the early warning that we in the construction industry have the great fortune to be the barometer for. Were the first to feel it taking off and unfortunately the first to feel it slipping away?
Where the name Watson comes from
I have never been a business owner during a downturn of an economy I have only been part of two upturn economy to this point and this down turn I did all the things I’m sure you not supposed to do!
I hung on too long, I borrowed money, the bad business deals of just a few years were still hanging around and each floating piece of ice I jumped to for salvation just prevented the inevitable of me and yes my family going under. It was summer of 07’ that’s when my wife left my side and January of 08’ that’s when my last employee left. The building / remodeling business was gone. I had connections in the Mechanical field so I spent the next year trying those out. During a three month partnership as I was cleaning out a section of David’s shop in Concord, Massachusetts making room for my things I came across papers of a onetime owner of this particular building. It turned out that since 1946 there had been a mechanical contractor occupying this space that my temporary business partner rented. The owner’s last name was Watson
Are you a Fan of Sherlock Holmes?
The mechanical contractor I was trying to partner with was and is an incredible mechanic one of the reason for our venture was I had all this business training and he had work. I felt together we could build a new beginning through this recession.
This partnership went down quicker then the economy and from there I tried a sales position with another more established mechanical contractor but this position only lasted 5 weeks.
I had this Watson thing rolling around in my brain and with all this technical training and my affiliation with being around great mechanical minds My Dear Watson was born. Your homes mechanical detective, yes that’s it, I would brand around the doctor the phrase, this was the vehicle that would rescue me and my family from the chains of near homelessness. My Dear Watson you’ve done it. It was more than a saying it was my life.
I began to apply the lessons I had learned all those years ago. I started to apply the methods the principals of the seminars the associations and the words of the mentors before me. It was slow from 09 until the present I started with walking door hangers from house to house from ad’s in phone books to on line lead generators, simple business stickers on your homes mechanical equipment and asking for referrals. The name became the thing! Is your name Watson? Are you a fan of Sherlock Holmes, how did you come up with that? The School of Hard Knocks MY Dear Watson!!