News About Some Exciting News
Lots to share today about upcoming projects and things that we are going to be doing. There’s nothing like putting it all out there to keep one honest – right!
Website
Our new website has been launched. This has been a big project and I am thrilled to finally share it with you.Please visit us at www.abrisconstruction.com. I would love to hear what you think! A big thanks goes out to Angela at Ladder Up for bringing us into the 21st Century
Upcoming Initiatives
- Facebook Live
This is a big step for me! I will be doing Facebook Live a few times a month, so please join me HERE. I really want to connect with our clients, future clients, and friends. While you are there, don’t forget to like our page!
- Book
I’m writing a book. That is a fairly big undertaking for me, but I also feel like it is important. We want to share with people who want to take on a renovation, but don’t seem to know the right way to move forward or how to find a contractor. There is a lot of fear around all those things out there with people saying that their contractor came and then left the job. They mention things were sitting for months and months and the contractor never came back to finish, or it cost way more than what they had expected.
There are things you can do to mitigate those fears. Oftentimes, people just want validation about what their choices are and what they were going to do concerning their project. I want to take the time to address that and put some resources out there for people to read on their own.
- Digital Magazine
The purpose of a digital magazine is to showcase different projects and ideas for their home. We want to amalgamate a whole bunch of different thoughts around renovation and projects that are possibilities in your home. Stay tuned for the first edition of Vancity Renovations.
- Podcast – Brandy the Builder.
It is kind of fun. It has a catchy little name. For those of you who are parents, you know that the original children’s cartoon is Bob the Builder. There are all sorts of talking l machines, tractors, and trucks that all have different personalities and names. I thought Brandy the Builder would be easy to remember. Here are a few things we have planned for the podcast:
- To share knowledge and ideas and innovations that are current in the renovation field.
- We will have guests the trades, such as, some design, some finance, some real estate. We want to help people who want to renovate and learn more about the process.
- We want to dissolve the myths around renovation and the stigma around contractors – such as that we only count in thousands and just basically want to screw you. That is not the intention for most of us with our clients.
I want the podcast to be somewhat entertaining so we will probably have some corny jokes on there. I will also have the odd rant or two, because, who doesn’t love a good rant?
On a Personal Note – I’d Love to Inspire Young People to Get into Trades
I’d love to inspire more young people to consider getting into the trades, especially women. There are so many articles in the media showcasing that predicted skills trade shortage that we are going to be coming up on as the boomers gradually retire. Everything from electricians to plumbers to steel trades. Any trade you can possibly think of, might be in danger. The boomers are retiring and we have not done a good enough job of bringing forward some younger generation people to consider taking on the trades. One stat I read said approximately 62 percent of firms struggle to find skilled workers to fill their open positions.
From my own experience, finding skilled tradespeople echoes through what I do. It is also a sentiment that I hear from a lot of the sub-trade companies we use.
A Wee Rant – What People Need to Know about Tradespeople
Trades are not only for those who cannot cut it in university or school. People who are in the “blue-collar field” are not dummies. Many of them have really great problem-solving skills. They have a passion for what they do. They love working with their hands and doing a job to its completion. Ultimately, many of them are entrepreneurial and start/have small businesses. Small business is what helps drive our economy.
Parents and high schools need to do a better job at presenting alternative career options that extend beyond the university and to some extent even beyond the trades. There are so many different jobs out there. I have met amazing people throughout my time. Everything from a sound technician for a recording studio to stuff that is online. I know someone who does meditation work and someone who does energy work. It is not just doctor, dentist, cabinet maker, and baker anymore. We have to think outside the box and encourage our young people to think beyond just the stream of academia.
Don’t get me wrong, we need lawyers and doctors, but we also need to realize that if you do have a property, you need someone to actually physically build it. It can’t be built online. Your plumbing can’t be fixed from somebody sitting in a chair. Your light can’t be swapped out by someone sitting and paint doesn’t roll itself. Someone has to actually get in a truck get to your house, have the tools (know how to use ’em) – do the repair and then clear away the debris. That can’t be done virtually. I could go on and on about this topic – maybe that’s a future Facebook Live. In today’s society, people think it all just magically happens when really it doesn’t.
What do you want to know about renovation?
I would really love to know if there are some things that you would like us to address whether it’s on Facebook Live or a podcast. We want to engage. We want to serve. Because we always come from a place of service, we’d love to overdo it so that we can make sure that we are providing ridiculously good value for anybody who happens to be tuning in.
I would love for you to give me a little feedback on what you would consider valuable information that you would love to hear from a contractor. I would be really happy to address it.
