Cooking, fishing, coffee, and...

I am kind of going to go in a couple different directions on you today. We are going to chat about some things I love and some not so much. Something I have heard quite often is you should open a restaurant or have a charter boat. These people obviously know I love fishing and I love eating! I am quick to reply that I would never want to do either of those things for a living. And without pause why not you love it. And I tell them that is exactly why. I love it too much.

When I am cooking something it is because I want to do it. If I am going fishing it is because I want to do it and I love doing it. If you are running a business the weird thing is as much as you might love what you are doing such as cooking or fishing...you will end up doing so many other things that really have little to do with what you love. And that will pull you away from what you love to do those other things. 

Over the years I certainly have felt the same and the shift in my own business. Where I used to spend a lot of time talking with people, building relationships and discussing things, more and more of my time is dedicated to dealing with issues or problems that are part of doing business but not really directly related to my business. That is a hard transition when going from working for someone to owning your own business. When you have team members now you have more responsibility.  You are dealing with so many things that have nothing to do with what you do to make money. And oftentimes you are trying to balance your time and prioritize what you are doing. 

A couple weeks ago I had a nice lady come in and we worked on some things for her. She was thrilled and I ended up having 3 people call me the next week asking me to help them. I really enjoyed joking and kidding around and talking to each of them. And that is almost all I used to do when I first started and now I am normally one of the last people that does. Now more and more of my time is spent dealing with things that just don't make me feel as accomplished. I still talk to plenty of people but it is not the same and at times it can get frustrating. 

I guess what I am trying to say is yes I love to cook, and yes I love to fish. But I know enough to know there is a whole lot more to running a business and quite a bit goes on behind the scenes that most people are not aware of. I think this is why there is a lot of frustration from legitimate business owners and contractors when they see people recommending people who are doing work on the side. After taking all of the time and money to do things the right way here is someone trying to take a shortcut. Quite often the person there are reasons why they aren't doing it the right way too. So I don't blame them at all. We want people using people who are licensed and insured and have all the proper credentials for any work they are doing. 

And another big thing that comes up quite often is people advertising for things they should have their MHIC license for. Once again here is the link to check on that https://www.dllr.state.md.us/cgi-bin/ElectronicLicensing/OP_search/OP_search.cgi?calling_app=HIC::HIC_qselect another excellent resource can be found by visiting this link: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/mhic/mhiccon.shtml and the most important thing from any of this I have copied and pasted from there: 

Don't Be an Unlicensed Contractor's Next Victim! - Home Improvement Commission

Ten facts you need to know about unlicensed home improvement contractors:

1. It is a crime to act as a home improvement contractor or salesperson in the State of Maryland without an MHIC license.
    
2. An unlicensed contractor may have a criminal history of violent crimes or he may be on probation.
    
3. Each year, unlicensed home improvement contractors defraud Maryland homeowners of millions of dollars.
    
4. Unlicensed contractors may charge for work they never perform or for unnecessary repairs.
    
5. Elderly homeowners are favorite targets of unlicensed contractors.
    
6. Many unlicensed contractors come to Maryland from other states, so recovering money or stolen items can be very difficult.
    
7. Often an unlicensed contractor will quote a very low price and then demand more money or engage in a "bait and switch" scam.
    
8. If a home improvement ad, contract, or vehicle, says "Licensed and Bonded," the individual may not be licensed and has no bond. Bonding companies typically do not issue performance bonds for residential jobs.
    
9. An unlicensed contractor may have an invalid or no MHIC number posted on the side of his or her vehicle. It is important to check with MHIC to see if the license number on the vehicle is valid and is issued to the contractor.
    
10. Unlicensed contractors may have held an MHIC license in the past and had their license revoked because they performed shoddy work, failed to complete jobs, or for other violations of law.

General Advice

1. Ask to see every contractor's MHIC license and then check with MHIC to make sure the license is still current. You may check online or call 1-888-218-5925 (toll free) or 410-230-6231 (Baltimore area).
    
2. Ask for a copy of the contractor's current general liability insurance certificate.
    
3. Ask for local references and don't hire anyone without talking to a reference. Ask to see the job and also ask the references if the contractor completed the work on time and on budget, if the contractor responded to telephone calls or e-mail, and whether they would hire the contractor again. Get at least two bids.
    
4. If the contractor will be working at your home, ask to see a copy of a current worker's compensation insurance certificate.
    
5. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Often a sweet deal ends up being very expensive to repair. Don’t rush into repairs, no matter how badly they may be needed.
    
6. If your project requires a building permit from your local jurisdiction, confirm that your contractor will obtain all necessary permits.
    
7. Make sure all project material selections are spelled out and signed in a written contract. If you don’t understand the contract, have a private attorney review it.
    
8. Pay no more than 1/3 down as a deposit. Never pay cash.
    
9. Keep all project documents, including payments, in a job file.

Before you hire any home improvement contractor, contact the Maryland Home Improvement Commission to make sure the contractor is currently licensed!

We try to remind people quite often to make sure anyone that is advertising on our group or anywhere online has the proper credentials. We have repeatedly shown how you can look up contractors license numbers and quite often right on the group many of our great local contractors and businesses remind people as well. And we want them too. That is educating people and it is a wonderful way to promote yourself. I hope this serves as another reminder.

I also love my morning coffee. But I would never want to own a coffee shop either! 

David

Shop Local Delmarva

Our Shop Local Delmarva Scholarship

AND if you haven't heard we are giving away $1,000 to a local student from our Supporters, Partners, and Sponsors. For all the details just click here.

Submissions will be accepted through Aug. 31, 2022,

The winning recipient will be announced by the end of September 2022. Entries will be judged by a team of community members from Shop Local Delmarva.

Students in Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Dorchester, Talbot, Caroline, Accomack, Sussex and Kent counties are invited to enter.

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You may notice certain businesses are highlighted and standout not only in the directory but we highlight them on our Facebook Page as well as our group. This ever growing list of businesses help us promote  a lot of great things in our community. Many of our blogs which you can find right here are focused on our community and our local businesses.

Many of these businesses are helping us promote other local businesses. Which really is what Delmarva is all about. I am asked quite often how a business can be part of Shop Local Delmarva. If you are part of our group you are part of Shop Local Delmarva. If you like the group and like the concept of a digital type of media that we share blogs, videos, highlights and features and want to be part of it we would love to have your support. You can find out more information here. All of our supporters, partners, and sponsors are on the rotating banners on most of our blogs just like this one.

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