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💸 What’s the Most Expensive Mistake You’ve Ever Made?

John Talman
DrivewayDevin said:
I once bid a job for one HVAC system. The homeowner thought they were getting three.
Four months later, as the project was wrapping up, they asked why two old systems and all the ductwork were still in place.

That’s when I realized my biggest oversight: I never verified the homeowner truly understood what they had approved.

The result?
  • A 4-month job turned into 9.
  • Nearly $150,000 in potential work lost while I was tied up.

Lesson learned:
Always walk customers through the estimate line-by-line.
Get written confirmation they understand what’s included (and what’s not).
Never assume “approved” means “understood.”


Small conversations up front can save massive headaches later.
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💸 What’s the Most Expensive Mistake You’ve Ever Made?

DrivewayDevin
I once bid a job for one HVAC system. The homeowner thought they were getting three.
Four months later, as the project was wrapping up, they asked why two old systems and all the ductwork were still in place.

That’s when I realized my biggest oversight: I never verified the homeowner truly understood what they had approved.

The result?
  • A 4-month job turned into 9.
  • Nearly $150,000 in potential work lost while I was tied up.

Lesson learned:
Always walk customers through the estimate line-by-line.
Get written confirmation they understand what’s included (and what’s not).
Never assume “approved” means “understood.”


Small conversations up front can save massive headaches later.
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janel.delgado
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  1. Set up a profile. Add a photo, pick a username, and tell us what trade you’re a part of!
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📱Social media is tough (good thing we have some pros here) share your best advice.

Aiden Schneider
Here's what I have observed, for most contractors the 3 act formula really works.

1. Start with the problem, but keep it short.
Every job you will every work on has it. Show the job you are about to work on. Show the old deck you're about to rip out. This preps and hooks the viewer to stick around and see where things will go.

2. Do the work, and share the process.
People want to see how you do what you do. Show the important steps in the process, share your unique way of building. Your knowledge and skills is what makes what you do valuable. Before and afters are great but it leaves out what you are actually getting paid to do. The work. The more you share the more people trust you and the more they will want to watch.

3. Show it off.
This is the payoff, give a sweet reveal of a job done well. Keep this section tight. Give people what they came for and give it some personality if you can. People follow people, so share a little bit of who you are.

Let me know if you try this formula and how it works!

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💸 What’s the Most Expensive Mistake You’ve Ever Made?

EnergizeUsEdu
John Talman said:
One of the best ones I heard that actually was NOT a mistake but rather preventing a mistake ...

Desmond Tse, better known as "The Siding Guy" who would set aside money for new folks working for him in the first year so that they didn't run into tax problems at the end of that first year. I just thought that was above and beyond and so neat of Desmond to do for those just getting going.
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