The big reason why start-up resin flooring contractors do it tough

Like most contractors I know, you probably started up your own business because you had some interest in resin flooring, could see a demand for work and, most of all perhaps, wanted to be your own boss. 

I also know that once the excitement and novelty of these things wears off, the frustrations of being a contractor with limited experience in our industry can start to wear you down.

New contractor frustrations

The typical frustrations I hear all the time include:

• “I have too many problems” – you’re bending over backwards to meet the unrealistic expectations of project managers and clients, but there’s always SOMETHING wrong!
• “There’s no help out there” – there are a million products that all sound the same and suppliers are happy to take orders, but there’s no support or accountability when things go wrong.
• “My cash flow is terrible” – failures and call-backs mean you’re always playing catch-up and struggling to find cash when you need it.
• “I’ve got no time for myself” – you’ve forgotten what days off were like and your mind keeps racing even when you’re not a work!

While these frustrations are tough to deal with, the longer they go on the more they start turning into fear; a fear that it’s all too hard and the work will soon dry up; a fear that your business will fail and, maybe, you’ll be seen as a failure too. Believe it or not, you’re not the only one to go down this path.

The mistake we've all been making

Our industry has been a graveyard for countless contractors over the years and it’s all because we keep making the same mistake over and over again. We believe the answers lie in quick fixes with THIS product or THAT preparation. It simply doesn’t work that way.

Consistently great results with resin flooring are only possible when you follow the Five Rs:

1. The Right Specification
2. The Right Flooring System
3. The Right Preparation
4. The Right Applicator
5. The Right Process Management

You can read a previous post I’ve written previously on the Five Rs here.

Despite this fact, we continue to put all of our eggs into the product or preparation baskets. To make matters worse, we’re happy cobbling together our own combination of products without proper testing or recording of anything along the way. If a resin floor was a car, it’d be like cramming a heap of parts together from different manufacturers ourselves and hoping it doesn’t fall apart as the customer drives out the door. To get a quality product time after time, the car industry simply can’t work that way…and neither can we!

I spoke to an experienced contractor recently about a non-slip floor being done with a sealer from one company, rollcoats from another, and the non-slip aggregate from another still. Unfortunately for him the outcome wasn’t good, but at that point he was stuck. There was no way any of those suppliers could support him when the floor was a mish-mash of different products with no records of specification, preparation or application.

We must move on from the old world

So, what’s the answer? How can we move on from the old world of gaps, flooring failures and frustration, and start offering finished floors that give both you and the customer peace of mind? A complete process like the Five Rs takes years of experience to develop on your own and even longer to master. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way you could fast track it all and quickly start getting better results?

I strongly believe there IS a way and new world of resin flooring is within reach. However, before I go into more detail on that I wanted to hold up for a second and see what others thought about the topics I’ve raised here. As a contractor, what frustrations have you felt the most? Do you think our industry focuses too narrowly on products and preparation? Is there more to successful resin flooring than those two things? Do you agree with my “Five Rs” model? 

I’m heading off to the World of Concrete next week and will follow up with the second half of this post when I return. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the meantime! If you feel just a strongly as I do about successful resin flooring, please leave a comment or contact me personally.

Take Care and Keep Smiling

Jack

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 A little bit about me – 

I’m a practical thinker and bring a unique real-world perspective to every epoxy field - from residential flooring to off-shore repairs.

I also know what it takes to run a successful business in the modern world of coatings. My company, Real World Epoxies, prides itself on manufacturing epoxies that perform in the field and is passionate about linking industry know how to provide consumers, contractors and suppliers with greater clarity, direction and confidence.

A couple of years ago I wrote my first book, a 210-page epoxy contractor handbook titled: “Finally, real answers for real contractors – Industrial Flooring”, which is available through NACE and Amazon. Find out why it’s received 5-star reviews and have been endorsed by major industry bodies by clicking here and grabbing a copy.

You can also catch me on my company website – www.realworldepoxies.com – as well as on my blog at www.epoxyschool.com.

 Other posts I have written:

The five R's of successful resin flooring

Epoxy Troubleshooting - Eleven common decorative flooring defects to watch out for - Part 1

Epoxy flooring examples - decorative resin floors in bedrooms and bathrooms

Epoxy opinion - should resin flooring become a trade?

Epoxy secrets revealed - coating manufacturers, re-sellers and private labelling

Epoxy application - are you a painter or a flooring applicator?

Epoxy non-slip flooring - five keys to success