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Key Takeaways
- The springtime of your career encompasses those early years when you’re busy planting the seeds of new ideas and dreaming of the future. It’s all about potential.
- The summer of your career is when you start making investments, cultivating the seeds you planted years ago, then carefully pruning and protecting your business ideas so they can grow.
- Autumn is harvesting season — you’re reaping what you’ve sown. And winter is a time for taking stock of what you have and preparing for the future.
We don’t get to be young forever, but that’s actually a good thing. Like Pete Seeger of The Byrds sang back in 1962:
“To everything there is a season
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep”
Of course, those lyrics are even older than that. They originally appeared in the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is part of the Old Testament. If you’re looking for proof of the value in old things, I don’t know where you’re going to find a better example than that.
But this isn’t just a feel-good article for my older readers about how age brings wisdom. The point I’m using those lyrics to illustrate is actually that there are distinct seasons to your career, each of which brings valuable perspective. You just have to acknowledge which season you’re in instead of staying in denial about it.
My priorities when I entered the roofing industry as a teenager were very different from the ones I have today, but that hasn’t hampered my business. My company, Roof Maxx, is presently valued at over eight figures and has dealers selling our roof restoration solution across the country.
Here’s how each season of my career helped me refine my pathway to success — and how yours can do the same for you if you let it.
Spring: New ideas and early growth
The springtime of your career encompasses those early years when you’re busy planting the seeds of new ideas and dreaming of the future. It’s arguably the most conceptual time in an entrepreneur’s life, because it’s all about potential. You’re not yet so invested in anything that you’re thinking only about dollars and cents; the future is a blank slate, and you have enough time ahead of you to dream a little.
Now, the likelihood is that not all of those dreams are going to come true, at least not in the way you thought they would. When I was in my teens and twenties, I had no idea that I was eventually going to start Roof Maxx. I got into roofing with simpler ambitions — of becoming a successful contractor, of working with my family, and of building a recognizable brand in our home state of Ohio that would become my legacy.
That didn’t exactly happen. In fact, I worked for 15 years as a roofing contractor and was on the verge of financial failure for most of that time. But as I grew older and wiser, the dream evolved. Things eventually turned out even better than I could have imagined.
Summer: Long days and late nights
The truth is that big plans aren’t enough to succeed in business. You also need to make smart investments. That’s what the summer of your career is for: cultivating the seeds you planted years ago, then carefully pruning and protecting your business ideas so they can grow.
An investment isn’t just about money, either. Not every early-to-mid-career entrepreneur has cash to spare. The time you invest is equally important. And if you invest your time carefully, my experience has taught me that other resources will often become available.
When Todd and I discovered the Roof Maxx formula, which could extend the usable lifespan of asphalt shingle roofs for years as long as they were in decent condition, we didn’t have much in the way of liquid assets. But we had years of experience as roofers, which allowed us to recognize the market potential for a cost-effective restoration solution in an industry then-dominated by contractors who only sold roof replacements, regardless of whether their customers’ roofs could still be saved.
We also had a company that we could sell, so that’s what we did. The money from that sale allowed us to pivot into the business that would eventually become Roof Maxx. What looked like a new company was actually the culmination of years of effort.
Autumn: Harvesting season
Roof Maxx didn’t succeed overnight, but it did disrupt the roofing industry relatively quickly. Homeowners realized we were offering them a way to keep using their current roofs for years to come at a fraction of what it would cost to replace them, and many were eager to try it for themselves.
Our flagship product had undergone extensive testing at Ohio State University, and our dealers were carefully instructed to inspect each homeowner’s roof for suitability before recommending Roof Maxx. We also included a tune-up as part of our complete roof restoration process, which addressed minor damage like nail pops or isolated damaged shingles before the product was applied. This maximized its efficacy and ensured better results for customers.
As a result, many customers who tried Roof Maxx were happy to leave us positive reviews or refer new business our way. As demand grew, we found ourselves presiding over a national dealer network with a presence in all 50 states.
Winter: Preparing for the future
As I write this article, I’m less than a month away from my 60th birthday. I only have a few years left before I’m at what most people consider retirement age. The winter of my career has finally arrived.
But this doesn’t fill me with apprehension. Winter is a time for taking stock of what you have and preparing for the future. Every December, families gather together to celebrate and prepare for the coming year. Roof Maxx started as a family business, and it’s a legacy I’ll be proud to pass on to the next generation once I’ve made the proper arrangements.
When you’re young, you dream of the future. As you gain experience, your focus turns to time and money. Invest those wisely, and you’ll reap what you’ve sown for years to come. After all that, it’s only natural to think about what you’re leaving to others. To everything there is a season.
Key Takeaways
- The springtime of your career encompasses those early years when you’re busy planting the seeds of new ideas and dreaming of the future. It’s all about potential.
- The summer of your career is when you start making investments, cultivating the seeds you planted years ago, then carefully pruning and protecting your business ideas so they can grow.
- Autumn is harvesting season — you’re reaping what you’ve sown. And winter is a time for taking stock of what you have and preparing for the future.
We don’t get to be young forever, but that’s actually a good thing. Like Pete Seeger of The Byrds sang back in 1962:
“To everything there is a season
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep”
Of course, those lyrics are even older than that. They originally appeared in the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is part of the Old Testament. If you’re looking for proof of the value in old things, I don’t know where you’re going to find a better example than that.