Toolbelts and Blackberrys

When I first got my first job as a tradesman, there was no such thing as contractors carrying cell phones. I worked for a large communications company that specialized in splicing and burying fiberoptic cable. We all had CB radios in our van and if we needed to communicate with each other thats how we did it.

Then, a few years later, every contractor was sporting a Nextel phone on his belt next to his tape measure and his Leatherman. It's like you weren't a real contractor or tradesman unless you had a Nextel. Forget a contractors liscense, a Nextel is what gave you your real credibility (I'm kidding). Maybe we liked Nextels because they reminded us of ourselves, Big, Tough, and Simple.

Nowadays you can still find contractors who use Nextels but they aren't nearly as popular as they once were. I was in Lowes the other day and the three guys in front of me in line all had Blackberrys clipped to there belts. Why have contractors, including myself, gravitated to these phones? Because they are, for the most part, durable, user friendly, and useful. You can download schematics and blueprints, invoice your clients, and crunch numbers so you can give an accurate quote all while making a phone call. It's great!

While many people don't view contractors as very tech savvy or cutting edge people, the opposite is actually the case. While we don't neccesarily latch on to every Xphone and Z pad that comes out, we do use technology, especially useful technology. As a matter of fact, contractors are an excellent lithmus test for technology. We won't use it unless it meets the following characteristics: It must be tough, practical, user friendly, and have accessories that are available in camaflouge or Nascar colors. I'm kidding about that last one. But seriously, tough, practical, and user friendly is what we as contractors want. And really, isn't this what all technology should be anyway?

I knew the world had changed when the other day, while putting together some pipes under a house, I pulled out my IPOD and used the I Level application that I had downloaded to check the slope on the pipes.

But it's not just about having the technology, it's about making it useful. When discussing our website, one of my business partners told me the following: "The genius is not in the idea, the genius is in the relentlessness and determination with which you pursue the idea until it is perfected." This principal is so true when it comes to technology. There is so much technology out there that is available to everyone. For us the challenge is in finding it and making it useful to you, the contractor.

We were meeting with some other owners of webbased businesses the other day and they all boasted about how much money they had spent developing their websites. Myself and my business partners all just looked at each other with a little smirk on our face. Why? Because we know that the people who use our site could careless how fancy it looks or how much money we spent developing. All they care about is how useful it is, how it can help them grow their business, and how it can make them money. The first question that people ask when they join the site isn't "How much money did you guys spend on this?" The first thing they ask us is "How can I use this site to promote my business."

There are plenty of social networking and social media sites out there, and that's great. But our site is like that CB radio, like that NEXTEL, like that Blackberry: Tough, Simple, and most of all, USEFUL. That's us, that's WatchDog! So put on your toolbelt, pick up your Blackberry, and stay connected to www.watchdogcontractorservice.com.

Jon White