Robert Koci
A "family" contracting business gets complicated. Can you help Jim Taylor?
Canadian Contractor BusinessIn this case study, fictional contractor Jim Taylor is faced with conflicts between his family life, his lead carpenter, a major potential clients - and even with his own sense of fairness. Can you solve Jim's dilemma? Tell us how, and you could win a $100 gas card if your answer is chosen.
Each issue of Canadian Contractor now contains, as our final article of each magazine, a section called “What Would You Do?” We are posting little case-studies – business problems, people problems, customer problems, building problems – that a small-business general contractor may run into. The following “What Would You Do?” will appear in our next (July/August) issue of the magazine.
Tell us what YOU would do, in this situation… and you could win a gas card. See the RULES under the case study, for how to enter…
By Rob Koci
Jim Taylor always wanted to run a truly “family” contracting firm, so he was thrilled when his 24-year-old daughter Amy began dating Jeff, his recently-hired lead carpenter. Jeff had proven to be a great hire – and he could be trusted, which freed Jim up to find more business – which he quickly did. In fact, Jim soon had to hire Amy to come into the office three times a week to help out.
Things were working out great, until Jim found out that his daughter was a lot more serious about Jeff than Jeff appeared to be about Amy. At least that was the impression Jim was getting. The business was taking off, but possibly at the expense of a family train wreck…
Jim was the non-confrontational sort, and his first inclination was not to get involved. Trouble was, he was on the verge of signing a $250,000 reno with a client who insisted that Jeff be the site foreman. Just to make things more interesting, the client for this project was the family of Jeff’s former fiancée (Amy did not know).
Maybe it was time for Jim to say something – but to whom? And what should he say?
Should Jim…
- Say nothing, and let the potential heartbreak sort itself out?
- Tell his daughter his suspicions about Jeff?
- Confront Jeff with his suspicions?
- Lay some personal ground rules for both, without revealing his suspicions?
- Decline the job?
HOW TO ENTER
We want you to pick the answer, above, that is closest to what you would do. It may not match your own preferred solution, but we will pick a single winner by random draw from among the best answers (as judged, undemocratically, by Rob and Steve!). If you want to give us an Option Number 6, please feel free. Please email your answers to rkoci@canadiancontractor.ca… with “What Would You Do?” in the subject line.