I know I haven’t blogged much on here in the last few weeks, but I have actually been blogging quite a bit – over at my reticulation blog. I’m working pretty hard to get the content up and hopefully see it shoot up the google rankings a bit.

We had the pleasure of hosting my old mate Andrew Jones and his family for lunch a couple of weeks back and Andrew helped me understand some of what I need to do for the blog to be useful.

My goal is a simple one – to write enough relevant stuff so that when people google their reticulation & turf questions I am right up there on the top google listings. I’ve tried reading problogger and some other sites, but I get a bit lost in all of the tips and strategies so it was good to have Andrew summarise what I need to do simply. Now I’m just getting on with it.

Someone asked me if writing a blog isn’t actually counter-productive as it shows people how to do what I could be getting paid to do. Not so I’d suggest. In fact what it does is introduces people to someone who actually knows a bit of what they are talking about and might actually be able to do the job.

Last week I had two customers directly from the blog – people who had gone there to seek answers to their retic questions but ended up just calling me and asking me to do it.

I doubt its going to be an overnight hit, but in time I imagine it will be another valuable ‘hook’ in the water to snag some customers and develop the business.

Last weekend, after having two weeks off the market we opened our home for sale again and snaffled a buyer immediately.

The big change to our ‘plan’ was that we began to advertise on realestate.com rather than solely in the local rag. We knew our price was competitive so we figured that although the market is still very bad, it must have been our advertising that was letting us down.

The bloke we are buying the Yanchep house through offered to do us a sensational deal and be our agent. Compared to what everyone else is asking by way of commission his deal was such that the amount we pay him is negligible. More to the point he’s a good bloke and a good agent. Having dealt with a couple of shockers in the last couple of months he is a breath of fresh air. He was happy for us to sell it, but offered us an alternative at a price it simply wasn’t worth refusing.

Since then he’s done a heap of running around, been in regular contact and has been working hard to pull off the deal for all of us. FWIW his name is John Bloomfield of John Bloomfield Real Estate – a no bullshit operator who tells it like it is and doesn’t schmooze or mess you around.

So in a couple of weeks we will know for sure if we are moving once the young couple who have the offer on our house get confirmation of finance. Pre-approval has been in place, but these are strange times so we aren’t calling it a deal just yet.

Its interesting the emotions you go through in a deal like this. We have been initially excited and watched that enthusiasm wane as we realised how tough the market was. Then I began to feel more enthused about staying – seeing the benefits of a small mortgage and avoiding the pain of moving home. When the offer came in (I was the one negotiating it) I had just about lost interest. I almost made the price unattainable for the people so that we could stay! But since we’ve hit the ‘green button’ my perspective has shifted again and I’m really looking forward to the adventure again.

As much as we try to stay uninvolved and objective its pretty difficult in reality. I can’t control the way my emotions ebb and flow. I can only control how I respond to them.

So in 2 weeks we will know. Is it Butler for a bit longer or do we make the big move north to Yanchep?…

I’ll let you know…

If your business doesn’t go to plan then please don’t blame your customers. Accept responsibility for your own actions.

Perhaps you didn’t advertise well enough, perhaps your product was too expensive, perhaps you just really suck at what you were trying to do…

Recently a local business closed in our area – one that I used fairly frequently – one that I valued. I was disappointed to see it go and didn’t know why it had suddenly disappeared. I saw the ex manager today working in another business and asked the question, ‘So what happened? Why aren’t you guys still in business?’

She responded ‘because you guys didn’t support us.’

Wrong answer.

Pissweak answer.

Copout answer.

In fact it was an answer that had me livid. Who on earth blames their customers for their own failure?! I let her know, ‘oh so it was my fault that your business folded…’ (Because that is what she was saying)

She began to offer other reasons and excuses, some of which were no doubt valid, but the first response was to blame the customer – and one of the regular ones at that.

If your business fails then please take a look in the mirror and ask ‘what did I do that was wrong?’ Accept responsibility and don’t blame others for your own failures. It is very bad form and is unlikely to make them ever want to support any other business you may start in the future.

Ask the question – was it my price, my service, location, timing etc etc… but don’t blame the customer. They are unlikely to be impressed.

Rant over.

Well, this week it will be 20 years of marriage for us and co-incidentally 20 years of working as a local church minister/pastor/leader. I don’t know which is the bigger achievement…

On a steamy April 6th 20 years ago I was dressed in a black suit waiting for a girl to show up at the church. I had got ready in 10 minutes – as blokes do – and was reading the newspaper to kill time. The quote for the day in Saturday’s West was ‘Marriage is an adventure. It is like going to war’.

I laughed. How appropriate… and how fortunate I am not superstitious.

Most of the time marriage has been a wonderful adventure but I honestly haven’t ever thought of it like war. Ministry on the other hand… Sadly it has been both an adventure and a battlefield and I am happy to have survived this far.

I was thinking about speaking next week at church about what I have learnt after 20 years of marriage and ministry but I’m not sure there is too much rocket science in either. There is a lot of dedication and resolve but not too many ‘tricks’.

So tomorrow afternoon we head off to Margaret River for a few days away – back to where we had our honeymoon and we will be looking forward to enjoying the space but also reflecting on what we have learnt and giving thanks for what we have been able to enjoy together.

A few weeks back (as a result of inspiration from Middo) I started a reticulation blog as an add on to my business website. Because of the way blogs rate in google it generally gets more hits than my actual site…

I’m sure it will have very narrow appeal and as yet I haven’t got around to the whole deal of advertising, but if you have an issue with reticulation and turf then go have a read as the answer may be there.

Its still in its infancy and not every question is addressed, but if you have a retic / turf question drop me an email and I will try to answer it for you and build to the knowledge base over there.

Failing that call an expert and pay the $$$! 🙂

This morning Phil Sparrow came to QBC to speak to us about his work in Afghanistan and how he has processed what it means to be ‘called by God’ to that place.

He spoke of the initial sense of calling where he exuded passion and enthusiasm and he went on to speak of how that had waned over time, how at times his work was actually quite tedious, with results hard to see… it was boring even… but the call hadn’t ceased to exist. He just sometimes wished it did so he could move his life to something more exciting and invigorating.

Phil challenged our western obsession with happiness, fulfillment and safety and suggested that these weren’t the criteria for knowing if we are in the place God wants us. Sometimes where God wants us does not make us happy, does not feel like its time well spent and may even be very risky, but that doesn’t mean its time to shut up shop and move on. Maybe it just means that for the time being you aren’t going to feel so much pleasure in what you do. Phil suggested we may have made an idol of fulfillment and that we need to simply say ‘yes’ to God and then get on with what we said yes to without looking back. (Interestingly Stuart wrote a similar piece here) In that place of ‘getting on with it’ we will find a different kind of joy, and contentment – if we are willing to go there.

He speaks as one who has been there rather than as one who know the theory and that is always compelling and confronting.

I love a talk that challenges my thinking and this one did exactly that. I’m sure you will read more in the coming weeks as I ruminate on those challenges and their implications.

My good friend Stu Wesley has hit the blog scene and you can read his thoughts here

Stuart and I went thru high school together, then did youth ministry together, and since then our lives have followed similar and shared paths for the last 30 years or so, which simply means we are both getting old…

Stu is the team leader at Network Vineyard Church in Cottesloe, but is currently on a year’s sabbatical and in the process of developing his coaching/consulting business. I’ve been inspired by Stu’s thoughts over the years and I reckon it will be great to see them come out online. He has a few posts up now, so why don’t you drop by and leave a comment.