This gave me a vested interest in not just showing up to work, but kicking butt at work and making us the top HVAC company in the area
When Mike opened his own contracting business, I was the first guy he called. Although we hadn’t spoken in a couple of years at that point, we were still friends. He called me at home, out of the blue, and told me about his new business. He wanted me to be the cornerstone of his work crew, because he knew he could trust me. When you are starting a small business, you need above all else people that you can rely on. I was put in charge of a six person work crew, and although all of us had our HVAC certification, I was the boss. Mike was the owner of the HVAC business, of course, but he couldn’t be responsible for running the office, booking appointments, and running the crew. I was his right hand, the site boss who personally oversaw all of the HVAC projects and reported back to him. That is why he needed someone he could trust, because the site boss was the eyes and ears for the whole business. To make sure I was fully invested he offered me a part ownership of the HVAC company. It was 15% which doesn’t sound like much, but it meant that the more money the HVAC company made, the more money I would make. This gave me a vested interest in not just showing up to work, but kicking butt at work and making us the top HVAC company in the area. I have to give a big show of gratitude to Mike for giving me this awesome opportunity.