Saturday, March 29, 2014

Work Force, LLC

I can't believe we've already been living in Albuquerque for a year. Where the hell has time gone?! I mean, geeze...I can't believe it's going to be April next week. It seems like everything is flying by. Some people have been hitting me up and wondering how work is going for me since I'm ALWAYS busy now..well..here's story time:

Over the course of a year, I changed jobs two times..one was because the owners wife was a complete terror and my office associate was a manipulative shrew that ran our techs into the ground. I finally hit my limit when the owners wife treated me like not only was I beneath her, but cut me down constantly in front of my colleagues because...well..she's just a bitch & lacks people skills. The shrew had a knack of being two faced, threw people under the bus to make herself appear favorable to our boss & would ultimately LIE to get a head. Very wrong way to try to climb that business ladder. When I first met her & heard some of her bad luck, of course you feel sorry for someone. Now that I've gotten to know her over this length of time, it's just Karma kicking her in the face because it's justified. Oh yeah, she'd keep in touch with me on Facebook acting like she was my friend, but would turn around and talk shit about me to the company we worked for even though I'm no longer relevant there. Why? Who the hell knows... but when she found out I'm working with the company I'm with now, she lost her shit and started a lot of petty, childish drama. You weren't recruited for us for a reason. Sit and think about that for a little bit while you're posting unflattering "selfies" non stop on Facebook. *thumbs up*

Then the other company I joined made me sick to my stomach after a month because they are SO money hungry, treat their customers like shit, and my immediate supervisor was verbally accosting me daily. Sexual harassment would be an excellent way to describe him. The owner is so over the top arrogant that I didn't think people like that actually existed. Rolls into work with a brand new Porsche, brags about his $1,200 alligator driving shoes while he puts on his $1k ostrich leather loafers, brags about going out to dinner with his wife and it cost $500, then turns around and cuts hours for several people throughout the company since they can't afford the payroll. Just...WTF. My favorite (and I'm saying that sarcastically, by the way) ...if a customer is unhappy with a service that was provided, he tells them to "fuck off"...Dude,without your customers, you wouldn't be where you are today! Keep in mind, the equipment we sold cost anywhere from $1k up to $8k, so I think it's fair that a customer is expecting some sort of service warranty if something goofs up, especially a few weeks after they drop that sort of cash! NOPE. Customers are nickle & dimed with ridiculous service fees and then they'll be scheduled to when it's convenient to the company, not their schedule. I was there from July till November..and it was an AGONIZING four months. Everyone there was/is rotten to the core and I wanted nothing more to do with it. Glad to see that in my rear view mirror!

Now to today; I work for an awesome company. I love it because I actually feel like I matter & that I'm an asset. I've been rocking this gig since November and OWN this position. Of all the people who stayed in contact with me from the first job I had when we got here, it was a guy I was basically a secretary for. He and one of the techs from the shop (who now happens to live with us) stayed in contact with me, checked in to see how I was doing and didn't want to lose touch. To me, that was awesome because it showed that he actually gave a rip rather than me just being another person passing through. The tech who lives with us, Kevin, started talking to me about a possible job opportunity that'd allow him to leave the douchey company he was working for at the time to hop over to our buddies business that he was trying to launch. Ya don't say? Hmmm... I started poking around, getting a feel for what they were trying to get going and was offered a chance to jump on board. You're damn right I jumped! I'm considered the office manager, but I do a hell of a lot more than office work. Unlike the first place I worked at, this one allows me to go to job sites to see what the guys are doing, I assist with installs so I actually have an idea of what I'm talking about when explaining things to customers. The other companies would never allow me to do that. When I mentioned having a chance to go in the field here, it wasn't even questioned. I love it! Now I get to meet tenants first hand for some of the property companies we're contracted with, learning loads of information in regards to HVAC, plumbing, installations and anything else you can think of in regards to this line of work. Not only that, but I got to design the company logo, actively worked on advertisements to get more business, set up accounts throughout Albuquerque for supply houses & making awesome professional connections with those shops, overhauled the way billing is done and a slew of other things. Here's some examples of what I've done



 My colleague who brought me on board has taken the time to show me how bids and estimates are done, educates me on some of the massive units we work with (I'm talking like 5 ton split systems) ...all the while, makes it VERY known how much he appreciates not only myself & Kevin, but Eric as well since Eric will help us from time to time with job sites and even hitting the pavement to put up door tags for advertisement. It's REFRESHING to actually hear someone be thankful & acknowledges that people are busting their asses for them. To me, that goes a lot further than anything. 

This company has been rolling for about seven months now, I've been with them for five of it, and it's definitely gaining momentum which is extremely exciting. We've received excellent reviews from various customers, clients who have terminated maintenance contracts they had with other companies to sign with us, obtaining new construction contracts around town in addition to a flurry of other things. LOTS of good stuff coming down the pipeline and I'm SO happy to see things progressing like they have. All the personal sacrifices we've made to get this off the ground is finally paying off. 




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