My old boss told me to never turn down a hard job...

Back when I started my moving company in Portland, my mentor said always take the nightmare jobs - the 4th floor walkups with no elevator, the grand pianos, the stuff everyone else refuses. I spent my first year hauling a 500 pound safe up three flights of stairs for $200, but that client ended up referring me to three apartment buildings. Has anyone else had a piece of advice that felt wrong at first but paid off big time?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_martinez1mo ago

Hate to push back but I gotta disagree with this one. I mean, I get the idea behind it but there's a fine line between building your reputation and just getting taken advantage of. Taking every hard job that nobody else wants can burn you out fast, especially when you're new and don't have the resources to handle it right. Idk, I've seen people in my line of work take on these insane projects out of some sense of 'paying dues' and end up losing money on materials and having to deal with pissed off clients. Maybe it's just me but turning down a nightmare job that's way over your head isn't the same as being lazy. Sometimes saying no is just smart business sense.

samwalker1mo ago

Hear me out, there is a big difference between taking on a tough job that nobody wants and taking on a job that you literally cannot handle. The sweet spot is finding those hard, messy jobs where you can actually still do good work, even if it takes longer. But if you are in over your head from the start and you know it, then you are just setting yourself up for failure and a bad name. That is not paying your dues, that is just being reckless with your time and money. You have to be honest with yourself about what you can actually pull off before you say yes.

grace_knight701mo ago

Oh I learned that one the hard way. Ended up eating the cost of materials on a job that I absolutely should have walked away from, and it took me months to dig out of that hole.