GDTVINE TREATMENT ATLAST

You deserve customer service that feels heaven sent. Allura promises to be there, hell or high water, 24/7, and protect you with a 50-year warranty. Our advanced fiber cement technology offers the best return on investment and confidence that when a job is done, there's no need to revisit the site for upkeep. Allura is built to be sustainable, durable, and fire-resistant. And, if hell ever {reezes over, it will stand up to that too.

allurausa.com

Special Features

Every lssue

By Alan Oakes

Born or created?

'pecenrrv. soMEoNE cALLED to ask my thoughts about them starting their own busiI\ness. It's one of several similar calls I've received over recent years-usually from someone who has lost their job, can't find a new one, and sees this as their way of getting back to work. To be or not to be an entrepreneur?

My first questions: Are you starting from scratch or buying another business? Are you financially and mentally ready to own your own business? Why now? How is your vision for your business different from what others are offering? How will you raise the bar over the competition to give others a reason to do business with your new company?

At that point, most decide it's not worth the risk. The reason is that it was really a pipe dream, an escape from reality. And this is where the real entrepreneur stands out, because if you really do have an idea, it should be gnawing at you that you must try it out, some way, somehow!

Over my career, I have worked with those I call "real" entrepreneurs. They're the ones who had an idea, had to find ways to get that idea to market, and would allow nothing to stand in their way. Some had earlier ideas that failed miserably. Yet, the born entrepreneurs will continue setting up businesses until one hits. These are the 57o who often from an early age found ways to eam money by starting a small business-delivering, making, selling a new product or service. They are like Bill Gates, who founded Microsoft from his garage at age 2O.

They have strong drive, persistence, the tolerance to fail and quickly bounce back, high energy, recognition of when they need professional management to take the business even further, and-most of all-the need to win. They want to control their own destiny. One trait they possess-which can be good and bad-is their single-mindedness. They saw the path they wanted and nobody could tell them otherwise. Hence, some fail. But it won't stop them trying again.

On the other hand, the majority of us are quite happy to work for someone else, not needing to be an owner or even manager, content to enjoy the security that comes with a regular paycheck and benefits. For most of us with a mortgage and kids to put through school and everything else to pay for, even ifyou want your own business, the risks are simply too great. I included myself in this bucket for many years. I earned good money at the top of the corporate ladder, had far more than I needed, and never had to worry too much over paying all the bills. I always thought about one day having my own business. I was convinced I would be successful, but I was not ready for a long time to pull the trigger.

But then comes along a life-changing event. Or circumstances change-you lose your job, the kids leave home. Financial needs change, and this is when, perhaps for the first time, the dream might be able to happen. This is what may be classified as the "accidental" entrepreneur. And this is what most of us who own our own businesses are. We perhaps never had that big idea that would shake the world (e.g., Facebook), but we had the confidence to either start a business or buy an existing one and take it to the next level. My big driver was that I just knew at a certain point I had not enjoyed the prior five years of my corporate life. I could not see working for someone else anymore. I knew it was now or never to own my own business.

This is when you have to learn to make yourself into an entrepreneur. It's very different, sometimes scary, and requires a different mindset and different skills than those you needed in your old corporate world. You must learn about launching or buying a business, competitive advantage, finance, accounting, cash flow, marketing, sales, leadership-many skills you had a whole management team for in your corporate days. You must work through those rainy days when those sales just don't happen or cash is low. The big difference may be that many of us no longer sleep as well at night, because at the end of the day we have everything, including our homes, on the line. Today, I would have it no other wav. I onlv wish I'd taken the path to ownership at least l0 years earlier.

BPII Building Products lf lgest

www. bu ld ng-prod ucts. com

A publication of Cutler Publishing 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Publisher Alan Oakes ajoakes@aol.com

Publisher Emeritus David Cutler

Director of Editorial & Production David Koenig david@building-products.com

Editor Karen Debats kdebats@building-products.com

Gontributing Editors

Carla Waldemar, James Olsen

Advertising Sales Manager Chuck Casey ccasey@bu ilding-products.com

Administration Director/Secretary Marie 0akes mfpoakes@aol.com

Circulation Manager Heather Kelly hkelly@building-products.com

How to Advertise

Chuck Gasey

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ccasey@building-products.com

Alan Oakes www. building-products.com

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ajoakes@aol.com.

CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE

David Koenig

Phone (949) 852-1 990 Fax 949-852-0231 dkoenig@bu ilding-products.com

How to Subscribe

SUBSCRIPTIONS Heather Kelly Phone (949) 852-1 990 Fax 949-852-0231 hkelly@building-products.com or send a check to 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

U.S.A.: One year (12 issues), $24

Two years, $39 Three years, $54

FOREIGN (Per year, paid in advance in US funds): Surface-Canada or Mexico. $49 Other countries, $65 Air rates also available.

SINGLE COPIES $4 + s6;Op'nn BACK ISSUES $5 + shipping

Alan Oakes, Publisher ajoakes@aol.com

BUILDING PRODUCTS DIGEST is oublished monthly at 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872, (949) 852-1 990, Fax 949-852-0231, www.buildingproducls.com, by Cutler Publishing, Inc. (a California Corporation). lt is an independently owned publication for building products retailers and wholesale diskibutors in 37 states East of the Rockies. Copyright@20l4 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Cover and entire contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written oermission. All Riohts Reserved. BPD reserves the right to acceit or reject any editorial or advertising matter, and assumes no liability for materials furnished to it.

STANDARD SEMI-TRANSPARENT SYSTEM-

PPG introduces o new semi{ronsporent system thot combines the protection of o solid color finish with the oppeorqnce of o semi-tronsoorent stoin.

PRODUCT FEATURES o ,|00% ocrylic lotex

. Mochine opplicotion formulo for better overoll consistency versus field opplicotion

Formuloted with high durobility pigments for moximum UV oerformonce

. Voried bosecoot colors offer o wide ronge of color options

. Excellent color retention

ASK PPG ABOUT DURACOLOR@ ST FOR FIBER CEMENT AND COMPOSITES

By Carla Waldemar