Good Day,
A while back, I came across a YouTube video for an epoxy river pour table and was instantly obsessed with the idea of replacing my outdoor tables with wood and epoxy ones. Not being a handy person, I went online to see how much it would cost to purchase tables locally, and at $8,000 – $18,000 per table, quickly realized that if I wanted them, I was going to have to figure out how to do it.
The first thing I needed was wood. I knew Sue’s husband is an arborist and started by asking her where I should look for wood. As it turned out, they happened to have live-edge planks that they were looking to get rid of. So, my youngest son Patch and I took a drive up and picked four “diamond in the rough” planks.
I lucked out in that Patch took a construction SHSM at school that included doing a river pour cutting board and is heading to Conestoga College in the fall for the Woodworking Technology program. On the way home, we talked about the logistics of creating the tables. Patch pointed out that the guy in the video seemed to already have many of the tools required to build the table. We, unfortunately, do not and our garage is already full of other stuff. Patch then mentioned that when he was helping my friend Peter with a project, they went to a person’s house from the squash club who had built a huge woodworking shop with all the bells and whistles. He said that if we could convince Mike to let us use his shop, it would be easier (and faster) to complete.
Sue still had more wood planks she wanted to get rid of so I found Mike’s number and called him to see if he could use some free live-edge wood in exchange for Patch and I using the shop to make the tables. He agreed and it has been an incredible process. Mike has made several river-pour products over the last few years and has been a wealth of knowledge as Patch and I have been constructing the table. He also has all sorts of amazing tools that has made the process so much easier. And, best of all, he has been teaching us the tricks he learned over the years so that our first attempts will be as good as his latest creations. I still have about six hours of sanding left on the first table before we do the final sealing and buffing, but I can already see the vision taking shape. And, I would have never known the importance of proper sanding techniques to the quality of the final product if it wasn’t for Mike.
So why I am I telling you this other than to share my excitement? It’s for two reasons: 1) you probably already network way more than you think, and 2) it’s okay to ask for help when you don’t have the tools to do something.
It was just fortuitus that Sue happened to have the wood I needed and was looking to get rid of it. When I talked with her about it, I was hoping to tap into her and Jay’s network of people that may have live-edge planks. The same is true for Mike. I know him from our squash club and Patch knew he had a shop. I figured it was worth the shot to ask him, but if he couldn’t do it, my next question was to ask him who he knew that may have the space, tools and time to let us build there.
You see, everyone has “a guy”. And if your “guy” isn’t the right guy, then there is a chance that he/she may have a “guy” they can connect you with. You find and utilize these connections in your business and everyday life. You make the effort to go through your network of friends to find the right person because you need something – a new supplier, electrician, etc. I would argue that if you are the owner, staff member or volunteer of a business or event that relies on foot traffic, there is a very good chance that you NEED more customers/guests/visitors. And there is a very good chance that your neighbours or peers have the same need.
If you make the effort to reach out, chances are that it won’t take long before you have figured out how you can work together to collectively grow your visitation. GlowZone 360 just did this for our Brampton location. Ryan, one of our partners, reached out to three other attractions to see if they were interested in working together. All three of them were and we met for coffee to discuss ways we could collectively work together to drive visitation. We decided to create a postcard that we will give to all guests at our locations as well as have Brampton Tourism hand them out at events.
This is hot off the presses and is now being distributed. The only thing we all regret was not starting it sooner. However, in that same meeting, we came up with a plan to form a Brampton Attractions Council that will work together along with Brampton Tourism to keep us top of mind and support the city on their sport tourism and conference bids. And it all started by looking at our need to increase business the same way we would if we needed our freezer repaired.
The part of the table project I am enjoying most is that I am learning how they are made. Mike has spent a lot of time with me, showing me the steps and what has to be done – not doing it for me. I get that I am not about to become a master river-pour table builder, however many of the skills he has shown me will transfer to other household projects down the road. In hindsight, I am glad the cost to purchase completed tables was so much.
Learning how to do things that support your business, rather than paying someone else to do them, both gives you a great feeling of accomplishment AND has a positive impact on your bottom line. Chris, from Clearwater Farms, is doing that right now with our AVTR1 program. Instead of hiring people to write the scripts, record the voices and bring the avatar to life, he has decided to learn the system himself, with the help of me.
We have a standing meeting every Tuesday morning at 9am where he asks questions and gets tips. When we started these meetings, there were questions every week as he was learning the process. In the last six weeks, we have only had to have one meeting because he was trying something new and needed a refresher. By learning the software and process to bring an avatar to life, Clearwater Farms is now able to quickly change messaging, create new avatar-led programs and better engage their visitors without spending any money.
CCT’s Learning Lab is full of courses that leave you with a better understanding of how to do things for yourself. Some of the most popular ones include service delivery through the Tourism Ambassador course, Grant Writing, Social Media Marketing and our new Tourism Route Development. There is also an excellent Research 101 Series of articles written by our resident research guru, Tom, about how to interpret, analyze and use research data to make informed decisions to grow your business.
All of us at CCT are part of your network. Use us when you have questions. We will either have some solutions top of mind or can reach into our networks to help you find what you are looking for. On that note, if you are looking for any type of custom signs, laser engraving and woodwork, I strongly suggest you reach out to Mike and Wendy at Fallcraft Woodworking. They are my new “guy” for those types of projects!
Have a great day.
Chuck
