“Advertising is the tax you pay for being unremarkable” -Robert Stephens
View From The Inside
It’s a fascinating question. Is the fence and gate here to keep people out, or to keep me in?
Most of us don’t stop to ask, “why?” Standing inside the grounds of the General Motors plant in Defiance, Ohio, knowing this path wasn’t for him, Jerry Hillis simply asked his why.
Leave steady income, security, benefits and retirement to chase this nagging idea?
I want to work for myself. J.A. Hillis Excavating is born.
Next Stop: Blown Tires and A Dinosaur
When the struggle sets in, it’s easy to ask yourself, “What am I doing?” You blow the tires on your trailer while hauling around an elderly Takeuchi excavator—the Dinosaur as you call it. Equipment is frozen to the ground. Pulling in the driveway at the end of a long day, you navigate the gauntlet of work stuff scattered around your yard. Take your time. I’m too tired to fix anything.
“What am I doing?”
Evolution Of The Worker
You do the work—hours that others don’t see. You learn. You take risk. You delight.
A worker knows there are no givens. Work for what you want. But the worker has to evolve, knowing the body won’t hold up to this forever. It’s a pivotal moment. Where is the “smart worker?”
He’s been here the whole time. The smart worker grew out of the experiences and the aches and pains you are reminded of today.
You become a teacher. How to communicate, connect, follow the golden rule…it never ends. A new form of work has arrived.
Jerry Hillis has been working for himself for the past 19 years. His wife, Stephanie, is also part of the business. They have 5 employees and continue to grow the business year over year.
What is the advertising budget for JA Hillis? Zero.
Do the work. Keep delighting.
Side Note: On a cold, winter night, less than a year ago, I was meeting with two guys that were helping change the trajectory of my own work. It’s not a coincidence that Jerry and Stephanie walked by that evening and said, “Hi!” -Chris Chamberlin