We prepared a detailed four-page proposal outlining exactly what would be required to restore the masonry to a consistent historical appearance. A few days later, I received an email from the general contractor that said: "The two other bricklayers were about one-third of your price for the same scope. Can you get closer to their pricing?" The answer was simple. No. Because they were not the same scope.

Nobody posts this part. The wrecked car. The broken down truck. The contractor who still has not paid a net 30 invoice after 90 days. I wrote about what construction ownership actually looks like when the highlight reel is off. If you have ever run a business or thought about it, this one is honest.

Worst case scenerio When I was about 16, my family took one of our annual vacations. We didn’t go far; money was usually tight, but that year, we were headed to the Texas Hill Country. The Alamo, a few stops along the way… nothing fancy, just something different. We left around 4 in the morning in our tank of a car, a Ford Granada station wagon. That part matters. We hit I-35 South, half awake, a little excited. And I still remember the exact moment everything changed. The so