Month: April 2013

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Family Affair

When a big windstorm blew through our community a few weeks ago, it took down a couple sections of our back fence. With summer #15 fast approaching for our home – and it was a year old when we moved to Houston – replacing the entire 212 linear feet seemed like the right move. Our next-door neighbor decided to do the same, and the new cedar fences definitely improved curb appeal.

While admiring the upgraded look of our properties, I told him: “What we need to do now is have our four teenagers stain it.” He agreed, and last Saturday became an all-day paint-a-thon. When you consider both sides needed to be stained, there was a total of 800 linear feet with a materials and supplies cost of $900. Good thing the labor was cheap.

I wouldn’t say the kids had a great attitude beforehand – my daughter Tweeted the night before: “I have to spend all day tomorrow painting a stupid fence” – however, during the nine hours on the job, I heard nary a negative word. They took turns spraying and rolling the cedar planks, and never once became frustrated with each other. All in all, it was a terrific way to spend a spring day… and my guess is they’ll talk about ‘the time we stained the fence’ long after I’m gone.

One thing that arose from this outdoor adventure is recognition of an opportunity missed by fencing companies. As a serial entrepreneur, I’m tempted to start a business and provide the solution myself; however, Kathy made me promise when I created Success Handler, LLC that it would be my last career change. So, I’ll leave this one for you to pursue.

Homeowners should be able to skip the ‘paint stage’ after installing a new fence. Instead, you would have a choice of, say, four colors pre-approved by your HOA. You make your selection in advance and the fence company pre-stains the lumber before delivering it to your home. Up goes the fence and – Voila! – have a lemonade in your beautiful backyard. Customers would gladly pay an up-charge to have this time-consuming task removed from their weekend to-do list.

Feel free to make millions.

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Maintaining Course

Part two of two: Yesterday – after a long weather delay – D.A. Points held on to overcome charges by better-known Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson and win the Shell Houston Open. This was the 36-year-old journeyman’s second career victory on the PGA Tour. Two years ago, the University of Illinois graduate captured the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

While life on the Tour appears to be all glamour, the truth is it’s a grind. Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy finished playing late Friday. On Saturday, my son and I arrived at Redstone Golf Club as the sun was peaking over the horizon. The practice and putting greens were filled with ‘fellow competitors.’ Phil and Rory – who barely made the cut – walked up within a few minutes, stretched, then started hitting wedges and slowly working through their bags until finishing with a few drives, some putts, and heading to the first hole. Then it was four hours of intense concentration, media interviews, a break for lunch and back to the practice tee.

In reality, the two stars utilized this tournament as a warm-up for The Masters in two weeks. Points, on the other hand, needs to make every dollar he can. It’s been a long road. He tried and failed four times to earn his playing card. In 2005, he finally made it through the torturous qualifying school, then missed the cut in 17 of 32 tournaments. In professional golf, you only get paid when you play on the weekends. Otherwise you go home… and incur all the expenses.

Points lost his card, failed to qualify twice more before making it back in 2009. While he still missed 46 cuts in 103 tournaments through 2012, his official winnings peaked at $2,000,000 in 2011, thanks to the victory at Pebble Beach. This year he was off to a rough start, missing cuts in seven of nine tournaments before breaking through here in Houston.

While being a golf star brings with it millions of dollars, the majority of players struggle to remain among the top 125 money winners each year and keep their playing privileges. To steal a line from the film Trading Places, the PGA Tour is “the last bastion of real pure capitalism on earth.” To survive takes skill, athleticism, stamina, discipline and mental toughness. Spend a day on the course watching even unknown players and you’ll be impressed. You’ll also want to encourage your kids to have Plan B.

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