This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Hi TP, Only if you sign your posts will I ever learn who you are. TP is as ambiguous as anon. Pretty please Joe Goss imatunr@srvinet.com www.mothergoosetools.com ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Topperpiano@aol.com=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 7:29 AM Subject: Re: Business Doldrums ...and finding help Over the years I have hired people to work in my shop. I got pretty = good at training people to do action work. You just have to break down = the steps to manageable, understandable elements like polishing capstans = and front pins, cleaning parts, bushing keys, etc. I left the more = complicated stuff like drilling a set of hammers or hanging them for = myself. I did manage to train one gal who had been a housekeeper at a = hotel (making minimum wage) to do very basic regulating and paid her = double what she had been making. Stay at home Moms and retirees like to = do something and are really flexible with their hours in that they don't = really want full time jobs. In my area we have lost several active = techs for various reasons and I am really covered up. The dealer that I = work for two days a week (because he sells very high end pianos and = gives me total control over what I do to prep them) was making demands = that exceeded my time so I am training a less experienced tech who had = not had the chance to train on high end pianos. The deal that I have = worked out with the tech and the dealer is that he comes in one day a = week and I supervise his tuning and regulating work. He works for free = and I get paid my usual rate while I supervise/teach him and also work = on other pianos. In exchange for the new tech's work the store and I = give him the lower end work (and take no cut) that I don't want to do. = The new tech has had a giant jump in his business, gets trained and I = don't have to try to beg off on older uprights and spinets. The dealer = gets more work done for the same money and is also developing a good = relationship with another tech who can fill in for me when I have other = obligations. I expect that this arrangement will stick through the = summer when things are slow and we'll return to our normal working = arrangements when things pick up in the fall. By the way I don't see = the business slowing down at all. In fact I think that this particular = dealer's business has picked up considerably in the last 6 months. TP ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/68/9e/cf/7c/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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