http://constructionmike.com Making A Living In These Tough Times & My Take On Politics & Culture Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:03:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Back in August of this year I noticed a real drop in my long-time established construction business.  All of a sudden there were no calls and no job requests.  Other local builders had already experienced this.  The recession became very real all of a sudden.  My business has always been ... http://constructionmike.com/1235/sccg-11/ The new SCCG Facebook Page is up  I don't have much experience with Facebook, so I bought a book on Facebook Marketing.  It's the 'Facebook Marketing Bible' by Justin Smith.  I'm also talking to some college-age kids.  I may need to get some tutoring! Here is our new logo: Related posts:Santa Cruz ... http://constructionmike.com/1232/the-santa-cruz-construction-guild-facebook-page-is-up/ The SantaCruz Construction Guild Facebook Page is up.  I'm learning about how to use Social Media to let people know about us. Related posts:The Santa Cruz Construction Guild Facebook page is up The new SThe Construction Guild Hello felConstruction Guild Member The Santa http://constructionmike.com/1230/facebook/ I found a great site that helps people take the LEED certification tests successfully. Pat Flynn was laid off from his job as architect and had to find a way to create an income. He had created a blog where he shared his insights into passing the ... http://constructionmike.com/1209/leed-test-training/ I've been working on the Guild logo this past week. I went to a local designer who was referred to me by a local restaurant owner / friend. I went to the designer's office and asked him about mu need for a logo. How much will it cost? ... http://constructionmike.com/1204/guild-logo/ It takes time to build the guild. I started by contacting trusted contractors and subcontractors first. Then I started talking to people they referred. I use a simple system of 4x6 index cards to keep track of all these folks. Each person has their own index ... http://constructionmike.com/1198/guild-news/ I placed an ad with the local entertainment and news weekly - The 'Good Times'. I placed an ad in the local 'Service Professional' column. That costs $40/ week and runs for 13 weeks ata time. They also threw in a free classified ad. I picked ... http://constructionmike.com/1196/the-daily-guild/ Instead of spelling disaster, the financial collapse offers a unique opportunity to fix all of America’s ills. Hang 'Em High! By Israel Shamir Seven years after 9/11, we witness another, greater and even more enjoyable collapse, that of the American financial pyramid. It took some twenty years in building; its collapse took only ... http://constructionmike.com/1181/hang-em-high/ Here is an interesting development in alternative energy: Related posts:Alternative Energy HereAlternative Energy AlternatiHousehold Wind Appliance Here http://constructionmike.com/1179/osmotic-power/ I started the local Santa Cruz Construction Guild as a way to network and to create work for members.  In these uncertain times it's important to connect with good people.  Trades people and builders who have built up a solid reputation for good work should connect more with each other. ... http://constructionmike.com/1162/local-connections/