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Master Builder


While on a recent trip to Germany I took a week out of training and stayed at small village motel. One morning at breakfast I was having a conversation with the woman who owned the premises. I asked how long they had owned the motel. She said about 4 years, and I then enquired what they had been doing before that. She stated her husband had had a large business; he was a Master Fire Builder. I then asked why they had sold the business and the answer was very interesting to me.

This is the story she told;
As a young man her husband had been considered a highly skilled designer and builder of large fireplaces. After a few years as a passionate enthusiastic tradesman he was in high demand and became known as the Master Fire Builder. He was so busy he found he had to have assistance. He hired on an apprentice. He became even more successful as his passion was passed on to his assistant. So again he trained another fire builder, just as passionate and enthusiastic. With the growth of the business the Master Fire Builder found himself dealing more and more with paper work and less time building fireplaces. Still the business grew. He needed more staff, which generated more paperwork, meaning more of his time in the office.

The business grew to around 25 employees. One day a customer asked for a special fireplace to be built. He stipulated the only person to do the job was the Master Fire Builder. On arriving at the job, the Master Fire Builder was surprised to see things had changed. He had not attempted this type of work before and he found himself asking for assistance. There were new products and improved tools to create the job.

It was in the seeking assistance that the realization came to him - he was no longer the Master. In his quest for expansion he had lost his personal contact with his trade.

On returning to his home he relayed his story to his wife and the decision was made for him to regain his passion, confidence and status. He would need to sell his business and focus purely his fire building.

That is how he regained his position as the Master Fire Builder.