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Matt Schweder's avatar

Love The Numbered Men. Not what I was expecting. I am a contractor. When I first started out about 30 years ago I did all the exterior carpentry for our local high end landscaping company. To do so I had to be licensed and insured. So I went downtown to get my license from the city and realized all I needed to get my license was proof of insurance. So I called a place and got contractors insurance and then went and got my license. I took no test of any kind. I was shocked that I didn’t have to prove I knew what I was doing. But then I started getting the reminders in the mail about paying my taxes and that’s when it hit me. The license was just a tracking mechanism for the state to get it’s piece. They didn’t give a shit if I knew how to do good work. I never again renewed that license and I’ve spent the last 29 years mostly repairing the work of the guys who do. Guess that makes me an Un-numbered Man. Haha.

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Brent Briggs's avatar

NUMBERED MEN: Matt's experience and mine are the same.

I was an "unlicensed" home remodeling pro for 20 years before the edict came along and threatened me with unfettered litigation if I did not get my forehead stamped. Yep, all I had to do was show insurance. There was zero attention paid to my competence. So, buyers.....good luck on that one!

None of the customers I've ever known had good stories to share even of the licensed pros. They were either competent and honest, or not. In my experience, "The bigger the advertising, the bigger the crook." If someone's driving around in a work truck with a $10K paint job and has ads on billboards, they are a volume business.....not a quality business.

I'm a small business that lives or dies on the satisfaction of every one of my customers. If they like my work, they tell a few friends. If they don't they tell EVERYBODY. So, I'm careful to do honest, quality work.

But, I sure as hell don't need a government barnacle with his thumb up my rear telling me what to do!!

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