Aaron J. Crowley

Stone Industry Consultant

In looking back over the last 15 years since I started my granite counter top shop, those years fit nicely into three distinct and different 5-year periods. 

The first period was defined entirely by the simple desire not to fail as a business man.  The second 5-year stint was defined by the unhinged ambition to make as much money as possible during the boom. And this last stretch was marked by the drive to survive the Great Recession.

While the motivations varied depending on the season, there was one constant: I spent a lot more time working and lot less time with my wife and kids. Of late, I’ve been assessing those years (and the years ahead) and asking what I have to show for the sacrifices but a few Angie’s List awards and some worn-out stone equipment?  It hardly seems worth it.

Perhaps that’s why the following story struck a chord with me when I first read it. Perhaps it will strike you too.

Hunter Mahan is a professional golfer from Texas who made big news last week when he abruptly left the Canadian Open before the final round and flew home.  

During the course of his 10-year professional golf career he has never won an “Open” tournament. And there he was, with a two-stroke lead heading into the final round on the verge of his first major win of his career and a payout for first place of a million dollars.

So what on earth would compel a young man of 31 to walk away from what could be a once in a career achievement and payday? A loss of nerve at clutch-time? An endorsement deal? A scandal?  

No, none of the above. Mr. Mahan flew home on the verge of victory to be with his wife for the birth of his first child when she unexpectedly went into labor a few weeks early. From news reports it doesn’t appear as if he even had a second thought about racing to the airport after word of her contractions.

I wonder if I would have at least brainstormed with my caddy to weigh the odds that my wife was only experiencing false contractions!   

It’s fun to speculate how we might react to that million dollar question, as unlikely as it is that a dusty, crusty stone cutter would find himself in such a situation.

In reality, we are faced with that million dollar question almost every day. Do we attend that home-builder associations’ cocktail party after work instead of dinner with the family?  Do we schedule the appointment to meet the client who is only available tomorrow evening and miss another game? Do we stay late again to finish another job at the expense of saying goodnight to our kids?  

If you’re wincing while you read this, know that I’m wincing as I write it.

But I’m also encouraged by Hunter Mahan’s example. And next time I plan to choose as wisely as he did. Hopefully, you will too!

Aaron Crowley is a stone shop owner, author, speaker, and consultant to mid-size stone companies. Contact him at aaron@fabricatorsfriend.com