Aaron J. Crowley

Stone Industry Consultant

The laws of nature are unrelenting and in the end they always prevail. And while they cannot be suspended altogether, we are able to defy some of them temporarily for our benefit.    

We can build greenhouses to extend the growing season and lights to lengthen the day.  With scuba gear we can descend briefly into the sea, until the pressure is too great, the air runs out, or the cold finally pierces the bones.  Most impressively we can fly hundreds of people thousands of miles from one city or country to another more safely and predictably than we can drive across most major metropolitan areas.  That is not to say defying gravity is easy.

A commercial airliner requires an astonishing amount of energy to achieve lift off and maintain altitude. A 747 burns 3,632 gallons of high-octane jet fuel per hour! Furthermore, the force of gravity imposes unbelievable stress and strain on the aircraft, requiring perpetual pre- and post-flight maintenance as well as ongoing scheduled preventative maintenance. 

Because modern flight has become so affordable and commonplace, we easily overlook the magnitude of the achievement and the sheer difficulty of keeping an airplane in the air.   

I can’t help by making the connection to running a company because piloting a fabrication business toward a desirable destination is no less an achievement.  

An owner must first expend superhuman levels of energy to get a business off the ground and up to cruising altitude. Once there, the company requires constant maintenance and repairs because the forces of human nature are relentlessly straining the personnel, business systems, and market positioning.

At the risk of overusing the airplane analogy, I’ll stop the comparisons with this fact: an airplane can in fact glide for a while after the fuel runs out and can even fly on with damaged and destroyed components…American bombers in WWII proved this.  

But if unaltered, the unrelenting law of gravity will eventually take over and the plane will crash.

The same is true with a fabrication business where the owner’s vision is the fuel, and maintenance is the daily grind of managing personnel, updating business systems, and strategizing the future market position. If the owner’s vision fades and the management, updating, and/or strategizing are neglected, the business will inevitably loose altitude and crash.

So as we begin another new year, it is time to tap the altimeter (sorry, I couldn’t resist!). If we are still at cruising altitude, then our vision still has the octane necessary to defy gravity.  If a quick glance at the fuel gauge confirms there’s enough in the tank to reach our desired destination, then the scheduled maintenance is all we need to do when we arrive.

But if the gauges suggest otherwise, that we are loosing altitude and equipment is starting to fail, it’s a May-Day situation.  

It requires a serious and immediate review and refinement of our vision and a renewed commitment to making repairs to ensure that this unforgiving law of nature does not prevail!

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