Historic Preservation as a Business

This week I’m writing a slightly different type of post than I usually do on this blog. As I approach the 15 year anniversary of my blogging career it’s been amazing the changes I’ve seen both in the blogging world and in the business of historic preservation.

I got into this business in 2010 because I bought an old house, fell in love with the process of learning to restore it, and wanted to share my journey with other folks as I began building a business around historic restoration as a whole and then focusing more specifically on window restoration around seven years ago.

My relationship with the historic restoration community has been incredible in the ensuing decades, but I have noticed an odd quirk, and I’m wondering if I’m the only one. I’m counting on my fellow restorers to tell me if you have seen it to.

The Joy of Restoration

The restoration community is far more collaborative than they are competitive which makes it an absolute joy to work within compared to other industries I have spent time working in. It seems like everyone is on the same side, fighting the same fight against flippers, developers, and the replacement window industrial complex.

Most everyone is willing to share tips and tricks for new ways to do the work we do. There is very little innovation when you are trying to bring the old trades back to life, but there are countless individuals and groups who I can always count on to learn the most creative ways to get the job done more efficiently and with better results.

We celebrate wins together, mourn losses, and overall support each other and our restoration businesses even when we sometimes may compete with each other on a project. Deep down, I think we all understand that there is more restoration work to be done than any of us can ever do. That over-abundance of work leads to an abundance mindset in most folks that shows a graciousness I rarely see in other businesses and it is refreshing to no end.

The Dark Side of Restoration

But…

On the other side of the same restoration coin I have noticed an unproductive dark side that I worry will always keep our industry miles behind those same flippers, developers, and replacement window companies we proclaim to want to beat.

There is a fear of any person or company that gets “too big.” As I’ve worked diligently to grow my window restoration company overt the years I have noticed that once my company grew past the 15-20 person point there was a sense of suspicion in the air about us. Talking to other businesses and owners that have grown through this size many have felt the same way.

It’s truly upsetting to me and something I am currently struggling with personally. I understand that the window restoration industry is by nature contrarian which gives it an anti-big business feeling since all the replacement window companies we are working so hard against are quite literally big businesses.

I think what’s been most upsetting is the feeling of cheering on my business as it grows and then a switch flipped after we reached a certain size. We had become too similar to the enemy replacement companies even though I wouldn’t ever sell a vinyl window or an IGU even if my business’ life depended on it.

That doesn’t matter, any business over a certain size or level of success is one that immediate comes under suspicion of being part of the problem in the restoration trades and that is truly a shame. In my mind, these businesses are not sell outs, they are successes.

A Path Forward

If we are to truly succeed in our mission at Austin Historical “to democratize window restoration” then it requires partnering with other great businesses dedicated to the mission. That means growing ourselves as leaders and business owners not just talented tradespeople, but leaders equipped to take on the replacement industry, and beat them at their game.

We need trades people who are not afraid of success and are willing to grow their restoration business to whatever size their local community has the need of. If you need only four employees to meet the restoration needs in your community then you have to be the type of person who can lead a four-person team with effectiveness.

If you have an area that needs 100 trained artisans then you have to be the type of leader who can step into the void and figure out how to lead a massive team of restorers. Big doesn’t have to equal bad. Bad should equal bad, and good should equal good. A company should be judged on the quality of their product and how they treat their employees and customers.

We need more leaders not less. Until the time when anyone who wants their window restored can get their window restored then we aren’t done and we can’t ignore the call to arms.

I pray that if you’re reading this you’ll be part of the solution to America’s huge lack of skilled trades. Working together is the only way we will make even a small dent against the replacement generation.