My employment woes may finally be over...

[Abdul-Hadi]

In the name of God, the most gracious & most merciful--

My best friend has decided to start his own window & door installation business. He has bought the LLC and is working on getting the liability insurance so that he can be a subcontractor & has asked me to be his "right hand man". The two of us will be working together to install windows and doors on new construction and will branch out eventually to perform retrofits on already occupied houses. We are planning on success and will be reinvesting most of our profits into building this business from the ground up.

He has been a window and door installer for five years, but the company he is working for is going to close their install dept & that's what got him thinking about starting his own firm. Me? I need a reliable, steady job with people who can tolerate me (we've been "attached at the hip" for almost twenty years. He met his wife because I introduced them & has said "without you, my daughter wouldn't exist"). The pay is not going to be great as we begin, but that is ok for me because I live in my mother's house without any real monthly bills anyway as I learn the glazing trade from him.

I have dedicated myself to this for the foreseeable future, so please, keep us in your supplications that we might have success in business and in our mission to help build homes & protect those homes from the elements.

None of this would have even been possible had Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) not been looking out for me, making a plan and giving me a means to perform dignified, honest work for someone who is pretty much family anyway. I have chosen to use this opportunity to model good Islamic behavior to him, the communities we work in, and the other workers that we encounter during the day to day.

[Diaz]

Congratulations brother, all the best. 

[notme]

This is great news, alhamdulilla! Congratulations, brother, and duas for your success! 

[AStruggler]

Congratulations brother, may you accomplish your goals inshaAllah!

[Abu Hadi]

On 7/4/2020 at 5:23 PM, Abdul-Hadi said:

In the name of God, the most gracious & most merciful--

My best friend has decided to start his own window & door installation business. He has bought the LLC and is working on getting the liability insurance so that he can be a subcontractor & has asked me to be his "right hand man". The two of us will be working together to install windows and doors on new construction and will branch out eventually to perform retrofits on already occupied houses. We are planning on success and will be reinvesting most of our profits into building this business from the ground up.

He has been a window and door installer for five years, but the company he is working for is going to close their install dept & that's what got him thinking about starting his own firm. Me? I need a reliable, steady job with people who can tolerate me (we've been "attached at the hip" for almost twenty years. He met his wife because I introduced them & has said "without you, my daughter wouldn't exist"). The pay is not going to be great as we begin, but that is ok for me because I live in my mother's house without any real monthly bills anyway as I learn the glazing trade from him.

I have dedicated myself to this for the foreseeable future, so please, keep us in your supplications that we might have success in business and in our mission to help build homes & protect those homes from the elements.

None of this would have even been possible had Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) not been looking out for me, making a plan and giving me a means to perform dignified, honest work for someone who is pretty much family anyway. I have chosen to use this opportunity to model good Islamic behavior to him, the communities we work in, and the other workers that we encounter during the day to day.

Congratulations brother, One quick note on this. 

It is not good to 'attach' yourself to someone like this, from the perspective of job and career. Businesses are always starting and ending, staffing needs are always changing, i.e. this is in a constant state of 'flux' and you could find yourself on the wrong side of this if you don't do certain things. It has happened to me before, and if you have a wife and kids to support it is even worse. Here are some tips for you that will seriously help you in your life.

If you see the job as a 'step up' as far as income and working situation from what you have currently, then definitely take it, but don't get too comfortable. Don't assume that this job will last forever or even that your friendship with this brother will last forever. Especially when you are working with a friend and a brother, it is easy to become complacent and think that nothing will ever change. Keep in mind that it is very easy to maintain a friendship in a 'low stakes' environment where you only see someone occasionally and drink tea with them. It is much more difficult in a 'high stakes' environment like a business where your economic / career future could be on the line. Keep that in mind. Friendships in 'high stakes' environments have a very short life span, in general. There are some exceptions and InShahAllah you will be the exception, but don't assume that you will be.

The only thing constant in this world is change. Your friendship may change, the business environment may change, your career path / goals may change, your family situation may change, etc. So you want to be able to survive and thrive whatever changes may happen. They key to that is to make yourself a 'portable employee' as far as business or career. You have to assume that someday this is going to end and how are you going to 'pick yourself up' and continue on while maintaining your career / business. Here are some tips. 

While you are working there, you need to develop yourself career wise, independent from the job. I would say spend at least 10 to 15 hours per week doing the following. Get certifications, develop a good resume, develop industry contacts that are separate from this brother / company, get and maintain a 'linked in' profile, further your education, I would even go so far as to try and figure out how to start your own business / get your own clients in the industry. If you work for a company, they will only pay you as much as they have to in order to keep you from leaving. You will never get more than that. The only way to make more than that is to start your own business and / or freelance for your own client and / or develop your skills and education to the point that you are considered a great asset to the company that they would be afraid of losing.

Maintain your contracts and agreements you have with your employer. For example, if your contract explicitly states that you cannot solicit the companies clients for your own business (non compete clause, which is very common) or you cannot do x, y, z, as part of your employement, then don't do them(only what it explicitly states you can't do. Anything else is ok). If your contract states that you must work certain hours, then work those hours and don't do your career development during those hours. You need to do it in your hours where you are not obligated to your employer. But if you want to develop your own business / contacts in ways which are o.k. in terms of your employement contract, then do these and don't feel like you are being 'disloyal' to your friend. 

These are things I wish someone had told me when I was in my late teens / early 20s. Salam. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Abu Hadi

[Haji 2003]

48 minutes ago, Abu Hadi said:

I would even go so far as to try and figure out how to start your own business / get your own clients in the industry.

Well there is a balance to be struck between not being overly reliant on someone to making the other person feel that you might be undermining their business and that leads to a break-up!

So he'd have to do the above carefully.

[Abu Hadi]

3 minutes ago, Haji 2003 said:

Well there is a balance to be struck between not being overly reliant on someone to making the other person feel that you might be undermining their business and that leads to a break-up!

So he'd have to do the above carefully.

If you maintain the terms of your employement contract with them, I don't see why they would feel that you are undermining their business. They (the owner / employer) has the advantage in this situation. They can set the terms of the employement contract and you have to stick by them. If despite that (huge) advantage, they still try to control your activities outside this contract / agreement, that is considered 'bullying' and the friendship would probably not last long anyway. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Abu Hadi

[The Green Knight]

Good luck buddy. Work hard in any field and you will never go wrong.

[Abdul-Hadi]

I'm going to be a part owner of this company when he has to renew the LLC & will be putting up half the money to do that. This is essentially a "family business" because this guy is, for all intents and purposes, my brother from another mother. If he had to worry about relying on someone else, he likely wouldn't even have set up the company to begin with. He's going to be doing the majority of the installation work himself, I am going to be his apprentice in this trade.

He put in his two weeks notice today at the glazing firm he currently works for, we should be ready to go in about two weeks

[Haji 2003]

21 minutes ago, Abdul-Hadi said:

I'm going to be a part owner of this company when he has to renew the LLC

Just make sure that the paperwork is done properly and you use an accountant.

I've come across too many instances of people telling me that they don't need anything in writing because they trust each other. Lol.

[Abu Hadi]

14 hours ago, Haji 2003 said:

Just make sure that the paperwork is done properly and you use an accountant.

I've come across too many instances of people telling me that they don't need anything in writing because they trust each other. Lol.

Very Good Advice. I will second that. Have an independent party (lawyer or accountant) look over the agreement to make sure that everything is fine and your interests are protected. 

[Abdul-Hadi]

On 7/8/2020 at 5:59 AM, Abu Hadi said:

If you maintain the terms of your employement contract with them, I don't see why they would feel that you are undermining their business. They (the owner / employer) has the advantage in this situation. They can set the terms of the employement contract and you have to stick by them. If despite that (huge) advantage, they still try to control your activities outside this contract / agreement, that is considered 'bullying' and the friendship would probably not last long anyway. 

One of my responsibilities is going to be taking cards around to different home builders and drumming up more work for us.

We're probably not going to hire on any other people for about two years. He already can glaze entirely by himself, he's just bringing me in to teach me a trade because he's sick of seeing me floundering & because he doesn't trust anyone else to actually work hard (He knows that I personally invest myself into the work I do)

[guest 2025]

Do you go to people's homes and perform your service? I'm considering learning a trade but the idea of going to stranger's homes does put me off. Who knows what nasty characters I'd run into, I just might do backflips if I knock on the door and see 2 gay husbands or a transsexual and their house smells weird.

[hasanhh]

2 hours ago, guest 2025 said:

Do you go to people's homes and perform your service? I'm considering learning a trade but the idea of going to stranger's homes does put me off. Who knows what nasty characters I'd run into, I just might do backflips if I knock on the door and see 2 gay husbands or a transsexual and their house smells weird.

Plus lewd women.

Even in the 50s, the service workers around town would talk about the women who would take a bath while they repaired the electric, washer(repairable in those days) and such.

A Moroccan l know tells a couple of stories -from inside Moroc-not fit for S.C.

[guest 2025]

9 hours ago, hasanhh said:

Plus lewd women.

Even in the 50s, the service workers around town would talk about the women who would take a bath while they repaired the electric, washer(repairable in those days) and such.

A Moroccan l know tells a couple of stories -from inside Moroc-not fit for S.C.

If that's in the 50s then I can only imagen what they get up to in 2020

[hasanhh]

1 hour ago, guest 2025 said:

I can only imagen what they get up to in 2020

A self-reported Mod Alert in case this is "too inappropriate" for S.C.

Back in the 70s there was this court case that made the papers and radio (l do not know about TV.)

This small-claims court ruled that even though this woman "traded" sex for a serviceman's house call, she still had to pay the ~$200 bill he gave her. [Which would be about Two thousand dollars now.]

[Laayla]

On 7/5/2020 at 12:23 AM, Abdul-Hadi said:

In the name of God, the most gracious & most merciful--

My best friend has decided to start his own window & door installation business. He has bought the LLC and is working on getting the liability insurance so that he can be a subcontractor & has asked me to be his "right hand man". The two of us will be working together to install windows and doors on new construction and will branch out eventually to perform retrofits on already occupied houses. We are planning on success and will be reinvesting most of our profits into building this business from the ground up.

He has been a window and door installer for five years, but the company he is working for is going to close their install dept & that's what got him thinking about starting his own firm. Me? I need a reliable, steady job with people who can tolerate me (we've been "attached at the hip" for almost twenty years. He met his wife because I introduced them & has said "without you, my daughter wouldn't exist"). The pay is not going to be great as we begin, but that is ok for me because I live in my mother's house without any real monthly bills anyway as I learn the glazing trade from him.

I have dedicated myself to this for the foreseeable future, so please, keep us in your supplications that we might have success in business and in our mission to help build homes & protect those homes from the elements.

None of this would have even been possible had Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) not been looking out for me, making a plan and giving me a means to perform dignified, honest work for someone who is pretty much family anyway. I have chosen to use this opportunity to model good Islamic behavior to him, the communities we work in, and the other workers that we encounter during the day to day.

Bismehe Ta3ala 

Assalam Alikum Brother

How did this business turn out?

Did c19 effect your business?

Insh'Allah you are not experiencing any hardship during this time.

M3 Salamah, FE AMIN ALLAH