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“I don’t need employees who drag morale down or
fight you all the time. Some guys are never happy. I have
a system that works, and as long as it’s my business and
my money, they do things my way. I also learned employee
strategies by talking with other contractors and reading
books. If I could get my employees on my side they
will always do good work for me. But if they are ticked
off at me, even if I’m right, then I lose in the long run.”
The fun lesson
Elmo Russell, of ERCO Homes, is a builder Candow met
through the ENHBA and has travelled the country with.
He taught Candow to loosen up a bit and put some fun
back into his life. On various conference trips, Russell
has dragged Candow off to learn how to ski, play golf and
even ride motorcycles. “It’s cost me a pile of money ever
since and it hasn’t changed my business ethic, but he did
help me to loosen up a lot,” Candow says.
“I just came along at the right time of his life,” says
Russell. “I like to have fun no matter where I am or what
I’m doing. Robert, though too serious at first, was always
up to try anything. We had a lot of fun but got a lot of
work done too.”
Association partners
But it isn’t all fun and games for Candow and Russell.
They have worked tirelessly on the ENHBA and the Cana-
Professional Painter • Winter 2011
dian Home Builder’s Association together.“Robert is one
of the very few Newfoundland contractors who is a nonbuilder
who became president of the ENHBA,” Russell
says. “He was the face and voice of our association and he
could (and still does) speak about any issue with anyone.
He is very highly respected in the association.”
The biggest lessons of all
Through watching his parents raise five kids, reading
books and running a business, Candow has learned to live
below his means. “People assume things will always be
good and so get in way over their heads in debt,” Candow
says. “I treat my own life the same as my business: don’t
waste material, effort or work. Buy what you need and
don’t waste money. It’s not about what you want to do; it’s
about what you need to do to survive.”
He also knows that the secret of success in painting has
always been, and will always be, preparation. The majority
of companies out there do 95 per cent of things right, but
it is the rough wood in a closet or an unpainted edge under
something that the customers see that annoys them the most.
“I do the last five per cent as well,” Candow says. “If
the customer catches their sweater on a rough piece
of wood inside the closet or sees sloppy plastering or
painting inside a cabinet or under a sink, it gets back to
the builder, who remembers next time. I don’t leave the
imperfections for the next guy to have to fix.”
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