1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,214 I wrote each of them a cheque, 2 00:00:01,251 --> 00:00:02,743 paying in full for the work they'd done. 3 00:00:04,630 --> 00:00:06,273 One year, 4 00:00:06,310 --> 00:00:08,737 I lost about $600,000 on two jobs. 5 00:00:08,774 --> 00:00:11,953 On one of them, the owner 6 00:00:11,990 --> 00:00:14,621 passed away. People in the industry probably all know 7 00:00:14,658 --> 00:00:16,044 about it. She passed away, 8 00:00:16,081 --> 00:00:17,481 and still owed me some money, 9 00:00:17,518 --> 00:00:19,331 but we'd already done all our work. 10 00:00:19,368 --> 00:00:20,583 At the time I said, "It's okay. 11 00:00:20,620 --> 00:00:22,632 Your mother always treated me as a good friend. 12 00:00:23,058 --> 00:00:25,985 I'd never turn around and fight with her, 13 00:00:26,022 --> 00:00:27,790 or with you. Never." 14 00:00:28,151 --> 00:00:29,456 I set the matter aside. 15 00:00:29,744 --> 00:00:31,179 Then everyone who'd worked for me: 16 00:00:31,216 --> 00:00:34,094 plumbers, electricians, drywallers, 17 00:00:34,131 --> 00:00:37,782 and sprinkler guys. I called them all in. 18 00:00:37,819 --> 00:00:39,100 I wrote each of them a cheque, 19 00:00:39,137 --> 00:00:40,472 paying in full for the work they'd done. 20 00:00:40,509 --> 00:00:41,612 None of the others said anything, 21 00:00:41,649 --> 00:00:43,094 just the Indian guy who did my drywall. 22 00:00:43,131 --> 00:00:44,006 He said this: 23 00:00:44,044 --> 00:00:45,804 Jeff, you're different from most people. 24 00:00:45,878 --> 00:00:47,202 So, to sum up, 25 00:00:47,239 --> 00:00:49,646 you're someone who really values loyalty. 26 00:00:50,081 --> 00:00:51,081 I'm more about rules. 27 00:00:51,156 --> 00:00:54,452 Right, loyalty and rules. After building 28 00:00:54,489 --> 00:00:56,776 long-term working relationships with your staff, 29 00:00:56,813 --> 00:00:59,890 you really try to keep them here. 30 00:00:59,927 --> 00:01:01,712 As long as you can keep the company going, 31 00:01:01,749 --> 00:01:03,989 you want everyone to stay with you. 32 00:01:04,063 --> 00:01:05,577 Like a few days ago, I posted 33 00:01:05,614 --> 00:01:07,719 on WeChat Moments that I'm running for city council. 34 00:01:07,756 --> 00:01:10,056 A friend of mine in Burnaby told me, 35 00:01:10,093 --> 00:01:11,320 "Jeff, I support you. 36 00:01:11,357 --> 00:01:13,140 I don't have a vote, but I'll get 37 00:01:13,177 --> 00:01:15,154 my friends in Richmond to vote for you. 38 00:01:15,191 --> 00:01:16,099 I'd definitely vote for you." 39 00:01:16,469 --> 00:01:18,315 I asked why. He said, 40 00:01:18,352 --> 00:01:20,986 "The way you treat clients, you'll make a good councillor." 41 00:01:21,023 --> 00:01:22,427 He lives in Burnaby 42 00:01:22,464 --> 00:01:24,199 and has a house he rents out. 43 00:01:24,236 --> 00:01:26,497 It had a leak. The basement wasn't draining. 44 00:01:26,766 --> 00:01:28,418 And from the basement ceiling, 45 00:01:28,455 --> 00:01:30,400 water was dripping down. I found two problems: 46 00:01:30,437 --> 00:01:31,710 one was a leak in the chimney, 47 00:01:31,747 --> 00:01:33,554 the other was poor drainage in the basement. 48 00:01:33,591 --> 00:01:35,794 So I fixed those. But after that, 49 00:01:36,136 --> 00:01:38,442 in a heavy rain, the ceiling was still leaking. 50 00:01:38,729 --> 00:01:40,674 Still leaking, in that same spot. 51 00:01:40,711 --> 00:01:41,997 So I sent my workers to fix it. 52 00:01:42,229 --> 00:01:44,164 They tried once, twice, and couldn't fix it. 53 00:01:44,201 --> 00:01:46,195 They couldn't find the cause. The third time, I spotted it, 54 00:01:46,232 --> 00:01:47,805 and on the fourth visit, my workers fixed it. 55 00:01:47,842 --> 00:01:50,145 Once it was fixed, he said to me, 56 00:01:50,636 --> 00:01:53,738 "The first time, I didn't haggle with you at all. 57 00:01:54,025 --> 00:01:56,161 It cost more than I expected. Second, 58 00:01:56,198 --> 00:01:58,202 please don't make it any more expensive. 59 00:01:58,507 --> 00:01:59,628 Charge me a bit less." 60 00:01:59,989 --> 00:02:01,573 I told him, "Howard, 61 00:02:01,610 --> 00:02:03,001 I'm not charging you." "Why? 62 00:02:03,038 --> 00:02:04,970 You came four times and won't charge me?" 63 00:02:05,007 --> 00:02:08,109 I said, "I came to fix your leak — that's the whole point." 64 00:02:08,303 --> 00:02:09,327 But he said, "You 65 00:02:09,364 --> 00:02:11,358 "You're so dedicated and trustworthy with clients, 66 00:02:11,395 --> 00:02:13,405 you'll definitely do well in city government." 67 00:02:13,442 --> 00:02:15,881 I said, not necessarily. 68 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,705 Because in business, for the company's reputation, 69 00:02:18,742 --> 00:02:20,964 I can give ground, I can take a hit, 70 00:02:21,001 --> 00:02:22,884 even lose some money, for the reputation. 71 00:02:23,017 --> 00:02:25,203 I can make my own calls. But at city hall, 72 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,294 as a councillor, if I get elected, 73 00:02:27,331 --> 00:02:28,360 I can't do that. 74 00:02:28,397 --> 00:02:30,595 It has its own standards. 75 00:02:30,632 --> 00:02:32,856 It's not responsible for just one thing, 76 00:02:32,893 --> 00:02:35,331 but for the whole community. 77 00:02:35,406 --> 00:02:36,193 You're also very humble. 78 00:02:36,435 --> 00:02:37,966 Your renovation association gave them 79 00:02:38,003 --> 00:02:39,722 emotional support. 80 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,590 You're right about that. Back in 2014, when we 81 00:02:42,627 --> 00:02:44,372 founded the renovation association, 82 00:02:44,409 --> 00:02:46,821 everyone had been scattered. 83 00:02:47,164 --> 00:02:48,423 after we'd all been scattered, now 84 00:02:48,460 --> 00:02:50,012 it's become an association, and everyone 85 00:02:50,049 --> 00:02:51,415 feels like they have a home. 86 00:02:51,489 --> 00:02:54,415 And what a boss has to shoulder goes beyond 87 00:02:54,452 --> 00:02:55,794 what we imagine. 88 00:02:56,359 --> 00:02:57,850 A boss here actually 89 00:02:58,656 --> 00:03:01,776 does everything, what he should and shouldn't have to. 90 00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:03,697 I even do the cleaning at the company. 91 00:03:03,734 --> 00:03:06,035 Cleaning is what I enjoy most. I mop the floors. 92 00:03:06,188 --> 00:03:07,308 But what can you do? 93 00:03:07,762 --> 00:03:09,562 In winter, if there's a leak somewhere, 94 00:03:09,599 --> 00:03:10,845 I have to rush over. 95 00:03:11,392 --> 00:03:13,303 If anything happens on site, I'm first to run over. 96 00:03:13,340 --> 00:03:15,336 Even if I have staff who'll head out, 97 00:03:15,373 --> 00:03:17,531 I'm probably the first one on site. 98 00:03:17,568 --> 00:03:19,179 The craziest was one day, 99 00:03:20,299 --> 00:03:21,716 my wife said to me... 100 00:03:22,114 --> 00:03:23,702 On Saturday I wasn't feeling well. 101 00:03:23,739 --> 00:03:25,499 I needed to sleep. On Sunday afternoon, 102 00:03:25,536 --> 00:03:27,706 I was still in bed, groggy, half-asleep, 103 00:03:27,744 --> 00:03:28,914 just lying there on my phone. 104 00:03:28,951 --> 00:03:30,482 Then around 9:30 or 10 at night, 105 00:03:30,519 --> 00:03:32,395 someone suddenly messaged me, 106 00:03:32,627 --> 00:03:34,377 "A friend's house has a leak. 107 00:03:34,710 --> 00:03:37,673 Go take a look." I said, "Forget it, I'll go Monday." 108 00:03:37,747 --> 00:03:38,747 Because you weren't feeling well. 109 00:03:38,821 --> 00:03:40,118 Right, I was unwell. But then 110 00:03:40,155 --> 00:03:41,454 that person added me as a contact. 111 00:03:41,491 --> 00:03:42,939 I accepted, and then photos 112 00:03:42,976 --> 00:03:44,636 came through. I saw it was serious. 113 00:03:44,655 --> 00:03:46,803 I got to his place around 11. 114 00:03:46,877 --> 00:03:47,895 You just couldn't let it go. 115 00:03:47,969 --> 00:03:49,034 I called my workers 116 00:03:49,321 --> 00:03:52,214 to get equipment from the shop. They got there at 1. 117 00:03:52,251 --> 00:03:53,719 We worked until after 10 the next morning 118 00:03:54,118 --> 00:03:54,880 and finished. 119 00:03:54,954 --> 00:03:57,559 Things like this... my wife asked me, 120 00:03:57,596 --> 00:03:59,811 "This morning you still looked so sickly. 121 00:03:59,848 --> 00:04:01,258 How are you suddenly fine?" 122 00:04:01,295 --> 00:04:03,548 Like a shot of adrenaline. Or maybe a real one!