What Was Your Worst REI Blunder of 2019?

[Jonathan Greene]

We spend a lot of time at the end of each year celebrating our successes in REI and planning for an even better year next year, but sometimes we forget to take stock of our worst move of last year. Understanding what was our worst blunder in 2019 and why it happened can only help us upgrade our business in 2020.

So, what was your worst REI blunder of 2019 and what would you do differently today?

- - -

My worst blunder in 2019 was hiring a new contractor that my friend was using and said was "good." I failed to have the upfront discussions about how I work and what I expect and it was a personality and style clash from day one. I ended up firing him after four days (and $7,500 of work), but my friend had him finish her job. He finished 60 days late on a 30-day renovation. However, the work itself was decent, even though she did like a 1/4 of it herself. But moving forward I need to make sure my personality and expectations will match with anyone I hire so that we can be an actual team and not waste time fighting which takes away from the project completion.