A Day in the Life: Building a Business While Showing Up for Your Kids
Introduction
A Typical Morning at Crawl Logic Chattanooga
BALANCING FAMILY, JOB SITES, AND A GROWING BUSINESS
It's 7 AM on a Tuesday morning and I'm sitting in the school parking lot after dropping my son off for wrestling weigh-ins.
It's still not completely light outside yet.
He's got a match this afternoon at 4 PM that's 45 minutes away, and between now and then, I've got a full day of work to get done.
This isn't an unusually busy day.
This is just what most of my days look like.
I've got three kids. Josh, our owner in Nashville, has four.
We're both running crawl space businesses while also trying to be present for our families.
School drop-offs, wrestling matches, inspections, job checks, quotes, marketing work - it all has to happen in the same day.
People ask me sometimes how we manage to keep growing Crawl Logic Chattanooga while also showing up for our kids.
The honest answer is we're constantly moving and we make it work because we have to.
Our families come first, but our business and our customers matter too.
So let me walk you through what a typical day actually looks like when you're building a business and raising kids in Chattanooga.
What Today's Schedule Actually Looks Like
After I dropped my son off at 7 AM, I'm now headed to my first job site. It's 45 minutes away from his school. After I check on that job, I've got another one that's about 45 minutes back in the other direction.
Between those job checks, I need to do two crawl space inspections for potential customers. I've got to meet with our videographer to work on some content. And I need to handle marketing stuff - emails, follow-ups, all the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the business running.
Then by 4 PM, I need to be at a high school that's 45 minutes away for my son's wrestling match.
That's a lot of windshield time. A lot of driving across Chattanooga and the surrounding areas. And that's pretty normal for us.
When you run a local crawl space business, the jobs aren't all grouped together in one neighborhood. One customer might be in Hixson, the next one's in East Ridge, the next one's out toward Cleveland. You cover ground. You spend hours in the truck between appointments.
And when you've got kids involved in school activities, you're adding even more driving to the mix. Wrestling matches, tournaments, school events - they're all over the place too.
So a typical day for me involves checking jobs, meeting customers, putting together quotes, handling business operations, and making sure I'm where I need to be for my kids. It's a lot. But it's also what I signed up for when I decided to help build this business in Chattanooga.
The Reality of December for Local Business Owners
Right now we're in that stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're about a week and a half past Thanksgiving and less than three weeks out from Christmas. And if you own a business, you know this time of year is tough.
Work slows down. Most people aren't thinking about their crawl spaces right now. They're thinking about shopping, family gatherings, school programs, getting ready for the holidays. So we're not as busy as we are in the spring or summer when everyone's tackling home projects.
But here's the thing - your expenses don't slow down just because it's December. Truck payments are still due. Insurance doesn't take a holiday break. If you've got crew members, they still need hours and paychecks. Their families still need to eat.
So even when business is slower, you can't just coast. You've got to stay on it. Keep checking jobs. Keep doing inspections. Keep following up with customers who need help now, not after the new year.
And on top of all that, we're in the middle of wrestling season. My son had weigh-ins this morning. He's got a match this afternoon. There's another JV event tomorrow he wants to go to. Josh is dealing with the same thing with his four kids and their activities.
So December is this interesting mix of slower business, ongoing expenses, and family schedules that are packed full. You're juggling all of it at once.
The Windshield Time Nobody Talks About
When people think about what it takes to run a crawl space business, they usually think about the actual work. Going under houses, doing inspections, installing encapsulations. And yeah, that's a big part of it.
But what nobody really talks about is how much time you spend in your truck.
This morning alone, I'm driving 45 minutes from the school to my first job. Then 45 minutes back the other direction to the next job. Then I've got inspections to get to. Then 45 minutes back across town for the wrestling match at 4 PM.
That's hours in the truck. And that's most days.
When you're serving Chattanooga and the surrounding areas, you're covering a lot of ground. One customer might be up near Hamilton Place. The next one's down in Soddy-Daisy. The next one's out toward Ooltewah. You can't just knock out three jobs in one neighborhood and call it a day.
So you use that windshield time. You make phone calls. You think through quotes and schedules. You plan out the rest of your week. Sometimes you record videos like this one to let people know what's going on.
It's not wasted time, but it's definitely real time. And it's a big part of what building a local business actually looks like.
Why We Don't Just "Slow Down" in December
Some businesses pretty much shut down between Thanksgiving and New Year's. And I get why. It's the holidays. Work is slow. Why not just take it easy and gear back up in January?
Here's why we don't do that.
First, customers still have problems in December. Water doesn't stop getting into crawl spaces just because it's Christmas. Moisture doesn't take a holiday break. If someone's got a musty smell or standing water under their house, they need help now. We're not going to make them wait until January.
Second, our crew needs work. These guys have families and bills just like everyone else. If we slow down too much, they're not getting hours. They're not getting paychecks. That's not fair to them.
Third, this is when you set yourself up for success in the new year. If you coast through December, you're starting from zero in January. But if you stay active, keep doing inspections, keep building relationships, then when everyone's ready to tackle their home projects in January, you've got momentum. You're already moving.
Josh and I both know that the slow season is when you either position yourself to win or you fall behind. So we keep showing up. We keep doing the work. And we make sure we're ready when things pick back up.
The Call That Happened Right on Camera
Right in the middle of recording that video this morning, my phone rang. It was my son calling from weigh-ins to tell me what he came in at.
101.2 pounds. A little heavier than yesterday, which he couldn't quite explain. Then he asked about a JV scramble match tomorrow and whether he should go. We talked it through real quick - I told him we'd make it work, just get me the details.
Whole conversation took maybe a minute. Then we both got back to our days.
That's what I mean when I say family and business overlap constantly. You're in the middle of work and your kid calls. You're at a job site and you get a text about practice times. You're writing up a quote and you're also figuring out who's picking up which kid from which activity.
It all happens at the same time. You don't get to separate them into neat little boxes. And honestly, I wouldn't want to. I want to be available when my son calls to tell me how weigh-ins went. That matters.
So you figure out how to make it all work together. Take the call. Handle what needs handling. Get back to work. Show up where you need to show up.
What Josh and I Have in Common
Josh is doing the same thing I am, just with four kids instead of three. He's running the Nashville side of Crawl Logic while also coaching, attending games, handling school stuff, all of it.
We both understand what it takes to build a business while also being present for our families. We both know that some mornings start at 7 AM and some evenings don't end until after the last wrestling match or basketball game or whatever activity is happening that night.
We both made the choice to build something here in Tennessee that our kids can be proud of. Something that creates good jobs for our crews and their families. Something that serves our communities the right way.
And we both know that means long days, a lot of driving, early mornings, and constantly juggling schedules. But it also means we're building something that lasts. We're creating opportunities. We're there for our families even when it's hard.
That's why we partner well together. We get it. We're living the same reality. And we're both committed to making it work.
The Trade-Offs and Why We Do It
I'm not going to pretend this is easy. There are trade-offs.
Some mornings I'm tired. Some days I'm in the truck for hours. Sometimes I miss things because I'm at a job site or an inspection. Sometimes I have to choose between being at one kid's event or another's.
But here's what makes it worth it.
I'm building a business that matters. We're helping people in Chattanooga solve real problems with their homes. We're doing it honestly, with fair pricing and quality work. That means something.
I'm creating careers for the guys on our crew. They've got families too. They need good jobs with steady work and fair pay. When we succeed, they succeed. That's not just about me - it's about all of us.
And I'm showing my kids what it looks like to work hard and build something. They see me leaving early and coming home late. They see me answering calls and checking on jobs. But they also see me showing up at their matches and being there when it counts.
I want them to know that you can do both. You can build a business and be a good dad. It's hard, but it's possible. And it's worth it.
Ready to Protect Your Crawl Space?
When you call Crawl Logic Chattanooga, you're not calling some big national company. You're calling me. A local business owner. A dad with three kids who's juggling the same stuff you're juggling.
I understand what Chattanooga families are dealing with. I know what it's like to have a packed schedule and a tight budget and a house that needs work. I get it because I'm living it too.
So when I come out to inspect your crawl space, I'm going to treat you the way I'd want to be treated. I'm going to give you honest answers, fair pricing, and respect for your time. Because that's how local business should work.
We do free inspections all over Chattanooga and the surrounding areas. No pressure. No games. Just straight talk about what's going on under your house and what it's going to take to fix it.
If you've got crawl space concerns or you just want someone to take a look and let you know what you're dealing with, reach out. I'll make time to get there, even if my schedule looks like this one.
That's what we do. That's who we are.
