Years ago, a budding young comedian named Brad Isaac approached Jerry Seinfeld at a comedy club and asked for advice. 

 

The advice he got not only made him better at making people laugh, but it was something he used to improve many aspects of his life. 

 

Seinfeld’s advice to be a better comic was to create better jokes. The way to do that, he offered, was to write every day. 

 

Seems pretty simple, right? 

 

Well, the best part was what came next. 

 

To ensure you maintain leverage over yourself and stay disciplined, Seinfeld told Isaac to get a wall calendar that has the whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall.  

 

Next, get a big red marker, and for each day that you complete your writing task, put a big X over that day on the calendar. 

 

Once you get a few days or weeks under your belt, you’ll have a chain of completed days, and you’ll feel good about yourself. 

 

After that, the only thing that’s left is to not break the chain. 

 

“Don’t break the chain.” 

 

I love that advice. However, my methodology is slightly different. 

 

Over the last year or two, I gained about 25 pounds.  

 

So, what I’ve been doing to combat this and shed the pounds is “something hard every day.” 

 

Whether that’s running 5 miles in the morning, intermittent fasting, or taking cold showers, if I don’t do something hard, I feel guilty. 

 

Now, I know that as a towing company owner, you can run into recoveries that are difficult. And, yes, that counts as something hard. You’re learning and growing. 

 

And dealing with anxious or angry customers can also allow you to grow emotionally. 

 

As long as you don’t let the negative aspects of these interactions impact subsequent interactions adversely. 

 

And yes, towing can be hard… 

 

But, after you’ve loaded and unloaded 100 vehicles onto your flatbed, backed 100 cars into parking spots with your wrecker, and worked hundreds of accidents – the work ain’t that hard no more. 

 

It’s like taking a shower, you can practically do these activities with your eyes closed. 

 

So, if there’s an area of your life or business you want to improve, why not commit yourself to doing one hard thing every day? 

 

That one thing might be to make a sales call or a visit to one or more of your existing house accounts. 

 

Ask them about your level of service.  

 

Ask if there is anything that you could be doing better to improve that level of service. 

 

Of course, you might get complaints. But take these as recommendations for areas to improve. 

 

And here’s something you might want to consider if you want to continue to improve. 

 

While you’re doing these business-building activities, you might think about creating a policies and procedures handbook.  

 

So that everyone in your organization is on the same page.  

 

You don’t want to put in the hard work of building relationships one handshake at a time just to have one of your drivers come in behind you and mess it all up. 

 

With a properly implemented handbook, everyone knows what you expect. 

 

…when interacting with customers, shop owners, and coworkers.   

 

And they’ll also learn what they can expect from you. 

 

This way, you’ll build mutual respect and create an environment that people love to work in. 

 

If you want to attract and retain quality tow truck operators and are ready to create your own company handbook, you can get a fully customizable Policies & Procedures Manual at this link.  

 

https://thetowacademy.com/policy-procedures-manual-for-the-towing-business/ 

 

Whatever stage you’re at in business, having a handbook is a good idea. Even if it’s just you, getting clarity and direction about what you want will force you to think about the future. 

 

Onward! 

 

Don Archer