What has happened to the service industry in this country? Where did it go?
I refer to the different men or women who offer services to help us all better cope with our busy lives; such as lawn services, window washers, housekeepers, painters, plumbers, electricians, day care providers, waitresses, cooks, etc. etc.
There seems to be a shortage.
We know that those services are out there, but they are already booked up to their eyeballs. We need more.
Society was never meant to cope without the help from each other. As the Bible says, each of us has our gifts and talents. We complement and support each other to make up the whole.
Many of you would pay well for someone reliable to paint your house, repair your broken front door, re-tile your crumbling shower, take care of the lawn, trim trees, clean your house. Heck! I would love it if some one would clean my refrigerator!
We all need help in varying degrees. We can’t do every single chore ourselves. That’s why we are community. That’s why tribes existed. In the past, families traditionally worked together to do a multitude of jobs. It all worked.
So, how do we get this dearth of workers up and going? Considering the many services needed, is college the answer? Higher education is great for many professions; teaching, accounting, counseling, law, business (perhaps), medicine, psychotherapy, nutrition science, and veterinary, to name a few.
However, attending four years of college is not necessary to be an electrician, a clothing store owner or buyer, a computer service tech, a salesperson, a pest control technician. Neither is college a pre-requisite to operating heavy machinery, performing cleaning services, repairing appliances, cooking in a restaurant, landscaping lawns, nor waiting tables.
We need good waiters and waitresses! Why don’t they carry the catsup and the mustard in their apron pocket?
Oh woe is us! Can someone please trim Bertha’s bushes? And is there a willing, well-organized person who can do errands for the aged and home bound? Where is someone to remove dated wallpaper from Louise’s living room? Where is help?
Whoever you are, if you do your job well, I need you!
So, how do you learn a trade? The cost of college is out of sight; the average debt per student is $24,000 to $50,000, and often even higher. There are other ways to prepare for the job market than spending your next four to six years building a large debt.
One must be trained. Consider a technical school, or work for someone as an apprentice. Masterclass.com is another option for the eager beaver who wants to learn from real people with real experience. And if anyone decides to go into the service-oriented business for himself, (please, please do!) here’s some tips that will reap large benefits.
1. Be willing to work. Long hours, and hard work are necessary to grow a thriving business. It pays off. Get real. Put your big boy, big girl panties on!
2. If you promise something, do what you say you will do. Do not drop the ball. Do not say you will come, and then not show up. If you are running late, then call the client. Consideration for your customers is the number one pre-requisite to being asked back the next time. I am hearing some frustrated cheers out there from those who have been disregarded this way!
3. Look and act professional. After all, if you learn a skill and are working with the public, then there are expectations. Drive a clean vehicle, wear clean clothes, wipe your feet before you go in the door, care about the client. Don’t scare us half to death when you come to the door looking like a slob!
4. Establish a fee. Send the bill out immediately. If you aren’t organized this way, either you will forget the payment or they will. Strike when the pan is hot.
5. Study to show yourself approved. (2 Timothy 2:15). Work at getting better.
We need you. We are all getting tired of doing it all ourselves!

Judi Tabler lives in Pawnee County and is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune. She can be reached at bluegrasses@gmail.com. Visit her website juditabler.com.