We recently connected with Joshua Adkins and have shared our conversation below.
Joshua , so great to have you sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our readers and so let’s jump right into one of our favorite topics – empathy. We think a lack of empathy is at the heart of so many issues the world is struggling with and so our hope is to contribute to an environment that fosters the development of empathy. Along those lines, we’d love to hear your thoughts around where your empathy comes from?
The best thing about the construction industry is that it forces you to be empathetic to every walk of life. No two people in this industry have the same life history. No two people have the same work history. No two people are exactly alike despite how similar they may seem.
The beauty of having unique life, career and world perspectives is that it creates a space for the people working alongside you to respect and attempt to be empathetic towards a new way of life. In today’s world where people are more opinionated than ever, and even insult the character of people with differing opinions, an open mind is a beautiful thing. It allows you to relate to more people. Especially than those who have the exact same walk of life as you. It also does another important thing. It allows you to experience a life aside from your own in real-time. Through stories, information, and witnessing others on a day-to-day basis it can quickly allow you to experience ways of life different than your own and expand your own palate on several topics.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Josh Adkins. I operate a company called Odd Jobs LLC with my business partner Max. We are landscape construction contractors who build beautiful outdoor living spaces for working class homeowners in Oakland County. Our goal to increase their quality of life through beautiful outdoor spaces. Our main services are installing paver patios, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens, fire pits and gazebos.
An interesting fact about Max and I is that we met in Boy Scouts when we were very young and reconnected nearly 10 years later through Snapchat.
We’re most excited about how our community has grown. Our community consist of all the family and friends who support us on Facebook, Instagram, and through word of mouth on a daily basis. We’re most proud of our recent endeavor into YouTube. YouTube is a platform that will be around for quite a long time and we are excited about investing the time and energy into making videos that give our homeowners certainty but also entertain them simultaneously. We are going to build some cool stuff this year as a team, stay tuned for more!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
In the last 2 to 3 years I believe the most important skill that any entrepreneur can have is sales and communication. The two skills go hand-in-hand and complement each other very well. A great communicator is a great persuader and a great persuader has to be able to communicate effectively for his opinions to hit home.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Although there have been mentors who helped with different aspects along the journey, I find a lot of help from people who have passed away and who aren’t a phone call away. Through reading books, listening to podcasts, and my doing the best to follow some of the greatest business men and women who’ve touched this earth I’ve learned and improved my business acumen tremendously.
Contact Info:
- Website:Odd-jobs.co
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/OddJobsLLC1
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC9ag8zbnBibIMWGOzqxEXiA
Image Credits
Odd Jobs Landscape & Pavers
