We did the responsible thing. Mateo drew up a training plan for a second foreman, we put in a bid for the work with an escalation clause for out-of-schedule emergencies, and I hunted for a used van that would hold another set of tools without asking the bank for an explanation. We found one with a dent in the bumper and a cheerful owner willing to finance a little. The van’s new keys felt like a small victory in my pocket.
Growth tests you in the small places you don’t expect. For us, it was payroll that felt like a live wire. We rearranged deposits, forwarded a client’s payment by asking politely but firmly, and sketched out a three-month cash-flow plan that would cover wages if Collins delayed by a week. In the evenings, our spreadsheets looked less like accounting and more like prayers
