Build Your Project

What is BYP? The answer is, Build Your Project. Let’s face it, not everyone is going to take on projects by themselves, but there are many people who take on projects from changing their motor oil, to painting a house, to building and designing something and much more. There are always going to be benefits and drawbacks when projects are tackled. Increase the benefits and decrease the drawbacks by doing some essential homework, preparation, and planning. It’s certainly a challenge. Are you up for a challenge?

Let’s talk meat and potatoes. Firstly, try not to just jump right in. Remember, let’s do some homework. Let's do some preparation and planning. Try to start off  by setting a budget. Even if you have a no budget type limit, set a budget. Even if the budget isn’t funded, set a budget. Setting a budget can help better understand how time and money will be spent. Setting a dollar cost to a budget is a good initial first step. I’ll share a short story about dollar cost budget setting. I learned this at a young age, but never really understood its value till much later in life. Mom worked nights and took care of my older sister and me. Mom was tough, but in a good way. Mom wanted to take us on a vacation to Disneyland. So she did some homework. She asked some questions. How much is going to Disneyland going to cost? She set her dollar cost budget? She worked and funded her budget? She took us to Disneyland. We had fun at Disneyland. Complex stuff made simple. Budget setting is a good tool in any decision making process. Setting budgets can certainly get more technical, but for now let’s keep things simple.

What does setting a budget look like? These are the kinds of questions I’d start asking once I’ve set a dollar amount to my budget. How much material will I need to build my project? What kinds of material will I need to build my project? How much time will the project take? How much time can I invest in the project? DO I need training? Do I need to build a new skill? Can I complete the project solo? Will I need to hire help? As I start answering these questions and I do the homework I start to better understand the size and scope of the project. After doing some homework I might discover I’ve set an unrealistic budget.  By asking and answering questions I can start to see how I can accomplish and complete the project by either making adjustments to fit the budget or adjusting the budget or finding other solutions. The homework and planning process is a time which will lead to some decisions. Yes, I’m going to do this or I should probably hire a pro or something in between. 

Why BYP (build your project)? Well after doing some homework we now have some information on what to expect. Maybe our BYP is just the planning phase and we hire a licensed general contractor for the project. I’m calling the homework phase a win. Doing the homework may not make us an expert, but it will be helpful with understanding project building goals and ideas. A BYP may also be a consideration used for learning a new skill. A new skill is also a win in my book. If a new skill is learned and developed it could become employable. The BYP just became a new business or a new source of income, and a little more change in the pocket is another win. Many times over people take on new projects, build new skills, and find themselves able to employ their new skills, start new careers or start a business. Let those be some reasons to BYP.