George Stanley is the owner of George Stanley Paving in Tulare, California. He has spent years running paving and general construction projects, from residential driveways to larger commercial jobs. In this conversation, he talks about what he has learned the hard way, and what he would change if he were building the business again from scratch.
Table of Contents
If You Could Start Over Today, What Would You Do Differently?
“I’d slow down a lot earlier than I did. When I was younger, I thought moving fast meant I was getting ahead. Really I was just skipping steps. I’d tell myself to take more time setting things up right before chasing the next job. The work is still the work either way, but how you set it up decides whether it holds together.”
What’s the Biggest Money Lesson You Learned the Hard Way?
“Being foolish with money. That’s the plain way to say it. I made decisions based on what I wanted right then, not what the business actually needed to stay standing. It cost me more than I want to repeat here. Now every dollar that comes in has a job to do before it goes anywhere else. I don’t spend first and figure it out later anymore.”
You’ve Said Patience Was Something You Had to Learn. What Changed?
“I used to think I knew more than people who had been doing this twice as long as me. That’s a young man’s mistake. Patience came from getting proven wrong enough times. Now I set a goal and I let it take the time it takes. You can want something badly and still have to wait on it. Those two things aren’t in conflict, even though it feels like they are when you’re starting out.”
How Do You Make Sure You Don’t Repeat a Mistake Once You’ve Made It?
“I write it down, honestly, or I talk it through with someone I trust until I understand exactly where it went wrong. Growth, to me, is just not making the same mistake twice. That sounds simple, but most people repeat the same mistake in a new outfit. They think it’s a different problem because the details changed, when really the root of it is the same thing they already got burned by.”
What Role Does Listening to Other People Play in Your Decisions Now?
“A bigger one than it used to. My great-grandfather was the biggest influence on how I think about this. I didn’t always listen to advice when I was young, even good advice, because it didn’t fit what I wanted to hear at the time. Now I try to take advice in and sit with it, even if I don’t use it right away. Sometimes advice doesn’t make sense until a year later when you’re standing in the exact situation the person warned you about.”
Has Your Definition of Success Changed Since You Started Out?
“Yes. I used to think success meant having more than the next guy. Now I’d call it being above average, consistently, and having the respect and friendship of the people around you. A job done right earns you that. A job done fast doesn’t. I’d rather be known as someone who did it right than someone who did it quick.”
What Would You Tell Someone Just Starting a Paving or Construction Business?
“Don’t think you’re smarter than the business. I thought I was, and the business corrected me. Set your goals, then be patient about getting to them instead of trying to force the timeline. And be kind to the people you work with. Kindness and patience aren’t weaknesses in this trade. People remember how you treated them a lot longer than they remember how fast you finished the job.”
What’s One Thing You’re Proud You Got Right From the Beginning?
“Showing up and working alongside my crew instead of just directing from a distance. That part I never had to relearn. I think because I came up doing the physical work myself, it never occurred to me to manage a job site any other way. Everything else, I had to learn by getting it wrong first. That one, I got right from day one.”
Looking at All of It, What Keeps You Doing This Work?
“I like building things that outlast the day I built them. A driveway or a lot sits there for years after I’m gone from the site. There’s something steady about that. Outside of work, I’m into classic cars and watches, and I think it’s the same instinct. Things built with care tend to hold up. I’d rather spend my time on things that hold up.”
