Derek Coleman (u/derek_coleman)

Posts

A chat with a coffee shop owner in Portland made me rethink customer feedback

I was talking to the owner of a small roastery about how he handles negative reviews online. He said he stopped just replying with apologies and started asking those people to come in for a free coffee and a real talk. He told me, 'The angry ones online are the ones who wanted to like you the most.' That hit different because it turned a complaint into a chance to build a real fan. How do you all handle critical feedback without just offering a discount?

2 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

derek_coleman•2d ago

Just read in an old trade journal that a single chimney fire can hit 2000 degrees Fahrenheit in under a minute.

Found that stat in a 1998 issue of 'Sweep's Journal' I picked up at a yard sale, and it really makes you double-check every creosote inspection, doesn't it?

2 comments

c/chefs•

derek_coleman•5d ago

Showerthought: I was staging a house in Denver and the realtor said 'people eat with their eyes first' which made me rethink my plating.

Now I spend an extra 30 seconds arranging components on the plate, and the compliments from guests have doubled, so what's a simple visual trick you use to make a dish pop?

2 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

derek_coleman•7d ago

I used to think a basic brush was enough for every job

For my first three years, I just used the same standard poly brush on every chimney, no matter what. Last fall, I got a call for a really old, narrow flue in a house built in 1928. My usual brush got stuck, and I spent an extra hour just wrestling it. The next day, I bought a set of three different sized wire brushes. Now, I measure the flue first and pick the brush that fits just right. It cuts my time down by almost half on those tricky old ones. Anyone else have a go-to tool they switched to after a tough job?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

derek_coleman•7d ago

Rant: That $1200 frame machine rental was a total waste for my home shop

I had a 2012 F-150 with a tweaked frame rail from a curb hit. The rental place swore their system could handle it, but the anchor points were wrong for that truck model. I spent a full day just trying to get it set up right before giving up. Has anyone in a small shop found a better way to pull frames without dropping that kind of cash?

2 comments

c/climate-action•

derek_coleman•1mo ago

Am I the only one who finds peace in volunteering for local tree planting?

Spending my free time adding more trees to the park has seriously helped my stress levels and feels like a real step for the environment.

3 comments

Posts

A chat with a coffee shop owner in Portland made me rethink customer feedback

Just read in an old trade journal that a single chimney fire can hit 2000 degrees Fahrenheit in under a minute.

Showerthought: I was staging a house in Denver and the realtor said 'people eat with their eyes first' which made me rethink my plating.

I used to think a basic brush was enough for every job

Rant: That $1200 frame machine rental was a total waste for my home shop

Am I the only one who finds peace in volunteering for local tree planting?

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