“If I said I’ll fix it, no need to remind me about it every six months.”

That’s a running joke with a friend of mine when we talk of the blessing and the curse that it is to have very handy husbands. The best part of a man who can figure out literally any repair and home improvement project is that he can do anything and do it well. The worst part is that he thinks he needs to do everything and do it well. 

So, sometimes a dishwasher repair has to wait for a rainy day or putting in those closet systems transitions from a summer project to a winter one. However, in my married life I’ve called in a full-timer twice — for a full kitchen remodel and an addition where we nearly doubled the square footage of our old farmhouse to accommodate a growing family. 

Even my budget-conscious, superman of a handyman knows sometimes it pays to call in a contractor. 

There are typically two reasons to hire a professional: a project requires more expertise or we don’t have the time to complete it. Take electrical work or pouring a new basement — those both required someone with experience. 

Time tends to be the more precious commodity, and in either case we couldn’t afford to wait until my husband had a break in his schedule. I grilled out and cooked in crockpots for an entire December, but I was very much “over” doing dishes in the bathroom sink by the end of the kitchen demo. There was no way I was going to let that drag on for months. When we added on, we had six kids in one bedroom for a time. There was no way my only son was going to tolerate that project dragging on for years. 

When to make the call

The moral of the story is even if you can do it yourself, sometimes that might not be the most efficient use of your time or money. Sometimes the best option is to call in the professionals.

I have countless examples of Angus breeders who used to DIY every aspect of their advertising and marketing, before they decided it was getting overwhelming. After they partnered with our Angus Media team in almost every case, they’ve said some version of, “We should have called you sooner.” 

An entire sale book start to finish used to feel like a headache, but now it’s a painless process. Digital advertising meant countless hours trying to figure out how the platforms changed from one year to the next and trying to figure out a target audience. 

Now, they give us a budget and we help reach our exclusive Angus audience and do all the programming. Website updates required them to track down their password, relearn the format and make tedious changes, just to have it not look quite right in the end. Now they simply email the web team, and it’s taken care of quickly. 

You might know how to run a camera and take quick videos on your phone, but producing a full-length, promotional video takes more expertise. Getting advertisements right for every print size or keeping track of all the deadlines isn’t usually fun for those who would rather be outside with the cattle. 

The list goes on and on, but it all boils down to this: you could do every aspect of your marketing plan yourself or you could get a little help. If you chose the latter, your “two weeks before sale day”-self (and maybe your spouse) will thank you.