“Borrowing Tools is For The Weak”
I saw this slogan on a hat at Northern Tool years ago when I first started my painting company in Raleigh, N.C. It still resonates with me as I think of it every time I go to borrow a tool or piece of equipment. I rarely borrow equipment anymore but sometimes it makes more sense to borrow than to rent or buy. As an experienced business owner, I thought I would share some borrowing etiquette. Here is my list of the top three “dos and don’ts” of borrowing tools or piece of equipment (most I learned the hard way).
Don’ts
Don’t borrow a tool that you plan on using to make money. If you must, offer to rent the tool rather than borrow. I had a successful contractor call to borrow my paint sprayer just a few years ago, knowing he could have rented or bought his own equipment.
Don’t borrow a tool you are not willing to replace or have fixed if you break it. Years back, I borrowed my neighbor’s tractor to scrape my driveway. I broke it and while I was looking for slip clutches it became apparent I couldn’t afford the repair. Fortunately, I had a very gracious neighbor. I never borrowed anything else I wasn’t willing to fix again.
Don’t return tools dirty. I borrowed my neighbors shovel when my wife and I were newly married. I used it to shovel cement and returned it with cement dried to on the spade. The next day I found the shovel in the middle of my front yard from where my neighbor had sent it airborne over the fence. I got the message, purchased a new shovel, kept the old one and gave the new shovel to my neighbor.
Dos
Always return tools the same day or the day you promised to return it. People buy tools so they are available when they need them. I loaned a router to a friend who returned it three years later. By then I had moved to another state and it would have been easier to just buy another.
Always return tools in the same condition or better than what you received them. If you borrow your neighbor’s lawn mower because yours is in the shop, return it the way you received it. Wash the mower off and return it full of gas.
If something breaks while you are using the tool, even if it’s a small scratch, tell the owner. I have a friend who loaned his lawn mower to a neighbor who returned it with a blemish hoping he wouldn’t notice. My friend wasn’t so concerned about the blemish but he was peeved about the cover up.
You’re better off to buy tools or rent expensive equipment from an equipment rental company rather than ruin a business relationship or friendship. I realize many of these “dos and dont’s” may seem like no-brainers, but that’s one thing I have learned running a business- don’t assume anything.
David Roberts-Owner, Express Yourself Paint
Category: Misc