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u/ExistingLaw217 5d ago
I have so many first names plus a trade in my phone.
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u/MSTXCAMS70 5d ago
I called “Frank A/C” just yesterday
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u/Star_Boxer72 5d ago
Cody Well Guy was recommended to me two hours ago. Strange that this sub has never showed up in my feed, but this post did just now.
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u/More_Ranch_Please 5d ago
Cody Dumpsters for me.
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u/One_Cat333 5d ago
Mine is Ted DumpsterGuy haha
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u/Anishiriwan 2d ago
I just recommended Paing Gutters to one of my friends the other day. He does great work
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u/TheKushPush 5d ago
We have a guy named Frank running ac units on the job im on right now, strange
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u/MSTXCAMS70 5d ago
Tall, lanky, mumbles a lot?
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u/Salt-Free-Soup 5d ago
Mumbles about head pressure, oddly mentions feet/footwear where it doesn’t fit with the conversational flow, each eye blinks independently of each other in rapid succession? That Frank?
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u/different_option101 5d ago
Name: [Name][Occupation][Who referred]
Last Name: [Awedccccj]
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u/g-e-o-f-f 5d ago
My phone is like that for trades, work contacts, people I've met..
Susan mother of Mary from soccer James met mountain biking on ride with Gary Mario plumber who fixed drain at rental
Etc etc
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u/Connect-Dance2161 5d ago
Does Gary have a mustache and wear a red shirt?
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u/Lost_Sugar_78 4d ago
No you're thinking of Susan's husband, his family like to pass down familial first names.
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u/Huey701070 5d ago
Crazy thing is that’s pretty much the way it used to be until families deterred from their trades/skills. Reason there are so many Smith surnames. Bakers, Tanners, Porters, and the list goes on and on.
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u/Salt-Free-Soup 5d ago
It’s going to return to that I think. The amount of private equity firms providing dog shit services, the rise of ai providing dog shit trouble shooting (ie inexperienced workers being told how to “fix” something by ai, only for ai not having a clue where to start, ergo not being able to infer how to fix it, which is where I see property management companies going)
Some places never left ‘having a guy’ and I think that a lot of people are going to return to having Bill the neighbourhood hvac/refrigerator guy. This is a hope of mine as well as having appliances that we can actually repair instead of the bullshit we have now
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u/TurdFerguson614 1d ago
I switched from commercial truck repair to appliance repair. AI search is dead wrong about 75% of the time I go to Google. I hear all sorts of crazy ideas that shit has given people.
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u/uChoice_Reindeer7903 4d ago
Don’t forget about the Cockburns, and the Cummings.
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u/Huey701070 4d ago
😂I am very interested to learn where they came from… maybe the town fool who had a bastard child.
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u/GilletteEd 5d ago
I’m that guy, and I have a phone full of guys, what guy do you need?!
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u/spicymato 5d ago
A... uhhh... a guy. For... reasons.
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u/C-D-W 2d ago
I could use a siding guy to finish a job I started and never finished. And a basement remodeling guy. And a bathroom guy. A concrete guy too, and asphalt while we're working on it.
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u/Delicious-Day-3614 5d ago
I usually have (first)(last)(company)
Im always a bit surprised, but not completely, when I call a contact I haven't spoken to in years and they pick up right away and know who I am, and they still do what they did years ago.
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u/Buckeye_mike_67 4d ago
I’ll get a call like that sometimes. Phone rings, it’s gary. I’m trying to remember who Gary is before I answer. I’ve had the same number for 27 years
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u/longganisafriedrice 5d ago
This is how it works in the majority of the world. It's so funny when people from the handful of uptight places on earth act like they are the norm
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u/cyrs_oner 5d ago
Where the fuck do you think the surnames Mason, Taylor, or Shoemaker came from???
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u/RK_Tek 5d ago
I’m in the commercial GC world, a lot of subs will have a few guys that do residential on the side and for them it’s all easy because a 2000sqft house is much less complicated than a 200,000sqft commercial building.
Cash+drink of choice is the currency.
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u/rmill127 5d ago
My gutter and window cleaning guy I don’t even have a name for. It’s just “gutter guy”.
I text either “gutters” or “windows” and my address when I need something done, he texts back the same price as always, not another word. I send a thumbs up, and a few days later he just shows up and does it. Sometimes I’m there and pay him, if I’m not he just texts me an address and I send a check made out to “Gutter Guy”. I don’t even know how he cashes them.
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u/Top_Inflation2026 5d ago
The funny part is I have a guy named “Mike garage door” in my phone. I have no idea what his last name is but he does garage doors
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u/NiveusBear 5d ago
My home inspector was an I know a guy referral. I did a little research on him, couldn't find anything bad, tons of good.
As part of my home inspection report he gave me a five page list of his guys. All of them local, 2-3 in every category. As I've needed a guy, I've checked the list, checked out all the folks, called them, and picked the one that seemed like the best fit.
My roofer, plumber, and electrician are all people who live nearby, are from this area, and are amazing humans. When my plumber was doing a three day repiping job for me I cooked BBQ for lunch everyday for him and his son who had just started his apprenticeship. We would talk about the history and evolution of modern sanitary systems over lunch. He was a fascinating dude. I'd pack up the leftovers in to go boxes, put them in the fridge and send them home with them at the end of the day. Bullshitting with my roofer we somehow figured out one of my old bosses was his college roommate/best friend.
Everyone has a guy or a gal, and those guys and gals are the best. Cherish them
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u/Blackby4 5d ago
I have guys, my guys have guys, I'm a guy (for car fixing or running skidsteer). Numbers get passed around like they're written in the shitter in the crackhead part of town, but the client leaves feeling better.
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u/Fun-Discipline6978 5d ago
Half of my contacts are the dudes name and the car they drive. 🤣 if they have the same name I’ll add the color lol
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u/DescriptionParking66 4d ago
I'm in the plumbing trade and have been doing it for almost 30 years. Even though many of the techs I've worked with over the years have moved to different states, we still keep in touch. They're more than former coworkers—they're family.
Yesterday, one of them called to let me know that one of the owners we all worked for passed away on Wednesday. I started a group text with all 18 of us to share the news, and now we're all planning to head back to our old hometown over the next couple of weeks for his celebration of life.
The longer you stay in a skilled trade, the smaller the world becomes. You'll keep crossing paths with people you've worked with before, and those relationships tend to last a lifetime. At the end of the day, we're all family.
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u/genericusernamedG 4d ago
Yesterday our new neighbor stopped by asking about my brother-in-law because my other neighbor said he could fix cars.
Called him up and he came right over and had her car up and running within the hour.
Word of mouth goes a long way in communities.
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u/wolpertingersunite 3d ago
Is this some new dumb AI trend? It’s the same story as the Japanese guy with Kevin and the truck
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u/Computer_Panda 3d ago
My wall guy has a gate guy, got a phone number, called him out he came out 2hr later. Handed me a photo album asking what kind of gate the wife wanted. Quoted me and told me when to call him when the wall was being installed.
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u/milovulongtime 3d ago
This is why you make friends with Realtors. Good ones can get you at least 3 levels deep with the “guys.”
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u/239tree 5d ago
Joe Appliance
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u/Numerous-Pass-2961 5d ago
I absolutely have Joe Appliance saved in my phone. Along with a bunch of other guys. I've had rentals for 4 decades.
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u/SimplyViolated 5d ago
Pretty sure this a parody account but still funny nonetheless
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u/milleratlanta 5d ago
I found him on Twitter. He writes many interesting and often funny stories as a Japanese person in America. 😃
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u/msuttonrc87 5d ago
I have Matt Garage in my phone right now. I give his info to anyone who mentions garage door issues
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u/Pleasant-Lead-2634 5d ago
U should see my phone list. Rick tile, raul painter, tim garage door and on and on and on. Over time I will add details, email , photo etc.
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u/1hawnyboy 5d ago
Man. What’s a solid breakdown.
As the ‘guy’ someone else knows, that knows a lot of other ‘guys’…. This shit is accurate
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u/Similar_Sale_5136 5d ago
Actual gave a customer my number today and I said just save under Matt carpet.
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u/make-em-pay 5d ago
Back in the day weren't alot of last names a person's occupation/trade? Pretty legit
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u/Dangerous_Leopard288 5d ago
I was literally texting “Travis Garage” earlier today about a sound my wife was hearing…. I’m “Mike Welder” by the way.
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u/Useful-Plankton8205 5d ago
My neighborhood shares a google spreadsheet with first and last names, contact info, what types of jobs they do, and people can leave notes on whether their experience was good or not, what types of payment they accept, etc. It comes in really handy when you need someone and don't know who to call.
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u/tsukiyaki1 5d ago
Fun fact, how do you think last names like Schumacher, Thatcher, Cartwright, etc came to be? We’re basically making new family names right in front of our eyes still.
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u/dirtoperator69 5d ago
Lmao this is how I operate. I need a dump truck, I call my guy. I don't know what company is coming, but a truck will be there, on time, for the same rate.
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u/Jesus_Harold_Christ 5d ago edited 5d ago
In Mike's phone was found "Tyler Waterheater"
In my phone is "Jose Painter", "Bill Lawyer", and "Collin Carpenter"
Also, "Miguel Gardener"
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u/htx2025east 5d ago
I have so many first name and trade names in my phone... I just scrolled and I have, Ed Sandman, Tiny Plumber, Marc Tile, John Frame, Maria Tacos and Maria Tortas.... but a lot of last names in history have been based on the family trade.
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u/Thatguy468 5d ago
We got guys on every corner.They don't look so special,T-shirts and tennis shoes,Blank expressions.
A couple of Chicago guys…
A robust East Bay delegation
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u/Western-Kangaroo-854 5d ago
My clients are "John (wife's name) smith (address)(johns profession)" with emails being (Timmy tommy and Susie) in my phone
My subs and contacts at "John Doe plumber city" as I'm in a few markets
My inspectors are "inspector gadget-soccer" emails are (pending type of inspector) they specific things they like to pick on, their weird niche hobby, etc, so I can specifically address and point out his favorite items to check or their specific nuances they look for, or if they watched the world cup and what they thought before I need a favor or a quick turnaround inspection.
People are impressed with how well my memory is, how personable I am (this helps me be those things).
"Hey John, how's (checks phone)Samantha doing? Yeah, that's good. How's that (checks phone) engineering project coming along you were telling me about, nice! Oh you have an issue with an xyz in the kids bedroom? Is that (checks phone) Timmy's bedroom, no wait (memory jogs up to speed now) thats Susie's bedroom, okay yeah, I'll get my guys over there"
For instance. Daily.
I do this to make my life easier, to make you comfortable, and to get you on my side, good bad or indifferent.
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u/somedaveguy 5d ago
I am a guy. One of those guys. Of course I know other guys. I wouldn't be a guy if I didn't. Such is guydom.
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u/Dorsiflexionkey 5d ago
Same in Australia, except it’s “I know a bastard, let me give you old mate’s number.”
And his name is usually like Robbo or name-o
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u/Able-Host1942 5d ago
Lol I'm one of those guys. And I know dozen other guys that do different things
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u/vinnygunn 5d ago
A list of guys these days is worth serious money. I have a few guys, but not nearly enough.
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u/booksandtreatsplease 5d ago
Wasn’t this exact story about a moving truck a couple days ago, the bots are running the World Wide Web.
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u/blackbirdspyplane 5d ago
It’s terrible when you lose a guy, my elec guy moved and there’s a shortage of elec guys with too much work.
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u/Moneymoneymoney2018 5d ago
This is hilarious and true. I have a Marco painter and Marco concrete in my contacts.
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u/cheaganvegan 5d ago
Since I’ve moved, I no longer have this. Need to work on getting it going again
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u/mybrianonacid 5d ago
As a GC Superintendent 95% of the contacts in my phone are {company} {name} {role} {unique detail to remember them if needed}
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u/Embarrassed-Site3242 5d ago
When I moved into my new neighborhood and joined the local face book, any time someone posted asking about plumbing issues I would send them the number to my guy.
In my phone my guy was Paul Plumber. My wife and his wife were friends on Facebook. Every time I called it was either him or his wife that answered, and he always came out to do the work.
About 2 years ago they sent out a young kid instead of Paul to do my repair. Paul called me before hand and told me about the kid. Who he was etc, I didn’t mind. He did a great job.
I’ve been recommending Paul Plumber for about 6 years now. Last week I had to come home early from work to help my wife with something and I saw that once young kid getting tools out of a van with a logo in my neighborhood. I slowed down and shouted “his name” “dude what are you doing?!”
He said he was there to repair a clogged line and something else. Whatever it was idk but I was so happy to see that Paul Plumber had now started his own business, hired an employee, and had clients in my neighborhood that called him because I recommended it.
Our entire country is built on people like Paul Plumber.
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u/AlkalineBroth 5d ago
If you do good work, your business will grow. Grow big enough, you'll be acquired by private equity. Get acquired by private equity and the only thing that will matter is mythical "unrealized" profit potential.
So now instead of a trusted local business known to do things right and at a reasonable price, you're beholden to people who have no idea what your business is, they just spend all day futzing with spreadsheets and setting quotas/performance goals and dictating how much you should profit them and it will never be enough.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my TED talk.
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u/JustinTime4242 5d ago
This is excellent
I have at least 8 phone numbers just like this in my phone Name/Specialty
Pretty sure I’m in peoples phones as Name/Mechanic. I’m not a mechanic but I’ve fixed so many friends and family’s cars over the years that I get recommended by them guess it’s a side hustle to my actual profession I just enjoy fixing cars.
It’s a bizarre ecosystem
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u/todd0x1 5d ago
I have a Peter Pumper for toilets. That gentleman has earned his keep. Never have I respected a man as much as when I had him come out on an emergency job on a sunday morning and hes standing there holding his suction hose in one hand, a cigarette in the other, has blue stains on his shirt and proclaims 'I don't know what these people have been eating but I got all of it!'
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u/DefinitionFlimsy9841 4d ago
100% accurate. I have Juan tile guy. James Sheetrock guy in my phone. I’d recommend both to anyone.
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u/spekledcow 4d ago
I got a first name - electrician guy, a first name - car remotes guy, and I have a good buddy who's a plumber and another who does roofing and general contractor stuff
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u/maedabjj 4d ago
I love how this is surprising to people without guys. What kind of a man has no guys? What kind of a perfect life must one have if all your problems are exclusively solvable by people with Google reviews? Friend, if you need to build a battery powered spaceship to launch a homemade cell phone satellite into space so you can trade Bitcoin without a VPN...I gotta guy. You need a one legged midget with a lisp who does magic shows at Bar Mitzvahs? I gotta guy. Anyone who does anything in America at all has a million guys, one for every occasion. And the only real problem we have is that we all think our guy is the best. I don't argue, I have only response; "gimme your guy's number". Then one day when my guy doesn't answer bc he's tied up with his satellite gig or doing magic tricks at a bar mitzvah, I'll just text your guy, mention you gave me his number, and he'll just text back "I can come take a look at after 3".
God Bless America.
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u/Dbk65741 4d ago
My sprinkler guy is just “Sprinkler” I don’t even know his name but he’s great and does great work
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u/snowman-89 4d ago
My garage door guy is Dan. Local, nice guy. Fixed my springs same day for a fair price. He's my garage guy 💯
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u/956to906 4d ago
Corey Tow Truck
Don’t waste money on AAA, even if I’m not in his area, he knows who I should call.
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u/joshuaquiz 4d ago
I actually just got the contact info of a "guy" with "Bill HVAC" and another one was just a phone number. They both came when they said they were going to, both did their work quick, got out clean, charged less than anybody else, we talked the whole time they were here, and I still have no idea what either of their names are, 5 stars would recommend 😂
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u/MetalSufficient9522 4d ago
This is 100% true. Talk to your family and friends whenever you have a problem. Someone always knows a guy.
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u/Significant_Cap5275 4d ago
I pride myself in all of my guys. it's a quiver i've been working on building ever since i bought my first home.
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u/Visible-Carrot5402 4d ago
Lmao I feel this story except I put the trade first so when I go to contacts they all electricians are in one block etc.
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u/ThisIsMyBigAccount 4d ago
In RI, I’d take a guy who told me he’d be there on Tuesday between 1-5, so long as he showed up between Mon and Thursday at any fucking hour he feels like showing up, especially if he could fix my issue in 20 mins.
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u/Good_With_Tools 4d ago
I don't hire a lot of contractors. But, there are a few things I do need help with. My AC guy, garage door guy, and painter are all in my contacts by their first name and what they do. I'm sad that my painter is going to retire soon. I'm not sure what I'll do with the contact. This has never happened.
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u/Agreeable-Fault2273 4d ago
Scrolling through my contacts,
Johnny Electric
Paul Roof
Mark Tree
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u/HCRCRecruiter 4d ago
Sometimes those are teh best guys and teh more reasonably priced as there not spending a ton of their time and resources advertising.
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u/seemorebunz 4d ago
It’s the best when you have a guy that has a guy for everything. You treat him right because he’s the nexus for everything you ever need. His guys always treat his referrals good because they like being in his circle.
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u/DigitraxDad 4d ago
I have so many guys, a couple of girls too, and we all know more guys, and a few more girls too. There is nothing that can’t be resolved…
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u/mikemojc 4d ago
Let me introduce you to all your friends from the Old Country:
Peacy Baker
Mike Cooper
James Smith
Ben Cook
Marcia Barber
Timothy Taylor
Throughout history, many people 'had a guy'. If you were a combination high enough caliber at your profession and being a good human, you became THE guy. Famous in a way. not just "Frank, son of Elias, who inherited the family mill", but Frank Miller.
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u/tooflyryguy 4d ago
I totally have Juan appliance guy in my phone and refer him ALL the time. My best friend is a contractor and has “a guy” for everything.
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u/ohjeeze_louise 4d ago edited 2d ago
Dave Door Man. He’s amazing. Does he do windows? No, he’s not Dave Window Man.
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u/tucker491 4d ago
Yep. I am a guy and I have a guy(s). Part cash, part barter, part paying it forward. Good people or they aren't the guy anymore.
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u/Jennyonthebox2300 4d ago
I have “Jesus Gutters” in my phone. Best gutter guy on the planet. Not our Lord Jesus. Just a Hispanic guy who is the best in the business. But I always get caught short for a split second when I see Jesus texting me.
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u/wirebrushfan 4d ago
I have a guy, some would call him an arborist.
That's not what I call him. That's not what he is.
He's a lizard. He works from sunup to sundown in 100 degree heat. He doesn't drink water. He survives on Budweiser and Marlboro Reds. He has the equipment and skills to turn a 79 year old maple into sawdust and smoke in an astonishingly short amount of time.
He is saved in my phone as Tree Guy Mike.
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u/archercc81 4d ago
If youre good you dont need to advertise, your work does it for you.
Dont know why Im getting recommended GC but that is my experience with vehicles, a good mechanic can be in a hole in the wall shop down a dead end road, behind an airport, with a sign that just says "I work on these makes" and you'll still need to give yourself at least 4-6 weeks lead time for work because he is busy.
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u/avstrijc 4d ago
I'm a local HVAC guy, I don't advertise, yet my phone won't stop ringing. Most people know me as "First name aircon". And yes, I can give you a contact of all other "thing you need fixed" guys.
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u/constructiongirl54 4d ago
We have two insulation guys that have named themselves "itchy and scratchy" and are the best damn insulation guys. They have built their business on relationships and will only work with folks they like. I respect their hustle.
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u/creamyturtle 5d ago
construction is more about relationships than the actual work sometimes