Today's post is an article written by ProContractor Supply CEO Abhi Singh, and published on HBSDealer. We encourage you to check out the article on the HBSDealer website, in addition to reading it here.
Here's what I learned from teaching kids karate.
One of my favorite jobs had absolutely nothing to do with construction supply.
It was teaching kids karate.
If you've ever spent time in a dojo, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Every kid walked through those doors convinced they were about three classes away from becoming Jackie Chan meets Chuck Norris meets Bruce Lee... and fully prepared to take on Mr. T before dinner. They wanted to throw spinning roundhouse kicks, break boards, compete in tournaments, and do everything they'd seen in the movies.
There was just one problem.
Most of them couldn't tie their obi.
So instead of flying kicks and board breaking, we started where everyone starts. We learned how to stand. We learned balance. We learned discipline. We learned respect. We practiced the same basic kata—the choreographed sequence of fundamental movements—over and over until it became second nature. Only then did we earn the right to move on.
At the time, I thought I was teaching kids karate.
Looking back, they were teaching me.
They reminded me that everyone starts somewhere. That repetition isn't punishment—it's preparation. Confidence comes from competence, not enthusiasm. And perhaps the biggest lesson of all: we all need to remain teachable.
Our teams teach us that same lesson every day.
It's funny how often I see the exact same thing happen in business.
Everyone wants the spinning roundhouse. Nobody wants to tie the belt.
In our business that usually shows up as chasing the next adjacent product line—tools, safety, fasteners, rental, apparel. They're all good businesses.
Eventually.
But only after we've earned the right.
If we haven't mastered concrete accessories—our core business—why are we trying to become experts somewhere else? It's no different than earning your yellow belt in karate and deciding it's time to start learning Taekwondo or Judo before you've mastered the fundamentals.
The fundamentals never become less important because another opportunity appears.
They become more important.
Cross-selling looks fantastic on a PowerPoint slide. It looks considerably different standing on a jobsite. Selling concrete accessories doesn't automatically qualify someone to sell safety equipment. That's like asking a karate instructor to coach a wrestling team because they're both martial arts. Adjacent? Absolutely. The same? Not even close.
Larger organizations and private equity-backed companies can often afford the learning curve that comes with expanding into adjacent categories. Most family-owned businesses can't. Every bad customer experience costs credibility. Every missed expectation costs trust.
Growth matters.
Strategic expansion matters.
But sequence matters more.
Master what you do today before chasing what you might do tomorrow.
The kids I taught all wanted to become black belts. The ones who made it understood something the others eventually learned.
You don't become exceptional by chasing what's next.
You become exceptional by mastering what's now.
Then you've earned your right to grow.
As always...
It's up to you.
-Abhi Singh
