When I started my remodeling business
22 years ago, I knew there was
more to it than just rounding up
some jobs and banging nails. But I
have been surprised by the variety of
skills I have needed to be successful.
Good people skills, for instance, are
as basic to this line of work as the ability
to work with tools and wood. You
can't sell your business without them,
and they're essential to maintaining
good relationships with your clients.
But perhaps most important, and
most foreign to many contractors, are
the administrative abilities necessary
to keep the business side running
smoothly. People who start businesses
are notoriously negligent about
tracking the day-to-day administrative
tasks such as bookkeeping, correspondence,
and