Construction is known to be a
cyclical business; when other
mishaps coincide with the down
part of a cycle, it can put a firm
under. That almost happened to
my firm during this last recession,
in 1990. Many firms went under
that year, and we very nearly
joined them. Looking back, I
think we survived not because our
numbers were better than some
others', or even because our work
was necessarily better; we survived
because at some point we
decided we would, and took positive
steps to stick around rather
than give in.
It All Started When…
The hard times at Kitchens, Et
Cetera, my design/build kitchen
and bath firm, started before the
general recession set in. In
August 1988, I hired