I'm a carpenter turned remodeling
contractor. I know carpentry best,
but when necessary I can also do
some wiring, plumbing, painting,
and plastering, among other specialties.
Nevertheless, I subcontract
those and other trades, because my
subs can do them better and more
cost-effectively.
There's one job, however, that
I've never subbed out during the
eight years I've been in business:
bookkeeping and accounting. I'm
not especially skilled or talented in
this area, and doing it myself doesn't
save me money. But I've found that
to really know what's going on in
my business from week to week, I'm
best off crunching the numbers
myself. Keeping and analyzing my
own books enables me to spot
trends and react to them quickly,
both within