When we started our contracting
business about 15 years ago, our concerns
were pretty immediate — like
how to put food on the table and keep a
roof over our heads. With no formal
training in business, we were fortunate
that the California economy was strong
during the first several years we were in
business. With so much work available,
it was easy to recover from our mistakes.
But in 1991, building slowed down
in the San Francisco Bay Area where
we live and work. As the pressures of
the business increased, we began to
ask ourselves, "Why are we doing this?
Are there alternatives? What do we
want from life?" It was obvious that
we were