Last January, I ran a help-wanted ad for a carpenter, and was amazed at the high quality of the applicants. During the interviews, I also discovered that most of these carpenters were applying to only a few companies. This surprised me a little because, even though I didn't yet have a lot of work lined up, I knew I was going to have my biggest year ever. I also knew that if I waited to hire more help until May and June, when I would be swamped with work, the pickings would be slim. The lack of demand for the highly-qualified carpenters I was interviewing could only mean one thing: Other builders in my area
