A missed appointment, cash flow snags, a small job that is inadvertently overlooked, a window that never got ordered — it's hard to avoid these kinds of problems when you're operating a small business. If you wear all the hats in your company — estimator, mechanic, and office manager — it's a challenge to keep a firm grip on day-today operations. Whenever I develop a system to organize my business, I follow three rules: Keep it simple, keep it concise, and keep it in view. For me, the one tool that serves all three of these goals is a colorcoded dry-erase board. On it I list all of the information necessary to operate my business, including job
