After running a remodeling company for 18 years in the Washington, D.C. area with an inhouse crew that ranged from 3 to 12 employees, I swallowed hard and decided to "re-engineer" my company. I had discovered that as I grew from a one-man shop to one with several employees, it was increasingly difficult to find and keep employees who were not only good craftsmen, but who also had the requisite people skills to get along with other employees and homeowners. Invariably, a good mechanic would stay for a few years, then leave to form his own company, taking with him many of the business and people skills I had taught him. Cutting Back From the beginning, I had set
