A bit of education can go a long way toward giving clients the confidence to proceed with their project, with you as the trusted authority to guide them through it. More
Everybody has his or her own way of doing something. But, Chris Donatelli says, when you're trying to systematize, this kind of idiosyncratic behavior can lead to inefficiency and confusion. “Our way isn't the only way,” Donatelli says about him and his partner Tony Castillo, “but we're selling a particular product and a particular standard,” so there needs to be consensus on method. More
Delegation ó or the lack of it ó is probably the biggest obstacle facing new remodelers. A young remodeling company requires a lot of attention, and 60-hour-plus work weeks certainly aren't uncommon. But if the company is going to move out of its infancy, then its owner must start to pass responsibilities on to others. More
I use 10% of what Excel will do, and the average person probably uses 2%,” says Ed Castle, owner of Ed Castle Construction, a design/build firm in Kensington, Md. Castle creates fairly sophisticated spreadsheets and uses the software, which is a part of Microsoft Office, as a project manager system. More
Brian Altmann, owner of Dutchess Building Specialists in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., never used to leave deck plans with prospects, who might turn them over to another, less expensive, builder. More
I'm a remodeler in Northern California and do about $1.5 million per year in... More
Jeff Winn has a simple time- and money-saving strategy for recruiting and retaining field staff: he lets his bilingual lead carpenter, Steve Heredia, do the hiring. It's a logical fit, notes Winn, president of Big Sky Construction, San Jose, Calif. “Steve works in the field directly with these people, he's hands-on, he can see if they have any deficiencies or bad habits to turn around.” More
Few can resist the lure of smooth, wet concrete calling out for carved initials or a quick hand imprint while no one's looking. More
