From the beginning to the end of any remodel, variables abound and chance may play a part beyond anyone's expectations. When a company succeeds, it does so, in a sense, by reducing that variability, by exerting as much control as possible over the job's every detail. More
What compels carpenters to go into business for themselves? A wide range of motivations, from the fulfillment of a lifelong goal, to the seemingly obvious route to better money and greater control of their time and craftsmanship. What keeps most of them from achieving anything near their vision of success? Often, themselves. The same qualities that help residential remodeling carpenters excel at their craft often get in the way of their business goals. Anecdotally, carpenter-CEOs are less likely than their non-craftsperson peers to charge enough money, to focus sufficiently on their business systems, or to reach out for the help they'll inevitably need. More
Michael Howes of MCB Construction, Woodside, Calif., says the schedule is the most emotional part of the job. More
