In July of 1990, I told several close business associates that we were heading into a recession. They all thought I was nuts. Nonetheless, I spent the next several months studying and planning. And on October 1, 1990, I announced a cost-cutting plan that shocked everyone in our remodeling company. The plan included the termination of five new office employees hired to handle the growth we expected the following year, a 10% acrossthe- board wage cut for the 20 remaining employees, and four-day work weeks for some office employees. The plan also discontinued all office services, and shut off all mobile phones. Finally, it brought all our insurance coverage to state minimums, canceled medical coverage for employee dependents, canceled life insurance policies for everyone, put
