Jason Larson, owner of Lars Construction, a remodeling firm in San Diego, used to get calls from people wanting to know if his company installed windows. "We'd tell them it's not something we do, because we're set up for bigger projects."

He got enough calls that two years ago, Larson looked into the idea of a separate operation that would only handle windows and doors. Shortly thereafter, he opened Jacor Door amp; Window. Run as a separate division of Lars Construction, Jacor has its own sales and installation staff, contractor license, insurance, and vehicle -- a mobile showroom.

Larson negotiated a partnering agreement with his supplier, La Mesa Lumber, that enabled him to buy windows from a large manufacturer direct, with La Mesa Lumber stocking the product. Leads from La Mesa Lumber customers looking for installation account for about one-third of the company's business. A full 95% of the windows Jacor installs are vinyl replacements, and Jacor will install a single window just to get its job signs in new neighborhoods.

Larson expects his window division to do a little more than a million dollars this year. The company also offers financing.