While it's true that remodeling is in better shape than the new-home market and that the slowdown has hit some areas and some companies harder than others, there's no denying that these are difficult times. Companies of all sizes and business models doing all types of work are affected. Remodelers offer tips for weathering the downturn. More
Are you at the stage where hiring an office manager is critical? Are you approaching that abyss of information control and feel like you're on the edge of total chaos? Relax. Help is on the way. More
As these remodelers show, shifting focus away from the business for a time to deal with traumatic personal events doesn't have to derail your company. More
How do remodelers measure their companies' financial performance? More
The three remodeling business owners profiled here still wear a lot of hats, and still exist -- despite the number of years they have individually given their businesses -- in what remodeling consultant Judith Miller would call "early growth" stages, those businesses with very involved owners. They have spent years honing their craft and learning about business like many remodeling company owners -- the hard way, through trial and error. But they are all in the process of making changes that will lead to growth and profitability. Each has experienced small victories along the way to reaching these larger goals. More
With statistics such as the Small Business Administration's oft-cited prediction that nearly 95% of all businesses will close or fail within five years of their opening, it's a wonder that anyone starts his own company. But such is the nature of the entrepreneur. And when a business owner finds her- or himself at the brink of disaster ó 5, 10, 20, or more years down the line ó it's those innate entrepreneurial skills that help them take charge and turn the business back around. More
My dentist's office is closed Fridays. Many medical professionals take a day off in the middle of the week, usually Wednesday, as the joke goes, because golf courses are less crowded midweek. My dentist doesn't golf (he rides motorcycles and scuba dives), so Friday is as good as any other day. More
As a frequent speaker at industry meetings, I see the consequences of cell phone over-reliance. At every scheduled break, between seminars, I witness a sea of contractors and their employees with cell phones glued to their ears. More
It's an old adage in the industry: Work on the business, not in it. Sounds great, but how to do it when you have six sites to visit and a dozen fires to put out? For Jeff Titus of Titus Built in Wilton, Conn., the answer was to delegate. More
Our industry is predominantly composed of men. Although an increasing number of women are entering the profession in various capacities, they are significantly outnumbered. And just as Peter comes to rely on Wendy for stability and nurturing, many remodelers have a Wendy on staff who holds things together for the business. More
