One of a remodeling company’s most precious resources is its owner. Your company’s success or failure rests on how well you balance and juggle all of the hats that you are supposed to wear. In any one day, you may act as a leader, manager, investor, and worker; however, you are also a human being who
When one of our Stages of Growth Strategists completes an X-Ray for an organization, a large part of that process includes the role the CEO or company president plays during his or her company’s specific stage of growth. In each stage, the leader must take on the role most needed by the company, and there
Over 27 years of working with remodelers around the country I’ve encountered nearly every problem to confront a remodeling company: the dissolution of long-term partnerships, ineffective marketing, sales systems which don’t produce results, unmotivated production crews, theft from overhead coffers, bankruptcy, and terrible accidents on the job.
Profit is so elusive, so easy to wear away or lose altogether, that it takes enormous effort to protect your bottom line. A budget is your best line of defense in guarding your profit. The dictionary defines budget as an itemized summary of probable expenditures and income for a given period. Another way–a much more
To make money consistently in remodeling, you need accurate estimating. In order to have accurate estimating, you need accurate job costing to give you constant feedback on your estimating system. As you prepare a project estimate, you are setting many goals. Your goals are the material cost you hope to meet or beat, the labor
Good cash flow and profitability are two different entities and often do not coincide. Let me give you an example. Months of heavy construction volume mean you have the need for lots of cash to pay your labor and job costs. Often, draws do not keep up so while you may be earning profit you
Obviously, your company’s success in producing the job has a huge impact on the entire company. Yes, the jobs have to be sold, designed, estimated – but if they aren’t produced on time and on budget with a delighted client, all of your previous efforts are for naught. During my 20-plus years in this business,
Even though we have several weeks still in October, it’s time to begin planning for 2012. We believe strongly that the companies who plan are the companies who are most successful. Just like planning and preparation are the keys to bringing a job in on time and on budget, so are they the keys to
Over the years of working with remodeling contractors, some simple patterns have become apparent. One remodeler’s strong interest in people leads to success in sales. Another’s love for design produces award-winning projects. Both companies can enjoy a certain level of success and stability over time. But to develop a larger company complete with beautiful office
I’ve worked with one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry. Linda Case, for over 20 years and it’s been an unbelievable pleasure. You’ve been reading her column in Remodeling magazine for even longer and if the notes that we receive from readers are true, Linda’s changed many lives with her words of wisdom.
