-
As labor-strapped remodelers and builders get serious about attracting new blood to the field, “growing your own” is taking on new meaning.
-
At Teevan Restoration's Christmas party last December, while Benjamin Ladomirak orally recognized his employees for their hard work, Dr. Pilar De Olave stood nearby and translated his words into Spanish.
There's no avoiding dust in a remodeling project, and with the pressure of possible litigation and liability claims, regulations, and customer demands, you need a way to control it. Remodelers can't be concerned with just dust, though; they're also responsible for protecting workers and customers...
-
Finding good employees is already difficult. And all indicators show that the labor pool is shrinking. Ask remodelers where they're finding employees and the answer is not newspaper classifieds but
Often, to succeed, you have to get out of your own way. That may be especially true when you run your own business: You can carry all the responsibilities for just so long. You know you need to shed tasks — replacing yourself in the field, in the office, as a manager — but a combination of fear and...
Many remodelers feel uneasy when they hear the word “safety.” But until recently, there has been little cause for concern that “the man from OSHA” will show up on your jobsite. In fact, unless there was a fatality or a catastrophe on site, a remodeler had better odds of winning the lottery than of...
-
As a successful remodeling business grows from a one- or two-person operation to a company that warrants a dedicated sales staff, the owner must often assume the role of sales manager. But managing people who sell requires a different set of skills from selling itself. Though entrepreneurs tend to...
-
Think about a time that you were delegated to poorly. In some cases, a project was given to you without the information you needed to successfully complete the task. In others, the project was one that no one wanted, and “delegating” was simply the term used to dump it on someone else. At other...
-
Education is a bare necessity in today's remodeling market. Yet with public schools phasing out shop classes, colleges dropping the construction discipline, and vocational schools focusing on high-tech training, the educational system is failing our industry.
Each of these employees has been given a certain amount of autonomy by the company owner; each has backup and support from colleagues; each has had training and experience in his or her field, which can be passed on to others; and each buys into the company's culture and vision.