Is a mechanic's lien worth the trouble?
ONE OF THE MOST valuable tools in a contractor's tool-box, many believe, is his ability to use mechanic's liens to get paid for work. Given the complexities...
The 'Pygmalion' manager
DID YOU EVER see "My Fair Lady?" It was much more than a musical. It captured 11 Academy Awards in 1962, including Best Picture. It features many fine...
Get real estate out of your corporation tax free
DO YOU HAVE real estate in your corporation? If so, raise your hand and then keep reading. About once a month, we get a call at the office asking a question...
Integration and synergy in project management
CONTRARY TO POPULAR beliefs within the trade, integration has nothing to do with forcing your bosses to actually show up on the jobsite every once in...
The fastest way to lose customers you paid for
YOU'D BE SURPRISED. Not by the fact that customers leave, because there is always someone who just doesn't quite get how magnificent you are. But by the...
Are we looking at the right numbers?
NUMBERS, NUMBERS, numbers. Here we go again. When we monitor the success of our salespeople and technicians, what numbers are we looking at? Let's look...
Take off the tool belt: The foreman as manager
THE FIELD IS where a construction contractor makes a profit. The quality of the foreman is directly linked to the level of gross profit a contractor enjoys....
Immigration reform puts the burden on you
CONSTRUCTION ATTORNEY IT MIGHT COME as a surprise to many business owners to learn that they have to comply with immigration laws, even if they have never...
A dizzying result
BY ADAMS HUDSON SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR Some thought it could not be done. Some thought I was a big loser dummy with no sense of well-being. OK, at least...
Do you know where your trucks are?
HERE ARE TWO GPS-based software solutions that can help contractors keep an eye on company vehicles and that can minimize drive time, reduce fuel expenditures,...
E-communication on contracts holds risks
THE YOUNGER YOUR workforce is, the better the odds that it was taught in school to communicate electronically. These workers tend to assume that e-mailing...
Big valuation victories for the good guys
FIRST, A SIMPLE question: How much would you pay for property worth $ 100,000, if you must spend $30,000 to fix it ( commissions, special taxes or whatever)...
The difference between the truth and the facts
THE DIFFERENCE between "the truth" and "the facts" is not philosophical hair-splitting; it's actually quite orthodox. While something is either true or...
Change your Yellow Pages ad and budget
Second of two parts. YOU SHOULD BE spending less money on a smaller Yellow Pages ad, and we talked about the reasons why in last month's column ("What...
'We don't need no stinkin' books!'
PLUMBERS KNOW more about Thomas Crapper than Blaise Pascal. Commonly credited with inventing the toilet, Crapper's legend pops up in trivia books. Pascal...
California lead bill should be erased
BY BOB MIODONSKI PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TO PARAPHRASE a certain former governor of California, who famously remarked during a 1980 presidential...
Add hydronics to your contracting firm
IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING adding hydronics to your business mix, here's a chance to learn from my experiences. In 1976, my wife and I started a residential...
Answers to questions on snow-melt insulation
I CAN'T TELL YOU how many times someone has asked me, and just about any wholesale supplier worth his salt, "What is the best insulation for below-slab...
The art of system renovation
THE PHONE CALL: One of my regular customers told me about a conversation he recently had with an arts council administrator who was about to take over...
How long is a quote binding?
A three-month-old price can have a severe economic impact on contractors. CONTRACTORS, subcontractors and suppliers routinely give quotes and bids that...
Estimating program uses plain English, pictures
After an hour or two of training, most estimators are ready to go on their own. AN EASY-TO-USE Windowsbased estimating program for commercial, industrial...
What your Yellow Pages rep is NOT telling you
IT'S GOT TO STOP. This longstanding tradition of plumbing contractors overspending in the Yellow Pages for rotten results has gone on too long. And silly...
Tapping into the inner idealist in young people
Young people can get from this industry so much more than just a paycheck. HOW TO ATTRACT young people into the plumbing business is an issue that confounds...
Where Have All The Real Hats Gone?
In 1959, when I was 2 years old, almost every man wore a dress hat of some sort. Not a baseball cap but a real hat. A hat with a brim. A hat with style....
The Pygmalion Manager
Did you ever see "My Fair Lady?" It was much more than a musical. It captured 11 Academy Awards in 1962, including Best Picture. It features many fine...
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