Les Cunningham

It continues to amaze me every time I hear an owner complaining about software they purchased that did not work out for them.

In every industry, there are business owners who are hands-on, deeply involved in the day-to-day operations and will be so until the day they die, no matter how successful they become.

Restoration businesses come in all shapes and sizes. Market, specialization, competition; there are many variables that play into the overall business structure.

Most of us have been exposed to the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

The problem is that a lot of owners are deciding how to handle their business tax situation way past the point where they could have really had a meaningful impact on what they will have to pay.

Most of the companies I met with in 2010 were not doing the amount of business they want to do and need to do. I can guarantee that you also will not get what you want and what you need unless you change your efforts in 2011.

Remember when you first got the idea to start your business? Remember when you were the only one doing all the work? Remember when you hired your first employee? It seems like forever ago, doesn’t it?

It seems that the current trend in the industry is to grow one’s business by opening an additional office in another town, the logic being that if your existing office is doing $1 million, then opening a second office will bring in an additional $1 million.

As an employee of a restoration firm, I don’t have to tell you that owners are weird, because you figured that out a long time ago. What I would like to do is to try to explain some of the reasons why they are weird.

So here you are, already halfway through the year and you can see that you are not where you thought you would be.