OK – I don’t really mean to be ‘Danny Downer’ (and I really do consider myself to be a ‘glass-half-full’ guy), but the statistics about construction businesses failing is not good.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 25% of construction companies don’t survive their first year of business. OUCH! And after five years only 36% are still operating.

Now that sucks! Basically for 2/3 of remodeling businesses started 5 years ago you can…

Perhaps you’ve dreamed of owning your own bathroom remodeling business and enjoying the profits which come with ownership. However, today you’re ‘just’ a subcontract installer, or sales rep or manager who ‘gets to’ watch your owner enjoy the fruits (literally) of your labor. You’re thinking becoming an acrylic shower wall panel dealer (and starting your own business) could be right for you.

Or perhaps you own a small residential general…

Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m the ultimate ‘glass half full’ guy. But no matter how you slice it, being either a supplier to (or a contracting company in) the remodeling industry during the Coronavirus is SCARY!

‘Stay at home’ and ‘shelter in place’ orders are essential tools Governors have used to flatten the spread of this nasty virus (and the Governor of my home state, Mike DeWine of Ohio has done a masterful job with this).…

Here’s a crazy statistic I heard recently. For every person entering the construction trades, 4 people are leaving.

As you let that sink in, you’ll see the labor problem in your remodeling business is not only unlikely to get better, it’s likely to get worse. Sorry to be ‘Danny Downer.’ This means 3 things will be critical:

1. Keeping your best people will be HUGE.
2. Finding the best people will be ESSENTIAL.
3. Getting the most out of your field team…

I’ll warn you what I’m going to say might be more politically charged than debating who you think should be the next President of the United States. Here it is:

I think you should blow up, eliminate, get rid of, say sayonara to… tile in your bathroom remodeling jobs.

Right now, you’re likely saying, this guy is nuts. Tile has been around for years. Its tried (even if, at times) it isn’t true. It’s a premium product you have to have.…

Your shower wall panel margins are going south. You have higher material and labor costs. Competition up the wazoo (hey – what the heck is a wazoo anyway?). Higher lead-gen costs due to less calls from print ads and escalating PPC bids haven’t helped either.

You think back to the ‘good old days’ when your ‘bath in a day’ wall panel business was as lucrative as the vinyl replacement window business in the late 1990’s.

That’s NOT the world you…