Good publicity is good for your business, so don’t hesitate to let your local area know about sponsoring events; donating time, money or materials to a charitable cause; or providing expert, topical advice for potential customers.

A lot of heart and technical skills can start a contracting business. But business expertise will make it a success.

Spending time at construction sites is essential to delivering a quality project to your clients. This attention to detail often strengthens your relationship with them, makes you a better engineer and helps win repeat work from them.

The 2022 edition of NFPA 25 modified the formula to determine the capacity of the fuel storage tank for diesel-driven fire pump systems. Read on to discover the rationale behind the technical committee’s actions. 

Once a designer has selected the best heat source for the heat pump, the next step is determining whether to use a multipass or single-pass heat pump. In Part 2 of this series, you’ll also learn how to size hot water storage for energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions.

A few years ago, a client shared a book recommendation with me: “Ego is the Enemy,” by Ryan Holiday. Now, this is one of those grandiose titles that immediately makes my eyes roll. Here we have some know-it-all stating the obvious in a 250-page “business” self-help book. 

Many small home service businesses don’t believe they need to worry about public relations. However, PR professionals do more than put out reputation fires — they help cement your good reputation as an expert within your community before a perceived misstep harms your company.

When homeowners have a plumbing issue, they don’t want plumbers to waste time looking for things in their trucks. Make sure they have 80 percent of what they need for 80 percent of their customers. Al Levi has some tips for doing that.

Business owners need to keep track of many things to keep their entrepreneurial dreams alive. Knowing how tangible and intangible costs affect your pricing and your profit margin is critical for any home services contractor.

Virtual design/construction allows project teams to coordinate projects using a 3D environment. It addresses problems before materials are delivered to the jobsite, reducing resource waste and using labor efficiently.