The “great recession of 2009” has come and gone. But has it left a hangover? Of course. Unemployment levels are still high, foreclosures are still ruining the American dream, and businesses remain shuttered. There are a lot of negative aftereffects. In fact, one HVAC contractor calls 2011 a “backward year.”
But it isn’t all doom and gloom. The economic downturn has given business owners the unique opportunity of turning the mirror on themselves. They have been able to see what has worked and what has not. They have tweaked, toyed with, changed, or eliminated what has not worked. Many have kept right on doing what they did before and during the recession. There have been a lot of interesting stories rising from the ashes of double-digit drops in revenues and profits. And HVAC contractors are right in the middle of this story.