Contractors have complained for years about consumers holding on to systems that should be replaced. Yet we are falling all over ourselves to come up with ways to keep that equipment operational.

Having passed many certification tests and proctored many others, I have found faults in the tests used to verify a person’s skills. Certification can be a way to prove competency, but only if our certifying tests are held to a higher standard.

It is time for the annual Budget Games — and like the movie "Hunger Games," if you don't play the game well it can have dire consequences.

Every week, contractors miss out on 30 percent or more of the work they could be doing. The work is there, it’s ready to be taken, and customers are eagerly waiting to give you their hard earned dollars to do the work — if, and only if, you get your head out of your past and join modern society.

“He was great in the field but he’s a lousy manager” is a common complaint among owners of service companies. So what’s an owner need to do to find a good manager? Here are some guidelines to help you pick the best manager from within.

A lot of small businesses try to be “Jacks of all trades” without mastering any. I am not saying that you cannot have more than one trade in your business. Where I see the problem is when small businesses try to do too much within the same trade.