A couple months ago, I transitioned from working in an office environment with editorial director, Rob Heselbarth, and executive editor, Ken Betz, in Arlington Heights, Ill., to working out of a home office outside of Pittsburgh. Modern-day technology has made communication easy – emails, phone calls and remembering the one-hour time difference makes communicating a snap. I also invested in a large el-shaped desk and ergonomic office chair to keep comfortable. Between those and my company-supplied laptop, dual-monitor setup, telephone and printer, my home office is even more efficient than my Illinois cubicle was. Operable windows allow fresh air and daylight to infiltrate my office; I can’t remember the last time I had to turn on the...

I have an office with floor-to-ceiling walls and a door -- not a cubicle -- and I’m very grateful for it. However, I’m an extrovert and I enjoy talking with people, so keeping my door open is a necessity for me to function properly. Anyone walking past my door is fair game for a quick greeting or friendly harassment. My door is closed only when I’m hosting webinars or having personnel-related meetings or phone calls. My open door sometimes can be a challenge, too. An open door is inviting, so naturally people wander into my office throughout the day. This can interrupt my train of thought and distract me from the work at hand, but I’d rather be occasionally distracted than cut off from interaction with my colleagues. My...

One of the biggest challenges general contractors face is the intermittent nature of remodeling work. Weather is one challenge. Rain can scuttle and delay jobs and wreak havoc on schedules, and when winter rolls around, jobs can vanish completely for months at a time. Managing your sales pipeline is another challenge. How do you avoid a boom and bust cycle of job-job-job-job-job, followed by nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing? How do you develop a year-round business so that you don’t cycle through feast and famine? There are two ways: Diversify. General contractors can grow their companies by adding a reliable indoor specialty to their repertoire. If you specialize in window installation, fences and decks, exterior siding or...

Next month marks the start of the spring season, a time when many homeowners across the country will dig out of the winter weather with a renewed interest in refreshing and remodeling their homes. While this increased interest in home improvement during the warmer months may be nothing new, the most recent Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University forecasts a significant increase in activity through the third quarter of 2013. This prediction of growth in the double-digits is a promising sign that the industry is on the rebound and slowly, but surely, recovering. Coupled with the typical spring upswing, this could prove to be a very busy spring for many remodeling...