General

“See how they used to do this?” said my father a long time ago, pointing to an old framed invoice hanging in...

Leadership means inspiring and rallying people to endorse — and believe in — a common cause. As a third-generation business owner who worked as...

Today, even most plumbers who hire professional bookkeepers to keep track of their company’s finances still use some sort of computer or...

Word-of-mouth was the most powerful tool Dean Flygare had going for him when he opened Flygare Excavating in 1992. Residents in his...

You want to make more money. Good for you. And it’s good business. Here’s the problem. A customer balks at your prices....

The new water heater efficiency standards become effective April 16, 2015. Issued in April of 2010, the new regulations require higher Energy...

It’s that time of year again! The holidays, when small-business owners face myriad challenges – a slowdown and a bit of quiet,...

Service-based businesses thrive on delivering top-notch results to customers. Delivering bad news requires quite a different skill set.“Often, news is bad only...

One of the most difficult challenges that small-business owners face today is finding, recruiting and retaining new talent, yet few have a...

When John Baethke visited the doctor recently, he was greeted by a male nurse with a bunch of visible tattoos. And, Baethke...

It’s one of the biggest paradoxes of entrepreneurship: The thing that should be so easy and so enticing — taking a little...

Drain and pipeline cleaners and plumbers all have a story to tell, whether it’s about that peculiar object you found lodged in...

The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) of New Jersey, with help from the Association of New Jersey Apprenticeship Coordinators (ANJAC) and the U.S....

When John Baethke’s grandfather started a business 65 years ago that would later become John Baethke & Son Plumbing in Chicago, he...

If your business isn’t using cellphones, it’s probably time to rethink that. Whether you view them as a technological blessing or a...

During the fast-paced summer months there often isn’t time to catch your breath. But what about the slow winter months when snow...

As business owners, we love to discuss ways to improve our employees’ attitudes. Throw a party. Tell inspiring stories at the company...