This week is the time to celebrate the small business. Every year since 1963, National Small Business Week has been held to recognize the contributions made by small businesses, which more than half of Americans either own or work for, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Certainly small businesses make up a significant portion of the plumbing industry. To mark the occasion, we’ve compiled a few articles that can help you be successful with your small business.

And for more information about National Small Business Week, visit www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week.

Small Business Tips

Small businesses are oftentimes family-run operations. One problem with that — while the brain should drive business decisions, emotions and sentiment always come into play when it’s a family-owned business. Check out this story looking at how to best balance that family and business dynamic.

Technology changes quickly these days, making it difficult to always stay on top of the latest trends. But when it does become time to upgrade things like computers, tablets, smartphones, or software, it can be especially challenging for small businesses that may not be able to dedicate significant resources toward the effort without disrupting other workflow. Here are tips on how to make a tech upgrade go as smoothly as possible.

Busy is the goal but slow days for your business are inevitable. Here are tips on handling those slow days — from things you can do to make slow days more rare to the long-term planning you can take on that is difficult to devote time to during typical day-to-day operations.

You likely view yourself as a plumber, not a salesperson, but sales is something a small-business owner has to consider in order to grow. This “necessary evil” can sometimes feel forced and slimy, even if your services are legit. This article offers a different approach you can take.

If you missed this feature on Frasier’s Plumbing, Heating & Cooling from the February issue, check it out here. The company is the epitome of a small-business success story. Based in a northern Wisconsin city of about 8,000 people, the company is on its fourth generation of family ownership and is celebrating 100 years in business in 2018.