
Embezzlement in Service Businesses: A Hidden Epidemic
Let’s talk about something nobody wants to believe could happen in their company—but it happens more than you think: embezzlement. That is when someone you...

A Different Way to Compensate Employees
In 1972, the owner of the floor covering store I worked for posted a sign on the bulletin board that read: “New incentive program! Work...

A Pathway to Success
It’s that time of year again—the time that strikes fear or outright revulsion in the hearts of lots of business owners. No, I’m not talking...

Top Teams Win Over Top Talent
One of the best things about being a business development advisor with Violand Management is that I get to see an incredible array of management...

SOP Doesn’t Mean Seat Of Pants
OK, I’ll admit it. This part of our industry—or actually, the trades in general—drives me absolutely crazy. What is it that’s doing the driving? The...

Rules? I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Rules!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there are two behaviors I see mastered by almost every successful business owner and manager. I’ve...

Fun and Effective Training
In the 1970s when I was in my late teens, I was an apprentice floor covering installer working for an old taskmaster whose draconian management...

Recruiting, Hiring, and Training: The Never-Ending Story
What is the biggest challenge faced by today’s business owner? If you didn’t immediately think of staffing or personnel, consider yourself lucky! In my 40-plus...

Navigating the ‘Atmospheric River’ of Increased Catastrophe Work
By Bill Prosch They happen almost every year somewhere in the United States: atmospheric rivers, wildfires, flooding, extreme freezing, hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes, just to...

How $15,000 in Fines Saved Me Money
Recently, I've noticed that the clients I work with are becoming increasingly frustrated with insurance companies. To be specific, those clients feel that insurance companies...