Special Management Edition

By Amanda Hosey

By this point in the year, many are feeling their resolve to follow through with plans they had for the new year start to fade. The pressures of daily life, both work and personal, get in the way of the big management ideas we have in early January.

That doesn’t mean the ever-present goal of being a better leader is out of reach. Everyone knows the best way to achieve big goals is to break them into smaller ones. While every issue of Cleanfax offers business management tips, to help industry leaders keep growing and improving as the year begins to speed by, we’ve heavily focused this issue on ways to create, grow, and maintain success in your business.

Buying a business

On page 20, David Grossman is back with part four of his series exploring how to make the best choices when acquiring a business—ways to save money, lessen the emotional toll, and know how to spot a bad deal. In this last article, he provides a list of 15 things to look out for and do to make sure you make smart decisions when buying, whether you are a new owner or looking to add locations or enter another industry.

Growing a business

Online marketing can be overwhelming for the owner or company that performs it in house, so on page 28, Sonny Ahuja provides a detailed look at how to use a company’s free and simple Google My Business profile. He offers up five easy ways to use your profile to increase traffic and convert website visitors with light effort.

Mark Cornelius discusses the importance of also investing in knowledge when investing in new restoration equipment on page 24. He points to what he sees as a growing problem of companies buying new equipment but not ensuring staff understand the specifics of that new device—ultimately leaving money on the table and hurting the customer.

Staying on top

The struggle to get paid is a reality for all service industries, but we all know restoration companies face especially high hurdles in dealing with insurance companies and TPAs. On page 8, Kris Rzesnoski breaks down smart recordkeeping practices that create an air-tight case for your company’s choices to help you get paid faster and easier.

It’s easy to get in the rhythm and assume you’re following the best path for you. That’s especially easy to do with relationships, and your relationship with your supplier is no different. Learn from Michael Wilson (page 26) how conducting a supplier audit can save a company money and make managing product spending simpler.

Lastly, on page 16, Chuck Violand explores ways to create financial stability within a company and how a leader’s management behavior affects financial performance. It’s a discussion of lessons from the pandemic, the need to diversify clients, and how to adjust your mindset for financial success that no business owner or leader should miss.

So, I hope you find ways to stay successful in these pages. Keep trying every day to be a better leader than the day before, even in the smallest ways, and you will see the small victories start to build up and equal the bigger goals you aim for.

Amanda Hosey is the managing editor of Cleanfax. She has worked as an editor and writer for more than six years, including four years with Cleanfax. Reach her at [email protected].