Why do installers fail to bring install jobs in on time and within budget? Why do service techs fail to do service work within the time allotted in the flat-rate pricing book? I don’t know about you but this used to drive me downright crazy when I was a contractor!

Our daughter Kelly and her husband, Craig, wanted to give our grandchildren names that would never appear on a souvenir rack in a touristy store, so they named our grandson Sullivan “Sully” Daniel and our granddaughter Dempsey Jane.

Go on. Flip over the calendar. Look at that! You’ve made it to 2014. Some of you are celebrating this past year with a bottle of bubbly, a victory lap around the shop and a hearty pat on the back (and maybe year-end bonuses) for your team. Others of you may still be saying: “Whew! Thank goodness that year is over. This year will be different. I know we can succeed.

Direct mail can be the most lucrative marketing tool you’ll ever use — if you use it correctly. Yet most plumbers waste wads of money on ineffective mailings because they don’t know how to do it right. Direct mail offers the advantage of laser-like targeting, where you can pick your list exactly.

At some point, we’ve all noticed that certain companies seem to grow and prosper despite outside challenges they’re faced with, while others constantly struggle. This is true in our own industry as well as just about any industry that comes to mind, regardless of market.

Although single-family housing starts have continued their comeback climb from under 100,000 annually in early 2009, they have significantly rebounded over that figure well into 2013. Much of the recovery on home sales has been concentrated on the reduction of over-extended existing home inventories.

Last fall, I taught my first online course dealing with designing hydronic heating systems. The course was titled “Mastering Hydronic System Design.” It was a collaborative effort between HeatSpring Learning Institute, BNP Media’s CE Campus and myself.

The first cautionary bit of advice I received from my dad was that I learn how to “avoid stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.” I was just a kid getting started in the family business. This seemed confusing to me so I asked him, “What does that mean?”

I turn 64 this month and if I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself. Will you still need me; will you still feed me, when I’m 64? Hope so.