I've been inspired by a lot of books over the last year regarding business and sales, but the crème de la crème would have to be "Markup and Profit" by Michael C. Stone. This book was recommended originally by fellow Atlanta tile guy Cain of "A tile Experience" but the real provocation came from @terribletilellc via Instagram. Can't recommend this book enough to any re modeler looking for a tried and true method of pricing jobs or generally running a business. I recognize my weakness in this area, so here we go, getting better.

The most shocking part of the book early on is that 90% of contractors are not charging enough for their work. So how do they make up for that and still profit? By cutting corners and quality or going out of business. Makes sense considering 80% of showers fail and 30% of new construction related businesses fail in the first year....90% within a 10 year cycle. We're not doing badly apparently, all things considered.

Lots of great stuff to consider and learn about.

It seems our website is having an impact, as well. Over 100 visitors last month, my largest audience to date. Hopefully, everyone is getting some value out of our site. This really is a labor of love and a way to organize my thoughts and separate ourselves in a positive way. I often times wonder if I'm accomplishing that goal. I figure if one person is able to prevent themselves from having a construction nightmare or if one person in the tile industry improves their knowledge (like I try to daily)...I've done some good. Have a great weekend and I hope everyone is doing well. (Ben, your neighborhood tile guy)