• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
ColumnsBusiness Management

How to engineer a financial turnaround

By Al Levi
How to engineer a financial turnaround
February 8, 2017

It’s never too late to engineer a turnaround at your company.

That’s a pretty bold statement, but I did it myself when I was in business and have been helping other contractors do it for almost 15 years now.

First and foremost, you have to be committed to knowing it can happen instead of wishing for a miracle to make it happen. Think, “This turnaround is happening,” before you even attempt to pull it off.

This isn’t some motivational speaker mumbo jumbo but rather the critical way you have to change your thinking. All great turnarounds start with the right kind of attitude and thinking.

Ultimately, I want you fired up about taking back your company from the jaws of defeat and get it headed in the direction of success.

Here are just 7 reasons your company might need to engineer a turnaround:

1. There’s been a change in the leadership. There are new family members either entering the business or exiting. The business might have been sold, and existing management is gone or needs to go.

2. There’s no clear leadership. There’s infighting as to who should take the lead resulting in a rudderless corporate ship adrift. Without a clear leader, power struggles take hold, and that will strangle any company.

3. The business sector you’re in is no longer viable. If what you’re doing and how you’re doing it are no longer relevant to the marketplace (the end user), you have to shift to clearly delineate what it is you do or you, too, risk becoming like the once mighty Kodak, which had to file for bankruptcy.

4. The business sector you’re in has become too competitive and/or too crowded. You can still be relevant, but if there’s not enough demand to support all the players competing to sell those products and services, you may need to reinvent your company.

5. You’re putting yourself and your family deeper into debt every day. If you’re ignoring the financial basics of creating more assets than liabilities, time is running out. You must cut expenses now. And sometimes it will mean ruthless cutting to save the “patient.”

6. You’ve been slowly killing the “golden goose.” If you’ve been pulling too much money out of the company without enough consideration to how it is robbing the company of future growth and potential cash dangers, you’re standing on very treacherous ground. Remember, it’s always easier to leave the money in the business than to take it out and have to put it back in. Set up a cash reserve based on a percentage of sales and have the discipline to leave it there for future growth and a “rainy day.”

7. You’ve expanded into too many businesses you have no business being in. It’s easy to get sucked into taking on new businesses and trades because you feel you have the overall structure to support it or you just got bored with your core business. There are a host of reasons why we stray too far. But, without clear market research, a plan for entering the marketplace, or the systems and support, this strategy is bound to lead you away from your core business, and you’ll end up ignoring the core of your business at your own peril.

Having more than 15 years of experience helping companies re-engineer themselves and pull back from going over the financial cliff, I’m pleased to say that when ownership knuckled down to the task at hand, the results were far and away positive for everyone. It’s not an easy path, and having a “trail guide” with experience is not a luxury — it’s a necessity.

 

Here’s a classic approach to engineering a turnaround:

  1. Recapitalize the company by slashing the amount of money you take out of the company. Use cash to take out non-performing ownership so all who are left have a stake in the game and are willing to do what it takes to take this time-tested trail to a successful conclusion.

  2. Seek to renegotiate existing debt with vendors for either longer payouts, lower interest rates, or whatever other tactics you need to employ that benefit both you and the vendor. The fact is, you defaulting on what you owe is a bad thing for all. This needs to be viewed as a “partnership” process for all concerned.

  3. Separate expenses into two simple columns where one contains must-haves and the other column is nice-to-haves. Then, take a hatchet to the appropriate expenses.

  4. Build cash by selling underperforming businesses and hard assets like trucks and inventory as necessary. Most times, becoming a smaller company that is profitable is far superior to the allure of being a bigger company with no profits or losses. Get your ego out of the way. Here’s the cool thing: You can grow again, but this time in a smarter way!

  5. You can’t cut all your expenses and expect a healthy turnaround. You must also restructure the company by shifting resources to new, value-added product lines (i.e. green products and services) that utilize your company’s core expertise and help you develop a desired niche.

  6. Spend your marketing dollars wisely by energizing targeted acquisitions that strengthen the new corporate direction. Acquisition done the right way is the surest way to build calls fast. That’s because you’re buying real calls versus marketing alone with the hope it will result in calls. Plus, you take out competitors in your marketplace which can create room to raise prices as you build heft. If you can shut down a competitor and put their company under your roof, you can make more money with their current sales than they could ever do as a stand-alone company bearing the burden of redundant expenses.

Engineer a turnaround at your company and reap the rewards.

 

This article was originally titled “Engineering a turnaround” in the February 2017 print edition of Plumbing & Mechanical.

KEYWORDS: financial planning plumbers and pipefitters

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

200x200 7power blog

Al Levi teaches contractors how to run their businesses with less stress and more success with operating manuals. To get control of your business and grow the right way, check out the "7-Power Contractor Signature Operating Manuals System," at 7powercontractor.com/manuals. Also check out Zoom Franchise Co. at zoomdrainfranchise.com. It’s a living example of the power of manuals and more in action.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • Al Levi

    Find out the secrets to a 7-Power Contractor

    See More
  • The 7-Power Contractor

    How to create a proactive marketing plan

    See More
  • Al Levi

    How to minimize a lack of standards at your company

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • greening steam.jpg

    Greening Steam: How to Bring 19th-Century Heating Systems into the 21st Century (and save lots of green!)

  • M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\Plumbing\new sites\classic_hydronics.gif

    Classic Hydronics - How To Get The Most From Those Older Hot-Water Heating Systems

  • pocketfullsteamproblm.gif

    A Pocketful of Steam Problems (with solutions!)

See More Products
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!