Articles by Frank Blau

Contractors can produce more profit and less risk by using labor in a intelligent manner.

Recruiting and keeping good employees, especially service techs, is the most difficult thing I know of in the PHC service business.

A fundamental problem of the industry is a lack of self-esteem.

Over the past 15 years I’ve traveled all over this country attempting to stamp the message of profitability into the lives of the wonderful people in this great industry.

Contractors often ask me what’s the best method or use to invoice time and material work, extras or service/repair work.

This letter is to ask you and the staff of Plumbing & Mechanical to invest some time and effort to solve a problem for me.

It is virtually impossible to achieve big financial rewards without paying attention to the business of contracting.

Some of you noticed a copyright symbol at the bottom of the P&L statements that appeared in this column the last two issues.

Imagine bidding a job to supply and install all the plumbing, heating and air conditioning for a new home or building, without any drawings, plans and specifications to go by.

Here are excerpts from that customer’s letter, in italics, followed by my assessment.