Business Advisor

My company is well known for its “generous” profit-sharing plan. In fact, we even won a Custom Home Pacesetter Award for it a few years ago. The dirty little secret is that we don’t actually have a profit sharing plan. (My accountant loves to drive this home to me at every opportunity.)

Now is a really good time to take inventory of your businesses. This exercise will enhance your ability to continue to run the race with focus, clarity, and direction. Business owners are always on the lookout for ways to save, especially when it comes to time and money. So here are some tips on how to assess where your business stands right now in order to make some positive changes in your business and personal lives.

One of the best ways to set a course for the future of your company is to look back on past customers that you best served and most enjoyed working with. When I do this, I see a trend toward working with what we have come to call “empty-nesters.” These are usually couples with older children who are ready to make a fresh start with a smaller, more energy-efficient, “green” and low-maintenance home to which the kids only visit for family reunions.

So having devoted two blogs to stating the case for making a profit when building green, how or where do we start? I think some variation on the Hippocratic Oath of the fourth century B.C. would be first.

All are good questions or statements. Some are clichés. All deserve to be answered. Which takes me back to my last blog, where I stated, “I’m really pleased to be building and remodeling green in Houston” and even more pleased that I do not have to compete “with the Birkenstock-wearing hippies who ride their bicycles to work down the road in Austin." With all due respect to my hippie friends in Austin, this point is worth exploring in greater depth.

As we discussed in Part 1, going green requires purpose and planning. It is a business decision and it is no small undertaking. We will focus our attention on some additional factors that also need consideration as you transition from traditional to green construction. The following is the continuation of tips to going green.

Hi! I’m Michael Strong, a green remodeler and builder from Houston, Tex. Some of you may have heard of Houston — it’s that small town about 2 ½ hours down the road from Austin, home of the oldest green building program in the country and my alma mater, the University of Texas.

I was thinking about what to throw on the grill this weekend when my friend Bill Beasley sent me an E-mail about the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of various types of meat.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is actively fighting the American Clean Energy Security Act, arguing that additional energy savings beyond 30% will be impossible.

Going green is a business decision, and it is no small undertaking. Going green has to have a purpose. You do not want to go green just because everyone else is doing it. You need to be able to quantify its benefits for your business, your personal life, and your community.