Author Archives: homesteadop

Please join us for a free breakfast and learning session at the New Holland Coffee Company from 7–8 a.m. on the last Friday of each month from January through May. At each session, a Homestead Outdoor Product vendor will talk about new products, installation techniques, and more. RSVP to reserve your seat! Hurry! Space is…

Selling comes naturally to some people. But for the rest of us . . . not so much. Regardless, it’s crucial for small businesses. Without sales efforts, the well of potential customers will quickly run dry. Fortunately, the following tips can help you get results even if you find selling uncomfortable.  1. Organize your contacts.  Who…

Part 1: Is Growth Really Necessary? In the book Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business, author Paul Jarvis shares insight to help business owners create companies that support how they want to live their lives. While the phrase “company of one” implies a one-person business, Jarvis’s book applies…

SAVE THE DATES! Beginning in January: Business-Building Breakfasts  Plan to join us on the last Friday of each month from January through May 2023 for learning sessions over breakfast at New Holland Coffee Company. Various vendors are lined up to talk about new products, installation techniques, and much more.  Stay tuned for more details soon!

Winter’s threats of inclement weather often leave contractors with lulls in work. But even with less demand for decks, fences, and other outdoor projects, you can still strengthen your business.  1. Fine-tune your systems and processes. While you have some breathing room, look at your internal operations to find areas needing improvement. For example, if…

The Flywheel Effect This last article in our series featuring wisdom from Jim Collins’ book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t discusses how transformation occurs.  Collins points out that good-to-great transformations don’t happen in “one fell swoop.” He shares that there is a pattern of building…

Do you think of following up with customers as a path to “opening a can of worms”? We challenge you to see it differently! Why Follow Up?  1. Following up allows you to learn what customers like most about your work—that’s valuable information you can use to set yourself apart from other contractors.  2. What…

1. We like feedback. We want to know how we can improve your experience. For example, if we can package things differently to make your life easier, let us know. Your feedback helps us understand things from your perspective. The more we know, the better we can be of service.  2. Eleventh-hour orders carry a…

Discipline & Technology In the book “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t,” Jim Collins describes the traits of successful companies. We’ve covered several of them (humble yet driven leaders, the right people, and confronting reality, a hedgehog mindset) in past articles. Now, we continue our series…

Homestead Outdoor Products now carries Evolve Stone®, a high-performing, simple-to-install stone veneer with the look and feel of natural stone. Evolve Stone delivers premium quality, aesthetics, and ease of installation: More impermeable to moisture than other stone veneer products on the market because it doesn’t hold moisture against the structure Exceptionally durable to withstand the…