Over the past 20 years, the question I’m asked most often by canvas makers, upholsters and my students is “How much should I charge for this project?” Daily, someone is asking that question on the Advanced Textiles Association forums and industry Facebook groups. As business owners, we must consider several factors, such as: Markup, Hourly [...]

As the recruiting manager for Made in the Shade Tent Rentals, I embody the first hurdle on the road to employment. If 100 people apply for one job, close to a quarter will make it to the first interview with me over the phone.Of that quarter, fewer than half will make it to an in-person [...]

ID 105098069 © Peshkova | Dreamstime.com When we think of assets in an organization, our thoughts generally lean toward the accounting definitions. We have cash tied up in inventory and accounts receivable. We have cash tied up in equipment or other fixed assets. And, we have cash tied up in, well, cash. These are all [...]

Full disclosure, I’m not really a marketing guy. When I started AP Consulting more than two years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. And as much as I would like to say I know everything now, I don’t. And that’s OK. The internet is the most extensive repository of human knowledge to [...]

What we now call “hacking” has been around almost as long as humans have existed. Today’s version focuses on technology, but the behavior takes many forms that even go back to the story of the Trojan horse. Hacking is simply the act of exploiting a weakness to gain access to something, whether that is in [...]

Every business at some point is forced to deal with difficult customers. Perhaps they are unhappy with the level of service, the product or a member of your team. Or maybe their expectations are just unrealistic. Understanding how to navigate challenging interactions, however, can turn a negative situation into a positive experience that builds stronger [...]

Our industry has many examples of successful marine fabricators closing their shops and becoming employees of larger companies. The specific lessons learned as a marine fabricator/business owner include time management, finances and accounting, and strategic sales and marketing—all critical skills that will help fabricators excel in the corporate world.   Ironically, when you examine the [...]

Organizations need to be thinking about tomorrow and, more specifically, how the future of work, the workforce and the workplace will be dramatically different from what we know today. And more important, from what it has been in the past.  Warp-speed changes ahead Let’s start by thinking about today and taking a pulse of the [...]

Leadership and management are closely related; however, despite often being spoken of in the same breath, they are certainly not synonymous. If we use those terms interchangeably, we tend to behave as if these roles are interchangeable and equivalent. Doing so means we miss critical components of excellence within our organizations. Destination vs. the path [...]

When most of us hear the word “OSHA,” we instantly conjure up images of ticket-writing cops invading our workplace. And these aren’t the $35 tags that grace our windshield when we linger in a parking spot too long. These citations can easily hit the four- or five-digit mark depending on the severity of the violation. [...]