Product focus Because Charleston is home to so many large pleasure yachts, we tend to focus on those types of jobs. We do some smaller trailer boats, but most of our work centers around the many large yachts that call Charleston home, and the constant stream of transient yachts that like to stay in Charleston [...]

Turn up the volume and spread the news about your business–even with limited funds. By Charlene Clark In a perfect world, every business would have unlimited resources with which to market their products and services. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world. In tough economic times, small businesses find themselves with very limited resources to dedicate [...]

By Mark E. Battersby Thanks, in large part, to the economy’s impact on cash-strapped state and local governments, many marine canvas and upholstery businesses are swamped with red tape, rules, regulations, fees and taxes, all sharply cutting into their bottom line. Fortunately, battling city hall, the county or statehouse over zoning issues, unfairly levied fines, [...]

You’re in business to make money. That means knowing costs and pricing jobs realistically. By Marc Hequet This job’s a tough one; the design is different, the material expensive. The customer is haggling. Can you price it to meet your target margin? Do you know what your target margin is? Can you even price it [...]

By William J. Lynott Credit plays an important part in business. Used wisely, it can be a profitable friend. Used carelessly, it can be a destructive enemy. Here are nine ways to help you put credit to work for you and your business. Be aware of your credit report. If your credit score is “good,” [...]

By William J. Lynott Employers place a great deal of trust in their employees, but it’s important to keep your guard up. The unfortunate fact is that employee theft is the fastest growing crime in America, according to FBI statistics. To an employer, employee theft occurs when a worker steals merchandise, money, property or even [...]

Stay profitable while dealing with troubled customers. By Mark E. Battersby Beware! Even a marine fabricator’s best customers can suddenly become deadbeats. The good news, according to recently-released figures, is that fewer of your marine canvas and upholstery operation’s customers and suppliers are filing for bankruptcy. The bad news is that many businesses are hoarding [...]

A fabricator shares his system for effectively communicating assignments and organizing schedules. by Chris Patterson I purchased Weaver Canvas, a successful marine canvas shop, in May 2002. As we started to grow the company and add employees, it became clear that our work order process needed to be improved. I had always been impressed with [...]

By Dave Sanders Small-business owners wear many hats. The demands of day-to-day business activities leave little time for planning or thinking about ways to improve your business. The past few years have been tough on all businesses, but especially on small business. Smaller operations have fewer employees and generally have a good understanding of their [...]

Spread “word of mouse” with free social media tools. By Shelby Gonzalez “We got into social media because we wanted to be able to stay in touch with our customers on their terms,” says Jill Argetsinger of The Nautical Needle in Holland, Mich. “So many people go to the web these days for all types [...]