Thanks to the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, managers, executives and owners who have hesitated or postponed making capital investments for their marine fabrication businesses through the recent economic downturn might now want to consider how the use of those tax incentives and others already on the books can substantially reduce the cost of [...]

A customer is standing in front of you. Maybe she has a question. Or a complaint. Or maybe she’s thinking about a purchase, and wants to discuss a product issue. What do you say to best serve the customer, and bring about a win-win resolution of the conversation? Sounds like a simple question. But the [...]

Managing the elements: To keep out rain and spray from the ocean while keeping the interior of the vessel comfortable is a common request made of marine fabricators like Cindy Boersema - but every vessel is different, requiring  a different approach to the design. Owners of The Midwestern vessel requested an upper bridge enclosure [...]

Sooner or later, everyone contemplates retirement. For those who own a closely held or family-owned fabrication business, retirement is more than just a matter of deciding to not go to work anymore. In addition to ensuring there will be enough money to retire, business owners, shareholders and partners must decide what will happen to the [...]

So why bother to join one of those online discussion groups? If you think a group is just one more dreaded task, you’re mistaken. Think for a moment about the insight and ideas you gleaned from your last professional conference. Or the practical tips colleagues give you on the telephone every once in a while. [...]

OK, you’re afloat in the Bahamas. The enclosure protecting your pilot house blows out. You need a fix right away. Wind, waves, weather—it happens all the time, but replacement isn’t always easy. In many such cases, an enclosure must be fitted carefully to your specific boat. So, stuck there in the Bahamas, you contact the [...]

Larry Schneider's Milwaukee-based Homestyle Custom Upholstery shop, which began in his parents basement, now features 1,000 square feet of office space alone. Steve Jobs started Apple in his parents’ garage. Amazon, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Mattel and Microsoft also began in garages. Dell and Facebook began in dorm rooms. And Virgin Group’s humble beginnings trace [...]

Like all things, marketing products and services have changed over the past decade. A typical marketing campaign of yesteryear for a small business involved direct mail, print ads, radio and billboard advertising, flyers, posters and listings in the Yellow Pages. Today, 98 percent of consumers search online for products, services and businesses. The term Search Engine [...]

The right—and quick—response can salvage your digital reputation. By Rebecca Kennedy Imagine this: You’re surfing the web some morning, and a flurry of negative posts about your business or product line pops up. The criticism could come from a consumer website, a blog, a social-media discussion or from any one of many other web sources. [...]

Solid customer relationships is the underlying goal in successful sales. By Barb Ernster Sales strategies might serve different objectives and involve different tactics, but for the most part they are universal to businesses of any size, follow the same trends, and transcend industries. Building solid relationships with customers is the underlying goal in successful selling, [...]