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In the age of e-commerce, U.S. brick and mortar retail stores are suffering. In fact, analysts at Credit Suisse estimate that 2017 could bring more than 8,640 store closings in total, which means the U.S. retail industry is on pace to close more stores this year than were shuttered during the Great Recession in 2008….

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According to the Wall Street Journal, the shortage of new single-family homes in the U.S. is pushing some would-be home buyers out of the market. This is good news for artisan contractors because that means a boom in the renovation of existing homes. It’s projected that over $300 billion will be poured into home remodeling…

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Taxi, limo and black car drivers may be surprised to know they’re culpable for more types of accidents than they think. With more than 400,000 of these drivers in the country, according to a January 2017 IBISWorld report, not only do they face a variety of exposures, they may experience an unexpected potential gap in…

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In today’s economy, the value of a good education has never been greater, and the competition has never been stiffer. Students are under immense pressure to achieve academic success. Meanwhile, our standard educational systems are failing to cater to the unique needs of students. With overcrowded schools and a lack of diversity in gifted education,…

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The New York Times dubbed 2017 the “Year of the Renter.” Of course, the rental market in The Big Apple is at the top of its game; however, each year more and more investors across the country look to rental properties as a wise choice for their investment dollars. In fact, according to the National…

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According to Sound Vision, 2.3 million couples wed every year in the U.S. with nearly $72 billion per year spent on these weddings. That should be enough opportunity to make you want to get some of this market share. USLI writes more than a dozen classes of business relating to weddings. From the wedding venue…

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At the end of 2016, we looked forward to positive growth in the construction sector. As mentioned in our If They Build It, We Will Come December 2016 newsletter article, Dodge Data & Analytics anticipates the total U.S. construction starts to advance 5 percent in 2017 to a whopping $713 billion. It should come as…

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According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals, U.S. households and businesses spent nearly 77 billion dollars on lawn care services in 2015. The vast majority of these lawn care professionals are a small to medium sized business with revenue of approximately $217,000 per year. The same source touts industry employment numbers at 979,257 people….

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As we move into 2017, it is important to look at forecasts of those industries that will have a direct impact on our businesses in the year to come. When it comes to the future of construction, Dodge has the answers. ConstructionDIVE, a top construction newsletter, calls the annual Outlook report from Dodge “a reliable…

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With more than 54 million Americans belonging to some type of health club, according to Statista, fitness centers are in more demand today than ever before. Of these 54 million people, 42 percent are members at a boutique exercise studio specializing in group classes, personal training, CrossFit, Pilates, Yoga, Pure Barre, Zumba, Spin or several…

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The gaming phenomenon known as the escape room first appeared in Japan in 2007. Since then, the social play experience has become widespread across the world. In March of 2016, the Boston Globe reported an astounding 3,900 percent increase in the industry from 2014-2015 alone. Now, escape rooms can be found in almost every major…

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According to IBISworld, there are more than 1.4 million people working in over 250,000 hair salons or barber shops in the U.S.  In order to be profitable in such a competitive marketplace, many salons now offer an expansive list of complementary services. In addition, more than 50 percent of the salons operate on a rental…