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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…

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“Eat local. Shop small.” Small towns and cities post these signs to promote small businesses, and a small business can’t get any smaller than a concessionaire or vendor. These business owners work independently to sell anything from hot dogs in Central Park to homemade jewelry at a craft fair in Austin. Across the country, we…

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From the luxury high rises of New York City to the seasonal condominium units in sunny Florida, residential condominiums dominate many areas of the U.S. The New York Times called 2015 the “Year of the Condo in New York City,” estimating at least 6,500 new condominium units across more than 100 buildings in that year…

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Being the owner of a small janitorial services company can be hard. While the International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association claims that this is a $94.5 billion industry that employed 2,360,600 people in the U.S. in 2014, the smaller companies are not getting the biggest piece of that pie. In the U.S., 765,000 small janitorial operations…

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If your customer is operating a business, the need for primary insurance coverage is evident; however, how often do you reach beyond that coverage request and provide a customer with a quote for excess or umbrella coverage? In our litigious world, liability suits brought against business and building owners are only increasing. A simple slip and…