More sheds than ever are including windows, providing natural lighting and, increasingly, a breath of fresh air into backyard structures serving as workshops, studios, and more. “When I started, we were selling the old awning-covered crank-out [windows],” says Shane Hartman of WEH Supply Inc. in Denver, Pennsylvania. “They’re still around[Read More…]
Columnists
‘It’s Just Sticks and Slices’
He was born Homer Embree Overfelt. We called him Pop. He was married to his one-and-only love, Agnes, whom I never had the honor to meet due to her early passing when my dad was only 22. He always spoke of her with a gleam in his eye and a[Read More…]
Are You Providing Excellent Customer Service?
Sam Walton once said, “We only have one boss, and that is the customer. And he can fire us any time by simply deciding to spend his money somewhere else.” Newsflash! Providing excellent customer service in the shed industry is vital, if you want to sustain growth and gain market[Read More…]
For Want of an Air Conditioner, Part 2
If you’ll recall at the end of last issue, my crew leader—who shall remain unnamed—decided that we should bring our little F-150 the next day rather than the tool truck to a brutally hot build. Why? Air conditioning! After a stop by the hardware store for a pallet of blocks,[Read More…]
The Next Generation Needs a Place to Keep Its Stuff
There is no doubt that the generation known as the millennials have surpassed the baby boomers in becoming the largest generation in U.S. history. Millennials are a driving force in the consumer market, with close to 79 million or roughly 25 percent of the U.S. population making up this age[Read More…]
Incentive Plans
I have no doubt that employee bonus plans, or incentive plans, work. Most production workers will get really smart, really quick, when they realize they have a good chance to earn more. I don’t think it matters if compensation is the number-one reason to keep employee engagement and morale high.[Read More…]
Effective Advertising
“ Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” John Wanamaker was a retail pioneer more than 100 years ago, and his now-famous quote is repeated often by business men and women when they think about advertising. Do you often feel[Read More…]
More Than One Way to Sell a Shed (Conclusion)
In traveling around the country, you will find many different types of shed lots. Some will be full store fronts with indoor and outdoor displays of many outdoor products ranging from sheds and other portable buildings to poly furniture and windmills. Others will be a few sheds on display outside[Read More…]
Beyond Your Basic Website
It’s no secret that the internet has transformed marketing and sales for certain industries like books, clothing, and entertainment. However, many shed builders incorrectly assume that digital is not critical to their business because they still do much of their business over the phone or face-to-face. The reality is 80[Read More…]
Builder in Tennessee, Kentucky Preparing for Growth in 2017
Esh’s Utility Buildings of Kentucky and Tennessee is looking forward to an outstanding year in 2017 in its storage building production, the company reports. Where it sold three buildings before, it wants to sell four. Where it was decently efficient in the past, it wants to improve efficiency. And where[Read More…]
