For generations, the shed and metal building industry has been built on trust. A handshake, a promise, and a person’s word have often been enough to close a sale. Dealers trust manufacturers. Manufacturers trust haulers. Customers trust dealers. In many rural communities, that tradition remains a source of pride and[Read More…]
Articles
Beyond the Numbers
Every company, dealer, manufacturer, driver, and employee in the shed industry has valid opinions. “This building style sells better.” “My customers only want this color.” “We’ve always stocked these sizes because they’re the most popular.” Those observations aren’t wrong. In fact, they’re incredibly valuable. They come from years of experience,[Read More…]
LP Building Solutions Celebrates 54 Years
On July 20, 2026, LP Building Solutions celebrated its 54th birthday—a milestone that reflects more than five decades of innovation, resilience, and leadership in the building products industry. Since its incorporation on July 20, 1972, LP has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of builders, remodelers, contractors, and homeowners[Read More…]
The Three Jobs in Every Contract
The question I get more than any other in this business is some version of “should I start my own rent-to-own company?” It’s a fair question. It also has an annoying answer: it’s more complicated than it sounds and nowhere near as black-and-white as most people asking it assume. The[Read More…]
From Data to Decisions
One of the most important things a business leader needs is confidence. Confidence is different than arrogance. It is much more than the loud announcement that says, “I know what I’m doing.” The confidence of competence is a quiet certainty that comes from knowing what is happening in your business[Read More…]
Starting Over
Starting over takes a kind of quiet bravery. Not the loud, cinematic kind that people celebrate, but the kind that settles like a knot in the pit of your stomach. It is the kind that keeps you awake at night wondering if you are making the biggest mistake of your[Read More…]
What’s In A Name?
What’s in a name? More than most business owners realize. One of the most valuable assets your company will ever own isn’t sitting on your lot, parked in your driveway, or stored in your warehouse. It’s your brand. Your company name, logo, reputation, website, and the trust you’ve earned with[Read More…]
One Game, Five Scoreboards
The meeting always starts the same way. Sales are down. Marketing says the leads are fine. Sales says the leads are garbage. The agency blames the algorithm. Google reports that conversions went up. The CRM says they didn’t. And the owner sits at the head of the table wondering how[Read More…]
Self-Help Repossession and Breach of Peace
Getting a shed back after a customer default is one of the toughest parts of the rent-to-own business. The faster and cleaner you can do it, the better off you are and the fewer headaches you create. Of course, you want to work with your customers on getting their accounts[Read More…]
Beachy Barns: Built By Example
Driving through the farm country around Plain City, Ohio, you’ll see what you’d expect. Narrow back roads, clumps of trees, the occasional farmhouse and barn with a handful of livestock, and lots of crops. But along one of the roads, you notice something peculiar. Rows of peaked, shingled roofs. You[Read More…]
