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By Amanda Hosey

Every 3,000-5,000 miles (or 7,000 if you’re like me and forget) you change the oil on your car to keep the engine running effectively. Your company, too, needs to have a tuneup from time to time to keep things smooth and friction free in all its moving parts.

It’s necessary to occasionally take a step back and look at the company objectively. Do our employees still bring a level of enthusiasm to their work? Are we staying up to date on changing technologies, best practices, and techniques? Are we still setting (and reaching) new goals for ourselves and our companies?

In this issue, we’re looking at ways to keep improving and give your company the tuneup every company needs at times. It is easy to get comfortable, to say, “We’re making money. No one is complaining. This is good enough.” But “good enough” allows a company to become stagnant, and often that leads to a slow decline in sales and customer and employee satisfaction.

In his article on page 24, John Monroe discusses this exact tendency as he explains what meeting a business’ goals versus striving to push beyond them looks like. He lays out ways to always look for and implement improvement for the betterment of a company.

This month’s IICRC article (page 36) from Bob Blochinger examines the differences between workmanship and craftmanship. As he puts it: “Workmanship is the ‘how’ of performing a task, and craftsmanship is ‘why’ it is done a specific way.” It offers a chance to decide whether you’re bringing a level of craftmanship to your work or simply focusing on the workmanship of it.

On page 30, industry consultant Howard Partridge writes the first in a series he’s developed on “failure to implement.” The article points to the all-to-common tendency of owners (and everyone, really) to make goals that are never reached and offers an outline of the ways to overcome this, which will be laid out in subsequent articles.

Commercial carpet maintenance is something most companies have considered getting into. Dane Gregory discusses how to decide if it’s right for you and how to get started on page 16.

And I’ve put forth two articles on restoration. First, I spoke with drying instructors on what they consider the most important aspects of moisture mapping for improved planning and drying on page 10. And on page 20, find a deep dive into commercial drone use on restoration sites, which looks at uses, costs, and expected advancements so you can decide if you should consider the investment.

Keep striving to make your company stronger and keep it running effectively. I’m wishing you great success today and all the days after!

Amanda Hosey is the managing editor of Cleanfax. She has worked as an editor and writer for more than six years, including four years with Cleanfax. Reach her at [email protected].