We were always a small contractor, but had a reputation for doing quality work, and ususlly had a reasonable price. There were those jobs where we were just outbid. I should say that this was back in the late 80's early 90. It was during that time that our area's economy was heading for the toilet. There were a number of projects that somehow ran out of funding. We had always legally pursued monies that were clearly owed to us, but the percentages quickly outweighed our ability to stay afloat. When we looked back at what our legal expenses were, the addage about lawyers were the only ones making money proved true. I remember "closing the doors" on Haloween of 1990. It was very debilitating, to say nothing of the monetary losses we incurred. We had our problems, but workmanship wasn't one of them. I believe that to be a true "contractor", knowing your trade and how to apply that in the field are only 50% of the equation. The rest must be that of "business" and "money". If you're a one man band, it's a bit different, but growing larger brings a whole nest of other responsibilities.
