When I first heard the term BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement), I thought to myself, “No way! That’s a polite way of being okay with failure.” But I soon found that, regardless of where I turned to research negotiation strategies and tactics, the concept came up. The more I read about it and the more I let the theory marinate, the more practical applications I found for it.

About a year ago, my son turned 15 and got his learner’s permit to drive. He was aware of all of the laws. In fact, in his opinion he had become an expert in the driving laws of the State of Georgia. Um…yeah.

As a disclaimer, I am not formally trained or an expert in Social Media; but rather a restorer and educator who recognizes the power of the digital world in which we operate.  There is great opportunity to build relationships, show your expertise, establish credibility and more if we harness the power. 

Years of cigarette smoke can permeate an entire structure. Heavy, aggressive, and thorough cleaning will be required. How would you estimate such a job? What products would be the most effective to use in such an environment? Annissa tells us all about it in this week's Ask Annissa!

I want to tell you about my father-in-law. In 1988, he started his business in his garage with his best friend shortly after high school. He sold that plastics injection molding company several weeks ago, for what I would guess is a handsome sum, and is now just two years from retirement after slowly phasing out of the company.

Whether we like it or not, change is constantly happening all around us. You have to decide whether or not the change works for you or if you just want to keep on doing what you’ve been doing. We can whine about how it used to be, but the reality is we can only control how or if we respond to the change in the future.

To clean or not to clean: that is the question. Every cleaning job is unique and must be approached as such.

Should you physically beat up your customers? Of course not. If your employees are beating up customers in order to enforce company policy, clearly they haven't been taught the skills of effective decision making. 

San Diego, California may not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of the restoration industry. A dry desert climate, surfing and the Pacific Ocean typically come to mind first. In the small East San Diego County town of Lakeside, best known for its rodeo and small town charm, the first meeting for The Restoration Association was held on March 21st, 2018.

The Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) is excited to announce that the 2019 CIRI Science Symposium will be held July 15-17 at Miami University in Oxford, OH. The theme for the 2019 symposium is “Connecting Research to Practice.”