Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine January 2026

News Magazine January 2026

Time for a Breather & Refocus This is the time of year we can slow down a bit. Summer is long gone, winters are not quite as busy and we can actually go home at a decent hour and spend time with family. Money can be a bit tight because cash flow is not what it was. We’re trying to keep employees on full or at least nearly fulltime. So it is not exactly a time to prop your feet up without any stress; but, it is time we can think — Think about “Where we are, where we came from, and where do we want to go?” Where we are? Yeah, that is a question. Do we really know? Do we understand our financial picture? If we have money in the bank, do we really have money? Are we profitable. Are we as profitable as we could or should be? Do we have money to pay our taxes? Are we putting money in a retirement plan for ourselves and employees? Do we have trucks and equipment that need to be replaced? What is our brand in the community; i.e., are we the cheapest, the most expensive, the most reliable, the most available, the leader and friend within the community? Are we a good ole’ boy driving down the road with several jugs of refrigerant and a ladder on the rack? Where are we? Can we survive another year of who we are at present? If we look around, is this where we want to be?

Where we came from. It is also important to ask, where we came from. That gives us a perspective on our progress. Progress is where we are in comparison to where we were. If we did $500,000 in 2024 and $750,000 in 2025, that is $250,000 in progress. Actually, it is only an increase in sales, not necessarily profit progression. You can’t know where you are by only looking at sales. You also have to look at profit. So if you did $500,000 in 2024 with a 10% net profit but $750,000 in 2025 with a 5% net profit, you’re going backwards. You worked harder, had more risk, maybe more employees but actually earned $12,500 dollars less. That is the wrong direction. I am using smaller gross revenue because so many in our industry are new and trying to figure out the business side of life. You may wake up and realize that the harder you work, the more dollars you turn, the worse off you are. You had the itch to start a business, so you had to scratch it. OK, you’ve scratched it. Was it what you thought it would be? For some, it is time to quit exploring this new world of owning a business, get a good job with a credible company, and stop worrying about making payroll. It is OK to reevaluate where you are compared to where you were and to decide that being a great employee can give you a sense of professionalism, accomplishment, and time to spend with family, to hunt, to fish, to watch your kid ’ s ballgames. These days a good tech can make a good living without the stress of running a business.