Business Sense: Creating a Work-Life Balance at a Countertop Shop

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware We talk to many folks in the shops and offices of countertop businesses and unfortunately, it’s more common than not to be totally and utterly burnt out. Mental exhaustion. Emotionally drained. Never-ending stress. The headaches! It’s no way to live, but it’s the norm in our … Read more

7 Valuable Things We’ve Learned From Visiting Successful Countertop Shops

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware Over the last 18+ years, we’ve had many amazing opportunities to visit countertop shops. Whether it’s through a tour associated with an industry event or visiting our own awesome customers, we’re always happy to see just how creative fabricators are getting with the way they … Read more

Fabricator Profile: Creative Stone

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware First of all, a huge congrats to Creative Stone for an amazing 25 years being in business! That is no small feat for a small business, especially in this industry. Of course, we just had to sit down for a chat with Amy Alt-Kellner, co-owner of Creative … Read more

Business Sense: Tips to Better Manage Countertop Shop Scheduling

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware What words come to mind when you think about your scheduling process? For a lot of fabricators – especially those with smaller operations – it’s chaos.  Striking the right balance of supply and demand is what scheduling is all about, but when everyone at your shop … Read more

Fabricator Profile: Humboldt Countertops

Up at the top of California, Humboldt Countertops is thriving. The small shop has 10 employees, does about 7-10 jobs per week, and has rave reviews on google, yelp, Facebook, etc – you name it! This is thanks to Kelley Montana and Kari Chalmers, owners of Humboldt Countertops, and their team. The Growth Mindset … Read more

Business Sense: What’s the cost of not changing?

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware This is one of our favorite questions to ask when we first talk to a fabricator looking at software. It’s an important question, and one that can be applied to any part of your business. Let’s face it – as humans, we all get into … Read more

Business Sense: What percentage of your business goes to reworks?

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware You can talk about reworks and how to reduce them until you’re red in the face. And that’s actually great because we all know they are a major problem. But, in order to reduce your reworks, you first need to understand the what, who, and how that is unique … Read more

Business Sense: Tips to Deal With Unhappy Customers

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware Let’s face it – every business hopes their customers are happy. After all, that leads to more customers! But unless we’re actively paying attention to what makes our customers happy or where mistakes are happening, there are probably more tough conversations than we’d like! The good news is that … Read more

Why Fabricators Should “Systemize the Predictable”

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware Whenever someone mentions building out processes for your company, many managers get a look of terror in their eyes and run for cover, thinking about 500-page SOP manuals and nitpicking every single detail of their operation. But streamlining your shop doesn’t have to be so painful, … Read more

Fabricator Profile: AMC Countertops

By Katherine Gifford of Moraware When it comes to sustainable growth and managing scalability, Carmina Mendez and her team at AMC Countertops in Wisconsin are hard to beat. Their skills in organization and a willingness to keep learning are top qualities in an often fast-paced, time-constrictive industry. So, it seemed like a … Read more