Shepformation Monthly Newsletter
Information, resources, and news from Shepley for building professionals on Cape Cod and Nantucket.
July 2014 – The Power of Unintended Consequences (Part I)
Two legislative initiatives, in current process, that really show the power of unintended consequences are: the move in the Massachusetts State Senate to mandate sprinkler systems in all 1-2 family dwellings; and the federal FEMA...
June 2014 – Why Isn’t Common Sense More Common?
Do you ever feel like we may be “dumbing down”? Common sense must work in cycles and in the cases below, it looks like we’re not at the top of the common sense curve. Exhibit A- A tag found on a hair dryer at Sears: “Do not use while...
May 2014 – What You Want Isn’t Always What You Need
How many times do we, or our homeowner clients, look at one aspect of a situation without considering the whole picture? A perfect example is one I ran across the other day in which a builder asked me to review a disclaimer he had written....
“If I lived my life over again, I'd make the same mistakes . . . only sooner.”
Early 20th century screen and stage actress Tallullah Bankhead
Customers May Not Always Be Right, But They Will Always Be Our Customers
Let’s never forget that customers are our only reason for being able to succeed and stay in business. My dentist has a sign on his wall that says, “Ignore your teeth, they’ll go away”. Doesn’t that work for customers too?...
October 2013 – The Ounce Of Prevention is Still Worth More Than The Pound of Cure
The proverb “Well begun is half done” was actually referred to as a proverb by Aristotle, who died 322 B.C., so it was a well-known saying even before his time. As we all know, the effects of an error or omission multiply through the job,...
September 2013 – No, I’m Not On Your Vacation (But I’m Glad You’re Here)
The easiest thing we do by the end of August is begin to resent some of our summer visitors. Looking at them from our native perspective, it’s clear that: they aren’t too sure where they’re going, not too urgent to get there, and may in...