Builder Finds Order Among Chaos

Like many custom builders a few years ago, Scott Jerald was struggling to keep his business, ASJ Development, afloat. He searched for leads while finding ways to meet payroll each month. In October 2008, business slowed dramatically and three cancellations came within one month’s time. Layoffs soon followed, including the release of Jerald’s colleague who moved from out of state to work with Jerald in Georgia. The staff shrank from five to one.

As a builder averaging three to five homes a year, three cancellations was devastating to Jerald’s business; it was time for action. The military veteran recalled his Ranger days and thought. “A soldier always has a plan, a good solider has a plan B and a great solider has a plan C,” he says. “So I started developing my course of action. I needed to retool my business.”