Cover Story
Timely intervention
How James Abrams uses his strategic plan to predict problems and drive Clockwork Home Services to new heights
By Brian Horn
Smart Business Tampa Bay | May 2008
Page 1 of 4
The sign in the social services facility said it all for James
Abrams.
“Plan or be planned for,” Abrams recalls of the sign he saw back
in 1968.
At that time, Abrams was a 21-year-old teacher in Detroit, accompanying a student who was having problems at home.
“Right behind that building was another very large building in
Detroit, which was commonly referred to as the ‘projects,’ where
they effectively housed people that had not planned very well for
their life,” he says.
“So, it was very impacting on me as a young man. I don’t think I’ll
ever forget it walking in there and seeing that sign and saying,
‘Oh my goodness, if one doesn’t plan one’s life, other people have
a plan for you that you may not like.’”
The sign made such an impact in Abrams’ life that he still uses
the lesson today as a key factor in leading Clockwork Home
Services Inc., where he serves as chairman, president and CEO of
the provider of electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other services to
homeowners.
“It’s our plan really that sets us apart to begin with from everybody else,” he says. “The plan is allowing us to have this type of
growth and generating profits each step along the way.”
The growth Abrams refers to starts with the company he co-founded in 1998 and had sales of approximately $2 million in 1999.
After a steady climb, revenue jumped to $59.8 million in 2005,
$111.9 million in 2006 and, in 2007, the company posted revenue of
$182.3 million.
However, simply developing a plan didn’t lead his business to
success it’s how Abrams measures within the plan and how he
reacts when something isn’t working within it that keep his company running smoothly.
