Customer service is the heartbeat of any successful business. The unsung hero transforms a potential disaster into an opportunity and a mere transaction into a lifelong relationship. In the narrative of customer loyalty and retention, service is the protagonist.

 

Your approach to customer service has the power to attract and retain clients. As a construction business owner, client service is critical to your company's success. It is essential to understand what your clients want and how you can provide the best service possible to meet their needs.

 

Read More

Topics: Give Your Customers And Clients What They Want, High Profit Repeat Construction Clients, Customers Vs. Clients, Secrets Of Highly Successful Contractors

Marketing your construction business is crucial for its growth and success. You can use various strategies to promote your business, such as creating a website, networking, social media marketing, and advertising. Additionally, sponsoring events and collaborating with other companies can help you reach a wider audience. 

 

I understand how daunting it can feel for construction business owners like you; we've been there. Whether you're new to the game or have been in business for a while and haven't quite cracked the code, navigating the marketing world can be overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be. Your business deserves to be seen, heard, and thriving—with the proper guidance, you can make marketing work for you. Let's unravel the puzzle, starting from square one.

 

Read More

Topics: Marketing Ideas For Contractors That Work, Construction Marketing, Contractor Marketing, offline marketing for contractors

Many small construction business owners tend to handle their accounting and bookkeeping, especially when they've just started. However, keeping track of the finance side of the business– everything from income to expenses to tax compliance– can be overwhelming.

 

Mistakes can happen quite quickly and can have costly consequences for your business. Below are five of the most common Do-It-Yourself accounting errors you should avoid.

 

Read More

Topics: Construction Accounting, contractors bookkeeping and accounting, outsourced construction accounting and bookkeeping, contractors bookkeeping and accounting seattle, Construction Accounting Vs Regular Accounting, DIY Construction Accounting Errors

Construction Company owners like you have probably experienced life-changing events in the past few years, as many of our clients did. Are you struggling to keep your construction business afloat? Do you find yourself facing the same issues over and over again? It's common for construction businesses to meet various challenges, but if you're not addressing them properly, they can quickly become pitfalls. 

 

1. Poor Cash Flow Management 

 

One of the biggest challenges for construction businesses is managing cash flow. You need cash to buy materials, pay workers, and keep your business running. However, you may be in a cash crunch if you don't correctly deal with your cash flow. To avoid this, you should create a cash flow forecast and regularly update it. This will help you anticipate cash flow issues and take steps to address them before they become a problem. 

 

Read More

Topics: Profit and Growth Strategies For Contractors, Leadership Styles, Project Management, Construction Productivity

For a business to thrive and grow, it needs a strategic plan and the ability to find new customers and continually tap into promising markets. However, this can be easier said than done in a highly competitive trade industry.

 

With time, the quality of your work will speak for itself, which is the most valuable testimonial of all. While your good reputation preceding you is undoubtedly essential, there are a few other ways that you'll want to market your services to ensure that you have a steady stream of work.

 

The untapped potential in existing markets

 

Start by re-evaluating your existing customer base. Profiling them will help you more accurately define your target consumers. 

 

Read More

Topics: Profit and Growth Strategies For Contractors, Construction Marketing, Contractor Marketing, handyman marketing, Inbound Marketing For Contractors

As a construction business owner, improving productivity is essential to your company's success. But you may often find yourself pulled in different directions by competing responsibilities. At some point, we all experience that.

 

Classifying tasks and tackling the most time-consuming ones can feel daunting. But why is it so hard for us to start – or even finish – seemingly insignificant tasks? Why do these tiny tasks become the bane of our existence, tempting us into procrastination limbo? 

 

Read More

Topics: Profit and Growth Strategies For Contractors, Leadership Styles, Project Management, Construction Productivity

As a construction business owner, you have a lot on your plate. You need to manage your employees, oversee projects, ensure compliance with regulations, and keep your clients happy. Amidst all this, you may be tempted to handle your payroll to save costs and maintain control.

 

At face value, it seems like a great idea. If you're a small business owner with just a few employees, you probably think hiring a payroll specialist is an expense you can avoid.

 

You feel that you can handle it yourself. You intend to keep your staff paid right and on time. What could go wrong, right? Well, lots, actually. And before you know it, it's now a costly mistake, and you need to spend more money to make it right.

 

Read More

Topics: Payroll Processing, Profit and Growth Strategies For Contractors, Payroll Options, Payroll For Construction Contractors

When you're ready to take your construction business to the next level, you might start thinking about "scaling." No, it's not just a fancy term for growth; it's about doing more with less. Scaling is about increasing your revenue without proportionately increasing your resources—fancy yet practical, right? It's like sending an email: your effort is the same whether you send it to 100 people or 100,000. 

 

But, as of now, we also probably feel like we are in the thick of a cost-of-living crisis. This challenges entrepreneurs and is a nerve-wracking time for many small construction business owners.

 

If you've had sleepless nights worrying about how you'll pay your suppliers or support your staff, you're not alone. You've likely already considered where to cut costs, but it seems impossible when suppliers raise prices. 

 

Read More

Topics: Construction Strategy, Profit and Growth Strategies For Contractors, Success In Owning A Construction Business, MAP vs. PAM, Construction Business Inflation, Scaling Your Construction Business

Mastering the right tone is critical when connecting and communicating with people in the construction business. Whether you're writing an email, making a phone call, or meeting in person, how you present yourself can make all the difference in building strong relationships with clients, colleagues, and partners. 

Research suggests that as much as 93% of communication is non-verbal, so it's unsurprising that the tone and meaning of emails and messages are misinterpreted as much as half the time.

For small construction businesses, email is frequently the preferred way to communicate with new leads, customers, and employees – but if you haven't mastered your tone, the meaning of your message may be lost. In the worst-case scenario, you may even unintentionally offend your audience.

Read More

Topics: Communication Skills For Better Accounting Results, Communication, Mastering Tone For Construction Business, Construction Business Communication

Tax season can be a bit overwhelming for construction business owners, especially with many things to keep track of in our industry. But don't worry; we're here to help! We know that construction businesses have unique tax considerations that can be tricky to navigate, such as complex accounting and bookkeeping challenges and issues related to payroll and sales taxes. 

 

That's why staying informed about the latest tax laws and regulations is essential, as well as working closely with a qualified construction accountant and tax professional who can guide you through this process and ensure you comply with all applicable tax rules and regulations. 

 

Preparing for tax season is a year-round endeavor. Tip number one for construction company owners is to update monthly financials using a streamlined software or cloud-based system.

 

This way, come tax time, everything you need is in one place. Well-organized small businesses are better positioned to minimize tax bills while avoiding missing or inaccurate information penalties.

 

Read More

Topics: How To Lower Your Tax Bill, Save Money On Income Taxes, Sales Tax, Tax Accountants, Reduce Taxes, Taxes, Contractor Tips