Construction business owners face various sources of stress that can negatively impact their well-being and overall business performance. Some leading causes of stress for construction business owners include financial pressures, tight deadlines, workforce management, safety concerns, and regulatory compliance. If not adequately addressed, these factors can lead to burnout, decreased productivity, and even business failure. 

Many entrepreneurs believe hard work and determination are all it takes to build and sustain a successful business. But when you consider the pressures of running a company, it seems wise to add effective stress management to the list. Left unchecked, stress can erode your passion and undermine performance – not to mention a severe toll on your health.

 

Read More

Topics: Cash Flow, Construction Accountant Who Listens, MAP vs. PAM, Contractor Cash Flow Problems, Do What You Do Best And Outsource The Rest, Contractor Tips

Fear is a natural, emotional response to distress. The evolution of humanity was dependent upon feeling and responding to fear. Unfortunately, for some of us, fear is a stumbling block to unlocking our full potential and becoming great leaders. 

Fear can have a significant impact on business activities. If a business owner is afraid of taking risks or making decisions based on past negative experiences, it can hinder their success. It's important to remember that fear is often based on False Evidence Appearing Real or F.E.A.R. It's crucial to approach business decisions objectively and not let fear cloud judgment. By recognizing and addressing fear, business owners can make informed decisions that lead to success.

The good news is that courage is like a muscle, and when you exercise courage, it often becomes more robust and more natural. Here are a handful of ways to overcome fear, find courage and become a better construction company owner.

Read More

Topics: Success In Owning A Construction Business, Leadership Styles, Contractor Tips, Building a Construction Business

A competitive advantage is something that you offer or have that the competitor does not. There must be compelling reasons for people to do business with you rather than with other construction companies.

The need to identify your point of difference is essential. The more similar your business is to many others, the greater your need to develop competitive advantages.

The key to benefitting from the competition is knowing how to take on competitors so your company earns a profit effectively. Look into your industry and the successful contractors around you not to lose sight of your vision for your construction company but as an inspiration to guide your systems and processes.

Read More

Topics: Contractor Tips, Construction Productivity, Construction Organizational Change, Competition In The Construction Industry, Construction Competitors

Sales and profit are two very different things – as a construction business owner, you can find yourself without the cash to pay bills despite making sales you knew were profitable. You may also be startled to discover that solid cash flows from sales deliver little profit.

 

A cash flow forecast tracks cash flowing in and out of your business. The timing of these flows enables you to identify cash-rich and cash-lean periods. This helps make the right decisions, such as buying assets or preparing for cash shortfalls.

 

Cash flow is essential to the survival of your business – arguably more so than profit in the short term. Profit may be necessary for the longer term, but cash is needed to pay bills and operating costs quickly.

 

For example, if you're a plumber with reasonable cash reserves, you can survive until your business becomes profitable. However, if your business runs out of cash, you'll need to find a solution quickly to avoid going bankrupt.

 

Read More

Topics: Construction Cash Flow, Cash Flow, Construction Accountant Who Listens, Contractor Cash Flow Problems, Contractor Tips, Improve Construction Cash Flow

Taking steps to create a good foundation in the early days of your business is essential for a sustainable and profitable future. 

It's rare these days that your prospective leads happen to find your construction business and become a client with no work. Your company has to grab people's attention, turn curious visitors into leads and then convert those leads into sales.

Keep in mind: Marketing-Accounting-Production

Read More

Topics: Construction Marketing, Construction Bookkeeping And Accounting, MAP vs. PAM, Contractor Tips, Construction Productivity, Construction Organizational Change

If you feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of technological gadgets, never mind apps and other digital "solutions,"; you're not alone. Technology sprawl and the rabbit hole of more and more information available all the time makes productivity—and healthy downtime—a real challenge for many of us.

Although we may be quicker at completing redundant tasks, more time is wasted managing all our different apps and technologies—and more of us live in a near-constant state of distraction.

An epidemic of distracted workers

Maintaining focus on the job is increasingly difficult in the era of social media, chat apps, games, and the ability to search for anything at any time—whether related to the task at hand or not.

 

Read More

Topics: Project Management, Construction Productivity, Construction Systems And Processes, Boost Construction Profitability

Cash is king! Construction Company cash flow is the movement of money in and out of your Construction Company; these movements are known in accounting circles as inflow and outflow. Inflows for your Construction Company primarily come from selling goods or services to your customers, but keep in mind that inflow only occurs when you make a cash sale or collect on receivables. Other examples of cash inflows are borrowed funds, income derived from sales of assets, and investment income from interest.

Outflows for your Construction Company are generally the result of paying labor, material, other direct and indirect costs of goods sold, and overhead expenses.

Read More

Topics: Construction Cash Flow, Cash Flow, Construction Accountant Who Listens, Contractor Cash Flow Problems, Contractor Tips, Improve Construction Cash Flow

Many problems can be traced back to the "Halo Effect," which happens when a contractor thinks, "We are so good at (fill in the blank) we should expand into (fill in the blank)."

The most common situation is when a residential remodel contractor with a reputation and a substantial company generating 15% or more profits decides to start building custom homes. Or the opposite, a home builder who decides to branch out into residential remodeling.

Residential Remodel Contractor Building A Home

The processes, tools, equipment, materials, skills, and invoicing procedures required to build a house from the ground up differ entirely from modifying a home with people living there.

 

Read More

Topics: High Profit Construction Projects, High Return On Investment, Clients or Customers, Boost Construction Profitability

As a small business owner, you're likely already aware of the importance of keeping your finances in order. Financial management goes deeper than paying your bills on time and collecting invoices (although those are also important). It involves regularly checking your financial situation to ensure your accounts are in order, your records are up-to-date, and you're spending within your budget.

Among those activities, financial reconciliation is vital in keeping your finances and business on track. Force reconciliations can cause your net income to be over or understated, which means you pay too much in taxes now or too little now and the rest later with penalties and interest because the IRS can ask for a copy of your bookkeeping record. 

Read More

Topics: QuickBooks For Contractors Financial Reports, Contractor Tips, financial fraud, Financial Reconciliation

Starting a construction business is not for the faint of heart. A certain level of stress comes with ensuring your company's success. If things go wrong, it all falls back on you. That said, the freedom and sense of accomplishment of running your own business make the challenges well worth it.

With good planning and strong business practices, you can avoid the pitfalls and drive your trade business to financial success. Learn the top reasons why small businesses end up in bankruptcy and what you can do to prevent that from happening to you.

1. Poor cash flow

Not bringing enough money in is the main reason why businesses fail. You must have more money coming in than is going out, or you're on the express train to bankruptcy. This might mean increasing your prices, decreasing costs, or combining the two. There might also be different service models you can offer (such as subscription services) or ways to branch out your income. 

 

Work with an accountant or bookkeeper to help you identify issues with your cash flow as soon as you know there's a problem–or to prevent one before it happens. The earlier you catch a cash flow problem, the better.

 

Read More

Topics: Construction Accountant Who Listens, Contractor Tips, Bankruptcy, Construction Company Bankruptcy