Solution Building

It starts by asking the right questions! Another week has gone by and Gene’s looking forward to today’s meeting. As they wrapped up last week’s meeting, John indicated that they would “actually” learn the first step in the proposal system today. Listen to this week's podcast to walk through the first step of the proposal system with Gene and John!

So wouldn’t you like a plan for doing construction proposals? It’s Saturday, and today will be Gene’s third meeting with John. Even though there’s been no change in Gene’s overwhelming workload, today is the first time he’s not considered canceling. He knows the value of this information and is looking forward to the opportunity to learn more from his mentor. Listen to this week's podcast to hear...

This is the first step in Building a Better Proposal. Even though Gene was still overwhelmed, and his schedule was packed, he knew the only way to ever get control was to keep his upcoming appointment with John. Listen to this week's podcast to hear about Gene's second meeting with John and learn about the top 7 bid mistakes that contractors make!

And Gene’s not sure he can squeeze it in. It’s Friday, and Gene is in his normal state of overwhelm. He’s supposed to be meeting with John tomorrow afternoon to go over the  Building a Better Proposal  system, and he doesn’t know how he can fit it in. There are still so many things that need to be done. Sound familiar? Listen to this week's podcast to hear about Gene and John's first meeting and t...

That’s a luxury I just can’t afford! Here we are, already a week into the new year, and I’m not done with my annual planning yet. This is something that every year I intend to do before the end of the year, but it rarely gets done on time. I know I’m not the only one struggling to get everything done, and I get it. The question is, how can we be the most productive with the time we have?

As usual, Gene had been on the go, nonstop, trying to keep construction projects moving forward, collecting money, paying bills, and meeting with new potential customers when he realized he still had six projects needing proposals. As he thought about this, he realized it had been more than two weeks since he had talked with John about how he did construction proposals. Listen to this week's podca...

You start with a plan. Once again, Gene was alone at the office late on a Saturday night working to get at least one more proposal done, before going home. He had promised four different customers their proposals this week. If all goes well, he’ll have this second one finished before midnight. Listen to this week's podcast to hear how Gene finds "the light at the end of the tunnel" in his construc...

If not, why do so many do it? This is the million-dollar question. And it actually may be. The amount of dollars lost by procrastinating is costing money and a lot of it. Decisions have consequences. Every decision we make every day comes with consequences. Some of those consequences may be good, some may not.

That’s a question that’s going to take some research! Have you ever noticed how stubborn people in construction are? From my experience, they are some of the most headstrong and obstinate people you’ll ever meet. It’s like they are so bullheaded that they’re not willing to make any changes. Why is that? We get into this in detail in this week's podcast!

Trying to spin too many plates at the same time can make you dizzy. The number of things we’re trying to get done just increases around the Holidays. I know the last couple of weeks I’ve have felt like I had a lot of plates spinning. Most construction companies operate this way, they’re trying to do too many things at a time. Just like the performer who keeps putting more and more spinning plates...

Dreams don’t magically build themselves. This includes a dream business. I had a wake up call through  my accident  in 2012. That was when it became clear to me that my business and life had been on autopilot without much intentionality. There was so much more that I wanted to accomplish. I had been going through the motions of living without acting on the plan.

And there’s more to the right tool than you might think.  There is a tool out there for every job, usually more than one. As cool as they all are,  they’re worthless if you don’t have them and don’t use them . The biggest “tool” problem is…the lack of “business BUILDing tools”.  Don't miss the Holiday Special on our Business BUILDing Toolbox beginning on Black Friday, Nov. 24th, when the toolbox w...

It’s like opening the perfect Christmas gift. Make your construction project like opening that gift on Christmas morning that you’ve always wanted. It doesn’t have to be a stocking full of coal. Finding the right builder is like doing a construction project, in that it’s not as scary as it seems if you know what questions to ask and have someone you trust guiding you.

And I don’t mean getting a stocking full of coal! It’s a little like a home construction project. Different people have had different construction experiences…some good and some not so much. The problem with construction is that there are more bad experiences than good, and it shouldn’t be this way. A home construction project should be like Christmas.

You would think so, but construction companies do it all the time. The reason most construction businesses are stuck here is fear. They are afraid that trying something different might not work. They choose the discomfort of the known over the unknown. It doesn’t have to be this way!

Do you think the construction business of your dreams is worth it? One of the biggest issues in construction is that most people in this industry are willing to do the hard physical work of building a building but will work even harder to avoid the work of building the business. Building the business of your dreams is a choice. If you would like some information about tools to help you build the c...

It’s really not that hard…it just requires a change of perspective. There are countless reasons that businesses fail, but just because other businesses fail, doesn’t mean yours will too. Being aware of and understanding these statistics increases your chance of survival. You can’t succeed if you don’t try. If you would like to learn more about BUILDing a successful construction business, you can s...

Because your company is too important to just roll the dice Why is it that people operating construction companies are willing to gamble with their business? This random hit and miss business model is an all-too-common practice in the construction industry. Somewhere along the way as we grow into the routine of life and business, we stop asking questions. UNDERSTANDING starts with asking questions...

It would be so much easier if there was only one problem to deal with. As complicated and overwhelming as the physical on-site construction portion is, the business part is equally daunting. Listen to this week's podcast to learn more about the top problems in the construction industry and some solutions that can help!

How to know what your number is and what you should do with it.  A construction company's bid-hit ratio is vital to the health of their business. This statistic provides a clear look at the type/price/size/etc. of projects that are most valuable to the company. 

Written communication is really the only way to avoid this problem. Whether it’s subcontractors or customers, the  communication responsibility lies with the general contractor . Verbal communication leaves too many things open to interpretation.

Wielding a power tool gives us a sense of control and respect. The feeling of that power in our hands is amazing. We are in control, but the machine can never be tamed. We have to respect it, or we will regret it. We pretend to be in charge of the “power tool beast”, but we know better.

Change can be scary; it might not work. We know our routines, and we like them. “We’ve always done it this way”, isn’t a very good plan for building a better business. Too many construction companies find themselves in a rut, and “rut thinking” doesn’t allow for building your dream business. So how do you get out of that rut and build the business you always dreamed of?

Knowing this could be the difference of life and death for your business. There are so many things trying to get on the “to do” list and each one is competing for the top position. Deciding which one should get that spot is tough. It’s easy to say that we have limited time but hard to actually spend it that way.

The best way is to have a Home Maintenance Plan! It’s easy for the busy activities of everyday life to consume us, and home maintenance gets overlooked. This is why I prepared a  Home Maintenance Plan and Check List . It’s available for free at our  Solution Building  website. Just follow the links and download it for free.