Construction Genius

As a construction company, your expertise lies in building. But what most contractors fail to realize is that it is also a business that requires good management of the flow of money. Cash is what drives all businesses. It is vital to the survival and success of every company. But more often than not, contractors put cash flow issues on the backburner and focus on issues that they find easier or m...

Every entrepreneur recognizes the challenges involved when starting a business—funding, workforce, looking for the right niche, and many more! This is why getting a business running requires that leap of faith, patience, and a whole lot of support. It usually takes several years to build a business from the ground up and construction startups may find it especially difficult to be competitive sinc...

An ideal strategic plan can help scale your business and take you to where you want it to be in the coming years. But without clear priorities set into it, it may take longer than anticipated to achieve sustained business success. This week's podcast episode is the fourth and last part of the Triangle One-Page Planning Process series. Today, we'll examine how to create an efficient system in build...

You can start your construction business today and be like the rest of the businesses in the market. But with careful and refined planning, you can set yourself apart from the competition. This week's episode marks Part 3 of the four-part series on the Triangle One-Page Planning Process. Today, we'll focus on how to build sustained success in the construction industry. I will cover: How to identif...

Most leaders set career goals, whether it's becoming a senior partner or a company executive. But the journey towards achieving those goals is the biggest challenge that we actually face.  In this week's podcast episode, I have a great discussion with Eric Jones , President, and CEO of Foushée . We talked about his journey from the Naval academy to construction, and how he went in headstrong and g...

Each person has a unique personality. Companies are made up of people, and each company has a unique personality, or way of behaving.  This week marks Part 2 of our four-part series explaining the Triangle One Page Planning Process. In this episode, we'll focus on how to discover and leverage your company's unique personality. I will cover: The definition of personality, The distinction between pe...

In the construction industry there are many strategies to generate and increase profits, including safety. However, with some construction companies, instead of creating a balance, we see a pendulum that swings between productivity and safety, undermining the truth that a safe company is a profitable company.  In this week's podcast episode, I have a great conversation with Larry Markham, co-owner...

The basic purpose of every business is to make money. But if you want to stand out from the competition, you need to define what your business's deeper purpose is. Most successful businesses know what that is and it usually goes beyond the desire to make and have more financially.  This week's podcast episode is Part 1 of a four-part series aimed at the four critical questions that will help you t...

Social media is here to stay and it would be a huge mistake to not incorporate it into a company's marketing strategy because who isn't on social nowadays right?  Today's businesses are utilizing it for the purpose of engaging with their customers and their audience. Construction companies are lagging behind though but it's not too late to start and while there are a lot of social media platforms...

In the construction industry preparation is vital for everything, from bidding, planning, and building work. We spend time preparing for things in the business so we can execute our work well; however, as important as it is to get the work done by careful preparation, have you stopped and asked if you are devoting that same amount of quality time to get ready for the day and ready for your leaders...

Change can be difficult, but if you look at it from a growth perspective you will see that the risks that come with change are nothing compared to what you can gain. Prefabrication is being rapidly adopted across Construction and presents lots of profit opportunities for contractors who are willing to learn and adapt.  In this week's Construction Genius podcast episode I talk with Amy Marks. She i...

You do not want to meddle in another person's affairs, but sometimes it's obvious that someone on your team is struggling. Their ability to perform at a high level is affected by what they are going through. They are stuck.  In this week's episode of Construction Genius, I explore why people get stuck, the impact it has upon your organization, and how you can help people get unstuck.  Tune in to t...

Technology? Friend or foe? Most of us have been in business for quite some time now, and whether we like to admit it or not, doing business nowadays is different from the way it was done, say, 30 years ago. The processes in the past, although effective, were limited. In today's business environment, technology is helping break down those limitations and construction companies are among the busines...

A better year, that's what we all hoped 2020 would be like. But five months into this year and we're all feeling the heavy weight that the challenges this current climate brings. For CEO's or those in executive leadership, there's a choice that you have to make though, either choose to look inwardly and start worrying about one's self or be mission focused during a period like this.  In this podca...

Resource Links:  A free copy of my Kick-Ass Meeting Report ( https://www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings ) Let's Talk Shop Podcast ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-shop/id1462173868 ) Western Allied Mechanical Inc. Website ( http://westernallied.com/ ) Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association Website ( https://www.smacna.org/ ) The past two decades have wi...

Resource Links:  A free copy of my Kick-Ass Meeting Report ( https://www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings ) Book Recommendations:  Who by Geoff Smart  Traction by Gino Wickman  Good to Great by Jim Collins  Snowball by Warren Buffet With the average turnover rate being 38% to 40%, construction companies are experiencing a struggle of finding good talent in the industry resulting in company growth...

Resource links:  Free copy of Kick-ass meeting report ( www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings ) Have you ever been in a position where someone has leverage over you? They have the power to influence your decisions, often against your will.   Employees having leverage is a struggle most business owners have faced, especially in the construction industry. You may not want to be confrontational about...

Resource Links: A free copy of my Kick-Ass Meeting Report ( https://www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings ) Millennials are now the largest generational cohort in the workplace, and it's great to have them! They have the reputation of being lazy, and unwilling to communicate "man-to-man", but I think that's overblown. I know many Millennials who are extremely talented, and deeply committed to the c...

Resource Links: A free copy of my Kick-Ass Meeting Report ( https://www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings ) Andrew's Web Site: The Center for Executive Coaching ( https://www.centerforexecutivecoaching.com/ ) Books:  Coach! : The Crucial, Deceptively Simple Leadership Skill For Breakaway Performance , Andrew Neitlich With the coronavirus pandemic affecting our economy, a lot of businesses have foun...

Resource Links: A free copy of my Kick-Ass Meeting Report ( https://www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings ) 90 High-Performance Dashboard ( https://www.ericanderton.com/90day ) "Kick-Ass Meetings" e-book ( https://www.ericanderton.com/kam ) More on the E.A.R. leadership framework, watch this video: Grab Your E.A.R.! How to Master Leadership Communication ( https://youtu.be/SmThNUWzo8A ) Books:  Man...

Resource Links: A free copy of my Kick-Ass Meeting Report ( https://www.ericanderton.com/kickassmeetings ) Original Joe's Italian Restaurant Website ( https://www.sanjoseoriginaljoes.com/ ) Being in the construction business often involves working in the field for long hours. However, if you want to grow your business, there are many areas you need to work on that doesn't involve building projects...

We're facing a unique circumstance this year as the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has led to more people working from home and the shut down of school districts in the middle of the school year. For most parents, this means they're attempting to get their kids to do their schoolwork at home.  This can be deeply challenging, so we will step away a bit from the general focus of our podcast and tackl...

Some employees don't have the guts to talk to their superiors about sensitive things that may or may not make a difference. On the other hand, some leaders make it impossible for employees to reach out by making themselves unapproachable—though at most times, unintended.   It's imperative to understand that teamwork is all about communication. When communication stops, everything falls apart. Bein...

Have you ever thought of transitioning your business over to new management in a way that you still have enough control to make a difference, but do less of the tasks that you do as an owner? An effective succession plan can be tricky. Thinking of how much blood, sweat and tears you've shed for your business to grow and to just hand it over to someone else is a tough decision to make. Knowing how...

What would you say if I told you there are people working in your business who don't fully understand their role and responsibilities? We know that on a construction site, if a building doesn't have the right foundation, the entire project will fall apart. The same is true in business, if the foundation isn't right and people don't understand their role in the company, trouble won't be far away......