…And What Does Etiquette Even Mean? It means treating others the way you want to be treated. I had a conversation with a friend once about an experience they had with a plumber. While they were standing in the kitchen talking about the project… The plumber spit tobacco juice in the kitchen sink. Not once mind you, but 3-4 times! At least he had the courtesy to turn the water on and rinse out the sink. I wonder if his wife let’s him spit tobacco juice in the sink at home. While I was talking with this friend, I thought out loud, ‘What has happened to contractor etiquette?’ The more I’ve thought about it, more examples of this kind of ‘bad contractor behavior’ have come to mind.

The Bottom of the Rut is Gone It’s been a tough few weeks. With the truck transmission needing to be replaced and the customer shorting Gene $1000 dollars for the garage windows, Gene has felt like he’s stuck in the bottom of a muddy rut. Even with all the problems, Gene has had a lot of work to do for his first year of self-employment. Some of the projects have been very profitable. Having a lot of construction projects is rewarding. It’s also one of the reasons he’s struggling to get proposals done and keep up with the paperwork. To add to the busy, it’s time to get the tax paperwork gathered up. Gene needs to get it to the accountant so income taxes can be prepared. One more thing on the to do list that needs done.

Or You Can Just Keep Doing What You’ve Been Doing The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. This common quote is attributed to a lot of different people. It doesn’t matter who said it. What matters is what it says. I think this quote is so popular because of the truth that it represents. I recently shared how change is hard. This seems especially true for people in construction but isn’t limited to them. Without intentional action, nothing is going to change. Things will just continue as they are.

This is Where Delegation Comes in Having too much to do and not enough time to do it is a common situation. This is especially true for people in construction. Chasing my tail and trying to keep up is a good description of how this past week was for me. There were four different construction projects being done at the same time. This involved organizing multiple subcontractors and materials. In addition to this, there are six construction projects that are either waiting to be started, need to be scheduled, or need change orders done. Oh, and don’t forget the proposals that need to be made, payment applications and invoices for the week, and record keeping. Sounds like a pretty normal week in construction, doesn’t it?

It’s Important to Know This Because Your Money Can Move with It It’s that time of the year again; temperatures on the thermometer are creeping near the 100-degree mark. This raises the issue of keeping the heat outside and the cool air inside. This issue is even more relevant if you live in a home that is 40 years old or older. A home built before the mid-seventies is more likely affected by outside temperatures. Not enough insulation, single-pane windows, and air infiltration are all issues that may need attention. Understanding how heat moves in and out of your home can help you determine what projects to consider undertaking to minimize the heat. It can also help determine which projects are most important. There is a difference between heat and hot air.

Pretty Deep When the Bottom is Mud It’s been a few months since Tony pulled his stunt leaving Gene high and dry without any notice. Gene moved on…what else could he do? Gene replaced Tony with Darin. Darin is less experienced, but at least he has shown up so far. Of course, this may be because Darin doesn’t have anything to drive, so Gene picks him up and takes him home every day. Gene has been very busy. He’s had a lot of construction projects to do, not to mention trying to keep up with the paperwork. Things seem to be getting busier and busier. Maybe things are going to turn around for his business. As Gene was on his way to pick Darin up this morning, the truck began to make a grinding noise and it was hard to shift the truck into second gear. It didn’t get any better after picking Darin up and going to the job site. Then it happened…the transmission went out.

And the Rut Just Keeps Getting Deeper It’s Sunday afternoon and after getting home from church, Gene is back at his desk (the dining table) working on the third construction bid. He would rather be watching the NASCAR race, but there’s just not enough time for both. Some people would say that getting three of the four bids done is pretty good. There are a lot of people in construction that wouldn’t sweat this, but it bothers Gene to not follow through on what he said he would do. It’s getting late and the family has already gone to bed as he starts the next bid. At 1:15 AM Monday morning, Gene decides to go to bed even though the bid isn’t done yet. He needs to get up in a few hours and do some actual construction work.

You need a plan if you’re going to build a successful business. STUCK IN A RUT  It was late on a Saturday night and Gene was sitting at his desk in his home office (otherwise known as a dining table). This was the office of his construction company.   He was working to get at least one more construction proposal done before going to bed. He had promised four different customers proposals this week. If all goes well, he’ll have this second one finished before midnight. As Gene crunched numbers, he worried that he might have forgotten something. This had happened before.   He asked himself, “Why am I doing this? I could make more money and work less hours working for someone else. Heck, I’d be better off flipping burgers. This sure isn’t how I pictured my construction business five years ago when I started.”

This Seems Especially True for Construction Change is the biggest issue that the construction industry faces. Why are people in construction so bullheaded? They are some of the most stubborn and headstrong people.  This starts at a young age. As children, we have fewer external experiences to draw from. This restricted resource limits our view. This is why young people think they already know everything.  This narrow perspective then becomes our standard and we see no reason to change.

If You’re Like Most People in Construction, You Don’t Know… Last week we discussed how 96% of construction companies go out of business within the first 10 years. This is a problem if you’re in construction. As I was discussing last week’s post with a friend, he asked me why I do construction. Why would anyone want to start a construction company with odds like this? This question started me thinking about it. Why is anyone doing construction if the chance of staying in business is so stacked against them? This question prompted me to reach out to some people in construction and ask them. Why am I doing construction and how did I get here?

How Can You Change the Odds in Your Favor? According to the US Department of Commerce, 96% of construction companies fail within the first 10 years. This is a higher failure rate than any other kind of business. If you’re in construction…this is a problem. Having been in construction for more than 40 years, I became aware of the problems and began to understand them. I gathered information and learned how to implement it into my business. That’s why I beat the odds. I’ve learned a lot over those forty-plus years and here are 7 reasons that construction companies fail.

A Plan is Only Good if You Use it. The past couple of weeks we’ve discussed how important the Production Tracker tool is and how it can help you see the future of your business. Building a construction business is no different than building a building. If you don’t have a plan, you won’t know what to do. You will just be guessing. If you don’t have the right tools and know how to use them, it will be a lot harder to build anything. The Production Tracker is one of those business building tools.

Trust me, it doesn’t take any magic. Last week we talked about what the Production Tracker is and what makes it an important tool to have in your business building toolbox. I also pointed out how most people operating construction companies hate paperwork, but how important paperwork is to build a successful business. It’s amazing how people in construction will use all sorts of power tools and equipment but not paperwork.

Because it Helps Keep Your Business Balanced. Recently we discussed the importance of keeping your construction business from getting out of balance. Achieving a balanced business requires paperwork and we know how construction contractors feel about paperwork. I know, I know, paperwork is not a very exciting topic, but neither is concrete. And we all know how important concrete is in supporting a building. The same is true for paperwork and your business. One of the three foundational piers in business is administration and finance. One of the building blocks in that pier is a Production Tracker. This tool provides valuable information for forecasting the company’s financial needs and production plans.

You Have the Power of Choice. There’s a saying, “A rut is a grave with both ends kicked out.” Too often we get in a rut and don’t even realize we’re there. This is how operating a construction company can be. Plodding back and forth, doing all those things that need to be done, never looking up to see where we are or where we’re going. If we’re not careful the rut will get so deep that we’ll never get out. This feeling of being stuck can be overwhelming. If we wait too long to do something, that’s when it becomes a grave, and we give up and go out of business. It’s just not worth it.

That was never my plan. Most people in construction would not consider themselves entrepreneurs. They see themselves as self-employed. There’s not a huge difference between the two, but it is significant. It’s the difference between working in your business or working on your business.

Wow, a lot more than I thought! Recently I’ve been extremely busy and working hard trying to get things done. I know that the length of my list is my choice. Busy lives are nothing unusual, especially for those of us working in construction. So, how can we be more productive and decide what things on the list are the most important? The answer to this question will be different for each of us, but it’s something we have within our control if we just do something. Listen to this week's podcast to learn more about how to prioritize your schedule!

To build the business of your dreams you must take action. For years people have asked me where I came up with the business system and procedures that I use. As I thought about it, I realized that early on my business and life had developed without much intentionality. I was a dreamer at an early age. I had big ideas and plans for my life. Then there was a portion of my life where I became disillusioned and accepted that my dreams were just that…dreams. Listen to this week's podcast to learn how to take action in building your business!

Be careful with short legged tables. Have you ever felt like your business and/or your life were out of balance? It’s a little like a three-legged table with a short leg…kind of wobbly. Listen to this week's podcast to hear about how easily your business can get "out of balance" and what you can do to fix it!

Time to protect your biggest investment! As I was looking at the calendar, I noticed we’re already well into March and rapidly approaching spring. This got me to thinking about home maintenance and I realized… It’s time to get out the Home Maintenance Plan. Your home is a sizable investment and regular home maintenance will help extend the life of your home and that investment.