Business Fundamentals - Construction Advice For Contractors
I've been working in the construction business for over 30 years and
have spent over 25 of them as a General Building Contractor. It's hard
to imagine that much time has came and gone, but it has.
I've dealt with property owners, property management companies, real
estate brokers, real estate professionals, housewives and of course
other contractors. I've spent a lot of time, dealing with a lot of
people and learned a lot of things, especially about other contractors.
For example, Vince Lombardi, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, in
the early 60s, new how important the fundamentals of football were and
explained them to his team. One of his football players, remembered when
Vince held up a football and said gentlemen, this is a football.
He went on to explain that his team was going to learn the fundamentals
of football and then start winning games. Obviously he knew how
important the fundamentals were, but most contractors, seem to forget.
When should we get paid?
Should you complete the job or complete the job on time?
Do you really need to show up, when you say that you will?
Do you really need to be honest?
Why should I be honest, when other people aren't?
Think about it, if you're a contractor and you're in the construction
business and you have a problem answering these questions correctly,
then you need a quick dose of contractor business fundamentals.
I'm writing this article, because I've had a difficult time dealing with
other people, in the construction business, who aren't honest and don't
have any intention of following through with their promises.
Some of the contractors I've worked with, don't know the first thing
about business, let alone the fundamentals of it. If you're one of these
contractors and you're running your business, by the seat of your pants,
then I've got some good news.
You can actually learn how to run a business and become a more efficient
contractor. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you can
even learn the fundamentals of contracting, by reading more articles
like these and even checking out a few books from your local library.
Yes, you do need to be honest and it would be nice to finish your jobs
on time and even do them correctly. The most successful contractors I've
ever worked with, were honest and did what they said they were going to
do.
The best advice I could possibly give to any contractor, who is planning
on starting their own business or growing their business, would be to
understand the fundamentals of business. You don't just need to be
honest or do everything that you say, you're going to do, you will also
need to understand basic math, psychology, human behavior, business,
finances and of course, ethics.
Do a little research and I guarantee that you will find more information
about business, contracting and construction, at your local library or
on the Internet.
Successful contractors, understand business and the fundamentals of
contracting.