By Brian McKay
If you want to succeed in the construction industry, you can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. While getting it up on its feet is hard enough, when you’re looking to expand your business, you need an entirely different mindset than you had in the beginning. A decent business plan and a suitable location for your offices is a great start - but it’s not quite enough to make it grow beyond the limits of a tiny startup.
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Luckily, you’re in good company as several successful managers have struggled with the same puzzle as you; use this handy guide to give your construction company that extra spark it needs to grow and flourish.
You need more people
The good old days when it was just you and your toolbox are long gone. A successful construction business is no one-man job; no matter how much you’d like it to be. The more effort and time you invest in building a great team, the more productive you’ll be as a company. Accept nothing but the best kind of laborers; after all, if the quality of your work starts to go downhill, your entire company will soon follow.
This is a perfect time for taking a long, hard look at the way your business is operating. Reward and promote your workers if you notice that some of them are putting in more work than others. A part of being an excellent manager is to lead your team rather than to manage them; when the rest sees that hard work pays off, they’re sure to follow.
Focus on quality
You pride yourself on the quality of the work you do - it’s probably the main reason for starting a construction company, to begin with. While quality was important back in the old days, when you were fighting for basic survival, it’s king now that you’re ready to grow. Don’t try to cut corners in order to save costs and never rush the completion of a project unless you’re satisfied that it’s perfect.
To focus on quality means to signal this throughout your business; every employee needs to be fully aware of how important it is. Pay HW Part Store a visit, to begin with, and make sure that your vehicles are serviced and up to date. All your equipment needs to be fully functioning, and no part left unattended. It is, after all, what the reputation of your company depends on.
Trust in word of mouth
The number one way of putting your business in the spotlight is still word of mouth, people. Technology may grow, but biology stays the same; no matter how many marketing snippets you create, we’ll still trust our neighbors more than them. If the quality of your work is going downhill, people will absolutely talk about it. A poorly executed construction job is not only less appealing to look at - it will also last half the time than it was supposed to, in addition to being potentially dangerous.
Although the hairdresser down the street depends on good word of mouth as much as any, a construction manager is in even more need. We might take the chance and risk getting another lousy haircut, but you won’t see people return to your construction business if they say you’re no good. Be the best and make sure you’re seen; it’s the only way to keep growing.
