Drone Thinking as a tool Before we begin, let’s get something cleared up. Capterra’s Rachel Burger wrote a blog post for The Balance Small Business titled, 6 Ways Drones Are Affecting the Construction Industry. She has some cool insight into how using drones is beneficial to construction contractors. It is worth the few minutes it takes to get her overview. Check it out, you may find a few bits you hadn’t already thought of. It’s good stuff. Yet, it isn’t what this article is

We’re here in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Scaling New Heights convention produced by Woodard. We thought we would let you in on what we’ve been up to while we’re here. Keep in mind, everything we do (including convention attendance) hinges on our mission of helping our clients (small to medium commercial construction contractors) Run With the Big Dogs. And, we must tell you, we believe our experiences here have added to our ability to do so. Scaling New Heights through attend

Strategy Planning in Your Construction Business Strategy for Goals Planning In the first two parts of this series we dealt with Task Priority planning and Goals Priority planning.  This time we’ll look at the Strategy infused in Goals Planning. “There are simply no shortcuts in the long run.” Frank Sonnenberg Mr. Sonnenberg has a good way of cutting through the hype. While there are easier ways to get certain tasks done, in the long run it is hard work that leads to the win.

Goal Planning in Your Construction Business Goals and how to prioritize them “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Stephen Covey While there can be a multitude of goals concerning any construction company, I’ve identified 5 which are a good start for prioritizing your construction company goals. And, I’ve listed them in (a sample of) the order of priority. Goal 1 – How will it end? The overall big swooping question you must a

Some bonus programs stink Bonus programs based on the wrong parameters or instituted poorly can be really yucky for everyone. Your team loses, you lose, and you throw your hands up in despair thinking bonus programs are a waste of time and (more importantly) a waste of money. Yet, if you get it right, the win-win effect takes place bringing everyone (including your clients) into a much better place. Instituting bonus incentives in your construction contracting or service busi

This is part 2 of a 2-part discussion about growing your business through growing your middle managers. If you missed part 1 which concerns what you as an owner should be doing in your construction contracting business you can go here. Have you ever gotten a chuckle out of the scene when a three-year-old announces, “I do it myself,” over a task which he may or may not be able to accomplish? What we usually do is allow the child time and space to prove he can or prove he can’t

So . . . your kid is on his high school football team. And your team is in The Game! They’re playing well! And so is the other team. It is exciting! They’re in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Your team has been given the ball. If they make this touch down your team wins! The entire crowd (all those parents, siblings, and friends  wearing the school colors) is standing, waving, shouting. You’re becoming hoarse with the yelling, you’re tense in every fiber of your b

A construction contracting company or construction service business is a reflection of its owner; it is also a signifier for where the owner is going. The ideal construction contracting company reflects the owner’s skills and competence built on a foundation of hard work and integrity. With thanks to Jeff Foxworthy, I submit the following: You might own an ideal construction business; If you’re Competent in your trade and in running your business. If you’re known in your soci

You’ve probably heard the expression, “Eat the frog,” meaning get the most awful task of your day done first thing in the morning and everything else will be much easier to accomplish after that point. You may have seen something like this, “Mark Twain said, ‘Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.’” Well, it seems while there may indeed be good reason to take up your own personal ugly frog and begin munching first