When my partner, Sharie DeHart and I, were running construction and plumbing service and repair businesses beginning in the early 1970s until 2000 we felt we did not need to pay anybody to tell us what to do because we knew exactly what to do.

 

After several very painful and extremely costly mistakes, we found the adage "Experience Is The Best Teacher...And The Most Expensive" to be oh so true!

 

We found ourselves, our family, employees, and suppliers were all riding on our Roller Coaster of Surprises, some good, some bad. On occasion, we would wake up screaming bloody murder only to discover it was the middle of the afternoon, and we were not asleep!

 

After a while, we decided perhaps there was truth to "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." I will admit I was a bit arrogant thinking since I was raised in a family of contractors that I knew a lot about construction. In fact, I knew quite a bit about what Michael Gerber calls "Working In The Business But Not On The Business."

 

At that point in the late 1970s, we decided to move to The Merry-Go-Round of a business with a Strategic Plan that could grow-up and provide us with a more predictable result.

 

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Topics: Payment Collect, Contractor, Contractor Tips, finance, Contractor Operating Tips

The one burning question contractors want to know: When is it income?

When money comes into the business, at some point it turns into income. " Money goes in and out of my business and I don't understand when it is income and when it is not ". Without proper tracking and matching of income and expenses, most construction companies never know if they made a profit until the job is over.

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Topics: Payment Collect, Contractor, Contractor Tips, finance, Contractor Operating Tips

Are you getting resumes and applications from bookkeepers who worked for a construction company that went bankrupt and now they are so desperate for a job, so they offer to work for minimum wage or less? What they are not saying in some cases is"And everything I can embezzle, steal and sell online."

There could be a pattern, and it is may be evident that you could be missing it. 

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Topics: Payment Collect, Contractor, Contractor Tips, finance, Contractor Operating Tips

If you’re like most small construction business owners, you spend the majority of your time managing daily operations, keeping clients happy, and looking for new ways to grow. Spreadsheets, cash flow analysis, and financial projections are probably not your first passion.

However, measuring profitability, creating realistic budgets, and planning for the future is crucial to your professional success.

 

 

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Topics: Construction Company Startup Tips, construction company strategy, finance