Just as every home needs a strong foundation, every enterprise benefits from a strong base of industry best practices. In the construction industry, following these guidelines will help your business run smoothly and profitably, and will help you, your team and your clients feel satisfied in projects well done. And we’ve made things easy for you by creating a free downloadable guide with strategies and tools that will set you up for success in 2023. Here’s a preview.

E-Book Overview

Four engaging chapters cover the most important aspects of the non-building side of the construction process. Mastering these four fundamental elements will give your business the solid foundation it needs to be successful, both now and for the long haul. With these four basics in place, you can scale your operations more easily, help projects run more smoothly, and help keep clients, your own workers and of course yourself happy.

Contents

Chapter One: Takeoffs: Make Them Quickly and Precisely

Chapter Two: Project Bids: Boost Speed and Plan Wisely

Chapter Three: Estimates: Enhance Precision and Proficiency

Chapter Four: Workflow: Perfect Your Processes

Now here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll learn in each of the chapters.

Chapter One: Takeoffs

Getting takeoffs right is key to getting any project off on the right foot. Getting them wrong means your project bids and estimates will be off — which will set you up for potentially costly adjustments later on as well as a loss of trust from the client. Protect your bottom line and your business’ reputation by learning how to create takeoffs that are precise.

And you can’t take your time putting them together, either. Clients have come to expect fast delivery and turnaround times in all aspects of a construction project, and this includes takeoffs. So not only do your takeoffs have to be precise, but you have a shorter window to deliver them to clients than ever before. You’ll learn all about quickly and accurately calculating quantities and costs of materials and labor in this chapter, and discover a game-changing digital tool.

Chapter Two: Project Bids

Determining what to bid involves a delicate balance. Bid too high and you risk losing the project. Bid too low and you risk losing profits — you might even just break even or, worse, have to actually pay out of pocket. In this chapter you’ll learn four savvy strategies to win more bids while safeguarding your profits.

(Pssst…one of these strategies might just come as a surprise!)

Chapter Three: Estimates

Creating estimates involves both attention to detail and a certain amount of finesse. You’ll want to account for every line item, including not just material costs but labor costs, equipment rental fees and overhead, such as office space rental, utilities and bookkeeping. In this chapter, we’ll share an easy way to get all the necessary info in there without sweating over trying to remember every little thing.

Moreover, clients these days expect to receive estimates faster than ever. And since overall client satisfaction is imperative to get the great reviews that will help you grow your business, you’ll want to provide the estimate quickly without sacrificing accuracy. This chapter offers the key to doing just that — and also shares how to know when it’s actually in your business; best interest to walk away from a project.

Chapter Four: Workflow

Behind every great orchestra is a great conductor — someone has to keep all those instruments working in harmony and on tempo to produce beautiful music. In the orchestra that is your business, your workflow process is the conductor. Having a solid and sustainable workflow means you won’t have to reinvent the wheel on every project. You and your team will have clear action items at every stage, you’ll build trust with your clients, and you won’t waste time on all the countless decisions involved in successfully completing a project.

But with all the facets involved in building a smoothly running workflow, where do you even start? This chapter doesn’t just tell you where to start; it gives you an invaluable chart of the eight stages of a successful workflow, from ongoing marketing to evaluating completed projects. Treat it like a checklist so you’ll never have to wonder what you’re forgetting to include!

So, are you ready to reduce the time you spend on admin, maximize your efforts doing what you love and put your business on track to have a banner year in 2023?