Starting and running your own building business is just like starting any other type of business. You start out with an idea, then you create a business plan based on that idea, and then start executing those plans to bring your ideas to life.
When you start your own building business, it should take more than an above average building skill for you to really be able to get your business to succeed. So what does it take to become a successful builder?
Below are six things that will help contribute to your success as a builder.
Mishaps are inevitable (especially with unpredicatable weather) and sometimes really frustrating to someone who runs a business. The way to overcome this is to be in control of the situations you can control. When the wrong supplies arrive on site for example, handle the situation with calm – call the supplier immediately and tell them they sent the wrong stuff. Being in control also means being responsible. When things go wrong, take responsibility and start finding a solution to help alleviate the problem.
When you run a successful building business, oftentimes you have little to no idle time in between projects. The less time you have for rest, the more stressed you are – and no one wants to hire a stressed-out builder. This is where time management comes in.
The first step to time management is know the difference between what is urgent and what is important – not everything that’s urgent is important and not all things that are important are urgently needed. So how do you categorise your projects? How do you know which ones to prioritise? Covey’s Time Management Grid will help you out with this. Take a look at the table below to know how to effectively manage your time.
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URGENT |
NOT URGENT |
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IMPORTANT |
Quadrant I: Urgent & Important
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Quadrant II: Not urgent & Important
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NOT IMPORTANT |
Quadrant III: Urgent & Not important
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Quadrant VI: Not urgent & not important
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Another way you can have a little bit of free time is to learn how to say ‘no’. You don’t have to take up every opportunity that comes in through the door. More projects might mean more money, but think about the quality of your work if you have 8 to 10 projects to finish in a limited span of time. A better reputation will help secure those important jobs in the future.
Successful building businesses usually have more pressure on them as they have more projects to manage. As there are more projects to handle, the pressure comes from finishing them on time while maintaining good quality with the finished project.
If something doesn’t go according to plan, pressure builds up. Overcoming a struggle will define your limits as a business and as a builder. The higher your limits, the easier it is for you to overcome pressure in the future.
A successful builder is a respected builder! Customers respect a good builder as they have the proper working etiquette – they are experts in their field, and they are professional about it. But what makes a builder a “professional”?
Professional builders do not chase after customers, rather, customers chase after them as they see how good the builder is in doing their job. If your customers respect you, there is a big chance that they will recommend your services to others as well.
Having the perfect team is one of the keys to a successful building business. But what makes a great team? A great leader.
A strong leader sets a clear goal for the team and the company, and is the person who makes the rules that the team should comply with. The leader has to make sure that each member of the team knows and is clear about the goals that have to be met.
Every company has a set of rules that each team member has to comply with and these rules determine the kind of culture an organization has. When the entire team follows what their leader says wholeheartedly, a perfect team is born.
When starting a building business (or any kind of business), there has to be a system that outlines the different processes within your company. Systems are made as a guide for each employee so they would know what to do in certain situations.
Your company’s system should be made clear to each member of the staff as this will help them work more effectively and efficiently. Think of it this way, if you don’t follow a system in your company and you just let your team members do as they please, wouldn’t that create disorder in the workplace?
Systems are progressive and for as long as your building business is still running, you will make certain changes to the system in order to correct the flaws that you see in it.
Having the perfect team, a good working environment and, of course, a strong and determined leader are they key to having a successful building business. If you have been following the six steps above, chances are you're on your way to building the right frameworks for a successful business. If you’re just starting out your own building business, be guided by the steps above and you’re bound to succeed in no time.
There's now a lot of tools to help you organise your business. We have created a free Gantt Chart template that you can download to help ensure you are on top of your business tasks and priorities.