As the owner of a construction company, your job is to make your brand well-known in your target market. Word of mouth is crucial in an industry like construction, and when potential clients hear about your good work and friendly service, they’re more likely to use your firm.
However, if some of your business practices are somewhat questionable, those same people will think twice before deciding whether to use your services or not.
Sometimes, construction companies make certain mistakes without even realising it. The following are examples of five such common mistakes you should avoid making with your construction business:
1. Using The Wrong People
It’s no secret that people are a company’s business assets. If you hire the right people to work for your construction company and ensure they feel valued and respected, they will represent your brand in the best ways possible.
However, if you hire the wrong people at your construction firm, you likely won’t have a business to run after a while! That’s why it always pays to ensure each new hire is suitable for both the job they want and for your business.
2. Trying To Be An Expert At Everything
As a construction company, you will undoubtedly specialise in particular areas like residential or commercial projects. But, even with such specialisms, you won’t know how to handle everything in those sectors.
For example, if your strengths lie in commercial building renovation, you might find educational content like slab foundations explained interesting but learning about it doesn’t make you an expert on the subject.
Stick to what you know best, and hire people or sub-contract other work that isn’t one of your specialities.
3. Underestimating A Project’s Complexity
As you become experienced in the construction industry, you’ll soon know how long a project might take to complete – whether it’s a new construction project or adapting an existing building.
One thing you should never do is become complacent and quote strict deadlines to your clients. Giving yourself longer lead times takes the pressure off all construction projects as they will often face some delays – usually due to external factors like supplier issues.
4. Taking On Too Much Work
A sign of a growing business is when it has a lot of work to complete. Always having work to do means that your construction company is a hit with its target audience, and positive word of mouth is spreading about your work.
The last thing you want to do is take on too many projects because the quality of your work will likely suffer, and you’ll end up with a negative reputation.
5. Refusing To Delegate
One final mistake that many construction companies make is when they refuse to delegate work. Usually, the business owner will want to personally oversee all construction projects and even take over if they think employees or sub-contractors aren’t doing a good job.
If that sounds like you, now is the time to take a step back and learn to start trusting other people’s professional judgments.
