Whats New

When working in the construction industry, there are various steps you must take to keep your business building environment safe. For example, this could include investing in both employee training and PPE, which will help you to better care for the health and safety of your team.

Of course, it’s important to note that construction businesses are also at threat from other incidents, such as theft and crime. In fact, these sites are often described as easy targets for criminals as: 

• They are often left unattended at night.
• Expensive equipment is stored on-site/at warehouses.
• Vehicles and equipment used on site are hired, making them difficult to track. 
• Construction sites are easy to access.

With that in mind, here are some simple ways in which you can improve security at your construction business or construction site. 

Install fences. Installing a fence on your construction site is an easy way to restrict access, ensuring that no authorised personnel can get onto your premises. This will also help you to abide by government health and safety standards, protecting you from further legal troubles. 

Use intercoms to allow access. If you’re working on a long-term project and have some kind of office set-up on site, you may also want to install business intercoms at all access points. This once again will reduce the chance of unauthorized personnel entering the site, and gaining access to your expensive tools and equipment. This is because you will be able to remotely control who enters the site and keep stricter logs of who is present and when. This can also be useful in hectic workplaces, as you can control access remotely. 

Install lights throughout the site. Workplace health and safety regulations often dictate that construction work cannot be carried out at night, due to poor visibility. This means that you may mistakenly believe that lights are not a necessary purchase. However, they can act as a deterrent for crime as if the area is well-lit, they are more likely to be caught on security cameras. As a result, they are facing a greater risk of prosecution than they would be should they enter the building/construction site under the cover of darkness.  

Rely on security cameras. Much like bright lights, security cameras work by acting as a deterrent against all forms of crime, such as vandalism and theft. This is because they will capture vital evidence of whatever transpires. As a result, their presence alone often deters criminals. Ideally, you should place them internally and externally, so that you can capture as much evidence as possible should an incident occur. 

Include security in employee training. When it comes to employee training, it’s easy to focus on helping them develop career-related skills. For example, you should spend some time instructing employees on how to properly (and safely) use any on-site equipment. However, you should also use this as an opportunity to make clear the importance of good on-site security too. For example, you should ensure that employees know how to lock up equipment and tools at the end of the shift and that any keys are stored in a secure location. 

Hire security personnel. As mentioned previously, one of the key reasons why construction sites are vulnerable to crimes is because they are often left unattended at the end of the day. This gives potential offenders plenty of time to access the site, damage property or steal equipment. However, the chances of such an event occurring are much lower should you have security personnel, such as security guards on-site. While this may be an additional expense, it’s definitely worthwhile due to the extra level of protection (and peace of mind) they provide. You can also order ID cards online and have your security team monitor visitors and ensure that people are wearing them when on the premises. Security really does matter and identification is one of the first steps toward better security.

Don’t forget cybersecurity. When working on a construction project, you might not spend much time online. However, this does not mean that cybersecurity is unimportant. After all, your computers likely house a range of private information from your customers, such as their contact or banking details. If this information is leaked, not only will you face significant legal and financial consequences, but your reputation will also take a considerable hit. This means you’ll find it harder and harder to keep your business appealing to customers, or bring in enough custom to keep your business afloat. Thankfully, there are various ways in which you can reduce the chances of cybersecurity breaches occurring. For example, you could install cybersecurity software on all devices, and ensure that you use strong passwords throughout your business. Passwords should also be changed every few months.  

If you are keen to make sure that your industry business is working as it should, and that it is likely to continue growing in the future, then one major area that you should always focus on is providing your clients with what they really need. This is something that is both important and yet surprisingly tricky to get right, but if you do manage to succeed here you will find that it makes a huge difference to the success of your company. In this post, we’ll look at some of the major things you can consider to ensure that you are doing right by your clients at all times.

Listen To Them

At all times, it is a really good idea to make sure that you are listening to your clients fully, as they will always know better than you what it is that they are after and what they need. So listening to them is really important from the start. You might be surprised at how many businesses in the industry fail to do this, and this might account for some of the mistakes that those businesses tend to make in other ways too. Make sure you don’t fall into that same trap: always listen to your customers as fully as possible to ensure that you are able to then give them what they really need.

Look At A Range Of Options

In any problem, there are always a range of options available that you might be able to consider, and it’s vital that you are considering as many of them as you possibly can. When you look at all the options you have, you are going to ultimately be able to provide your clients with what they really need, whether it’s a Detroit Diesel Engine Rebuild Kit for themselves to use, or for you to provide them with a fitting service so they don’t have to do it themselves. It often depends on the customers themselves, as well as a range of other factors, so it’s important that you are thinking about this from the start each and every time.

Be Honest & Upfront

In terms of how you should handle your clients, one of the most important things of all is that you are upfront and honest about your dealings with them. This is a basic thing that everyone expects and demands, and that everyone deserves too. That means that you are honest about where you can help and where you can’t, and that you are doing all you can to keep them up to date about the problem and the likely solutions that you are pursuing. Being communicative is important here too, so that’s something that you are going to want to think about if you are keen on keeping them truly happy.

If you have done all that, your clients will be much happier, and your business will benefit greatly from this, so it’s something that you are definitely going to want to think about.

The world of contractors and the building industry has endured a rocky start to 2022. There’s a lot going on around the world that’s impacted things in a relatively negative way. If you’re currently running a business, don’t be surprised if you experience slower progress than usual. You’ve got lots of struggles to fight against, but it can be useful to know what to do to combat them. 

As a starting point, you need to know what these big struggles are. From here, you can find the solutions to deal with them as best as you can!

A lack of materials/parts

The whole premise of being a building contractor means you need materials and parts to actually build things for clients. So, it’s difficult to do your job if you don’t have access to a lot of the materials you require. Things like steel and lumbar are in low supply due to various circumstances – like the war in Ukraine and coronavirus. 

A possible way to get around this is by switching up your suppliers. As loyal as you have been to suppliers over the years, it is impossible to conduct your business if they no longer have the materials for you. Instead, opting for more local companies like Butler Building could be beneficial. Getting your supplies from a North American supplier means you don’t have to worry about things like international transportation, border controls, and so on. 

High prices for materials

In turn, the high prices for materials will mean you have to start charging more money to your clients. As a result, this can price some people out of your services, making it harder for you to find regular clients. 

In all honesty, this is one of the hardest things to deal with as you have no control over the industry prices. Again, the only thing you can try is finding a new supplier with better prices, letting you keep your rates at a reasonable price for clients. Alternatively, look at other aspects of your business to save money, allowing you to keep your costs down low. 

A lack of workers

Yes, the construction industry is struggling with people not wanting to work these jobs anymore. Or, you have workers or contractors, but they are taking lots of time off because they get sick with the coronavirus. Without many people on your team, it is harder for you to complete projects. 

The only way around this is by improving your hiring process and searching far and wide for viable workers. You should also boost the employee benefits that you give out – make people want to work for your company because they are paid well and given lots of additional incentives. 

It’s no secret that being a building contractor is harder now than ever before. However, there is hope on the horizon. If you can find ways of dealing with these struggles and pushing through 2022 and the next few months, you should come out the other side in a good place. Things will not be like this forever – you just need to cope while you can.

It’s tempting to assume that all you really need to succeed in business is a good concept and a strong desire to succeed, but the fact is that there is a lot more to it, especially if you’re hoping to build something lasting rather than simply a one-time thing. After all, the point of having a business is to make it work over the long-term, building up bit by bit into something to be proud of. 

In order to be successful as a company owner, you must meet a wide range of criteria. You don’t have to do everything yourself, but if you want to have a chance of generating money and succeeding, you must be knowledgeable about all aspects of the business. In light of this, continue reading to learn what makes a business work. 

Strong Leadership

Strong leadership is one of the most important parts of making a business work. When a smart, knowledgeable, and determined leader is in charge, the business is much more likely to be successful and last for a long time.

There are many ways to be a strong leader in business. Some of these skills you will already have, some you can learn over time working within the business, and others you can learn through courses and even degrees. Examples of strong leadership include: 

• Working with the team rather than just giving orders
• Understanding perfection doesn’t exist
• Continuing to learn as much as possible about your industry and business in general
• Be inspiring 
• Have goals that you work towards 

A USP

USP stands for “unique selling point,” and your business will need one if you want it to be successful now and in the long run. This USP is the one thing (or usually at least one thing) that your business does that no one else does. When you start your business, it will be easier to find your USP if you can find a gap in the market. This is because your USP will already be there for you. But if you are starting a business in an area where there is already competition, it may be harder to find the USP, but you must find it.

The USP could be related to anything, from how you treat customers to how you ship your goods. It doesn’t have to be completely new, but it does need to be good and make customers happy. Once you’ve found your USP, it’s important to use it in all of your advertising to remind people what makes you the best choice.

A Strategy

Having a good idea (or any idea at all) is a good start, but if you don’t know what to do with it, it won’t get you very far. This is why it’s important to do research and understand business in general. 

But if you really want your business to be successful, you’ll also need a good plan or strategy. When you have a strategy for success, your idea becomes much more concrete, and it will be much easier for you to make decisions for your business because you’ll know which way to go.

The last thing you want is to start your business and then not know what to do next, causing it to fail. Before you launch, it’s best to have a plan and stick to it unless you find that the plan isn’t working, in which case you need to make a new one. Your plan needs to cover everything, including all the ideas you have for the future. It should set out exactly how much you’ll need to invest in fleet leasing, for example, and when you envision that needing to take place, as well as when you intend to hire staff and how your marketing is going to attract customers. 

Try to write a plan that covers at least the next five years or, better yet, the next seven or even ten years. Make sure it has all your financial data so that if you need to borrow money for your business, you have everything you need.

Competitor Analysis 

You have a great idea for a business and want to do something with it. You put a lot of time and effort into making your business work and getting it off the ground. Then you find out that another business, or maybe more than one, is already doing what you’re doing, and it’s popular and well-known. You might be able to beat the competition if you use your leadership skills, your USP, and other ideas. But it will be hard. This is why the best thing you can do right away is to check out your competitors. First of all, this will let you know if your business idea is good or not. You can also figure out how much of a threat the competition is.

If you do want to keep going with your business, you need to know more about your competitors if you want that business to work. It will give you ideas to build on, show you what works and what doesn’t, and help you find the perfect USP that makes you stand out from the competition.

In reality, if you want your business to work and be successful, you need to know as much about your competitors’ businesses as you do about your own. You need to know what they are doing so that you can offer something better to your customers.

Marketing 

What good is a good business if it doesn’t have good marketing? The answer is that it’s not a business at all; it’s just someone hoping that something will take place and people will start wanting to buy. There is a lot of competition out there, some of which is directly related to your business and some of which is similar enough to make potential customers think twice. Also, a huge number of small businesses start up every day, and most of them are moving online. This makes it harder and harder for your business to be seen at all. This is why marketing is so important if you want to be successful and for your business to work.

When it comes to marketing, there are many different ways to do things. You could write a newsletter or send out emails. You might do better with social media. You might want to start a blog or make videos. Another choice is content marketing. You could do any or all of these things, as long as they help you get the most out of your important marketing budget.

When it comes to marketing, it’s usually best to use at least some of that budget to hire experts. A business owner doesn’t always know what to do, which can lead to mistakes or to not doing anything at all. If this happens, your business might go under, and it will be hard to get it back up.

Customer Service 

If you want your business to be successful, you need the public to be on your side. If you don’t have a lot of loyal customers who keep coming back and telling others how happy they are to have found your business, it will be hard to move forward. Considering all of this, it’s clear that customer service is an important part of any business.

Most businesses should make it a priority to treat customers well because word of mouth is a cheap and easy way to get new customers and referrals, even if they also use other marketing methods. All you have to do is provide good customer service, and your customers will do the rest. When we say “good customer service,” we mean things like going above and beyond, being polite and friendly all the time, making sure the customer is always happy, and so on. It doesn’t matter how big or small the thing is, as long as it makes the customer happy and makes them feel appreciated, it’s worth doing and could help your business succeed.

A Great Team

When you start your business, you may be the only one there. Even though this isn’t always the case, and you could start it with a whole team, most people do it on their own or with maybe just one other person. At some point, you’ll have to decide whether to stay a sole trader and keep your business small but all yours or to start growing and hiring employees or subcontractors to help you get the work done.

Some people find it hard to decide, so you should do as much research as you can and, of course, do the math to help you figure out what to do. If you do decide to hire a team, that team needs to be as good as it can be if you want your business to work. Every member has to be loyal, skilled, and knowledgeable, and they all have to contribute to the culture of the company. Even if their job requires them to work alone, they still need to get along with others and care about the company’s goals and ideals.

Spend some time making job ads and talking to people to find the ones that will work best for you. Don’t rush. If you can put together a good team, you can run a good business that works.