by Simplar | Oct 25, 2022
… Read the rest “The Dr. Tom Schleifer Business of Construction Library”
by Simplar | Jan 14, 2021 | Business, Strategic & Project Planning
Introduction to Business Planning The best lesson in planning I ever had was not in business school. It was attending a normal weekly contractor staff meeting and listening to an experienced and knowledgeable old-time contractor teach his management team how to manage...
by Simplar | Jan 10, 2026 | Built Environment, Business Development, Business Development, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Labor & Labor Issues, Leadership, Project Delivery, Weekly Construction Message
Even as the New Year has dawned, I offer these final thoughts on the year just passed. If I could sum up this past year’s dialogue into one overall theme I would say, “Managing a construction business is a completely different activity from managing a...
by Simplar | Nov 20, 2025 | Built Environment, Business Failure, Business Failure, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Cash Flow (Getting Paid), Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Weekly Construction Message
Construction companies have few investible assets. Contractors are service providers. Over the years they will have acquired some depreciating assets like vehicles and equipment, but vehicles and equipment are only used to generate income and retain limited value...
by Simplar | Oct 23, 2025 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
Businesses fail for any number of reasons but rarely is it a surprise to management. Only construction companies seem to experience sudden collapse when they unexpectedly run out of cash. The element of surprise expressed by most of the failed contractors I worked...