by Simplar | Jul 17, 2025 | Built Environment, Business Failure, Business Failure, Business of Construction, Cash Flow (Getting Paid), Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
Managing cash flow in a construction company is a daunting task. The unique nature of the construction transaction makes it almost impossible to match cash flowing in with cash flowing out. Low bid margins are often so tight they’re insufficient to maintain ongoing...
by Simplar | Jul 11, 2025 | Business of Construction, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership
You may remember the soothsayers described in ancient history who could predict the future. When they made pronouncements, their audience was comforted by having the scary unknown future become known. Thus, the name, sooth-sayers. They soothed the audience by putting...
by Simplar | Jun 26, 2025 | Built Environment, Cash Flow (Getting Paid), Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Leadership, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
A major theme throughout the Godfather trilogy is betrayal by enemies hidden within the family. “You’re nothing to me now, Fredo” Al Pacino says to his brother who has betrayed him in Godfather 2. “Nothing happens to Fredo while my mother is...
by Simplar | Jun 12, 2025 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Leadership, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
Contractors often wait too long to employ the business management expertise of a qualified Chief Financial Officer. Small and mid-size businesses across all industries have traditionally left accounting to a bookkeeper, hiring an outside accounting firm to close the...
by Simplar | Jun 5, 2025 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Leadership
Unexamined beliefs play a role in the management decision making process and deeply held beliefs go largely unexamined. That is to say, we aren’t even aware that we believe what we believe. The problem arises when these unexamined beliefs affect our decision...
by Simplar | May 23, 2025 | Built Environment, Business Failure, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
Last week we established that the high failure rate in the construction industry comes down to a single cause – a shortage of working capital. Some blame failures on a whole variety of causes: labor unrest, natural disasters, economic stress, market shrinkage,...
