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 30, 2025 | Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
I have been wrong in my criticism of contractors for ignoring financial statements in the day-to-day running of their businesses. Their instincts, as it turns out, have served them well. They saw something flawed in relying on interim financial statements that were...
by Simplar | Sep 4, 2025 | Business Development, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Growth, Weekly Construction Message
Top line growth represents survival to a lot of contractors. Without regularly signing new contracts most contractors would go out of business in short order. Growth isn’t just an important thing, to some contractors, growth is the only thing. Every existing...
by Simplar | Aug 28, 2025 | Built Environment, Business Failure, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Growth, Growth, Leadership, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
We begin this week with the first “belief” on last week’s list – “Growth is always good “. The complex nature of the construction industry seems to lend credence to this belief. Since a construction business does not enjoy a...
by Simplar | Aug 21, 2025 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Leadership, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
I introduced the concept of beliefs into my teaching about 20 years ago. I noticed during my years of research and countless interactions with contractors that there were a multitude of assumptions about the nature of the construction business out there that were...
by Simplar | Aug 14, 2025 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Business, Strategic & Project Planning, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
I’ve been a management consultant to the construction industry for 40 years. I have taught construction business management at some of the nation’s best construction universities. I have spoken at literally thousands of construction industry conventions. In all...
