by Simplar | Nov 7, 2024 | Built Environment, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Project Selection, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
A Case Study I was very young when I found myself running the field operation of the contracting firm my brother and I started. After a number of years, we were the successful bidder on a church nearby. We diligently submitted our first payment requisition to the...
by Simplar | Oct 31, 2024 | Business of Construction, Financial Management and Risk, Weekly Construction Message
Contractors usually start out as closely held companies that grow their business gradually over time. Many have formal education as engineers or constructors, but rarely do they have any business education or experience. Their first bookkeeper is often their spouse or...
by Simplar | Jan 11, 2024 | Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
The title of this blog is our theme for 2024. It is too hard to make good money in our industry these days. Contractors risk their own capital taking on enormous and highly complex projects that require expert knowledge and execution and often last for years. But,...
by Simplar | Oct 12, 2023 | Business Development, Business Development, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Growth, Growth, Weekly Construction Message
Capital capacity is just a fancy way of saying having enough cash around to finance projects ongoing plus projects under consideration. The construction industry is grossly undercapitalized. This, I believe, is the primary risk factor that contractors deal with daily...
by Simplar | Sep 20, 2023 | Business Failure, Business Failure, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Partnering, Planning, PM, Weekly Construction Message
Risk Mitigation Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. Thirty-five years ago, I initiated research that resulted in ranking construction contracting #2 in business failure rate (restaurants are #1). That data inspired me to begin ongoing research into the causes of construction...
by Simplar | Apr 13, 2023 | Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Growth, Growth, Weekly Construction Message
Managing Working Capital Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. As we noted last week, the primary cause of construction business failure is running out of money. Why when contractors run out of money is it so often a surprise? Financing Growth American industry is addicted to...
