risk reward balance

Risk management – Getting the balance right

The construction game is a risky one. Probably don’t have to tell you that but it needs saying and it also needs to be proactively managed. On the other hand it can be a very rewarding industry and you can have a great life if done well…..and a bit of luck. No business however is risk-free. 

Part of your role as a business owner is to think about the risks in your particular part of the market, prioritise what risks to reduce first and put processes in place to manage those risks. Also decide on what level of risk you are comfortable with and not try to reduce all risks to zero. Here are the seven most important areas of risk for a construction company and some strategies for managing them effectively

marketing machine

Marketing in a softer market

The market in New Zealand for construction services is definitely softer than it has been in recent years. With the rapid increase in interest rates and people spending their money on other things, like international travel, the demand for new home builds and renovations has reduced.

It is likely that this will continue for the next 12 months and so it has become more important to review your marketing and improve your lead generation performance. This video goes into what you can do in the short term and make the best of what you have, at the lowest cost possible.

Click on the picture below to start the video

Mental Health Challenges for Business Owners

If you take notice of the safety briefing at the start of every flight, the flight attendant tells you to fit your own oxygen mask first before helping anyone you are traveling with.  Seems a bit self centred, but you aren’t much good to those depending on you if you are not in the best position to help them. The same applies to mental health I believe, and as it’s Suicide Awareness week this month, maybe you should think about your own needs in this space for a change.

The Mental Health Foundation has some great resources that can be used in the workplace to proactively manage the issue of mental health. And, its Five Ways of Wellbeing offer constructive, positive advice for managing your wellbeing now and in the year ahead. 

grey haired man pondering his future

Exit planning for trades businesses

If you are thinking about selling your business over the next 5-10 years, do you think you will achieve the sale price you need to fund your ideal future in such a potentially crowded marketplace? Of those business owners who intend to exit their business in the next 10 years, 70% intend the sale to fund their retirement, but 87% have no formal plan on how they will do this. (Centre for Small Enterprises – Massey University)

The message of planning a successful exit from business has not yet been taken to heart by the majority of business owners and this may result in a lot of unfulfilled dreams of a long and happy retirement. The general attitude of: “I’ll get round to it when I have to,” is all too prevalent and the point of early planning to maximise value at exit is lost on many.

Husband wife working together

In business with your spouse

Owning and operating a business with your life partner or spouse is no easy task.

On the bright side there are upsides to working and living with your business partner. For one thing, you trust them. Another big plus for working together is it will save your business money. Hiring your spouse for a role they are well equipped to do, i.e. they have the education, skills and training, is cheaper than hiring someone else. Not only will there be no recruiting fees, but your spouse, like you, may also accept a lower than market rate salary.

However, there’s no way to avoid disagreements that will rise arise from work and personal interaction. Many couples just don’t navigate the obstacles of working and living together very well so if you are in business with your life partner the following tips may help keep you out of the family court going through a divorce.

Closed sign

Business is busy, but companies still going bust.

The NZ Herald reported recently that despite construction being very busy, small to mid sized businesses in the industry are still going bust. In fact construction has overtaken food service as the number one business category for liquidations in the first two months of this year. This is one first place award that we should be proud of!

Should you be worried?  Probably. If not worried, you should at least be aware that things are not all glittering out there and you should look at reviewing your financial systems and your understanding of some key numbers. What you can measure, you can manage. What you can manage, you can change. Here are two key financial areas to monitor in your business.

tape measures as a graph

The Importance of Back-Costing

Do you know what the actual gross margin you make from a job as soon as its finished, or for bigger jobs how you are tracking at each stage? Or are you so busy you just rush to the next job and hope the previous job delivers enough profit to stay in business?

Tracking how a job performs from a profit perspective compared to a quote or estimate is called back-costing, or job-costing as Americans call it, and is vital to maintaining a profitable company and to help you achieve your goals.

Man with pen using one-on-one business coaching

How to Manage Variations

As the old saying goes, “The only certainties in life are death and taxes”. In the building industry that should read, “The only certainties in life are death and taxes AND VARIATIONS”.

There is seldom a project completed without some change to the original plan or scope and this can lead to work being done that is not well documented or billed to the client on a timely basis. Variations are therefor a major potential cause of profit leak from a business, and also disputes with a client. It is essential that you, your client and your build team clearly understand what variations are and you have a reliable system to capture and process them through the job management and billing areas of your business.

Leaky bucket

Are profits leaking out of your business bucket?

It’s profit reporting season. Do you have your latest financial accounts back from your accountant yet? Does the Net Profit seem lower than you expected? Maybe the profit is leaking out somewhere.

Your business can be viewed as a kind of bucket.  In the top you pour revenue, which comes from your marketing, sales and production efforts, then deduct the direct and indirect costs of producing that revenue.  Unfortunately everyone’s bucket leaks and so the amount left over (as net profit) is often a lot less than it could be and what is required to balance the effort and risk that you assume as the business owner.  It leaks out through holes such as: too many overheads, insufficient margin, working with the wrong clients, burning hours on fixed price contracts and a number of other ways.

proceed with caution sign

Building Inflation Monster Rising

Building materials are up in price around 34% compared to a year ago and more increases are on the way. We are suffering a perfect storm of high demand, due to the boom in building, and tighter supply lines due to Covid, shipping bottlenecks and now the effects of a war in Europe.

While most, if not all of this is beyond your control, how you react and deal with it is something you can take action of. Two key actions should be at the top of your list….