Do you want to take your construction business to the next level?
Well, regardless of whether you are looking to expand into new regions or explore other markets, you will need to have a clear plan of action for how you will go about doing so.
You’ll also need to make sure you have the infrastructure and resources in place to handle the expansion.
It won’t happen overnight. However, if you consider these eight aspects, you’ll give yourself every chance to lay the foundation for continued, sustainable, and successful evolution.
1. Seek advice
The prospect of growing your construction business can seem quite daunting, especially if your operation is quite small. However, to strengthen your footing in such a competitive industry, it is something you will need to do.
It is worth enlisting the services of a business coaching firm, such as Brainiact business coaching for tradies, to give yourself every chance of doing it right.
They can help you understand exactly what you are trying to achieve and formulate a business plan roadmap for doing so. Additionally, these types of services should have industry contacts who may be able to assist you in meeting your objectives.
2. Build an outstanding team
It doesn’t matter how detailed your planning is; if your company does not have a good team behind it, you won’t stay in business for long.
In construction, arguably more than any industry, your workers are your business. For this reason, you should develop a recruitment process that is designed to source and hire employees who are highly skilled, reliable and knowledgeable.
The best way to achieve this is to pay them a competitive wage, provide a good benefits package, and provide high-grade working conditions.
3. Have a good management structure in place
Hiring good staff is one thing. But retaining them is another thing entirely.
People leave companies not because they don’t like the job but because they don’t like the way they are being treated by management.
If you want to grow your construction business, you will have to put in place a system where your employees feel like they are being led and not micromanaged.
Businesses that try to manage every aspect of their staff’s work are never as productive or successful as those that value their employees’ input and empower them to make decisions.
4. Invest in your business
You can’t expect your construction business to grow if you don’t invest in it.
One main way to do this is to purchase new technologies and equipment that enable greater productivity, especially during periods of extreme weather.
Additionally, you should regularly train and upskill your employees and find new ways to market your business.
Investing in your business should be a constant process, which you should always be looking to fine-tune.
5. Think Profit
When growing a construction business, it can be tempting just to accept any building work. However, such projects can often be time-consuming, and as the old adage goes, ‘time is money’.
Before undertaking any new build, you should take the time to understand how long it will take you to do and how profitable it will be for you.
Profit is key in business, so the last thing you will want to do is miss out on more lucrative work because you have already committed to other projects that aren’t generating as much revenue for you.
6. Market yourself properly
You will find it hard to grow your construction business if no one knows about it. Therefore, you should make a concerted effort to promote your company and its services to the marketplace.
There are several ways to do this, including traditional advertising, social media, blogging, direct marketing, and public relations. All of these should relay consistent messaging about the types of construction projects you work on and the benefits you can bring your customers.
To market yourself most effectively, you will need to understand who exactly your customers are and what the most appropriate place to communicate with them is.
7. Network
Networking is a very good way to grow any business. It can help increase awareness of your company, find suppliers, and generate new customer leads.
Subsequently, it is worth spending a bit of time networking with your industry peers and the wider community at large.
LinkedIn is a great platform for this, but you should also consider attending industry meet-ups, trade shows, and local events.
Ultimately, the more you get your face known, the more people will think about you and your business when they have a need for your services.
8. Give outstanding customer service
Customers are the lifeblood of any business, so the best way to grow any business is to provide them with outstanding customer service.
To do this, you should clearly outline what services you will provide for them and deliver them on time and to budget. If you can do it before and under, then it is even better!
You should also make sure you answer any queries they might have promptly and give them regular updates.
At the end of the day, satisfied customers are a great source of referrals. So, you will want to do your best to give yours something to talk about.