Don’t Demolish Your Construction Business’s Finances!

by Magical Penny on May 30, 2017

maintenanceThe construction industry is strong, but that doesn’t mean you should assume your construction business is destined for success. It’s an expensive endeavour, and if you’re not careful then you may end up demolishing your business’s finances and putting it in real jeopardy. Avoid these financial mistakes in the world of construction!

Capital failings

A surprisingly common mistake in this field is under-funding. This is actually a pretty common problem among many startups; while most people seem to think that asking for too much money and then getting frivolous, or not getting money at all that causes most failures, it’s actually often a case of startups getting the money they requested but having underestimated what they’d need. Construction businesses need a very healthy amount of capital, and this isn’t something you can afford to forget! Don’t assume that asking for less than you need will make it more likely that you’ll get capital from investors or a creditor. Without a lot of capital, you could be dooming the business.

Lawsuits and lost hours

If you’re not paying enough attention to the safety measures of your construction projects, then you could face a lot of trouble. If you’re found to be responsible for a worker’s injuries due to lacklustre safety measures on-site, then you could be at the unfun end of a huge lawsuit.

 

But let’s say you’re not to blame for a given injury; you’re still losing out on work hours, which can really hinder your project and cause financial complications. With OSHA resources, you don’t really have an excuse when it comes to implementing the right safety measures.

moneyThe wrong tools

A lot of business owners in this field may think that getting the best equipment out there is precisely what leads to financial ruin. After all, doesn’t it make sense to ensure that you save as much money as possible when it comes to acquiring equipment? The problem with this mindset is that inadequate tools can end up costing you even more in the long run. Let’s say you need to get excavators. You could look into high-quality excavators such as you can get from the likes of IHI c. Or you could attempt to save money by getting excavators at half the price. The problem is that they’ll generally perform much worse. They’ll also breakdown with much more frequency, increasing overall maintenance costs.

Mismanagement

Construction jobs are lengthy things, with few projects lasting less than six months. (Most seem to last longer than a year!) But this doesn’t mean that there’s no such thing as a project that lasts too long. The longer a project goes on for, the more you’re going to end up spending on the whole thing. And if you don’t meet the deadline you agreed to with your client, then you’ll probably see a lot less compensation by the end of the project, as well as harm to your reputation that could lose you future potential clients. Consider looking into construction scheduling software to reduce the risk of project mismanagement.

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