PEOPLE of Construction Business Tips for First-Time Business Owners (Fourth in a series of Five) This is the fourth blog in a series of five and I have decided to stay on the outskirts of the plans and specifications and the many terms and conditions of engagement and talk about three more intangible business points that I feel are important and will help you get a seat at the table and maybe the next table. The three points we will…
PEOPLE of Construction Business Tips for First-Time Business Owners (Second in a series of Five) This is the second of a series of five blogs discussing essential ingredients of a successful firm competing in the design and construction industry. In the first blog, we discussed three business points that simply had to happen if a business owner was to find long-term sustainable success. Those three points were visibility, administrative/office organization, and accurate and timely accounting records. If you have not…
PEOPLE of Construction Business Tips for First-Time Business Owners As participants of my TableTop Discussions and readers of my “Guide to Better Business” books are aware, I like to present my business ideas by way of TOP TEN lists. I can easily find ten points that are important, if not essential, for new or existing business owners to keep high on their priority list if they are planning to achieve long-term sustainable success in this competitive industry. For this series…
“No one can build you the bridge on which you must cross the river of life, no one but yourself.” Nietsche “When a woman learns to stand alone, she doesn’t just survive–she transforms. The strength she finds in silence becomes the light that guides her forward.” Avneesh Perada “There is a world out there. Open a window and it is there.” Robin Williams Last week I had the opportunity to visit first hand the new BJC/WashU Campus Renewal project that has been…
“If you light a light for someone, it will also brighten your own path. The kindness you give away is often the same light that leads you home.” Joseph Bassey “There will be days when life feels unbearably heavy and every step feels like a burden. And there will be moments filled with such joy that you will wish for time to pause. Neither of them shall last forever. Embrace life in a way that every intense experience makes you wiser,…
“In both business and life, waiting to get everything ‘just right’ is one of the most reliable ways to stall progress–and quietly miss your moment. In business, momentum matters more than flawlessness.” “A product launched today–even with rough edges–has something that waiting for perfection lacks: feedback. Customers react. Markets respond. Data accumulates. Improvements happen in real time. Each iteration builds on the last, and progress compounds. Perfection compounds nothing. It keeps ideas in draft mode. Strategies in meetings. Products stuck in…
My neighbor’s four year old daughter, Vera–who conversation wise is easily going on fifteen or sixteen–proudly and with much excitement in her voice, announced to me yesterday that she is graduating from preschool. She has rather successfully finished one chapter in her life and soon will honor that achievement and move on to the next challenge. I thought to myself, this kid is ready. It would not surprise me that she was the valedictorian of her class. I like the feelings…
When I started PEOPLE in February 2014, I was asked by various leaders in the industry what would be my ultimate goal, what would define success, how would I know when I reached success and my mission was accomplished? For some reason which I now do not remember, I was running around town looking for support for my PEOPLE gathering idea. I was told that before starting, I should outline agendas for my next several meetings so I would have some sort…
“Far from random human inconveniences, strangers are actually one of the richest and most important resources we have. They connect us to the community, teach us empathy, build civility and are full of surprise and potentially wonder.” David Sax, Journalist “Sometimes when I’m feeling alienated from the human race, or baffled by the actions of another, I remind myself that every single person wants to be loved. This isn’t a particularly rigorous thought about human psychology, but rather something that seems broadly…
I have often compared a major commercial construction project to a giant 5000-piece puzzle. Any one piece of the puzzle is highly dependent on the other 4,999 pieces. Often the pieces must be placed in a certain sequence for a variety of reasons. A delay in finding a lost piece can be a significant jolt to a schedule or to client relationships. And, like any giant puzzle where multiple participants are involved, eventually all participants must coordinate their moves with…