Tag: contractor tips

Business

Post-vacation pressure: How to return to the office and jobsite without missing a beat

With long holiday weekends and the summer vacation season upon us, it’s easy to get behind in your work. If you often come back from vacations and long weekends overwhelmed, take a deep breath. Here are some tips to get your affairs back in order, and some ideas to keep in mind before your next break. More than […]

April 10, 2015

Construction Equipment

8 reasons why you pay too much for your equipment’s tires… and what you can do about it

Contractors hate leaving money on the table at a bid letting. But how much money are you wasting by neglecting your tires or by neglecting to establish a tire management program? The amount will vary, but more importantly your tire costs are one of the few variables you can control. “Tires are probably your largest […]

September 2, 2014

Business

How to develop a custom safety program at your construction company

There are many small contractors out there looking for safety training information on a daily basis, which leads one to believe their company safety programs might not be as up-to-date as they would like. If you’re using an inadequate or outdated program, it’s time to step up and develop your own—one that’s specific to your […]

May 5, 2014

Business

Mailbag: Readers add criticisms, more advice for contractors and newbies looking for success in the construction business

We received quite a response from a couple of recent editorials, “The newbie’s guide to surviving your first week in construction,” and “The six habits of highly successful construction company owners.” So we thought we should share some of the additional ideas and suggestions we received via email from our readers—both the praise and the […]

April 8, 2014

Business

How to save money and protect equipment by creating an anti-idling policy at your construction company

In construction bids, nobody likes to leave money on the table. Yet the biggest controllable expense—fuel cost—is rarely scrutinized for savings. That’s unfortunate, given that the average idle time for heavy equipment is 40 percent, says Komatsu’s Ken Calvert. Komatsu started putting telematics on its machines in 2006. When they looked at the aggregate data […]

April 1, 2014

Business

The 6 habits of highly successful construction company owners

In our recent special report, “The Future of Your Construction Company”, we focused so much on contractors retiring or transitioning out of the business that it almost begs a question. What does it take to succeed in the construction business? I’ve been in the fortunate position of interviewing at length dozens of our Contractor of […]

March 28, 2014

Business

3 things contractors can do to keep valuable workers on staff during the skilled worker shortage

The skilled worker shortage has been looming over the construction industry, and the Associated General Contractors’ 2014 outlook shows that contractors are already having a problem finding skilled professionals and craft workers. With that in mind, it’s more important than ever to hang on to the valuable workers you already have. Do you have a […]

January 29, 2014

Business

4 New Year’s resolutions every contractor should make to improve their business in 2014

Your crews have been sent home, most of your machinery has made it back to the yard for a yearly maintenance run through, and it’s time to celebrate another full year of being in business. During this less-than-full-throttle time (assuming a client doesn’t call with an emergency), consider these ways you can get on the […]

January 3, 2014

Business

3 smart strategies to try in your construction business from a successful landscaper

We’ve all heard stories of unconventional entrepreneurs taking the path less traveled to success. The challenge lies in finding practical ways to apply alternative strategies to your own business. Terry Sims of the Garden Artist in Boise, Idaho, has taken her landscape design firm to the top of her field using smart strategies. And though […]

October 29, 2013

Business

The 9 leadership rules every contractor should know

One of the great assignments the editors at Equipment World get every year is to go out and interview a dozen Contractor of the Year finalists and find out how they have succeeded in this very tough business. If you want to be the best at what you do you owe it to yourself to […]

October 9, 2013

Home

74 tips for reducing equipment costs (11-20)

In my first post covering equipment cost-cutting tips 1-10, I addressed several equipment cost cutting basics, including the impact of faithfully using a computerized maintenance management system. Here are cost-cutting strategies 11-20:   11: Eliminate “buddy jobs” I have seen unnecessary use of two-man jobs many times while analyzing maintenance operations.  If they aren’t really […]

August 5, 2013

Business

Timely feedback: Building success in the construction industry with 6 management actions (PART 4)

In my last post, I wrote about my industrial minerals company learning experience and the importance of asking for input. I’ve got another example from that experience I’d like to share. Action No. 5: Provide information and feedback in a timely manner Asking for input before making the decision to undertake the Total Quality Management […]

August 2, 2013