Simple is Smart

Like what you see? Consider subscribing to get the latest articles here.

Every year, there are construction business owners and executives who can’t wait to hold their strategic planning (offsite) retreat. They spend every day fighting fires, so the opportunity to step back and work “on” the business is a breath of fresh air. Which is genuinely worth getting excited about! And I can’t recommend a yearly strategic planning retreat enough because it is an amazing opportunity to build out your plan for a successful year, do some team-building, and generally get some rest from the wear and tear of the daily grind in construction. 

But there is a word of caution I would like to pass along about implementing the retreat process in your business. That is, don’t lose sight of the most important thing you do as a construction company: put work in place in the field. 

As a Contractor, without putting work in place, you don’t get paid. It’s that simple. 

I bring this up because working “on” the business can get addicting. It is such a powerful and pleasurable experience—especially compared to putting out the fires of a typical day in construction—that you may want to do it all the time. 

In fact, I hear a lot of business owners say things like, “I can’t wait till we get big enough where I can just work ‘on’ the business full-time.” I’m sorry to tell you this, but I work with construction business owners all over the country and I can’t think of a single one who exclusively works “on” the business. Every one of them has some major responsibilities they must continue to do “in” the business—like developing new client relationships, negotiating deals, or helping their team navigate problem projects and customers. 

I do know some business owners who spend a large majority of their time working “on” the business, and funny enough, they are usually the ones whose businesses are struggling the most. With their owner’s head in the clouds thinking, “I don’t need to be doing all this stuff ‘in’ the business—my team should take care of that!”, the executive team loses direction, and individual employees end up getting distracted by working “on” the business too.  

When the company is distracted by working “on” the business, do you know what they’re forgetting to do? That’s right: put work in place in the field. 

Which of course means that revenue suffers, gross profit suffers, and net profit suffers. Then, your culture suffers because everyone feels the weight of losing money. What used to be a fun and profitable business becomes less so. 

I don’t say any of this to detract from the benefits of working “on” the business. If you are not spending time regularly improving your people, products, and services, then your competition is going to kick your butt in the long run. But you can’t use it as an excuse not to do your job. You have to organize and motivate your team to successfully and reliably put work in place in the field. It’s really that simple. 

Reflection 

If this hits home for you, then I would recommend you ask yourself the following questions: 

• Is our business struggling because I am spending too much time working “on” the business? 

• Have I shirked responsibilities and justified it by saying I shouldn’t have to work “in” the business? 

• Am I working “on” the business so much because I’m burnt out from running the business? 

• Am I working “on” the business so much because I’m bored and need something more engaging to catch my attention? 

If your answer is “yes” to any of the above, please don’t feel ashamed. It doesn’t make you a bad person. Just go attack the problem. Ask yourself: 

• What responsibilities am I ignoring because I am spending too much time working “on” the business? 

• How can I help the team focus on putting work in place in the field successfully and reliably? What do I need to do to get us back on track? 

• Do I want to run this company anymore? Or should I start considering my exit strategy? 

• What changes do I need to make to love what I do again? 

Wherever you fall, go to work on making the changes necessary for your unique situation. 

And for everyone else, let this serve as a cautionary tale of why it is so important to balance your “in” the business and “on” the business responsibilities. 

Summary:

When it comes to running your business, take the time to make sure you’re improving, but never lose sight of the one simple thing that makes you money as a construction company: putting work in place in the field. 

I hope that helps someone out there.