The Contractors’ Curse

Owning a service-oriented business can be extremely frustrating. There are all kinds of seemingly uncontrollable problem-makers, from the weather to people.

The day-to-day operation of your business demands your full attention. You are pulled in every direction. Long-term planning takes a back seat to putting out fires. Important profit-multiplying decisions are put on the back burner.

Small business owners need help, but unbiased advice from someone who really understands is nowhere to be found. Who are you going to talk to? Time slips away and success seems out of reach. I’ve seen this happen time and again in my 30+ years in the construction industry.

Finding a Better Way

A few years ago I decided there must be a better way. So I started searching for the most effective way for owners and managers of contracting and service-based companies to solve these problems. I began by asking business owners where they go to get solutions for the challenges they face. I found that nine out of ten had nowhere to turn.

Next I asked what their top unanswered questions were. I was surprised to find that there were three main questions those owners desperately wanted answers to.

1. “What’s missing in my business to make it more profitable?”
2. “What should I do more of to ensure the success of my business?”
3. “What things should I avoid so that my business will run as smoothly as possible?

Conquering the Curse

There is no place for business owners in service-based companies to meet and receive unbiased feedback on the challenges they were facing. They desperately wanted a solution that worked.

That’s how the Contractors' Leadership Forum was created. It began with a group of business owners with different specialties and more than a century of combined experience. We started discussing several topics including how to maintain high-quality standards; retain good employees; decide whether to expand, and if so, how and when; and, of course – how to increase profits.

Since each of us was discussing these issues and sharing our knowledge, we learned shortcuts that worked. Fellow members had already proved that they worked. Challenges were overcome, specific solutions and action steps were being shared, and results could be talked about freely with everyone participating.

These owners were making big changes in a short period of time, all due to the Forum and the private coaching they were receiving each month.