Take control of your construction contracting business and manage it through the natural highs and lows of the construction market. Learn from a team of construction business veterans led by Thomas C. Schleifer, who is commonly referred to as a construction business "turnaround" expert due to the number of construction companies he has rescued from financial distress. His financial acumen, combined with his practical, hands-on experience, has made him a sought-after private consultant. His experience and no-nonsense philosophy have truly given him a unique perspective. Important topics covered include: Understanding the primary areas of construction business failure in the next decade Minimizing business risk with real-world examples Developing a positive and competent management attitude and strategy Discover how to maneuver through this complicated and risky industry by using the authors' research and proven success strategies to sustain and grow your business.

The turnover rate for companies in the construction industry is high. This book identifies the ten key elements of contractor failure and shows how to avoid them. Each element of failure is defined, illustrated by real examples, and ways are discussed to avoid or minimize the risks involved. The final chapter shows how to bring all these elements together to develop a positive and workable management strategy. This survival guide should prove invaluable to the 1.4 million individual construction-industry businesses in this country.

Only 43 per cent of U.S. construction firms remain in business after four years. Why? Inadequate management, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. This is surprising because most construction firms are formed by ambitious construction project managers, executives and tradesmen who have excelled at what they have been doing. But as experienced as these entrepreneurs may be, they are not likely prepared to take on the full range of responsibilities forced on them in managing the business of construction in its entirety. While this business failure rate and its causes are based on U.S. experience, available data from a number of other industrialized countries shows they are similar. This book describes in detail what the business side of the construction equation requires of the construction firm owner. The contractor who quickly learns these requirements can identify and avoid or manage around the pitfalls that cause the high failure rate in our industry and put his or her construction firm on a level playing field with the best-run companies in the business. The detailed duties of the owner, whether in the U.S., U.K., Australia or Canada, are a common theme throughout the book. The author, Nick Ganaway, speaks peer-to-peer, and the book is sprinkled with supporting examples from his own experience. He is immersed in the industry and this book is "based on the things I've learned, used, and refined as a light-commercial general contractor in the course of starting and operating my own construction firm for 25 years." The contractor doing $5 million or $50 million or more in annual sales or the equivalent amount in other countries, or the entrepreneur who is just starting up, can use the tried and proven material in this book to build a business that is profitable, enjoyable, and enduring. Additionally, the book devotes a chapter to specializing in chain-store construction.

You can get your construction business to move to the next level, get organized and systemized, build an accountable responsible team, charge the right mark-up, always make a profit, and work exactly the way you want by drafting your BIZ-Builder Blueprint Action Plan. George Hedley is one of the country's leading construction business building experts, top speakers, and professional business coaches. He has helped thousands of contractors grow, make more money, install systems, and build profitable companies. His step-by-step practical blueprint system helps general and specialty contractors who are stuck and want to improve profit margins, take charge, and grow. This book presents proven steps to: 1. Become a "Best In Class" contractor. 2. Develop a five year BIZ-Vision & BIZ-Plan. 3. Write your short and long term goals. 4. Develop an accountable management team. 5. Delegate and build responsible team players. 6. Replace yourself with written BIZ-Systems. 7. Install field and project management systems. 8. Create scorecards and job cost tracking systems. 9. Learn how to know, track, and hit your numbers. 10. Draft a winning marketing and sales action plan. 11. Focus on growth and finding new customers. 12. Always make a profit.

Descriptive text and step-by-step checklists for organizing, managing, and marketing a company. Topics include identifying profitable markets, assessing the firm's capabilities, controlled growth, the bid/no bid decision, contract interpretation, scheduling, job start-up and planning, subcontractor management, finances and claims. No references. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Understanding and Negotiating Construction Contracts The complexities of construction contracts are made easy with this thorough and readable guide Construction contracts can be complex for both owners and contractors. For contractors, negotiating fair and balanced commercial terms in contracts is just as important as properly managing projects; a properly negotiated contract can mitigate unnecessary risk and unnecessary risk transfer. This, in turn, reduces exposure to financial liability for the contractor and for avoidance of contract claims and disputes. Understanding and Negotiating Construction Contracts provides a comprehensive and readable introduction to the world of construction contracts. Providing, for example, coverage of the four most common types of contracts—lump sum/fixed-price, cost-plus, time-and-materials, and unit-pricing—it promises to reduce uncertainty and allow contractors to enter contractual negotiations with greater confidence to be able to achieve a fair and balanced contract. This updated new edition reflects the up-to-date best practices to understand how to better negotiate the commercial terms and conditions in construction contracts. Readers of the second edition of Understanding and Negotiating Construction Contracts will also find: Updated information on indemnity, insurance, and negotiation An all-new chapter with a contract analysis checklist Real-world examples drawn from small residential, retail, large commercial, and international projects Understanding and Negotiating Construction Contracts is essential for construction professionals and college students studying construction contracts and the liabilities arising out of them.