Russian Roulette Remember Russian roulette, the lethal game of chance found in the story, “The Fatalist”, by Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov? You take a revolver which has six empty chambers, insert a single cartridge, and then give the cylinder…
One Size Does Not Fit All Let’s Talk Businessis dedicated to profit. We are only interested in management technique in so far as it can help construction concerns be more profitable. We drill deep into the complex matrix of management…
Let’s Talk Business - Good News For most of this year we have been discussing the risks inherent in construction company growth during the boom market following the 2009 great recession. Now, ten years later, you might reasonably ask,…
Fixed-Price Rest In Peace An article in The Engineering News Recordforetells the ultimate demise of fixed-price contracts: SNC-Lavalin Fixed-Price Exit Could Boost Rival July 27, 2019 ENR, Debra K. Rubin Canadian design-build giant SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. said…
Current Construction Recovery Top Line vs. Bottom Line Since 2012 the construction industry has been enjoying a robust recovery. In this blog I have been alerting contractors to the business risks hidden in the euphoria of construction market upswings.…
“How did you go Bankrupt?” “Two Ways…gradually…then suddenly.” (The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway) Subject: financial planning Ernest Hemingway, apparently knew more about business failure than some executives, scholars, and politicians gathered around the recent catastrophic collapse of Carillion PLC,…
INSIGHTS INTO THE RISK OF FAILURE If that’s all it takes to succeed in the construction business is a pickup truck, a box of tools, a cast-iron stomach, and a forgiving wife, why do so many contractors fail? Check next…