Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 13, 2007 6:28 pm I'm thinking of starting my own building company.
My first policy will be to ensure that owners (clients) are kept up to date on happenings regularly, are called before they have to call and all calls are returned the same day. My second policy will be to only take on contracts that i have the workers for. I wouldn't be building 20 houses at a time, if i only had enough people to work on 7 at a time. I figure my reputation will grow quickly and i will have many happy clients. I will be making plenty of money and turning out quality product. I will get repeat business and referals and save lots on advertising, just by adhering to the above principles. It's so easy, i wonder why no-one else has thought of it...... Re: I'm going to start a building company... 2Sep 13, 2007 6:36 pm It will never work……ITS TOO GOOD, people will be confused!
“WHAT”…a building company that delivers what they say they will??? Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: I'm going to start a building company... 3Sep 13, 2007 6:42 pm bmp I'm thinking of starting my own building company. My first policy will be to ensure that owners (clients) are kept up to date on happenings regularly, are called before they have to call and all calls are returned the same day. My second policy will be to only take on contracts that i have the workers for. I wouldn't be building 20 houses at a time, if i only had enough people to work on 7 at a time. I figure my reputation will grow quickly and i will have many happy clients. I will be making plenty of money and turning out quality product. I will get repeat business and referals and save lots on advertising, just by adhering to the above principles. It's so easy, i wonder why no-one else has thought of it...... Sign me up. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: I'm going to start a building company... 4Sep 13, 2007 6:46 pm By the way I’m just playing…. There’s plenty of building companies out there that deliver what they say they will.
It up to you to find the best one for you! Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: I'm going to start a building company... 5Sep 13, 2007 10:19 pm bmp I'm thinking of starting my own building company. My first policy will be to ensure that owners (clients) are kept up to date on happenings regularly, are called before they have to call and all calls are returned the same day. My second policy will be to only take on contracts that i have the workers for. I wouldn't be building 20 houses at a time, if i only had enough people to work on 7 at a time. I figure my reputation will grow quickly and i will have many happy clients. I will be making plenty of money and turning out quality product. I will get repeat business and referals and save lots on advertising, just by adhering to the above principles. It's so easy, i wonder why no-one else has thought of it...... BMP I think you will be laughing all the way to the bank if you started up a building company. Hell you could just be a consultant charge $1000 an hour and teach some of them what a telephone is and how to use one or how to send an email. The building companies like the one you explained are good and thats the type of company we are building with currently. The problems start when the they start churning out large numbers of houses they cant handle or large builders with poor structure, management and organisation, this is the part I dont get they should be able to manage the customers needs better (inregards to information, after all they are generally just building the same houses over and over again). Questions - Has the problems with building companies always been the same over the years? Have they just not stepped upto the increasing customer expectations & with todays technology? Do you think with the large growth in recent years within the building trade that companies have not managed this growth within there organisation effectively? Or does customers just expect to much? Re: I'm going to start a building company... 7Sep 13, 2007 11:01 pm Sorry all, I have just given up smoking and now Im taking it out on my computer. I just cant stop typing My responses will get back to normal when I calm down again.SORRY Re: I'm going to start a building company... 8Sep 14, 2007 7:58 am i dont think its a new thing but i think a large problem is staff turnover. How many people have rung up and asked to speak to the person they spoke to last time - only to find out they don't work there any more??? We are onto our second customer rep and also the guy that organised our sign up and encouraged us to swap from M and promised to keep an eye on our progress to ensure we didn't experience anything like we did with M, no longer works there either.
Its hard to maintain consistency if you can't keep your staff. Good staff are worth so much to a business reputation. I would love to work for Adenbrook because they have the right idea when it comes to only taking on what they come but they are really lacking in the customer service area. I could do great things for their reputation!! Re: I'm going to start a building company... 10Sep 14, 2007 8:48 am bmp
I've actually been thinking the same thing over the past few weeks, but with no experience in the building industry I wouldn't have a clue where to start. Like others have just said, it's when you start growing that the problems come - it's the same with any business! The point in time where you go from small to medium, then medium to large will make or break any business. And as you know, staff retention and customer service is key! The trouble with a lot of companies is they might start out with the same ideals as you have (and I'm sure there are a lot of small builders out there who still do!) but they grow too quickly, and the customer service processes they have in place become reactive rather than proactive, and that means harder working staff = more stress = "I don't want to work here any more". If you do start a company please let me know if I can help - but make sure you grow slowly and ensure that when you do, adapt/modify/update the customer service processes to maintain your good repuation. For example, if you are building 2000 homes a year, it can be a real challenge to get around to calling all of your clients once a week for an update! So you need to find other ways. If you pay your staff well, treat them with respect and TALK and LISTEN to them (maybe they have ideas about customer service you haven't thought of!) you will find that your turnaround will be better than most. Obviously sometimes you will get one or two that won't be up to scratch, so you either let them go OR keep them and give them jobs that are more in line with their skill set. I work in mining and at the moment there is a big boom time, and there is a staff shortage, which leads to lots of turnover because people know they can get more money working somewhere else and from what I hear it can be the same in the building industry. What to do about it? Money isn't everything.... End of thoughts After 2 false starts, a year living overseas, two more world trips and 3 years of uncertainty we are now starting the build process again - hopefully for real this time! Re: I'm going to start a building company... 11Sep 14, 2007 9:34 am rellie bmp i dont think its a new thing but i think a large problem is staff turnover. Tell me about it ! W are into our 11th week of building and onto our 5th Superviser what the heck! Re: I'm going to start a building company... 12Sep 14, 2007 11:47 am Buggy rellie bmp i dont think its a new thing but i think a large problem is staff turnover. Tell me about it ! W are into our 11th week of building and onto our 5th Superviser what the heck! I kid you not ! I think we may have set a record Re: I'm going to start a building company... 13Sep 14, 2007 4:06 pm bmp I'm thinking of starting my own building company. My first policy will be to ensure that owners (clients) are kept up to date on happenings regularly, are called before they have to call and all calls are returned the same day. My second policy will be to only take on contracts that i have the workers for. I wouldn't be building 20 houses at a time, if i only had enough people to work on 7 at a time. I figure my reputation will grow quickly and i will have many happy clients. I will be making plenty of money and turning out quality product. I will get repeat business and referals and save lots on advertising, just by adhering to the above principles. It's so easy, i wonder why no-one else has thought of it...... it seems that you will do everything for your customer.. i.e. you will have policy of "Customers First". You will have problem unless you change it a bit like this :- Your staff/employee first, make sure they are happy, make sure you listen to their problems, make sure to provide enough resources & back up support to make their job easier, make sure to fix their problems first.. and ultimately once they are happy they will make end customer/client happy. If your staff is not satisfied and don't have passion for their job they won't be able to better serve your customer. Happy staff will have smile and confident serving your customer. I am consultant in one of the top 5 management consultancy and holder of MBA from Melbourne Business School. Let me know if you need any help (free) with business strategy or similar. I am in similar situation as well, I am thinking to start construction business but before that, I am doing lots of research and started to build my network with tradies (good tradies ofcourse). thanks DM Re: I'm going to start a building company... 15Sep 15, 2007 5:12 pm Ed Perry bmp I'm thinking of starting my own building company....... Let me guess the name will be... ****** That a great name, since they can't blank you out. However, you'll be identified with all those problem companies that are blanked out Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 I would never build with Fowler homes. I built with them in 2021 and till date maintenance issues are pending. All their existing trades and businesses don't work with… 14 105568 Hi I am wanting some opinions about the build of a steel shed I am going to get one about 4.5 x 2.5 m steel shed and the height will be about 2.3-2.4m high The one I am… 0 14447 |