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December 2025 The Contractor’s Advantage
HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000 jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com
The Cost of Construction Delays LEGAL TOOLS TO KEEP YOU COVERED
Winter’s here, and for a lot of contractors in this region, that means adjusting to the cold and snow. Weather plays a big role in how projects move, and sometimes, how they stall. And it goes beyond just shoveling snow or bundling up. It can affect how long a job takes and even how much it costs to get it done. Take concrete, for example. I work with a large concrete company here in the Maryland, D.C., Virginia area that has run into this exact issue. When the temperature drops below a certain point, concrete doesn’t cure properly. The cure time is much longer. So, if you’re expecting to be pouring in the summer or fall, but the project is delayed and you end up doing the work in winter, that can significantly impact your timeline. But it’s not just the time you have to account for. Curing concrete in the cold also requires bringing in chemical additives, tenting, and heat sources. That’s a serious cost increase. And if the increase in cost is due to changing timelines, that money wasn’t part of your original bid. Nobody’s really at fault in a situation like that, but someone still has to pay. And if you’re the subcontractor, you’ve got to raise your hand early. I don’t mean after the job is done or once you’ve sent the invoice. I mean, right when the problem starts, and in the exact way your contract specifies. Otherwise, you might lose your right to recover the added cost. That’s been a theme in several matters I’ve taken on recently. Clients ran into extra costs, but they waited too long to loop me in. The paperwork sat, and the deadline passed. We can still help, but it means giving up some of the stronger protections that exist for subcontractors. Two of the most effective protections available are payment bonds and mechanic’s liens. A payment bond is often used on public projects or large private jobs. It acts like an insurance policy, guaranteeing that if the general contractor doesn’t pay you, the surety company will. Mechanic’s liens, on the other hand, are for privately owned projects. They give you a legal claim on the property itself, which can motivate an owner or lender to resolve the issue quickly. Both are powerful tools,
but they only work if you meet the deadlines. And those deadlines are tighter than most people realize.
A payment bond claim might need to be made within 90 days from the last day you worked. A mechanic’s lien notice in Maryland has to be sent within 120 days. That might sound like a lot of time, but when you factor in invoice delays and back-and-forth with the contractor, you can burn through those days quickly. Once you’re on day 91 or 121, there’s no fixing it. The window is closed.
The key is reaching out early. If you’re unsure about your timeline or whether you need to take action, please don’t
hesitate to ask. It usually takes me no more than 10 minutes to look it up and give you a straight answer. In the middle of a busy season, that kind of clarity can save your project … and a whole lot of money.
-Jeremy Wyatt
jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com | HarrisonLawGroup.com | 1
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RAISE PRICES WITHOUT LOSING CUSTOMERS Sticker Shock Survival
Over the past few years, we’ve watched prices rise at the grocery store, gas pump, restaurants, and just about everywhere else we spend money. Tariffs have left many business owners feeling like they must raise prices to offset their potential cost, but this can create new concerns, as the increased prices will put some customers off. Thus, business owners are caught between a rock and a hard place. You can’t realistically eat the cost of tariffs or inflation while expecting to earn the same profit. However, if you raise prices, you risk scaring away customers who can no longer afford or want to spend so much on your products or services. So, what do you do? If you’re a business owner, you’ve likely already contemplated the potential cost of tariffs to your business and developed a plan to stay afloat. Most of you will likely have to raise prices to maintain profits, pay your workforce, and keep the same quality of products and services. You may have done this once and are now looking at a second price increase within a year. In these uncertain times, your business’s success depends on your actions and the relationships you’ve developed with your customer base. As you start developing your business plans for 2026, consider including an action plan in case you need to raise prices. If you’re unsure what you may need to do, don’t worry! We’ve got some solutions that could prove very beneficial for your business.
that you will have to raise the price of your products. Be honest and straightforward — this is not a time to beat around the bush. While this keeps your customers in the know, it also has another unintended effect. Those who love your products or service will rush to purchase before the prices increase. Another feature you should consider enabling if your business has an online presence is to add additional information to your checkout page. Instead of raising the costs of your goods, clearly show that the price increase comes from tariffs or another variable when your clients are about to check out. This will help them see that the rise in cost is entirely out of your control. Adapt Your Marketing Many businesses exclusively use marketing to highlight upcoming promotions and sales, but this won’t be a reasonable option once your prices increase. If you start promoting sales in line with what your full price was a year ago, your customers will grow frustrated. Instead, you need to pivot your marketing altogether and find a new approach to connecting with your base. One of the best ways to do this is by focusing your marketing efforts on the “why” behind the purchase. Your customers need a reason to buy from your business, especially if they can get similar products or services for a lower price elsewhere. Think about what separates your company before putting on your creative hat and developing a story around your brand. Consider who made your product, what it represents, and why it’s worth purchasing for your
Be Transparent The quickest way to send your customers running for the hills is to raise your prices without notice or explanation. If you charge them more for the products or services they’ve used for years, they deserve to know why. If you don’t explain, your customers will assume you based the decision on greed. Email your customers or post on your brand’s social media page whenever you need to announce
customers. You need to connect with their emotions if you want them to remain loyal when prices rise. When you have to raise your prices, the last thing you want is for your customers to think you’re doing it out of greed. Adjusting your marketing and being transparent can give your customers a reason to continue buying from you.
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He started exploring the idea of starting his own business. He created a ferry boat service over the Ohio River when he was 30, which became irrelevant when a bridge was built nearby. He also started an oil lamp business that failed once electricity became more mainstream. In 1927, Sanders tried another venture. He started a Standard Oil gas station in Nicholasville, Kentucky, which sadly only lasted three years due to the Great Depression. However, he took the business idea to Corbin, Kentucky, where he opened another service station and decided to sell his homemade chicken to truck drivers. Sanders Court and Café was wildly successful, which prompted Kentucky Gov. Ruby Laffoon to commission Sanders as a Kentucky colonel. Unfortunately, bad luck continued to hang over Sanders’ head as the Sanders Court and Café burned down in 1939. But he built it back bigger and started pressure-frying his chicken. However, a new highway opened in 1956 that bypassed his restaurant. He packed up shop, determined to find success, even though he was now in his 60s. Thankfully, in 1952, he secured his first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Salt Lake City. After Sanders Court and Café shut down, Sanders desperately needed money to fund his retirement, so he began traveling
Freedom in a Deck of Cards THE SECRET TOOLS OF WAR James Bond gets the spotlight, but real WWII spies were pulling tricks long before 007. British MI9 and the U.S. MIS-X programs helped Allied soldiers escape or avoid capture by hiding tools in everyday items. A simple button held a compass. Hairbrushes hid maps. Monopoly boards came loaded with real money and coded markings. the country, searching for franchising opportunities and selling his secret spice blend. Restaurants that used his spices and patented pressure cooking technique would pay him 5 cents for every chicken they sold. Within seven years of starting this venture, Sanders had accumulated 600 locations across multiple countries. He sold the business to investors in 1964 for $2 million, allowing him to retire comfortably. Starting a business is rarely easy, but you can find incredible success if you persist through the challenges, adapt to changes, and remain determined. You may even find your face front-and-center on storefronts across the country, just like Colonel Harland Sanders. Playing cards from the U.S. Playing Card Company peeled open to reveal silk escape maps. Cigarette packs carried radio parts. Gillette even made razor blades that pointed north when balanced on a stick.
HAVE A Laugh
The gadgets didn’t stop there. Radios hid in suitcases, maps tucked inside boot heels, and even Ping-Pong paddles held secrets. Most of these tools were destroyed after the war, but the
stories remain. A deck of cards or a shaving kit didn’t just pass the time. For many POWs, it offered a real chance to get home.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Jeremy Wyatt jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com HarrisonLawGroup.com (410) 832-0000
40 West Chesapeake Avenue, Ste. 600 Towson, MD 21204
Inside This Edition
1.
Avoid the Pitfalls of Project Delays
2.
The Right Way to Raise Prices
3. Disguised Devices of WWII 4. Colonel Sanders and the Power of Persistence
What Colonel Sanders Teaches Us About Resilience The road to success is often paved with mistakes and failure. As a business leader, you probably know this all too well. You may have damaged team morale by hiring the wrong people or investing in technology or products that didn’t pan out as well as you had hoped. Mistakes are a part of growth, especially in the business world. Whenever you encounter one, you pick yourself up, try to learn where you went wrong, and develop strategies to ensure you don’t make the same mistake again. Do this repeatedly, and soon, you’ll have a flourishing business. siblings. This is where his passion for cooking developed. By age 10, Sanders started working BURNED DOWN, PASSED OVER, BUT STILL COOKING
outside the home as a farmhand. Two years later, he dropped out of school to live and work at a farm full time. Sanders landed a job emptying
ash pans from train engines in Alabama when he was 16. It didn’t take long for him to move up the ladder and become a fireman for the railroad. It appeared as if Sanders would have a long, fruitful career with the railroad, but his temper got in the way. He was fired from his firefighter position for alleged insubordination and lost his next job after a fight. He moved throughout various industries over the next few years, even trying a short-lived stint in the legal field that came to a close after a fight with a client.
Many of our country’s most successful and prominent businesses were started by entrepreneurs who refused to call it quits when things got tough. They pushed through adversity, found ways to improve their industry, and built businesses that have stood the test of time. One of the best examples of this comes from the world’s most famous fried chicken restaurant, Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC. Harland Sanders was born in Indiana in 1890. His father passed away when he was 6 years old, which sent his mother into the working world, leaving him to watch over his two younger
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