Now for the Do’s: Do size your Sub trade up quickly!
If you have been in the business you know the ways to determine if you want to work with a Subcontractor long before they are at the job site and working on your project to know if they know what they are doing. You should be asking yourself, what does the truck look like? How do they dress? Do they proudly display their logo on both? Are their tools well kept? Check out their socials and website. These are just some of the ways to look for clues regard- ing the Subcontractor and their ability to do the job. Do match subs trades to the jobs! This more or less goes with the previous “Do,” know your subcon- tractor’s skill set and limitations. Some will be great at high-end work and adding those special final touches, others will be better at managing the managing customers, some are fast, get in and get it done, but a little rough. Make sure you’ve booked the right subcontractor for each job and remember two projects are alike. Do set expectations and stick to them! Make sure that you set expectations at the start of the project and stick with them then everyone knows what to expect and when it is expected. What is acceptable and what it not! This is much more effective than see-sawing back and forth from strict to generous or worst from generous to tough and then you’re the bad guys and hard to work with. Do track their time and costs! Even on fixed-price contacts, it’s important to keep track of your sub’s time and costs. This is not micromanaging it is just making sure that things are going according to plan and budge. So, make sure that you are doing that back-of-the-envelope calculation or updating your spreadsheets on how they and you are making out with the project. Do constantly communicate! This is important for any business regardless of the industry. As the business owner, you are not in the construction business, you are in the communication business, and it is your responsibility to make sure that everyone is getting the same message and that it is being communicated regarding how the project is coming along. After all, it is your reputation that is on the line if things go wrong, and the customer is not happy with the outcome of their project it falls back on you because your name is on the contract.
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JULY/AUGUST 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2022
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