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Construction Advice For Entrepreneurs

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Construction Advice Courtesy of Ken

Today’s post comes from Ken Y, Training & Development Manager. He shares words of wisdom that every new entrepreneur should read.

As a young man starting my own millwork company, I had all the confidence in the world. I had access to tools that weren’t exactly new, but were capable and dependable. I found a great facility that gave me space to do complicated projects while streamlining the process for production boxes. And perhaps most importantly, I had several talented builders coming to work for me. I had the tools and talent to produce high-end millwork and install it as well as anyone in the industry.

I had a solid business plan and I knew enough people that would feed me consistent work. I got the proper insurance and workman’s comp. coverage, an accountant, and a bank account and I was ready to go. Or so I thought.

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New Construction Technology

iSqFt Poll: New Construction Technologies

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In the spring, we asked about how you use sustainable building practices. Now for something a little more fun…new construction technologies and gadgets for the jobsite. What’s on your radar? (Pun intended!)

Scroll down (or go here) for our poll, and don’t forget to check out the Summer Edition of our iSqFt Nuts & Bolts newsletter.

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Managing Millennials in Construction

The Construction Pro’s Guide to Managing Millennials

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There’s a construction worker shortage—but I don’t need to tell you that. While the economy rebounds and the projects roll in, Baby Boomers are leaving but Millennials (the generation born between 1980ish and 2000ish) aren’t taking their place.

Why? Some theories:

  • They crave financial stability, and construction work is largely seasonal.
  • They value formal education, and construction is an apprentice-based profession.
  • They want flexible schedules, and construction is a 9-5 (or, let’s be honest, a 7-6) job.

Without a doubt, those are all valid theories, but there’s not much you—as an individual employer—can do about them.

So I’ve come up with a guide to managing Millennials in construction: Five characteristics of typical Millennials* and practical ways for a business of any size to adjust. Most of these ideas will be an easy adjustment, others will take more planning or resources, but all should help you find and keep the new workers you need.

(*Obviously, people are different and it’s not fair to lump them all together just because of when they were born. But for the purposes of this blog post, I’m going to do it anyway.)

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Green Construction Trends

Green Construction Trends: iSqFt Poll

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With Earth Day and Arbor Day last week, it’s been pretty easy being green, so we put together the “Green Edition” of our iSqFt Nuts & Bolts newsletter. Check it out and let us know about your thoughts on green construction trends.

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green construction building

The Grass Is Greener, But What About the Concrete?

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According to a recent article in Popular Science, the earth has been getting greener, “accumulating an additional 4 tons of biomass (vegetation) between 2003 and 2012.” With Earth Day on the horizon, I started to think about what role an increasingly green construction industry might have played.

Here are four important ways the industry improves the environment every day:

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Construction Folks Love Their Jobs (But Don't Hand Me a Hammer)

Construction Folks Love Their Jobs (But Don’t Hand Me a Hammer)

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I have a confession: I’m not from this industry originally. I’m what you’d call a non-native, an interloper. Every time I’ve had a conversation with a customer, I’ve had to ask a million questions. Oh, sure, I know iSqFt inside and out, and I know the basics. You can hand me a hammer and I may or may not hit myself on the hand with it (you didn’t hear that, OSHA). But I’m still new, even after all of these months.

To put it bluntly, there’s a lot of information that I just don’t know and that I need to ask about.

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5 Challanges the Construction Industry Is Facing

5 Challenges the Construction Industry Is Facing Right Now

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**UPDATED JULY 2015**

Despite the rapidly recovering construction market, many companies are still finding it difficult to be successful. Margins are tighter than ever and a lot of companies are trading dollars, but not finding the success they are seeking. In our discussions, we have identified some challenges that our industry faces. Ken Y., Training & Development Manager, discusses 5 challenges the construction industry is facing right now.

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