Built with Billd Blog
Expert strategies, comprehensive guides, and industry insights for growth-focused commercial subcontractors.
Built with Billd: The importance of e-commerce in the construction industry
Summary In an industry built on positive relationships, trust, and face-to-face interactions, the idea of buying construction materials online, has been met with a lot of pushback from contractors and suppliers. Before founding Brokrete, Jordan Latourelle grew up working on construction sites in Quebec, Canada, building concrete foundations with his father. At 20 years old, he [...]
Rethinking Debt in Construction: How Smart Debt Strategies Can Drive Business Growth
The construction industry is notorious for cash-flow bottlenecks thanks to razor-thin margins, retainage, and drawn-out, unpredictable payment cycles. So, while financing is essential to mitigate cash-flow issues, it also means the term “debt” strikes fear into the heart of even the most seasoned contractors who have taken on too much in the past, or taken [...]
Construction Soft Costs 101: How Subs Can Factor Them Into Their Expenses
To accurately estimate and plan for a construction project, a subcontractor’s budget must incorporate both construction soft costs and hard costs. Soft costs can represent a significant portion of construction costs, so it’s essential that you understand what they are and how they factor into your projects. What are Soft Costs in Construction? Construction soft [...]
Built with Billd: Using financial tools to create value and build leverage
Summary Growing too quickly and not having the appropriate resources to sustain growth can become a financial burden on your business. On the other hand, growing too slowly in a rapidly changing industry can negatively impact your financials too. Josh Tinaglia, Solar Engine Program Manager at Soligent, says one way to manage this risk is [...]
Construction Automation & The Future of the Industry: What Subcontractors Need to Know in 2023
The notion that automated tech will sweep across the construction industry is thrilling to some, and alarming to others. Will construction automation eliminate thousands of skilled labor jobs? Will it bring untold efficiency to the field? While both outcomes may come true to some degree, we are easily more than a decade away from construction [...]
Renting vs. Buying Construction Equipment: How to Choose the Best Option for Your Business
Construction equipment sits at the center of an important question: Should subcontractors rent or buy the tools they need? Conventional wisdom might lead you to believe owning is a better strategy than renting. After all, the monthly cost of renting construction equipment is typically 2 to 4 times more than the cost of financing it—and, [...]
Built with Billd: Improving financial visibility in construction
Summary Supply chain issues, labor shortages, and outdated technology negatively impact the financial health of many construction companies. Before co-founding Briq, Ron Goldshmidt realized that the financial technologies available to construction companies were difficult to implement – and, because they weren’t designed specifically for construction, they rarely fulfilled the needs of the industry. Finance teams [...]
Construction Safety: Why it Matters, Top Risks and Helpful Resources
Construction Safety: A Brief History Construction projects—in one form or another—are as old as humanity itself. The same cannot be said for construction safety. In fact, there were virtually no safety measures for physical labor jobs right up until the early 1800s. Real enforcement didn’t come along until the late 19th and early 20th century, when [...]
Pull Planning 101: A Guide for Subcontractors
Construction scheduling has always been a little rough around the edges. Timelines can get dicey, materials get delayed, and red tape often throws a wrench in the payment chain. However, in recent years, contractors have discovered a more efficient alternative to the processes they’ve always relied on: it's called pull planning. Pull planning is a [...]
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