Blog
Bid to Win!
The Ingredients for Success — Every contractor knows that intelligent and accurate bidding is a critical ingredient to success, however, many contractors focus more on running jobs to make a profit rather than bidding smart to avoid a loss. The only way to consistently produce accurate bids that meet your company objectives is to put in […]
Lessons Learned from the Nigerian Bank
A few days ago, I received another email from a “close and personal friend” who is a high-ranking manager at a bank in Nigeria. My “close” friend must really trust me more than anyone else because he asked that I hold, in trust, $10 million US dollars for his cousin, a now deposed village leader. […]
Know Thy Equipment
Too often, contractors with significant equipment inventory use industry standard rental rates for anticipated equipment usage instead of actual costs when preparing a bid—a practice that could cause you to lose a job in today’s tight bidding environment. Using industry standard rental rates simply does not take advantage of the potentially lower cost of owned […]
A Fist Full of IOUs
More construction businesses fail from the lack of cash due to poor cash management than from “bad” jobs—it’s a fact. One of the main causes of poor cash management is the ineffective collection of receivables. Your ability to survive—and even grow—in this industry demands that you get paid in a timely manner. Timely means getting […]
Congratulations! You’re Broke.
Mismanagement of Cash Flow — At Direct Surety, we have had the opportunity to work with many successful construction organizations. We’ve also worked with a few not so successful companies that should have been. The main cause of these business flops has almost always been their rocket-like success and then the sudden discovery they’ve run out […]