Builders new to the business imagine that success lies just around the corner. They believe that a few years of hard work, combined with an honest approach and a continuous stream of jobs bid at 10% overhead and 5% profit, will turn their dreams into reality. More experienced builders know, however, that the road to success is full of potholes big enough to sink the company, together with the builder and his or her dreams. After ten years as a business consultant working exclusively with builders, remodelers, and their subs, I have begun to see patterns common to both successful and unsuccessful companies. Not long ago, I reread an article from the Harvard Business Review called "The
