If you’ve never built a custom home, you might assume the best builders are the people who know the most about construction.
Construction knowledge obviously matters.
But there’s another skill that becomes increasingly important as your projects get larger:
Creative problem-solving.
Because something will go wrong.
Actually, a lot of things will go wrong.
There Is No Perfect Construction Project
Plans conflict.
Products get delayed.
Trades make mistakes.
Weather destroys schedules.
Clients change their minds.
Budgets move.
Inspections uncover problems.
Financing changes.
Material costs fluctuate.
People quit.
Something gets installed incorrectly.
The builder who expects everything to go according to plan is going to have a miserable career.
The builder who expects problems and develops the ability to calmly work through them has a chance to build a real business.
Don’t Ask “Why Is This Happening?”
Ask:
“What are our options?”
That’s a subtle change that can completely alter how you operate.
When something goes wrong, inexperienced entrepreneurs often freeze.
They focus on the problem.
They assign blame.
They replay what should have happened.
None of that moves the project forward.
Instead, break the problem into pieces.
What’s actually wrong?
What needs to happen next?
Who can solve it?
What does each solution cost?
How does each option affect the schedule?
What’s the worst-case scenario?
What’s the best available move right now?
Then make a decision.
Six-Figure Problems Are Still Problems to Solve
As your business grows, so does the size of your mistakes.
A $2,000 problem feels catastrophic when you’re starting.
Later, you may encounter problems costing tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The numbers change.
The process doesn’t.
Assess.
Create options.
Make the best decision available.
Move forward.
We’ve had situations in business that could have caused someone else to simply give up.
But quitting doesn’t fix the problem.
You still have investors, clients, employees, vendors and obligations.
Sometimes entrepreneurship means doing something uncomfortable.
You may need help.
You may need another partner.
You may need additional capital.
You may have to restructure something.
You may have to admit you made a mistake.
Do whatever legitimately needs to be done to keep moving toward a solution.
Custom Home Building Is Entrepreneurship on Steroids
That’s one reason we believe building teaches skills applicable far beyond construction.
Every custom home is essentially a small company.
It has a budget.
A schedule.
Dozens of vendors.
Hundreds of decisions.
A customer.
Government oversight.
Financing.
Logistics.
Design.
Quality control.
Risk management.
And a deadline.
Then multiply that across several projects simultaneously.
You become good at processing information quickly because you don’t have another option.
The Builder Doesn’t Need Every Answer
This is another misconception.
Being the leader doesn’t mean knowing everything.
I don’t need to know more about electrical systems than my master electrician.
I need to hire a great electrician and know enough to ask intelligent questions.
The same applies to engineering, HVAC, plumbing, architecture, design and dozens of other specialties.
The builder’s job is to assemble the right people, organize the information and get everyone moving toward the same result.
When something falls outside everyone’s normal playbook, that’s where leadership becomes especially valuable.
Learn to Reroute
Entrepreneurship rarely follows the original map.
You start with Plan A.
Something changes.
Now you’re on Plan B.
That fails.
Create Plan C.
The goal isn’t proving that your original idea was correct.
The goal is getting to the destination.
That’s the mentality we try to bring to our projects.
Problems aren’t unusual events interrupting the business.
Solving problems is the business.
Once you understand that, construction becomes a lot less frustrating.
And you become a much more valuable builder, developer and entrepreneur.
