If you have a wealth of experience as a full time employee in the construction sector, the chances are you have contacts across the industry. This could enable you to break free from your employer to set up on your own. Launching a business within the construction sector can be lucrative. The industry is booming even during these surreal global pandemic days and you could be the master of your own professional destiny. However, there are pitfalls that you need to avoid to make a success of your construction startup. Take a look at these three things that you should do to ensure business success. Pixabay – CC0 License Legal Stuff In the construction industry, you need to adhere to a whole host of legislation and regulations. As the industry is a little more dangerous than the usual office-based working, you have to look after your staff and protect them from accidents. This is why it is vital that you find professional indemnity insurance with the right business coverage for your industry. It’s crucial that you can find the right representation should you discover a negligence claim being made against you. Seek out professional advice to ensure that all of your documentation is above board. File it away and keep it safe so should any audit take place, you have the information to hand and can demonstrate your compliance. Funding To ensure that your cash flow remains buoyant at all times, you need to have funding avenues available to you. Think about seeking advice and money from an angel investor. You could choose to use a well-designed business plan to pitch to a business angel. These individuals have a lifetime of experience and are at the top of their game within the construction sector. You might want to start a bricklaying business, an office interiors outfit, or an insulation company. Find the business angel with the relevant experience. They will have money to invest in what they see as profitable ventures. Get suited and booted, know your gross from your net, and have your financial figures to hand. Your business plan needs to show off just how appealing your venture is. With any luck, they will invest time and money, and experience in your startup. Pixabay – CC0 License Staffing Working out the sort of staff you need for your startup is necessary to ensure its success. Hire too many people and you waste money. Think about how you will recruit. You could choose to go down the recruitment agency route. These companies have an excellent caliber of candidates on their books and are industry-specific. Alternatively, you could recruit on your own. Advertise in relevant publications and online before longlisting, shortlisting, and interviewing. Start slowly and only recruit the members of staff that you need. Anything else can be outsourced as and when you need a business function fulfilling. This can save you money, secure your cash flow, and keep your business financially efficient. If you are eager to start a business within the construction industry, follow this guide to ensure success.

Housing developments can be a significant attention-grabber for most campers and caravanners, among many others. There are several strategies that can help promote new housing developments for people clinging to the old ways. These strategies are the following. 1.   Utilizing Available Audiences Perhaps the most crucial step to this is to grab the attention of the people that will be facilitating the housing developments–the residents. Marketing to the residents is the quickest way to push products and the housing development, especially if the development process is eco-friendly. Marketing to these people may also help spread the word or inspire other residents to embrace the new housing developments. With time, there could be development because of this method. 2.   Promotion and Advertising There are several ways to promote and advertise products and services that can facilitate new housing development, one of which is through the use of websites and blogs. Utilizing Websites and Blogs Websites can be great spaces to advertise products that can facilitate new housing developments. Websites with a lot of traffic could showcase advertisements that promote new housing developments. A website that is wholly committed to the promotion of new housing development projects, especially if it has a lot of projects, could be a lot more promising. Blogs can work in similar ways. But blogs can be useful in getting to the chief details on why embracing new housing developments might be the right way to go. 3.   Promotional Events Promotional events don’t need to be luxurious. Something nice would work well, too. Perhaps, the thing to focus on with promotional events is to attract customers. In doing so, they can get exposure to much of the product and services they wish to sell. As a straight-forward way to advertise a product, promotional events could utilize custom banners. Anyone can get custom fence banners that would air the benefits of the new housing benefits while allowing the attendees to enjoy the rest of the event. Thus, defeating the need to having too much promotion, and opening the chance for more fun and entertainment. 4.   Branding Branding usually involves having certain ideologies that make customers flock to it. The beliefs and standards of certain brands help facilitate new housing developments. The customers who flocked to the brand can help the brand amass large audiences that can grow the brand, as well as forward the development of new housing.  Branding can help create recognition, increases an enterprise’s value, generate new customers, realize trust between multiple parties, facilitates the promotion, and improves employee loyalty. All these qualities make this an important thing to embrace. 5.   Utilizing SEO Understanding what customers in a local area draw them is crucial. It is important because it can help design the best ways to approach the marketing and production of new housing products and services in general. Search engine optimization (SEO) can help in the research process, which can provide enough information to help fabricate projects of new housing developments fail-proof. SEO can also help promote better utilization of other strategies, which makes this strategy one of the most cardinal schemes on this list. 6.   Considering the Resident’s Frame of Mind People usually have opinions on everything. Some of those opinions can be destructive, but others can be constructive that they can help sky-rocket things to maximum success. Listening to customers is perhaps one of the most mentioned business strategies of all time, but in no way is it considered a cliché. The customers can provide information that includes the best ways on how to approach promotion, the products and services they want to see in the market, and why they choose certain products over others. All this can help make all the right moves in all the right places. This ‘overstated’ advice is still king because business is a marriage in so many ways, and not considering the views of the significant other is plain ludicrousness. 7.   Working With the Experts Not knowing what a person is doing while taking on a project could be the quickest way to failure. Experts can help shake things up for the better or fix problems before they become business-ending problems. With the end of the business, so becomes the end of the project to promote new housing development. 8.   Sponsorships From Related Business Businesses who share similar ideals as to those that are looking to promote new housing development can provide sponsorships, which can be beneficial in several ways. Related enterprises can help other related businesses grow, which can help business transactions happen more readily. In this case, those business transactions can help promote new housing developments. Sponsorships from related corporations can be cardinal, and should not experience overlooking when there’s no better move left to play. 9.   Inspiration From the Competition Beyond acknowledging all this, it is critical to take this information with a grain of salt. Outright stealing a business’s idea is not the way to go. Though the competition can’t copyright an idea, they might have a tangible project that they can copyright. Taking inspiration from practised ideas could be the beginning of the end for some businesses. Facing a damaging lawsuit is a possibility that can end all things for the company. Caution is crucial. In Conclusion Exercising those strategies in all the right places can promise great success in promoting new housing development. Just as plans are vital for the success of an intricate project, schemes are just as paramount for the success of promoting the development of new housing.

Construction workers’ safety must be prioritised in the fight against COVID-19 but firms need to accelerate their adoption of technology to make this happen. These are the words of Cardo Crew’s senior leader Shachar Harari who is also urging manufacturers of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to invest in technology that will help these firms create a safer and more secure environment. Shachar Harari, Chief Business Officer & Head of Cardo Crew, comments: “Workers have already had to adapt to social distancing and new ways of working but, with cases rising, we need to see more stringent health and safety measures. The top priority for construction sites should be to make the work environment safer for employees because, if staff get sick, they could face delays and extra costs. Now is the time for sites to re-examine working practices and favour manufacturers that are upgrading their existing equipment to increase safety even further. “However, this shouldn’t be at the expense of increased productivity. Equipment also needs to be higher in quality and more effective in helping workers get the job done.”  Wireless mesh communications technology specifically can help teams exchange complex information quickly, reliably and securely. It operates as a self-sufficient standalone network, is voice-activated and enables two-way conversation at a range of up to 3,000 metres, making it ideal for COVID-secure work environments. Shachar adds: “By implementing robust and efficient comms technology, construction firms can increase efficiencies and improve on-site safety. Manufacturers now have the opportunity to integrate wireless comms into PPE to enable workers to adapt to the new socially distant, hands-free, COVID-secure working environment, while enhancing productivity.” Cardo Crew is also urging construction firms to join the conversations taking place during Construction Week, which runs from 5-9th October, and learn more about the digital opportunities for the construction industry. The event offers the chance for firms across the UK to share their experiences of the tools that can help them adapt to the changes in how we work.  Shachar concludes: “The construction industry will only recover from the pandemic if businesses join together in a collaborative effort. It is all about using our experiences to learn from one another and understanding our technology can help firms adapt to ensure work environments are as safe as possible for employees. This week’s online event will be a fantastic platform for those discussions to take place and we highly encourage firms to take part.”

There are a few businesses that are pretty much recession proof. Though the construction business can slow down considerably during a financial downturn, the paving business is usually still going strong even in the worst situations. Roads need to be paved to keep traffic moving. Not only that, but generally cities and towns have their paving projects budgeted from the year before so the money is already there even if there is a crisis happening. If you’re trying to decide on a business with lots of upside then read on for the tips on how to start your own paving business. 1 – Have your equipment ready Your biggest expense is going to be your machinery to do the work. From the trucks to bring the machines to the site, to the pavers themselves. It is a huge expense to buy them and also to maintain them. You can buy some of these at auction to get you started if you are on a budget, but make sure that you have a plan to replace them once the jobs are coming in regularly. After all, older equipment will cost you more in the long run through maintenance and also in terms of lost work if they don’t perform well. You’ll need to shop around for the best insurance plans to save money and look for the best red diesel suppliers that will give you the best price on your fuel for the machines. 2 – Create a business plan Whether you plan to open a paving business or a lemonade stand, a business plan is essential. A business plan not only will help you secure loans from a bank but it serves as your roadmap to success. It will provide you with a step by step guide on running your business. Each section is essentially a milestone that lets you know what to do after having surpassed each one. Without a business plan, you are simply flying by the seat of your pants and taking things as they come. 3 – Start small Your ultimate prize should be getting contracts for city and state projects that pay a lot of money and usually last for years. This is the ideal situation, but don’t expect these huge contracts off the bat. First, you’ll need to start out doing smaller jobs like driveways and patios for residential projects. Then, you can gain a reputation and start going for bigger commercial jobs like a restaurant or store parking lot. Then, later on you can start bidding on larger projects. 4 – Be insured Construction is a dangerous job for you, your staff and even the general public. And you need to cover yourself against any injury claims. Have good liability insurance that covers an injury and even damage to property. There is always the possibility that your equipment or workers damage somebody’s lawn or home and you don’t want to pay out of pocket for that.

From the days of flyers and telephone calls to the evolving world of social media content and tailored online advertising, brands and businesses are constantly thinking of new ways to gain exposure and sell their products to customers. Thanks to the power of social media, almost every company includes platforms like Facebook and YouTube. From TikTok to Instagram, it’s all part of a strategy to reach new audiences and increase sales. You’ll already know that “influencer marketing” has been the way forward for many marketing professionals. Tapping into the success of everyday people who’ve taken the internet by storm has been seen as the logical way to go about it. But, with high follower counts comes the high price you’ll have to pay to get social media users—who are bombarded by brand deals—to pay attention. Even if you opt for an influencer with fewer followers, you can never guarantee a return on investment. Today, we look at how new tactics are being used to corner the social media market, including User-Generated Content and the phenomenon of “unboxing”. Unique touches over fake presence The traditional use of influencer marketing, where you pay a social celebrity to post your product on their platform, is a dying art. The facts and figures certainly back this up, especially around the use of fake followers. According to a report in 2019, fake followers cost advertisers $1.9 billion, with companies “ripped off” for the price they paid for sponsored posts. It’s no small cost for a market said to be worth $8.5 million in the same year—based on advertising spend. But it’s not just fake followers that point to influencer marketing being less effective than it once was. In the same year, American internet sensation Ariana Renee had to cancel her own clothing range after failing to sell the minimum 36 T-shirts required to start her first shipment, despite having a following of 2.6 million on Instagram. Examples like this has got brands thinking. How can they promote their products in a way that people on social media will share it, without having to be paid a small fortune for the pleasure? The answer in a nutshell—User-Generated Content (UGC). In simple terms, UGC is any content, whether it be videos, text, or audio, that’s shared by social media users. For brands, it’s a means to get creative and add personal touches to their products and packaging. This will have people reaching for their phones to post about it without hesitation. Personalisation has boomed in recent times, with everything from personalised wrapping paper to personalised candle holders available online. It’s a trend that even celebrities are on board with. David Beckham’s 45th birthday celebrations saw Victoria give him his presents wrapped in paper printed with his own face! It’s more than plausible to say that people want more unique, personal items these days, with the world of social media playing a key role in the desire for personalisation. If you think about it for a second, what is more likely to be shared on social media, a shopping bag with a brand name on it, or one that’s been designed to feel like it’s special to a specific individual and nobody else? To quantify this from a financial point of view, it’s estimated that the global market for personalised gifts will rise to $38 billion by 2021. This provides a closer look at what direction things are heading in. Unboxing–the never-ending phenomenon With a continuous conveyor belt of products to choose from, there comes the opportunity for trends to emerge on social media. One of the most popular ones right now is known as unboxing. Recognised in the Oxford Dictionary, ‘unboxing’ is defined as: ‘An act or instance of removing a newly purchased product from its packaging and examining its features, typically when filmed and shared on a social media site.’ Search for ‘unboxing’ on YouTube and you instantly get a sense of how popular it’s become. A channel known as ‘Unbox Therapy’ has amassed 17.1 million subscribers since its creation in 2010, with over 3.7 billion views in that time, with viewers tuning in for the excitement of unboxing the latest products. Not only do unboxing videos fuel anticipation of what’s inside, but it always gives key information on the product itself. This is a big deal for consumers, and a recipe for success when brands think of new ways to present their latest craze. Unboxing is not some sort of look into the future, it’s an established way to present and digest content right now. As of 2019, YouTube channel Ryan’s Toy Reviews, where youngster Ryan unboxes the latest toys and reviews them with his parents, was worth a whopping $26 million. Personal reviews, not just views It’s clear to see that the days of brands relying on social media megastars to post about how much they love the product they’ve just been paid handsomely to share are over. It just doesn’t yield the same results that it used to. Now people want to see more personalised branding and opinions from the people in the position to blog, vlog and talk about. Not only that, but the everyday person also wants to share what they buy on social media. Making simple changes to packaging, adding unique touches, and even handwriting a note to fit inside the box are all ways for companies to up their UGC game. Gary Peeling, CEO at UK commercial print company: Where The Trade Buys, currently producing PPE for UK education spaces, workplaces, hospitality venues, retail stores, charity shops, the NHS and more. The company has also been involved in manufacturing face visors for NHS essential workers in the fight against Covid-19. Sources: