It’s safe to say that from birth and onward, life is full of challenges. We all have to master the art of crawling before we’re able to walk. And this is just the beginning of a long life of meeting challenges and mastering obstacles.

The business world is no different when it comes to the challenges that we all face in life, and each business comes with its own unique set of challenges.

In the construction industry, you have to face numerous challenges every day, and the obstacles that you have to get around are usually different for every job you take on. One day it’s the weather, the next day it’s the crew that didn’t show up, or how to pick the best USA-made work boots for your employees, and the list continues.

If you’re new to the construction industry, or even if you have an established contracting business and you want to be proactive in preventing challenges from arising, the following will help you to avoid a few major issues.

Safety Compliance

The construction business deals with heavy machinery, powerful and dangerous tools, and a host of other environmental issues that can cause hazards to you or anyone working around the job site.

With all of this in mind, it’s hard to manage the safety of the entire crew, especially on large-scale jobs with a large labor force.

Even if you only have a few workers on your crew, as a primary contractor, you have an obligation to ensure their safety, and to ensure that your crew is following proper safety guidelines.

Today, with the powerful digital tools we have at our disposal, you can use a variety of devices to help monitor and enforce safety compliance.

These tools range from sensors on vehicles to cameras placed around the job site, and even those that can be worn on safety gear. In fact, many construction companies that have implemented these devices have reported a great reduction in safety-related issues.

Vehicle and Equipment Cost

It’s a known fact that the construction business requires heavy machinery and equipment in order to get jobs done properly. The only problem is, this equipment isn’t at all cheap. In fact, some of these machines cost over 6 figures if you were to buy them brand new.

Being a contractor, you need to have access to heavy equipment and certain types of vehicles if you want to be able to bid on big jobs and make better money.

If you’re running up against passing on big-paying contracts because you lack the equipment or machinery needed to complete these jobs, you can consider renting in place of spending thousands on a brand new purchase.

For example, let’s say you need to haul some heavy materials but all you have is a work truck. If this is the case, you can rent a flatbed truck to haul all of your materials, and return it when you’re finished with the project for a mere fraction of the cost that you’d normally pay for a brand new truck.

Client Demands

Even though you work for yourself, or even if you own a legitimate construction business, you’re essentially dependent upon the client who hired you to finish a job.

Basically, your client is a temporary boss. And you have to deliver as promised or as stipulated in a contract.

Often in the construction industry, clients have demands that can sometimes change by the week, or by the day. For example, you might be in the middle of framing a home for a client and they randomly show up at the job site unhappy with the progress. Or, they show up and want a completely different design, and this can set your efforts back.

In order to combat an indecisive or unhappy client, ensure that you have everything worked out beforehand in a contract, and stipulate a rise in cost in the event of changes.

At the end of the day, anything can affect the progress of a construction project. And as a contractor, you need to be able to adapt to any situation, modify your strategy, and move forward so that you can get on to the next job.