When you set out to begin a new business you never quite know where it’s going to take you, but at some point you will end up starting a new project somewhere on location. It might be the building of your new office or store, or it might be that the project is building a new office or store. You might be in this country or another, in your town or one you’ve never heard of. However it comes about you need to be ready to take full advantage of the situation, and, as ever, that means being prepared.
Starting a new business is always a huge learning curve no matter what experience you have behind you. There will be many aspects that you are excited to do—like building your website, making that first sale, hiring your first employee, but there are also things like finding funding and investors, and realizing that your first paycheck won’t appear for a year or so. Going into business means you need to know more than your product—you need to know how to sell yourself, how to market your company, and how to convince others to give you the chance to grow. Being prepared is all that stands between you and failure—from day one you need to be learning and researching. And, that will never let up… there is always something to learn, like how to plan your first location project.
Contractors
Depending on your project, you will need to hire specific people to help see it through. And no matter what the skill set is that you need, finding the right people counts. Hiring someone isn’t as simple as holding an interview, seeing that they have the right experience, and they automatically do amazingly in your company. You have that initial application to show you the skills and the qualifications the applicant has, but when you meet face to face, you need to be able to judge the person behind the good behavior interview mask. Everyone puts their best foot forward at an interview, but you need to see beyond that and find out if this person is the best person for the job and will they work well with you and your existing team.
Buildings
You can’t expect to have temporary buildings pop up out of the ground; you need to hire them yourself. On a building yard, for example, you need somewhere secure to store tools, as well as an office, staff room, and toilet facilities. The bigger the project, the bigger the space needed. When you decide on your location, find out what facilities are already there and then you can plan from that level upwards. Businesses like Retracom hire out portable buildings to suit your needs and is definitely the top choice when it comes to location work; a portable office and storage facility can be right on site and not down the road.
Supplies
Much like interviewing your contractors, you need to see past the sales pitch of potential suppliers. They will all be spouting that their services are the best, their materials go unrivaled, so don’t just go by their pitch—look at reviews, talk to other companies who have used these suppliers before, and don’t jump straight into a deal. If they are serious about doing business with you then they won’t have a problem with proving that their materials are the best. Just don’t lead them along or waste their time. At the end of the day they have a business to run just the same as you do, so once your mind is made, make the deal. Oh, and don’t always think that the cheapest option is the best deal, paying a little bit more can guarantee better quality materials and products and, hopefully, more sustainable ones too.
Time Scale
Once you have all your people and materials in place you need to set a decent time scale for the project. If it’s something like building a building, then your building contractors will be able to give you a good estimate, but if it’s a project that is going to last years or potentially as long as your company is in business, then you’re going to need to plan long term in regards to employees and legality. Your time scale might get hindered by legal permissions, unseen complications and even the weather; be prepared for some setbacks, but never stop pushing for that end date.
Plans
Obviously you will go into all of this with a plan for your project, however, things can change drastically between the start and end of a project. You can’t hold on to every detail of that original plan, it will just end in your disappointment. You need to roll with the punches as it were; changes and challenges happen and rather than fighting them, look at them as an opportunity to make your project better than it already was. If your building needs some redesigning to allow it to bring in the amount of energy it needs to function, then look into adding some sustainable features, like solar panels, to make that happen.
A lot depends on what your project actually is—whether you’re the one pulling the strings, or if you’re being hired for the job. But, there will always be similar aspects to think of for any project on location. Just be prepared to change your plans as you go, to grow with and manage any challenges that come your way, and to trust your instinct when it comes to finding the right people for the job.
Photo by H E N G S T R E A M
Milo Senalle
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