Billd

Every year we survey hundreds of subcontracting executives to bring you insights from the front lines of the commercial construction industry. Today, we're giving away those findings for free in the 4th annual Billd National Subcontractor Market Report. You'll read about the industry trends with the biggest impact on subcontractors. Trends that subcontractors faced head-on. In the report, you'll see how your business is stacked up against the most successful growing subcontractors across the country. Billd is dedicated to the success of America's subcontracting businesses. We're proud to release this report every year so subcontractors can maximize their strategies for growth. Download the report for free at the link in the comments!

Insufficient terms. Maxed-out credit lines. Slow pay from new GCs. These challenges are enough to weigh down even the most experienced subs. But they don't have to prevent you from achieving your goals. Just ask Philadelphia-based plumbing subcontractor Plumb-Tech. Billd's 120-day terms for material purchases empowered Plumb-Tech to take on larger projects, gain priority from suppliers, and improve relationships with GCs. "We don't have to live in survival mode anymore," said Dave Eisenhower, financial manager at Plumb-Tech. Working with Billd allowed Plumb-Tech to overcome these challenges, comfortably take on larger projects, and double their revenue. "If you're looking to take on larger, more profitable projects to become a larger, more profitable company, Billd is the partner for you." To learn more about Plumb-Tech and other ways Billd has helped our customers achieve their growth goals, visit our customer stories page at the link in the comments. 

Every quarter, we dedicate one day to a company-wide event. This quarter, members of the Billd team volunteered at the Central Texas Food Bank. Our team spent the day sorting and prepping produce bags to distribute to the partner agencies and communities that CTFB serves, resulting in over 15 pallets of donations. 🥕 Thank you to everyone at CTFB for having us and all the hard work you do throughout the year to serve the greater Austin community. 

Construction is a risky business. And everyone is trying to pass that risk down to you, the subcontractor. We asked 73 experienced subcontracting executives how they limit risk in their businesses. Here's some of their advice ⬇️ -Implement a limitation of liability cap and mutual waiver of consequential damages -Draw hard contractual boundaries when taking over work for other subs -Add your proposals into the contract as a subcontract exhibit -Make additions in lieu of just redlines to get more changes approved If you want to: -Make your risk management strategy more robust -Gain risk management insights from other trades -Or secure better outcomes in your interactions with GCs Then check out all 13 risk management tips for subcontractors, by subcontractors at the link in the comments.

We can't give you a 12-step process to becoming a billionaire. But we can give you a 12-step estimating process that's won $1B+ of work. Clay Young, CEP developed this framework to win bids at the right price for some of the top commercial electrical subcontractors in the country. This is just one of many estimating and bidding resources Clay helped the Billd team create for other subcontractors to use for free. You won't want to miss out on his advice. Get the rest of his bidding and estimating advice for subcontractors at the link in the comments.

Slow payments have an undeniably painful impact on subcontracting businesses. Whether you're doing $5M or $50M a year in revenue, the problems are the same. There's just extra zeroes added to the equation. While there's no way to fully solve slow payments in the industry, there are ways to shield yourself from the effects. In our latest Meetup, hosts Travis Mayor and Jerry Aliberti break down how you can calculate the cost of slow payment to help you: 📊 Understand your business better 💰 Account for this cost appropriately  🔢 Take steps to reduce this cost as much as possible Check out the video below for the details on calculating this very real cost and why it's so important. To watch the full Meetup on demand, visit the link in the comments section.

3 out of 4 subcontractors grew their businesses up to 20% last year, according to the 2024 National Subcontractor Market Report. 📈 That kind of growth comes with additional opportunities—as well as challenges that can rattle your business to the core. By understanding the obstacles that await you, you can proactively prepare for the course ahead. However, you don't have to figure it out on your own. Jerry Aliberti, principal at Pro-Accel, helps subcontractors throughout the country build and scale highly profitable businesses. He shared his insights on how to overcome challenges, what operational changes to make, and key hires subs should make as they scale their businesses in a three-part blog series. Get his recommendations for for subs in the $2-$8M range, $8-$25M range, and $25M+ range at the links in the comments. 

I've been in the construction industry for a long time. I think we can all agree that historically, Subcontractors have historically been pretty terrible at marketing themselves.   One thing I'm excited to see in the industry right now is the emergence of great construction-focused marketing agencies.   Why?  Marketers who understand construction are great at telling Subcontractor stories, AND…we’ll see more and more Subcontractor thought leaders as a byproduct.   This means the industry's best are sharing real-world learnings and solutions with their peers.   And that means that we will see better adoption of: → New estimating and bidding strategies → Innovative skilled labor recruiting and training → The very best construction technology that make businesses better → Better cash flow and capital stack management   For Subcontractors, this will be one of the best investments you can make in your business. Here are some that I follow, feel free to tag others that really understand construction. 🏗 Blue Collar Brands, Daniel Yates BuiltRise, Hayden Abrevaya BuildWitt, Aaron Witt Storybuilder, Tyler Campbell Customer Growth | Construction Social Media Agency, Jonathan Cor

You’re gonna want butt in chair, feet on ground for this. If you missed last week's Subcontractor Meetup, no need to fret. You can still learn the ins and outs of accounting for the cost of capital, including how to: ✏️ Develop strategies for deploying different forms of capital 💰 Calculate the cost of carrying slow payments 🔢 Create a process for including the cost of capital in your bids Check out the information we covered during our live discussion in the presentation below, and watch the full video on demand at the link in the comments section.

You might be tempted to reach into your own pocket to cover for late GC payments. But, if you think you can get out of a cash flow crunch with only your cash reserves, you're in for a rude awakening. The problem with cash, and even lines of credit, is that they are finite resources. They can't offer the same financial flexibility that a diverse working capital stack can provide. Thinking strategically about financing and maintaining a mix of working capital options creates benefits that a cash-only strategy can't compete with. Benefits like:  💰 Creating sustainable business growth ✅ Mitigating risks 📈 Improving operational efficiency To learn more about the benefits a flexible working capital stack can offer, visit the link in the comments.