We know that construction projects are demanding and stressful. At In Line Flooring, we are relationship driven. We strive to be your Category Partner, a total flooring solution. We are proactive and partner with our clients to ensure their project finishes on time and on budget.
What is a Category Partner?
When you have grown to a size where you are working on lots of projects with lots of interrelated parts you need a category partner.
While I am sure you are ecstatic to see your business go from strength to strength, you might have noticed a growing number of fires, big and small, that take up your time.
This is not your fault. The problem is you have outgrown the way you used to manage, and, unfortunately, you are not yet big enough to hire the full project management team and estimators that you need to handle it all in house.
It is an all-too-common story that either sends you back to the safety of staying small or in search of an interim solution that will support your growth.
The great news is that there is a path for you, but only if you are willing to step beyond the micro-contractors and set your sights on a total category solution.
Let me explain how a total category partner will save you money, time, and stress, as well as how to find the right one for you.
Death by 1000 Cuts
The number one problem we see as a business grows from a few construction projects to more than a handful is that they still try to work with multiple micro-contractors for every element of the project. While it may not seem this way initially, this often leads to higher overall costs and nightmare logistical issues.
As you grow, so must the size and capacity of the individual contracting firms you work with. We recommend that you focus on what we call Category-based Relationships. Let us give you an example.
When we first met Keoni, he was still trying to manage each element of his growing number of projects. Day after day he would be running from project to project, dealing with issue after issue, and conflict after conflict. We helped him realize the power of a Category Partner and how we could help him as his true flooring partner. No more would he have to chase multiple flooring subcontractors and address subcontractor disputes like transition points and height issues, which are all too common when connecting soft flooring and tile.
Keoni jumped at the chance at removing this stress and time sucking burden from his plate, And work with us.
Today, thanks to us being his category Flooring Partner, and thanks to all the other Category Partners he has been able to secure, he has now been able to grow from 10 projects to 30 projects while still going to all his son’s baseball practices and games.
Scrambling cost time and money
Too often we see issues popping up the day of the scheduled installation, leading to stressful last minute and often less than perfect solutions or costly project delays.
Project delays are expensive, so you need to work with a Category Partner that understands that. When selecting a partner, be sure to ask them their process for inspecting jobs before installation and how they communicate issues. If you get the feeling that they are anything but proactive, give them a hard pass. Let us explain.
A few years ago, we were on site to inspect a 20,000 square foot flooring project that we were getting ready to start for Victor, a Preferred Partner of ours.
On inspection, we noticed that there were subfloor issues causing a slope. We also realized that the way it was done would lead to telegraphing. Now as most contractors come the day of an installation or the week of it (if you are lucky), this would have led to a substantial delay in the overall project and liquidated damages for blowing past the construction deadline. Instead, we visited the project well in advance, even before the other subcontractors, and we were able to communicate the issue and get it fixed well before we were due to arrive on site.
Now while this may sound like an unusual issue, we are always presented with slope and level issues like height differences between the soft flooring and tile. Being on site early makes sure these items never even come up for our partners.
In short, find a partner that plans, not a partner that leaves things to the last minute and drives your project into delay.
Last minute Ordering and Staffing
Sadly, we find most subcontractors do what they are told, only when they are told, and, really, only if they are reminded. This often leads to lengthy delays due to materials not arriving on time as well as poor or unqualified staffing, which can lead to a significant punch list.
You need a Category Partner that drives your project forward, not delays it; a partner that orders everything for all projects they know are upcoming and has their elite team ready to get started on time.
Justin, a long-term construction veteran, is a fitting example of this. His project was already running behind schedule, and he was looking down at the barrel of costly interest and damages. To Justin, this was just something he lived with. He was blown away to discover that we at In Line Flooring do not to business that way.
We contacted him daily to ensure we got on site as soon as we could. We had our materials and team ready to go, and we even asked our team to work later hours and weekends to increase efficiency because no one else would be on site. We also made back a ton of time with our combined soft flooring and tile roll out.
Justin was blown away to see a project that was undoubtedly going to be way over its deadline, come in only slightly behind schedule. Justin will never work with anyone but us again, and he has already begun to enjoy the cost savings that a total partnership provides.
So, if you are getting to the size where fires are starting or if you would just like to enjoy the savings that come with a total solution, like combined tile and soft flooring implementation, then you should go looking for a total solution partner for all your construction needs.
If you are in Hawaii and want to discuss how we can help and be on our Preferred Partner List, we would be honored to discuss your needs further. We would also love to share the importance of finding a total flooring partner with their origin in tile, not soft flooring, and why it matters so much. Please use this link Click Here to get connected.
