You probably chose to start a construction business because you were great with your hands. Or maybe you grew up watching your parents run their construction business and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. You loved being on the job site, solving problems, and seeing projects come to life.
But somewhere along the way, things shifted. Now, you're not just swinging that hammer—you’re handling everything. From client calls to office paperwork, your day has turned into a balancing act. If you’re reading this, then you’re probably feeling like you’re wearing too many hats.
Between running from site to site and juggling the office work, there’s barely a moment left to even breath, much less spend with your family and friends. Sometimes, this is because you don’t want to give up the responsibilities. Other times, you just can’t find the labor.
But here’s the reality: you can’t keep doing it all. Not if you want your business to grow.
The Real Cost of Being on the Tools
Let’s think about what happens when you're wearing all the hats.
You're either on-site, handling tools yourself, while your phone buzzes non-stop with calls and emails from clients, suppliers, and subcontractors, or overworking yourself into the late hours of the night. There could be a pile of quotes waiting to be done, but by the time you get back to the office, you're exhausted. And that list of things you should have done? It's growing faster than you can keep up. When you’re stuck in these weeds, your business can't grow.
But funny enough, the answer to getting out of this cycle isn’t actually working harder and longer. The answer is to take a step back and give yourself time to work on the business, instead of in the business. So, how do you do this?
How to Step Back: Best Practices for Getting Off the Tools
Getting off the tools is more than just freeing up your time—it's about empowering your team, setting up the right processes, and trusting others to take on responsibilities. But that is much easier said than done. If you’ve been used to being involved in every single aspect of the project, letting go can feel risky. However, the contractors that are scaling their businesses, even to potentially a franchise level, are the ones who have learned to step back and pass off the hammer so to speak. Here’s how you can get started.
1. Empower Your Employees
You’ve probably built your business with your own hands, or inherited it from a family member, so the idea of handing over “your baby” will feel risky. But if you're serious about growing, or starting a construction business, you need to start giving your employees the lead.
If you don't have dedicated estimators, site managers, or accountants right now, you can still start small. Maybe it’s by giving one of your labor hands the shot to take on some additional jobsite responsibility, or growing a foreman into a larger managerial role. Whatever it is that you decide, giving your team the resources, training, and confidence will catapult your growth, but this won’t happen overnight. You’ve got to start learning how to delegate.
An easy first step is to start identifying areas or tasks where you can begin delegating. Maybe it’s something you don’t enjoy, like accounting or project management, or maybe it's letting a foreman take charge of day-to-day operations. Whatever it is, start to train your team and ensure they understand the workflow, then step back and allow them to take the reins.
Even if they fall flat on their face for the first month or two, you will be thanking yourself in the long term.
2. Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
When you start giving out new responsibilities, you’re probably going to get a call from them, asking for help, every five minutes. So, to help your team (and yourself) manage the new workload of their tasks, start creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Well thought out SOPs will make sure your team follows the exact same steps you would take if you were on-site. It’s like putting your brain and methods down on paper for them to study. No matter what the SOP is—whether it’s handling client complaints, installing a fence, or managing a change order—having it documented and accessible will give your crew the confidence to excel in their roles.
3. Trust Your Team
So you’ve set up the new roles, delegated tasks, and created your SOPs, now it’s time to let go (at least a little bit). Like we stated earlier, even if they don’t do things exactly the way you envisioned, the jobs will still get done right. Trust is built over time, so give your employees the time to learn, just like you would have learned from watching your parents or mentors run their businesses for all those years.
The goal is to build a business that doesn’t depend on you being everywhere at once. If you want to go on vacation, or see your child’s baseball game, you should be able to do so without worrying about fires sparking up in the business.
All of this will lead to more time to focus on the strategic direction of your company—whether that’s landing larger clients, expanding into new services, or opening more locations.
Leverage Technology to Support Your Team
All of the above will lead to you having more time to focus on the strategic direction of your company—whether that’s landing larger clients, expanding into new services, or opening more locations. But there’s one more piece that ties it all together: technology.
In 2024, there’s software for just about everything. From accounting tools to project management and estimation platforms, contractors everywhere are adopting new technology for their business. But there are so many tools out there that if you simply search “construction software” the options will feel endless. So, where do you even start? How many programs will you need?
If you’re still trying to balance all of your hats of jobsite demands and office or financial work, this can feel overwhelming, but that’s where Bolster comes in. Bolster isn’t just another tool in that box that you’ll need to juggle—it’s the all-in-one platform that streamlines every part of your business.
How Bolster Helps You Get Off the Tools
Bolster, created by contractors for contractors, combines client management, estimation, project tracking, and even accounting services into one seamless, user-friendly solution. With Bolster, you can regain control over your schedule, scale your business, and trust your team to handle what needs to get done without you being on site 24/7.
Bolster brings all aspects of your business together under one unified umbrella with a streamlined, easy-to-navigate flow. With Bolster, you gain access to powerful automated tools like AutoCost, Automated Scheduling, and seamless Interactive Estimates.
By equipping your team with these tools and centralized information, anybody on your crew can take the lead and get the job done right every time. Bolster is the foundation you need for long-term growth and scalability, and gives you peace of mind knowing your business can operate smoothly whether you’re on-site or off.
Ready to Get Off the Tools?
Here’s the bottom line: staying on the tools might keep your business afloat today, but it won’t give you room to grow tomorrow. You’ve got to start thinking long-term. And to truly scale your company, you need to free yourself up to focus on what matters most.
Bolster helps you do just that. Whether you’re starting a new construction business or are just tired of being pulled in every direction and ready to clear up your schedule to start focusing on scaling your construction business, it’s time to take the next step. Book a demo with our team today and see how Bolster can help you finally get off the tools and into the driver’s seat of your business.
