Business Coaching for a Construction Company: An Honest Review

From a 30% decrease in productivity to a motivated team who are on track to increase the company's turnover by almost a million.

Unicorn Construction is on track to increase its turnover by almost a million in the next year as it paves the way for a more profitable future. 

So, what caused this recent monumental shift?

“I launched Unicorn Construction in 2007. Amid a national recession, I was discouraged from starting a business in such a turbulent time but decided to persevere anyway. We started as a firm that would undertake project management services. As we grew, we migrated into smaller extensions and refurbishments, dabbling in the public sector and securing packages of works on behalf of larger building contractors before turning our attention to residential, private extensions and construction work. 

“Although the business was flourishing, we were lacking a productive business culture. I had 18 workers directly employed on the books, but when I arranged for two or three to be on the same project, I would lose nearly a third of the productivity for the day. This is when I heard about ActionCOACH at a conference – I knew they would be the tool we needed to help our company thrive.”

Phil had a complimentary strategy session with his local Action Coach, and in June 2022, Phil invested in weekly group coaching sessions.

Business Coaching for Team Development

“A contact of mine at a conference was telling me about the significant impact ActionCOACH had had on his business. At the time, I was being mentored by a consultant who seemed to be about making his business strategies fit our team rather than listening to what we actually needed – ActionCOACH was the polar opposite.
 
“I wanted to build up my team, to reward them, but this wasn’t possible with the current work ethic, which is when I decided to contact ActionCOACH. I had a very fixed agenda about what I wanted out of the coaching – I wanted to improve our culture as it felt like it had been something I’d been struggling with for years. Straight away, my business coach knew we needed a behaviour and culture shift within our business, so we began a team engagement programme.
 
“At the end of the first session, it felt like we had turned a corner. Before, it was a challenge to keep everyone focused on improving the team culture, but after an hour with my coach, the idea seemed to be embedded already – the team were far more open and relaxed with each other, and over the next few weeks, I began to see a shift within the business. Our team was more dedicated to helping each other get the job done and wanted to see Unicorn Construction succeed. After the programme ended, I asked for one-to-one coaching so I could get my business to where I wanted it to be."

How Business Coaching Can Help Construction Business Owners

“The first shake-up was when my business coach asked me what I wanted to get out of the business. I was so intrinsically involved in the company I wasn’t looking at the business and how it was impacting me. I was accepting every job that came through the door rather than going out and getting the work I wanted, working 10-12 hours every weekday because I thought that was what I had to do to succeed.
 
“My business coach helped me reassess my work-life balance. I work alongside my wife, Nicki, who is the office manager and oversees all the accounts, acting as a bookkeeper as well as my sounding board for any big decisions I make in our business. Working with Nicki is wonderful, but, in a way, it makes it even harder to establish that all-important work-life balance. When Nicki began attending my business coaching sessions, things clicked – we realised we needed to spend time outside of the business together whilst still being productive. It’s had a massive impact on our thought process and has helped us focus on what we want to get out of the business."

The results from Business Coaching for Unicorn Construction

In the first five months, with Phil attending group sessions and one-to-one coaching sessions, Unicorn Construction has experienced significant growth already. Phil now has ambitious targets to increase his annual turnover from under 1.5 million in 2022 to 2.5 million.

"Through my business coaching, I have turned my personal dream of building my own house into a reality..." 

“I want to grow the business, and now I have the resources I need to do so. We’re working on marketing campaigns at the moment, contacting 30 architects who have never heard of us to showcase what we are doing and our experience. Before we met our business coach, I was entrenched in what I was doing behind the scenes, so I haven’t gotten out there as much as I would’ve liked to. Now we have a strong culture in the business, I want to put us on the map and build our reputation in the hope it will bring better opportunities. 
 
“It’s the walls you hit that allow you to figure out solutions with your Action Coach. Through my business coaching, I have turned my personal dream of building my own house into a reality as I have more time to focus on my ambitions. Before, it felt like a million miles away, but I feel confident that at some point soon, we will achieve all we want to, thanks to Steve.”

Are you ready to transform your business?

Has reading Phil’s story inspired you to think about your own business and where you could be heading? It’s okay to feel sceptical about business coaching, change is hard, especially when it comes to you and your business. We understand you’ve worked hard and put in a lot of time to get your business to where it is today, which is why we want to showcase the stories of business owners who have been in your shoes and decided they were ready for business coaching.

If you're contemplating whether business coaching is right for you, find a coach and book a discovery call to see how business coaching can help you achieve your dreams and navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship.

If you'd like to find out more, take a look at some of our articles in our learning centre.