Partner Article

Starting a construction consultancy ? are you mad?

Artis Consulting Limited offers a range of client focused services including project and cost management, development monitoring, partnering advice and development facilitation. Here, Director Martin Round discusses starting up a construction consultancy.

When you tell people you are contemplating setting up your own business in the depths of a recession, particularly in the construction sector, their first reaction is normally, ’‘ARE YOU MAD’’?

But is a recession necessarily the wrong time to start and grow a business? We don’t believe so, as we have done just that and if the start up and planning is managed correctly, it could be the perfect time. So what are the benefits of ‘BEING MAD’ in a recession?

Firstly, demand for consultancy services will still be there, if you know your market and target the correct clients. Organisations require a personal service that will add to their bottom line but at a reasonable fee level- and that’s even more necessary in a downturn. Clients are therefore often looking for alternative suppliers to take advantage of the market.

Staff availability is plentiful too in a recession, with good quality experienced resource available to help deliver the service and grow the business, which is often a barrier during the boom times.

Obviously keeping costs and overheads low are paramount. However there are some superb deals in the market, particularly with regard to office accommodation, where competitive rental rates and flexibility of tenure are available.

If finances allow, a slower start to a business can help in a number of ways: it ensures that the business processes and procedures which are put in place, are of use and effective: it enables a new inexperienced business owner to understand the operational side of the new venture and consider in detail the risks and mitigation measures to be implemented; it ensures constant re- evaluation of costs and projections; and it focuses the mind on forward planning, to consider and cater for the uncertainties of the market.

Clients continue to have property portfolios to maintain, if not for prudent planned maintenance purposes but to satisfy statutory requirements. Cash rich investors will still want to maximise investment opportunities and take advantage of the market and the competitive tendering environment, even in a recession.

And clients will perceive you as confident in your ability and your business model to have ‘taken the plunge’ in such times, so that when you survive the recession with a sound business which gives clients confidence…maybe you weren’t mad after all!!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jonny Marshall .