This October marks our 15th year in business.

Time has flown by and it’s hard to believe it’s been this long. We’re grateful to everyone who has been part of the journey.

Time has brought lessons, too. Some easy. Others less so.

Through the bliss and busts and challenges overcome, here are the top 4 most critical businesses lessons we’ve learned in the last decade and a half…

1. Play to your strengths.

No company can be all things to all people.

It is a well understood fact that serving a focused niche leads to better outcomes than struggling for mass appeal.

Over the years we have seen this theory proven true time and again. Our expertise is commercial building. Specifically, commercial building for national brands who operate multiple locations in more than one province in Canada. We do not take on residential projects. This exclusive focus allows us to maximize our investment in the systems, tools, resources, training, materials and expert personnel that allow us to excel in this space. It leads to smoother operations for us, and better project outcomes for our customers

There is never a benefit to diluting your effort across too many channels.  Determine your strengths. Understand who you are best suited to serve. Then double down.

2. Values make life easier and more profitable.

Being clear about our brand’s values and standing by them no matter what is a super-power. It allows trust to be earned, which builds respect and sets you apart from the crowd.

Is it alway easy? No.

Is it always convenient? No.

Could you make more money by cutting corners?

In the short term, maybe…

But short term gains are never the goal. Long term win-win relationships are and always have been. When you start setting your values aside in exchange for a quick dollar you undermine the structure of trust and mutual respect that builds lasting partnerships.

In a world where so much is compromised, we’ve found that leading with our core values has made all the difference.

3. Great service is a super power.

Customer service is the most important skill to get right, yet the easiest to forget about.

Companies will focus all their effort on delivering the work, product or outcome… but they forget about the one person who it all depends on — the customer.

People are’t just buying a product or result from you. They’re buying an experience too.

How you do the work matters as much as what you do.

When people email your office, is the reply quick?

Do they get updates, assurance, communication and follow-up?

A company might do good business. However; are they good to do business with?

In some ways we consider ourselves to be a customer service business that happens to work in construction.

That’s been our “secret sauce” since day one. The simple commitment to deliver superior service to all clients and brands whom we support. At the end of the day, it’s what has set us apart, and it’s led to the Vision and Mission that drive everything we do.

Put service first. Always.

4. Never lose sight of why you started.

We all have to evolve with the times. The events of the past 2 1/2 years really showcased this fact to one and all, with some punishing lessons learned along the way.

Society changes. Culture grows. What was accepted 15 years ago would might be unthinkable today. And what was never dreamt possible has been achieved and surpassed.

As organizations grow and adapt to shifting markets and consumer demands they all need to pivot. Most likely, your company probably didn’t start off as it is now. You helped it get here and grow into what it’s become.

With all this change it can be easy for a team to lose sight of what made it excel.

We’ve thankfully avoided this by always coming back to our Mission and Vision. Its simple, clear and although the road has many twists and turns, the reason for walking it has never remained steadfast:

The Mission
We are committed to building our life-time clients through service, accountability, innovation, quality and sustainability.

The Vision:
“Revolutionize how businesses look at commercial contractors and national service providers; as trusted partners and a highly valued extension of their own team.”

Keeping your team’s Vision at the forefront of everyones mind is the best way we’ve discovered to avoid losing yourself (and your company) along the way.