Preparing For A New Season

by Kyle Ascione of Integrity Asphalt

Spring always brings mixed feelings of anticipation, excitement, and a little bit of fear. Why?

We’re all excited for the opportunities that await us and for those that we have yet to discover. But what about the people that haven't been hired yet? What about the money that we either want to spend or we need to spend to capitalize on the stuff? I'm going to break down how I personally approach these things, what I've learned to do and not to do, what has worked for us in the past and best practices from a 30k ft view.

HIRING

“We need more people” is often a phrase that is said around Integrity Asphalt. But is that really the case? Or do we need the right people?

The answer is, of course, that we need the right people. How do we get them?
Well, you get them through advertising, reaching out, marketing strategy, branding, lots of ways… but the more important thing here is you can turn a good candidate into a poor contribution in a short period of time because you are not best prepared for them. Hiring based on character over skill is crucial. The reality in the pavement industry is sometimes you need hands, so everyone deserves opportunity, but make sure that your expectations of them are clear, your standards within your company, and how they can meet that bar as well as what actions are going to be taken if they are not willing to fit.

The other reality is that we are always capable of going more steps backwards than we want to, if we really had to. A major crisis on everyone's mind is around the labor shortage and how it has the potential to be worse.   The best ROI is always going to be on a newer generation or the right candidate for the right time period. Don't be afraid to train. Don't be afraid to ask questions that surround discovery of the person over their skillset. We always want people that want more for themselves in their life and have a purpose beyond themselves over a candidate that is just looking for a “job” and to fill time in the day. 

MONEY

Do you really need the equipment? Or can you not do without it. How much do you need to have on deck so you can absorb the start to the season? All critical things to know when you're planning this years “kick off”.

A good place to start is to have 1-2 months worth of operating capital in the bank. That way you can absorb your monthly bills, payroll, materials, repairs, whatever shows up before you start to get some consistent money coming in.  Plan out your big purchases well in advance.

Answer questions like: “how much is it going to cost? How long will it take to get? How much is it going to increase our overhead? And how much will it make us that we are immediately confident in”.

With the exception of a few things like pavers, mills, and even some trailers, most pieces of equipment are easy to obtain, so you know that when the time is right, you can strike quickly and put it to use right away. But nonetheless, ALWAYS have your operating capital covered so you can afford to actually do the work before you get paid for it. You can then be strategic in buying in bulk to save costs per unit, less restocking time, upgrade an area where you can save some time and be cost effective. As you grow, this will be critical.

If you have been doing this a while, then hopefully you already understand the concept around the idea and this will hopefully trigger some good thoughts and reminders. Have a great spring and cheers to the next season!