Construction Curiosities #81

Dragging Construction into the 21st Century

Hey! Happy Saturday! And Happy New Year! Matt here.

Welcome to the Construction Curiosities newsletter! Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Holiday Season and is already kicking ass in 2024.

A special welcome to the 48 new subscribers this week and a Thank You to everyone’s continued support as we crossed over 1,700 total subscribers!

This weekly Newsletter explores my Curiosities about the Construction Industry. It's meant to make you think, smile, and become a better, more thoughtful Construction Professional.

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Summary

This week we will look at:

• One Musing: Dragging Construction Into the 21st Century

• One Innovation: Smart Site Solution

• One Program: Construction Content Creators Gym Trainer

• One Video: Cash Flow Crash Course

• One Meme: New Year Attitude

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One Musing

People ask me all the time, what I’m doing with Construction Yeti and what my vision is for it. I typically respond with “I dunno, I’m just having fun with it and meeting some really cool folks along the way.”

It’s been the honest answer.

I called this weekly Newsletter “Construction Curiosities” because I wanted it to be just whatever I was curious about or learned about that week. If you go back and look at the archive, you will see it was all over the place.

Imposter syndrome one week, attorney-fueled asbestos fears the next. 😆

Well, I’ve been doing a bit of thinking about what REALLY interests me and whats the purpose of all this…

I keep hearing people talk over and over and over about how far “behind the times” the Construction is. I even wrote about how why construction doesn’t innovate. Here in CCN 12 & CCN 13.

The further I get into this the more I realize that there are some freaking awesome people out there and they are doing some freaking awesome things in the industry.

And it feels like a tide is changing and more and more folks are open to embracing the 21st century.

Even if they are holding on by a thumbnail to the 1990s:

I was recently talking to someone who was telling me story of a contractor she knew that was so proud that they just moved on to Procore. Big timin innovation! 😆

The contractor would go out on the jobsite and still handwrite out all his daily reports. And then give them to an assistant to type up into Procore…..

Dragging Construction Into the 21st Century

I put a teaser out this week on my socials. “Dragging Construction into the 21st Century”

Sounds cool. But what does it mean?

A reluctant industry needs to be drug across “The Chasm.” I shared this Diffusion of Innovation image in CCN 12 (see above).

If you spend much time at all interacting on LinkedIn, you start to think that the industry as a whole is forward-thinking, innovative, and making the industry a better place to be for everyone involved.

And then you hear a story about a guy handwriting his daily notes for an assistant to type up…

And then you hear another similar story. And then another…

If we had to lump the industry into a big pool and see where we are in 21st Century Innovation, I think we’d find we are still in the “Early Adopters” stage.

We are a quarter of the way into the century (24 years*) and it seems > 84% of the industry is still partying like its 1999.

(*or is it 25 years? I don’t know how Centuries work obviously 😂)

But what is 21st Century Innovation?

To me, 21st Century Construction Innovation circles around a few things:

1. Tech and tools - These should be put in place to actually make the life and the experience better for everyone involved in the construction process. Not to squeeze every last bit of productivity out of the teams.

2. Digital Marketing/ Social Media - We all know it. But the Construction Industry is scared of the internet. The companies that leverage the platforms properly are the ones that are going to win in the next decade. The individuals that leverage the platforms are going to have the most robust network and opportunities come their way.

3. Training & Education - I and many others had to self-teach ourselves Construction Management… We didn’t have great mentors. We need better access to REAL education in this industry. Especially with the Boomers retiring and taking that knowledge with them.

4. People First - We are still a long way from having robots or ChatGPT build our buildings for us. The construction industry is the people first and foremost. Let’s treat the people like… well… people we care about. The “innovators” are the ones who will make #constructionlife a place where Gen Z wants to be. Things like toilets like this. Not this.

   

Thats it. That’s the new mission of Construction Yeti. Everything we do will be around this pillar. I’ll be sharing my insights and I’ll be inviting more collaborators and contributors to join in. (Be on the lookout for a new podcast series starting soon. And maybe more… maybe much more… 😏)

Ohh and don’t worry. We are gonna continue to Make Construction Fun Again!

Hmmm… still need some help with the spelling there Mr. Dall-e

If you like this new redefined mission I ask 2 things of you:

1. Forward this newsletter edition to someone or someone(s) who would also like it.

2. Let me know if you want to participate 👇

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Do you want to be featured in an Upcoming Newsletter via a Guest Article or a Regular(ish) Contributor in 2024?

I’d love to feature you and Meme up your work! Hit me up at matt@constructionyeti.com. And let’s do it!

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One Innovation

What a simple but effective solution to site material management. I could see this sort of thing exploding for all trades.

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One Program

This week I finally launched something I’ve been talking about and tested. It’s the Construction Content Creator Gym Trainer Program.

If you want to get started building a personal brand on the internet, this program is for you. I’ll walk you through how I’ve done it and everything I’ve learned along the way.

It’s not automation or ghostwriting. It’s actually connecting and networking with folks while putting out great content.

Hint: the real secret is all about consistency. And that’s where this program shines. A gym trainer doesn’t lift the weights for you. But they do help you with technique, tips, and advice. And they hold you accountable to your goals. They make sure you show up when you say you will.

That’s what this program is. And to launch I’m doing a 3-month New Year’s challenge for those with a resolution and who wants help building that habit.

Is there a guarantee?

While I can’t guarantee you will get a 6-pack abs or lose that Holiday 20 lbs, I will make a guarantee that if you follow my recommendations we can 10x your impressions in the 90 days or I’ll keep working with you free until you do.

For more information and to apply head to the Google form: HERE

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One Video

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One Meme

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See y’all next week! ✌