Construction
Business Basics
Tuesdays, 3:00-5:00pm EST
12 weeks beginning Feb 4, 2025
What: Construction Business Basics is a 12-week online course that covers all the essentials of running a construction business. With a focus on planet- and people-forward businesses, our facilitators help business owners assess where their company is today, create a vision for the future, and take action to make their business more efficient, productive, and profitable.
Who: Construction Business Basics is designed for small business owners and members of the management team who are looking for a solid grounding in the basics of running a successful construction business.
“Construction Business Basics was key to building my understanding of how to run a profitable, sustainable, and socially responsible business.”
Why: Operating and developing a resilient residential construction business requires business skills that a builder well-versed in the production of houses doesn’t necessarily have. We developed the Construction Business Basics as an introduction to the most frequently asked questions we get from our consulting clients, in a format that allows us to share the knowledge and resources we’ve gained over the years with multiple companies simultaneously.
What to expect
Sessions will be held weekly via Zoom, every Tuesday from February 4th through April 22nd from 3:00-5:00 pm. We ask that all participants plan to join the Zoom session 5 minutes before the scheduled start time so we can begin promptly.
Each session will be 2 hours long, with a combination of presentation, small group discussion, and Q&A. Each weekly Zoom session is paired with a homework assignment to help you apply what you are learning to your own business and develop your vision and action plan. Each homework assignment will take roughly one and half hours to complete.
At the end of the 12-week Basics series you will have:
A 5-year vision for your business, with goals and actions to get you started
A 2025 operating budget template to calculate the target gross profit margin for your business
Access to the HELM Resource Library, with articles specifically curated for construction business owners and templates to help you manage your business activities and improve your performance
Recordings and presentation materials from the Basics sessions for future reference
A personalized one-on-one session with one of HELM’s business consultants
Course agenda
Session 1: Your Business Vision & Values
Session 2: Building Financial Literacy
Session 3: Sales: Yes, No, Maybe
Session 4: The “No Surprises” Pre-Construction Process
Session 5: Building Your Operating Budget
Session 6: Operating Budget Working Session
Session 7: Estimating
Session 8: Job Cost Accounting
Session 9: Project Management & Scheduling
Session 10: Hiring & Onboarding
Session 11: Leadership
Session 12: Reflection & Commitments
Format
Online via Zoom. Sessions are recorded and available for review, but attending all sessions in real time is strongly encouraged.
Registration
$2,800 for up to three people, per company
Tia Garcia
Tia has 30 years of construction experience, with over 20 years as supervisor, self-employed general contractor, and project manager. She is a Passive House U.S. Certified Builder and is a Certified Integrative Life Coach through Integrative Wellness Academy.
Kate Stephenson
Kate is a co-Founder of HELM, and has worked with 100+ businesses to achieve triple bottom line metrics. She helped to develop NESEA’s Building Energy Bottom Lines program, is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program, a member of the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, and serves on the Boards of NESEA and the Studio for High Performance Design and Construction.
Paul Eldrenkamp
Paul founded Byggmeister, Inc, a design-build remodeling firm in 1983. He was a member of the first Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) training in 2008, and a founding member of the Passive House MA board in 2010. In 2014, he co-founded NESEA’s Bottom Lines peer review networks. He has served on NESEA’s board and as chair of the Building Energy 13 conference.
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Accessibility: We offer closed-captioning and simultaneous interpretation upon request. Please email us if you need any accommodations to participate fully in the course.
Refunds: We offer a 100% refund up to 72 hours prior to course start time. After that no refunds are available; we will credit your registration fee towards another HELM course.
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Solidarity Scholarships
Scholarships available to participants from businesses owned by Black and Indigenous people, People of Color, Immigrants, LGBTQIA folks, and Women. Apply Now.
State programs
In Massachusetts: 100% Tuition reimbursement is available for MA-based companies through the Workforce Training Fund Express Program.
In Vermont: 50% Tuition reimbursement is available for VT-based companies through the Vermont Training Program.
In other states: Check our Workforce Training Funds page for more details.