Following on from my last post I thought it might be worth explaining how I ended up as a woman in construction.
I’m a builder’s daughter and grew up around construction….mainly the never finished project that most builders call home. My sister used to push her ladybug pram across scaffold boards that made do while the floor joists were being sorted (ground floor I should note!), we barbecued on board held up by trestles and bricks to create a grill, I used to sit on the apex and chat with Dad as he tiled a roof.
After finishing university, I moved home until I found a job and poor old Dad got ‘organised’. A typical sole trader with a basket of invoices and quotes on a bit of wood, over time I took on all the ‘back office’ tasks; finance, HR, marketing, IT and found myself in finance. Together we took his business from covering the bills to £500k turnover.
A little detour through two roles as a scientist and a graduate trainee programme in banking, I decided to give in and took a training contract with auditor, BDO, where I spent most of my year auditing construction and property development companies.
From there I moved into industry, working for main contractor Willmott Dixon, working up to Chief Accountant, then moving on to PE backed property developer Anthology (later merged with Pegasus Homes) and other PE roles.
My early experience was invaluable as it was really on the coal face, I was dealing directly with suppliers, on/off hiring plant, liaising with subbies and really got to understand the impact of how finance (or finance hold ups!) can impact a site. I know firsthand that you don’t mess with a lads wages as if he’s not paid on a Friday afternoon he may well not be there on a Monday morning, I’ve dealt with the impact of clients not paying on time, doing daily cash flows to get through, I’ve physically barricaded my poor old Dad from leaving his desk until he’s been through variations with me and we can properly invoice a final account.
The larger companies have been equally invaluable, they showed me the proper ways to do things, understand the construction act, applications for payment, VOs, etc and technical issues like CIS and VAT.
Construction is its own beast, there are so many nuances, so many ways that are particular to construction that as a construction business you really need someone who ‘gets’ all of that. The risks of not could be catastrophic, non-compliance with the very complicated tax rules, or just not appreciating the importance of proper project costing and forecasting, particularly cash impact. Construction operates at such tight margins; you can’t afford to misstep.
Ready to bring clarity, confidence and control back into your construction finances?
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Get in touch today for a confidential conversation at undercontrol@financewithflow.com or 01206 326620, and let’s explore how we can strengthen your operations and support your growth.
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