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How Financing Can Exponentially Grow Your Construction Business

Read time: 5 minutes
Published: October 19, 2022
Last updated: May 31, 2024

It’s said that you have to spend money to make money, and in construction, that’s true. To take on larger projects and grow your construction business, you need to be able to pay for labor, materials, and overhead — many times, all upfront. And that’s exactly the challenge: Companies don’t always have the cash available to pay for those things until they’re paid for the project, often 85 days (on average) after they’ve started the work.

That’s why contractor financing is essential for construction firms. For many companies, financing is key to taking on more and larger projects, and ultimately, growing their business. Specifically, contractor financing allows companies to purchase materials and labor upfront, and pay for them later, after they’ve received payment for work they’ve performed. Through this method of debt, construction companies can do more with less, and ultimately, exponentially grow their construction business.

Improved Cash Flow

In the construction industry, there are a number of companies and individuals involved in every project, from the project owner to general contractors to subcontractors. If any one participant experiences a delayed payment, the consequences typically extend to the other parties. According to Levelset, it takes an average of 83 days for a contractor to get paid from the date they start work.

Those delays and cash flow issues can limit a contractor’s ability to take on additional projects.

Construction financing, however, can bridge that gap and allow contractors to take on projects they may otherwise have to turn down, or worse, accept and have trouble getting started.

To illustrate the impact financing can make, consider the following example: Let’s say you are awarded a project, but first need to understand how much upfront cash you need to get started.

Project Contract Value: $500,000

Project length: 4 months

Materials: 40% ($200,000)

Labor: 30% ($150,000)

Overhead: 15% ($75,000)

Target Profit: 15%

Disadvantages of construction contractor not using financing infographic - BilldExample Without Financing:

While your company likely won’t start getting paid for the project for 85 days (industry average) from when you start the work, you will need to begin paying for material, labor, and overhead costs either immediately or within 30 days of starting work.

That means during month 1 and 2, you’ll need enough cash to cover your expenses. In the third month, you’ll receive the first portion of your payment (for the work you did in the first month), but even that won’t be enough to produce a positive cash flow.

Increased Ability to Take On (and Successfully Complete) Larger Projects

The examples above show the decrease in cash needed to take on projects with and without financing. Contractor financing gives you the opportunity to take on more projects at once. Rather than taking on one $500,000 project for $212,500, like in the example above, you could take on 4 of those projects for basically the same amount of cash by using material and labor financing.

Example: In our example above, you needed $212,500 to take on 1 project worth $500,000 with financing. You only needed $44,000 with financing. If you had $212,500, you can take on FOUR more of those exact projects (44,000 x 4 = $176,000) at the same time.

Leveraging Contractor Financing In Your Business

With contractor financing, you can free up the cash you need to purchase the necessary resources for your projects, including:

  • Materials: Larger projects typically require more materials. With material purchase financing, you get the materials now to start the project, but delay paying for them until you get paid.
  • New or more equipment: A new piece of equipment may enable you to complete a larger job at a faster rate — but only if you have the capital to purchase that piece of equipment. With contractor financing, you can make large purchases like this without having to use your available cash.
  • Additional labor: Larger projects may require additional labor or workers with specialized skills. Financing can give you the flexibility you need to hire the people who can help you successfully complete the project.  Labor financing will usually come in the form of a contractor line of credit.

Financing shouldn’t be seen as a liability, but rather, as an opportunity to grow your construction business. With contractor financing, you can confidently take on bigger — and often, more — projects, without worrying about needing vast amounts of cash upfront.

To calculate the benefits for yourself, check out Billd’s cash flow for contractors tool. With just a few clicks, see how much cash you need to get started on a project, with project-based financing versus without it.

At Billd, we help contractors like you grow your construction business. Through our new payment solution for buying materials, suppliers receive upfront payments, while contractors enjoy 120 days to pay, so you can avoid cash flow problems and amplify your business’s growth. Contact us to learn more.

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About Billd: At Billd, we provide a payment solution that enables commercial construction contractors to free up cash for material purchases while enjoying the flexibility of 120-day payment terms. You get financing for commercial materials upfront with the freedom to pay it back at your own pace. Learn more about how we can help eliminate your company’s cash-flow problems so you can win more bids and grow your business.

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FAQs

Do construction companies use financing?

Yes. Construction companies can leverage financing for materials, labor, equipment, or overhead to smooth our cash flow, and to take on larger projects to grow their businesses.

Does financing improve cash flow?

Yes, financing is designed to improve cash flow, but must be used carefully. For subcontractors, financing can minimize having to use cash for large upfront expenses, and bridges the gap between payments coming due and actually getting paid.

Can I finance materials for commercial construction projects?

Yes, construction materials can be financed. Though there are a number of financing options available, project-based material financing aligns best with the long payment cycles in construction.

How can I take on larger construction projects?

Contractors looking to take on bigger projects can leverage financing to do so. Use project-based material financing to pay for materials upfront, while securing terms aligned with the construction payment cycle.

What construction expenses should I finance?

Materials, equipment, and labor are large costs that contractors can finance. By financing, contractors can take on larger (and more) projects by having stronger cash flow to perform additional work.

Chris DoyleCEO & Founder of Billd

Christopher Doyle is an entrepreneur and business leader with extensive construction industry experience and a record of launching successful startups. He is the co-founder and CEO of Billd, a disruptive payment solution for the construction industry that helps contractors and suppliers grow their businesses with less hassle and risk. Recognizing the cash flow hurdles that contractors face when purchasing materials, Doyle launched Billd to make traditional Wall Street working capital accessible to business owners in the construction industry.

Are you ready to unlock more working capital for your business?