Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
It is 2023.
The third year of the new decade—an era driven by technology and powered by modernization.
Even in this era, if you’re stuck with traditional, dated methodologies while running your general contracting business, you’re not far away from shutting the operations completely.
While this era is indeed lined with innovative tech solutions to make our lives easy, the COVID-19 pandemic has made adopting modern tools and tech necessary. It is no more a question of embracing technology; it is about how to innovate on its basis.
If we look at the GC industry, it is far behind when it comes to adopting technology solutions. Companies operating for decades are not open to innovation, putting them behind competition without realizing it.
Companies must think ahead and welcome technology into their processes to set up and run a successful GC firm—just like Jesse Lane, the founder and CEO of Jacksonville’s leading Commercial General Contracting firm, J. Lane Construction.
From being the fastest-growing company in the region to getting recognized as the best GC in Jacksonville for four consecutive years, J. Lane Construction is on its way to revolutionizing the industry.
And Jesse Lane is the man behind its success.
As a child, Jesse was never fond of traditional educational methodologies. His 58 minute documentary, “The First Thirty Years” which can be viewed on the Jesse Lane YouTube channel paints the story of young Jesse who was constantly told he would never be successful. He craved to explore something new and better. His thirst for exploring and innovating is what helped him establish his GC firm as one of the leading ones in town.
Jesse broke the decades-old practice of sticking by traditional methodologies. Technology is at the face of every industry and holds tremendous potential for even general contracting businesses. How he used tech systems to scale his construction company has set an example for all looking to step up within the GC industry.
He stated, “utilizing technology is the most profitable thing you can do, especially in the 2020s.” He added, getting deeper into the discussion, “Technology isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so you might as well embrace it and learn as much as you can.”
This makes it evident that developing systems backed by tech solutions is the way to go.
How Did Jesse Do It?
Jesse Lane is a man who firmly believes in having robust systems in place. One of the most crucial aspects of being an entrepreneur is to know how things work and develop systems to streamline all operations. With that in mind, Jesse dove right into and began working on ultra-systemizing his company from the very beginning. Truly, it has worked wonders for him.
Today, Jesse is looked upon as a mentor in the GC industry for both newcomers as well as those who have been operating in it for decades. He set new standards in the industry regarding systemizing businesses, which also led his company to become a leading entity.
Multiple Different Websites
While almost every business in this digital era has a single website, Jesse has made the most of this digital wonder. He leveraged tools such as Squarespace to create websites to serve different purposes.
The first website is the one that is for the clients when they are searching for GC or construction services. This website is like a typical online platform with a homepage and about pages, carrying details about the business, team, and founder. It even has the clients listed with testimonials for the visitors to make their decision. It even has a client onboarding platform that allows them to easily avail of the services.
The second website is developed for the sub-contractors. The subcontractor website has schedules, payment options, and other facilities they may wish to use while working with the company. It also offers assistance to the vendors that are associated with J. Lane Construction.
The third website is the internal portal that is designed for employees. This website is not accessible to clients or vendors. It contains all the necessary information about the company’s processes and training tools that employees may want to use to build an understanding of processes and smoothly follow them.
From client proposals to getting permit forms, this website is an extremely useful tool for the workforce at J. Lane Construction. Jesse believes in the power of visual learning and provides his workforce with that. Instead of handing them unmanageable physical binders outlining the processes and policies of the company, he created a website with different subsections to make everything easily accessible for the employees.
As he built these websites, he stated, “You don’t have to be a developer to come up with such ideas and execute but just have an open mind. Tools such as Squarespace will help with this.”
These websites have allowed J. Lane Construction to streamline operations, providing a seamless experience to the clients and offering convenience to both employees and vendors. When discussed with several industry-leading GCs, they referred to this as a brilliant idea.
Combination of the Right Tools
One aspect of the system designed by Jesse is the websites, and the other is the combination of the right tools. Jesse is one of the biggest advocates of using BuilderTrend to grow and expand a GC business. He has posted multiple videos on his official YouTube channel discussing how he leverages this tool to offer convenience to his clients.
This tool allows clients to get insights into their projects. From videos to photos, they have access to everything. Additionally, they can stay connected to their Project Managers, offering updates on their projects.
Using BuilderTrend, he has been able to streamline the process from conceptualization to occupancy. As Jesse points out, many other general contractors use cloud-based software, but these tools really set them apart. He said, “It’s about using what you have, and then building a system around it so everyone does everything consistently throughout the company.”
Jesse Lane’s innovative approach is indeed groundbreaking. He has convinced businesses operating in the construction industry of the many ways embracing technology to set up systems can help them scale up their businesses—just like J. Lane Construction.
For new clients, please visit jlaneconstruction.com, while Jesse has even made his internal systems website available to his YouTube followers through jesselaneconsulting.com, where he sells a digital copy of his website that is changing the lives of other entrepreneurs!
