by Charlotte L. Hanna CMO/CMBS GLOBAL
A sound and firm foundation is crucial to any structure. Whether building a house or a business, the first level is always what the rest of the structure relies upon for support. The ability to remain standing in the midst of a variety of storms, the ability to remain strong and unshaken, will depend on how well the foundation was constructed.
A strong, well-laid foundation has never been more needed than it is today, both in the physical and business realms. Catastrophic weather conditions have rocked the earth and catastrophic financial conditions have rocked our economy over the past several years. People have lost what they could see and touch and hold with their own hands, as well as the investments they had made in a future yet to come.
Now is the time to consider all of your options, while there are still some options to be considered. But don’t let a cracked foundation cause you to move on or abandon your efforts – take a closer look and see if repairing the structural damage may be more cost effective in today’s market. If you began your business with only a little knowledge and a lot of passion – you are not necessarily in any worse shape than the one who had all the tools at his disposal. Sometimes, even the most knowledgeable of entrepreneurs can fail to open their toolbox – and a great tool is worthless when left there. Many forget to check their supplies and keep watch over their inventory, and when you need just ONE nail to close the deal – and you are out of nails – it’s not where you want to be, either.
Perhaps you possessed the knowledge and the tools, but simply built your business in haste, permitting oversights to occur. Or maybe your budget would not allow for proper materials – the results of skimping on the nuts and bolts are not always immediately evident, but time will always tell on you. If you fail to prepare the foundation – your foundation will eventually fail…period. Entrepreneurs are not always skilled at the art of building. Entrepreneurs are often great at coming up with the ideas – they have the dream and the vision, but lack the skill-set necessary for proper implementation. If it looks good, feels good, it must be good…so off they go to “make it happen”, with the best of intentions and often the worst of outcomes.
The truth is, even the best foundations face the danger of being compromised by a number of issues. And, once the foundation begins to go, the entire structure can quickly be in danger of full collapse. It isn’t long before such instability is usually viewed as too great a risk for those involved, causing them to “leave the building” for a more secure location, perhaps never to return. So, how do you decide if it’s worth it to “shore up” your foundation, or better to tear down and begin all over again? Let’s face it, rebuilds are time-consuming, require a lot of energy, and can deplete your finances, so a careful evaluation is in order.
- What’s causing your foundation problem?
Is it ‘external pressure’? Even the best-laid foundations can be at risk from the effects of outside elements. Anything that is permitted to consistently cause undue stress and increasing pressure on your foundation will ultimately cause it to buckle inward. The issues are not likely to get better on their own and the sooner any evident problems are addressed the better. (If the damage is due to internal abuse – if the foundation is at risk because of neglect and lack of respect for the overall entity – find new ‘tenants’ who can be trusted to better maintain the premises.)
- Following a thorough inspection, consider specialized materials and techniques for the repair.
A variety of solutions can be applied to enable your foundation to once again provide the desired and needed support. Foundation Repair can be performed at any time and take only a minimum amount of time to complete, allowing for less noticeable interruption with increased value.You may find that a few more “anchors” are all that is needed to enhance your enterprise’s stability and return things to their original position of uncompromised integrity. Or perhaps it warrants alignment with professional “peers” who can supply strength through either “pushing” you to greater depths or “pulling” you to new heights in your endeavors. They can often lift you out of whatever has caused you to settle and, in some cases, transfer some of the load you have been bearing, providing you better balance along with support.
- Foundation Replacement is only recommended in extreme cases because it simply doesn’t address the source of the problem.
If you don’t know what caused your foundation to become compromised, you will not benefit from a complete rebuild. Why? Because the same troublesome issues will break down your new foundation in the same ways they did the old one. If existing conditions are allowed to remain the same – the results will be the same. The best advice for building anything, of course, is to start off right. Get your foundation right the first time, maintain it correctly, and no matter what comes your way it will remain strong and dependable.
And finally, the wisdom gleaned from others who have built long-lasting foundations, galvanized to withstand the most turbulent of conditions, remains the best base, the bedrock on which to build. Seek out that wisdom as often as possible and never underestimate its immeasurable value.
