Martin Goulden Builders Limited

Building and maintaining a business team

Three years ago, Wellington residential builder Martin Goulden faced his greatest business challenge – several of his staff decided to leave his company. “We had a lot of work on at the time and I had to put a lot of time and energy in bringing in new people. It was very challenging.”

The experience drove him to devise new ways of building and maintaining a team of dedicated staff. Today, his residential construction company employs nine staff including a foreman, five apprentices and two building labourers. Earlier this year he organised a trip for his younger employees for a week’s holiday at fun parks on the Gold Coast. They had all been contributing $20 a week into a holiday account.

He is also putting money aside for a deposit on a “doer-upper” house for his younger staff, to help them into their first home. “It’s easy to do collectively – hard individually.”

He is also exploring ways to give his staff a shareholding in the company. “It’s a way to give the boys an interest in the business and to allow me to ease out a little. I want to keep their experience and grow the company.”

Asked the best way to work with staff, he says, “Work alongside them. Enjoy their company and have fun along the way.”

He says he leads by communicating well, being open, direct and honest and working hard.

He applies the same approach with his customers, building under contract, and is clear about margins. Since establishing his company in 1998, “we haven’t wanted for a day’s work in 10 years”.

He seldom advertises, customers’ requests for remedial work are low and his company has won numerous local Master Builders housing awards. Twice his company has been in the national finals for house of the year.

As a result, customers are prepared to wait up to a year for his company to build them a house. He admits that he should work less in the business and more on forward planning but does have a construction programme and uses bar charts, drawings and costings. While he finds it hard to keep to a building timetable, customers are always guaranteed their place in the building list.

The building usually proceeds on the basis of the customers’ designs but there is scope for the company to make some minor innovations or practical solutions along the way, although this needs to be documented for councils.

As managing director, Martin Goulden still builds for 45 hours a week and then spends another 20-25 hours a week on administration and planning. His wife looks after the bookkeeping part-time.

“If you’re working extremely hard, you have to enjoy what you’re doing. You have to be motivated and lucky of course. I love what I do. Building is exciting and a lot of fun.”

In recent years he has seen more young people join the industry after five years of secondary school. “I’ve noticed the smart young guys want to get into it. They want to do something physical and the remuneration is better now.”

Martin Goulden has been on the Wellington executive of Master Builders for over 10 years – two years as president. “If you’re happy to meet new people, broaden your horizons and accept new ideas, it’s good for you and for your business.”

Contact: Martin Goulden, ph 027 490 6425, email:mgoulden@xtra.co.nz