Resources

D. Brown Management strives to provide you the best information we can to help you grow your business.

There are a variety of resources that can help your business and career available on this site as well as a lot of links to other valuable sites.

If there is any additional information you would like to see please e-mail us at david@dbrownmanagement.com.

The Resources Sections

• White Papers: Various papers and case studies on various aspects of a small or medium sized contracting business.
• Excel Templates:  Templates to help you manage your business more effectively.  Don't spend hours creating something from scratch when you can start with these templates. 
• Library: I'm a big believer that learning is a lifetime journey. While the best way to learn is by experience a close second is through reading and learning from other people's experience. I have assembled some of my favorite and most helpful books on this page.
• Subscriptions: A big part of staying current is about reading current business books, staying up on current developments and reading trade magazines. I have assembled some of my favorites. These and many more are the basis for the Article Blog section.
• Technology: This is a key part of every business and streamlining is even more important for the smaller company because your time is the only resource that has an absolute limit that can never be changed. Take advantage of the technologies that are available today to help the small business.
• Links: A summary of the links to companies and services I have found extremely useful.
• Bid Sources: While a lot of work is private and not publicly advertised there is a huge market for government, utility and transit contracts with agencies that advertise opportunities online regularly. There are also paid services to summarize these opportunities. We have assembled a list of these resources for California.
• CA Small Business Certifications: There are many programs available to give small, woman owned, local, disadvantaged, veteran or minority businesses preferential treatment for contract work. We have assembled a page with links to programs throughout California organized in a hierarchy with the certifications that are accepted most widely listed first. It is time consuming to get listed or registered with the agencies in your area but this can provide good leads on work both directly with the agencies listed and with the contractors who may be bidding on the work.
• Career Development: The construction industry is a very exciting place to work and build your career - it is also one of the least structured when it comes to career development due to the highly fragmented nature of the industry. This is a continuously updated section where you can find useful information about managing your career or to help others in your organization manage theirs.