Business

5 Tips for Keeping Your Construction Project on Schedule

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2023

Construction projects are known for getting behind schedule. In fact, McKinsey & Company reports that large projects across asset classes typically take 20% longer than planned and are up to 80 percent over budget.

There are many things that can delay a construction project: bad weather, supply chain issues, faulty workmanship, overbooked crews, and more.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. To keep your construction project on schedule, here are five things you can do:

Review construction plans

Before you break ground, it’s important to review construction plans. These include the scope of work, construction drawings, and other project documents.

Make sure you and all your subcontractors review them so that everyone is on the same page. If there are any questions, be sure to answer them.

Then have everyone sign a written contract outlining their responsibility and deadlines. When it’s all in the contract, things are more likely to stay on schedule.

Create a master schedule

Create a master schedule for everyone to see. Break the project down into phases and put tasks and assignments into the proper sequence.

The master schedule gives everyone visibility into what stage the construction project is currently at. For example, it can help painters know when the insulation has been installed so they know when the walls are ready for them to paint.

Communicate and collaborate

Next, you need to establish standard forms of communication, whether that be by text message, email, or some other method. Determining how information will be communicated is critical in avoiding confusion and disputes later on.

Good communication needs to be built on trust and respect for all team members. Everyone should have access to project updates so they stay in the loop. To prevent unnecessary delays, an open door policy with project managers is best.

Monitor and document progress

Unfortunately, projects rarely adhere to schedule 100% of the time. Chances are you will need to make minor adjustments here and there, and that’s okay.

The key is to closely monitor a project’s progress so you can quickly get back on schedule. One way to do this is to create daily reports on milestones hit. That way, everyone knows where the project currently sits.

Another way to monitor and document construction progresss is to use construction enterprise asset management (EAM) software. It allows you to input project updates and easily disseminate them across your team. But that’s just one feature of construction EAM software. It can also help you:

Meet construction industry safety and compliance requirements
Increase revenue and profitability
Reduce costs and capital requirements
Prevent equipment breakdowns
Maintain optimum parts inventories
And optimize project budgets

When it comes to construction project management, construction EAM software has you covered.

Make contingency plans

Lastly, it’s important to have a plan B (and C and D) if things don’t go according to plan.

For example, your construction project might be delayed by a storm or supply chain issues. In this case, you may want to alter the construction schedule or assign overtime to make up for lost time.

Keep a close eye on progress reports to manage risks and delays and find creative ways to minimize and make up for them.

The bottom line

Despite most construction projects getting delayed, you can still finish yours on time.

By reviewing construction plans, creating a master schedule, communicating and collaborating, monitoring and documenting progress, and making contingency plans, you can mitigate the threat of delays and even finish ahead of schedule.

The key is to have a proactive mindset. With good planning and prevention, you’ll be ahead of the game.

Business

High Volume, High Value: The Business Logic Behind Black Banx’s Growth

Published

2 weeks ago

June 16, 2025

Matthew Wiles

In fintech, success no longer hinges on legacy prestige or brick-and-mortar branches—it’s about speed, scale, and precision. Black Banx, under the leadership of founder and CEO Michael Gastauer, has exemplified this model, turning its high-volume approach into high-value results.

The company’s Q1 2025 performance tells the story: $1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, $4.3 billion in revenue, and 9 million new customers added, bringing its total customer base to 78 million across 180+ countries.

But behind the numbers lies a carefully calibrated business model built for exponential growth. Here’s how Black Banx’s strategy of scale is redefining what profitable banking looks like in the digital age.

Scaling at Speed: Why Volume Matters

Unlike traditional banks, which often focus on deepening relationships with a limited set of customers, Black Banx thrives on breadth and transactional frequency. Its digital infrastructure supports onboarding millions of users instantly, with zero physical presence required. Customers can open accounts within minutes and transact across 28 fiat currencies and 2 cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin and Ethereum) from anywhere in the world.

Each customer interaction—whether it’s a cross-border transfer, crypto exchange, or FX transaction—feeds directly into Black Banx’s revenue engine. At scale, these micro-interactions yield macro results.

Real-Time, Global Payments at the Core

One of Black Banx’s most powerful value propositions is real-time cross-border payments. By enabling instant fund transfers across currencies and countries, the platform removes the frictions associated with SWIFT-based systems and legacy banking networks.

This service, used by individuals and businesses alike, generates:

Volume-based revenue from transaction fees
Exchange spreads on currency conversion
Premium service income from business clients managing international payroll or vendor payments

With operations in underserved regions like Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, Black Banx is not only increasing volume—it’s tapping into fast-growing financial ecosystems overlooked by legacy banks.

The Flywheel Effect of Crypto Integration

Crypto capabilities have added another dimension to the company’s high-volume model. As of Q1 2025, 20% of all Black Banx transactions involved cryptocurrency, including:

Crypto-to-fiat and fiat-to-crypto exchanges
Crypto deposits and withdrawals
Payments using Bitcoin or Ethereum

The crypto integration attracts both retail users and blockchain-native businesses, enabling them to:

Access traditional banking rails
Convert assets seamlessly
Operate with lower transaction fees than those found in standard financial systems

By being one of the few regulated platforms offering full banking and crypto support, Black Banx is monetizing the convergence of two financial worlds.

Optimized for Operational Efficiency

High volume is only profitable when costs are contained—and Black Banx has engineered its operations to be lean from day one. With a cost-to-income ratio of just 63% in Q1 2025, it operates significantly more efficiently than most global banks.

Key enablers of this cost efficiency include:

AI-driven compliance and customer support
Cloud-native architecture
Automated onboarding and KYC processes
Digital-only servicing without expensive physical infrastructure

The outcome is a platform that not only scales, but does so without sacrificing margin—each new customer contributes to profit rather than diluting it.

Business Clients: The Value Multiplier

While Black Banx’s massive customer base is largely consumer-driven, its business clients are high-value accelerators. From SMEs and startups to crypto firms and global freelancers, businesses use Black Banx for:

International transactions
Multi-currency payroll
Crypto-fiat settlements
Supplier payments and invoicing

These clients tend to:

Transact more frequently
Use a broader range of services
Generate significantly higher revenue per user

Moreover, Black Banx’s API integrations and tailored enterprise solutions lock in these clients for the long term, reinforcing predictable and scalable growth.

Monetizing the Ecosystem, Not Just the Account

The genius of Black Banx’s model is that it monetizes not just accounts, but entire customer journeys. A user might:

Onboard in minutes
Deposit funds from a crypto wallet
Exchange currencies
Pay an overseas vendor
Withdraw to a local bank account

Each of these actions touches a different monetization lever—FX spread, transaction fee, crypto conversion, or premium service charge. With 78 million customers doing variations of this at global scale, the cumulative financial impact becomes immense.

Strategic Expansion, Not Blind Growth

Unlike many fintechs that chase customer acquisition without a clear monetization path, Black Banx aligns its growth with strategic market opportunities. Its expansion into underbanked and high-demand markets ensures that:

Customer acquisition costs stay low
Services meet genuine needs (e.g., cross-border income, crypto access)
Revenue per user grows over time

It’s not just about acquiring more customers—it’s about acquiring the right customers, in the right markets, with the right needs.

The Future Belongs to Scalable Banking

Black Banx’s ability to transform high-volume engagement into high-value profitability is more than just a fintech success—it’s a signal of what the future of banking looks like. In a world where agility, efficiency, and inclusion define competitive advantage, Black Banx has created a blueprint for digital banking dominance.

With $1.6 billion in quarterly profit, nearly 80 million users, and services that span the globe and the blockchain, the company is no longer just scaling—it’s compounding. Each new user, each transaction, and each feature builds upon the last.

This is not the story of a bank growing.

This is the story of a bank accelerating.