10 Commercial Mistakes I Made Early in My Career — And What I’d Do Differently (EP 228)

In this reflective episode of Own the Build, Paul is joined by Chris Barber to dive deep into the early mistakes they made as young Quantity Surveyors — and what they’ve learned from them since. If you’ve ever sat in a final account meeting feeling underprepared, avoided a difficult conversation with a subcontractor, or been caught off guard by a variation — you are not alone. 🎯 In this episode, Paul and Chris discuss:The pressure of being thrown into the deep end as a trainee QSWhy their first final account meetings gave them a false sense of confidenceWhat they’d do differently to manage variations, stakeholders and scope changesThe power of one-to-ones, and why they’re still rare in construction firmsHow to manage difficult conversations internally and externally — before they blow upWhy learning to regulate emotion in meetings is a career superpower If you’re in the early years of your QS career — or mentoring someone who is — this is a must-listen. 📩 If you"d like to read the two Own the Build eBooks based on 200+ episodes — Mastering Your Career in Quantity Surveying and The AI Revolution in Quantity Surveying — head to the show notes to download your free copy. Download them here - Free eBook Downloads. 🎙 Got a question or topic for a future episode? Email: paul@c-link.com Send us a text Want to connect with Paul? Paul is on Linkedin here and would love to talk. You can also connect with Paul at paul@c-link.com or through, C-Link. Watch the Video to learn more; you can book a demo by clicking here. C-Link is software built by Quantity Surveyors for Main Contractors. We save 600 hours of Quantity Surveying time per project in automation. We can make your QS’ so much more efficient.