Sectors

Lead and sales generation have always been challenging for subcontractors and material suppliers in the construction sector. Many of these firms lack sufficient knowledge of upcoming projects, making identifying opportunities through conventional channels difficult and resulting in suppliers and subcontractors often discovering plans too late after key decisions about materials and labor have already been made. This prevents them from predicting market demand and adjusting their sales processes to reflect the individual requirements of each project.

However, entrepreneur Eric Owusu Sekyere believes that applying effective data analytics can offer these firms a solution to this issue. He's developed a tool called Brace that gives suppliers better technology to analyze comprehensive datasets and can help them uncover hidden sales opportunities.

How Brace Changes This Dynamic

The idea to use data insights to revolutionize sales acquisition originated early in Eric's career while he was working as a data scientist in Australia's banking sector and later at DoorDash in the U.S. The key moment came when he learned how subcontractors and material suppliers often approached Building Development Departments manually to find leads. Eric discovered that permitting databases contained vital information about upcoming projects that could be leveraged by these subcontractors and material suppliers. He realized that if he could collect enough data from these sources and build a product on top of it, construction firms could leverage it to improve their sales drastically.

Recalling his thought process at the time, Eric describes how the idea came to him: "I remember thinking 'building permits'—that's interesting. So I started researching what they are and how they work and discovered there are over 11,500 different Building Departments in the U.S., each with their own system. I had the idea that we could collect this data and provide an app-like experience on top of it that would be useful for subcontractors and material suppliers."

The natural evolution of this process was the founding of Brace—a software tool connecting local building suppliers and subcontractors with accessible business opportunities. For Eric, it was a logical next step given the challenges many subcontractors face, and he was convinced that Brace could alleviate their sales issues and help them acquire more profitable clients.

To make this a reality, Eric designed Brace to leverage data to identify hidden sales opportunities in construction data, allowing subcontractors and materials suppliers to thrive in a challenging marketplace. The tool would collect permitting information from thousands of different Building Development Departments across the U.S. and present them in a convenient and digestible format for business owners to explore.

This approach substantially improved the old lead-generation process. Traditionally, sales in construction relied on face-to-face interactions, and contractors had to know architects and designers in the industry and build their networks from scratch. This made it harder to sell, and many firms without established networks couldn't even bid on projects because other suppliers were already locked into contracts before they learned about them. However, Brace changed all that so subcontractors could learn about projects sooner and reach out to owners with their own bids.

Brace has already found success, with one industry professional using the platform saying: "Getting started and finding jobs as a new subcontractor can be tough if you're not plugged into the already-existing 'old boys' networks. But, with Brace, I can now use the tool to get leads and avoid the 5% commission charged per project by some lead generation firms."

Eric understands the construction industry has a reputation for being technology-averse; however, he says that the problem isn't so much that the sector is outdated but that subcontractors only want innovations if they improve workflows, which is exactly what Brace provides. 

Eric Owusu Sekyere's Brace: Getting Suppliers More Sales

Brace drastically reduces the time businesses must spend researching what's happening in the marketplace so subcontractors and other construction-related vendors can gain visibility and improve their workflows by harnessing data more intelligently.

"I hope the tool will make life more straightforward for subcontractors and materials suppliers who would normally cold call prospects or leverage their professional networks to make sales," Eric explains. "Using permitting information gives them a head start over the competition."

Ultimately, therefore, Brace is a testament to the power of data to transform traditional industries like construction. Eric's tool uncovers hidden sales opportunities and provides forward-thinking firms with the information they need to generate sales even when their professional networks are small.