THE ORDERING FORCE

First things first. In last year’s letter, we set a goal to win our first government project. We achieved that goal. I’m excited to share that we’ve secured a place on an upcoming government job, and over the past six months, we’ve been preparing. At the client’s request, we can’t say much yet, but it’s at a local airport, and work should begin soon.

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Now, without further ado, Founder Letter 2026.

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Every year, before writing The Ordering Force Founder Letter, I review the letters from previous years. It’s always informative to see where the business was, what the vision was, and how it compares to today. Looking back, each letter reflects a distinct phase of the business, almost like stages in a child’s development:

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• 2023 – Vision

• 2024 – Survival

• 2025 - Stability.

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This year, 2026, is about growth.

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Lately, the push for growth has been hard to ignore. I feel it from our clients, who keep asking if we offer more than the services we were originally hired for. I feel it from The Ordering Force engineers when they ask what’s coming next. And I see it in the numbers. We’re winning more jobs, making more money, and working with more clients. What’s interesting is that we’ve done all of this from a restrained, controlled position. We haven’t even opened the throttle fully, and we’re already seeing growth.

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It’s interesting to reflect on. When I started the business, I wanted to grow immediately. If you had told me back then that I’d be intentionally restraining growth for the first three years, I would’ve called you crazy. But vision is one thing, and execution is another. Or, as my dad always liked to say, talk is cheap.

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On one hand, you want to grow. More clients, more projects, more engineers, more money. But on the other hand, all that comes with real liabilities. Engineers strain your cash flow. Projects carry risk. If a client gives you a job and you don’t deliver, or they end up with a violation because of you, that’s your reputation on the line, and potentially your liability. And above all of this is the reality of practicing in New York City. If you take on too much, spread yourself thin, and make a mistake, people can get hurt.

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When something grows too quickly, there is a word for it: cancer.

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This is why we’ve approached growth as an intentional, measured effort over the past few years. This upcoming year, we’re going to maintain that same discipline while making a few key decisions to ensure the company continues to grow. Many businesses like The Ordering Force never grow beyond small firms, not because they lack technical ability. In many cases, they have plenty of it. The issue is that they fail to address one or more of these issues

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1. Addiction to Small Quick Jobs
2. Owner Bottleneck
3. Focus

Here’s how we’re going to approach these pitfalls.

1. Addicted to Small Quick Jobs

These jobs are critical in the early stages. They build cash flow and help get a business off the ground. But just as a child cannot continue eating baby food forever, a business cannot rely on this type of work indefinitely. Many firms never move past this stage, constantly scrambling through small jobs and dependent on quick cash, which ultimately caps their growth. In the coming year, we will begin gradually pivoting away from smaller jobs. This also means prioritizing portfolio clients over one-off property owners. These projects do not allow us to grow our team, deepen our technical capabilities, or scale the business in a meaningful way.

2. Owner Bottleneck

This cannot be a business where the value is “Khaled does great work.” It needs to be a business where the value is “The Ordering Force does great work.” Many firms fail to build teams and delegate effectively. While this creates a sense of control, it ultimately limits growth and capacity. Over the past year, the early structure of a team has begun to take shape, particularly within our structural and mechanical engineering disciplines. In the coming year, the focus will be on strengthening and expanding these teams and building an organization where clients are comfortable working directly with our engineers.

3. Focus

We are not trying to take on every type of job. We are focusing on doing a specific set of work at a high level. That means prioritizing Structural Engineering, HVAC Engineering, Plumbing Engineering, Special inspections, and Local Law 97 work. If it falls outside of this, we have to say no.

What’s most exciting about this year’s letter is that none of it is theoretical. This isn’t pie-in-the-sky planning. Everything outlined above is already happening.

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When it comes to larger projects, this is not a shift from nothing to something. We’ve already taken on multiple larger projects over the past few years. The goal now is to invert the mix, from mostly smaller projects with some larger ones to predominantly larger projects with little to no smaller work. The same applies to building a team. This is not about starting from scratch. The team already exists and has a rhythm. The focus now is to strengthen that team and empower our people.

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As for tightening focus, this will become a self-reinforcing cycle as long as we remain disciplined. The more we commit to a specific type of work, the better we become at it. The better we become, the more of that work we attract. And the more we attract, the more we do.

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At this stage, as The Ordering Force continues to take shape, the vision is clear. We are not trying to be a high-volume firm. The goal is to remain a small, tight-knit team, working on projects that are high-impact and technically demanding. The work we’ve taken on in recent years reflects that. These have not been simple jobs. They’ve been deep, complex, and have required a level of technical rigor that is often lost in larger firms and unavailable in newer ones. Retrofitting HVAC systems into existing New York City buildings, designing full roof dunnage systems on 150-year-old structures, and engineering tie-down systems for solar installations on row houses. This is the kind of work we intend to continue doing.

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Starting and surviving in New York City forces you to be scrappy, competent, and fast. In the coming year, we intend to grow in a way that multiplies our existing strengths, and to align with the right clients to unlock value on both sides.

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I encourage you to visit our website and review our portfolio. It reflects the type of work we’ve been doing and the direction we’re heading. If you have a complex project that requires a thoughtful approach, or if you need structural, HVAC, or plumbing engineering support, reach out. If you simply enjoyed the letter and want to connect, I’m always open to a conversation.

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As we continue to grow the team, I’m making a conscious effort to spend more time with clients, understand their needs, identify opportunities, and build long-term relationships. Some of the most valuable opportunities come from conversations that don’t seem to go anywhere at first.

If you see an opportunity to work together, reach out. I’m confident we’ll see it the same way.

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We’ll see you in 2027.

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