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If you’ve ever stared at your month-end and wondered where the profit went, this conversation is the flashlight you’ve been missing. We talk candidly about the real money leaks in contracting—underbilling, missing labor burden, ignored equipment repairs—and the uncomfortable leadership shift required to fix them. Profit isn’t a dirty word; it’s a discipline, and the Work In Progress (WIP) report is the tool that turns chaos into clarity.
With returning guest Nick Peters of Sterling Seacrest Pritchard, we break down how to compartmentalize your bids: direct costs you swing a shovel at, indirects that quietly drain your margin, and overhead that must be recovered before a single dollar is truly profit. We show how a timely WIP flags trouble fast, how daily production data from the field fuels smarter decisions, and why change orders should be priced with facts, not feelings. You’ll hear tough-love truths about denial, ego, and why growth without systems is just a faster way to lose money.
This is a playbook for owners and leaders who are ready to trade revenue drunk for profit sober. Expect practical tactics: set field production targets, capture quantities daily, align estimating and accounting, and run estimate-to-actual reviews that build accountability. Expect real-world decisions: when to cut a division that feeds pride but not profit, how to bid fewer but better jobs, and how to lead through the pushback that comes with culture change. Most of all, expect to leave with a clearer path: know your costs, watch your WIP, and build habits that repeat good results.
If this helped you see your numbers differently, share it with a contractor who needs it. Subscribe for more real talk on building stronger blue-collar businesses, and leave a review to tell us the biggest money leak you’re fixing next.
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Chapters
1. Kickoff And Sponsor Message (00:00:00)
2. Why Profit Isn’t A Dirty Word (00:02:40)
3. The Real Money Killer: Not Knowing Costs (00:06:40)
4. WIP Reports Explained Simply (00:11:45)
5. Change Orders And Data-Driven Decisions (00:17:30)
6. Direct, Indirect, And Overhead Costs (00:21:30)
7. Denial, Ego, And The First Hard Truths (00:27:30)
8. Culture Change And Field Buy-In (00:32:50)
9. Accountability Across Estimating And Production (00:38:30)
10. Confidence, Bidding Right, And Patience (00:44:30)
11. Owner Vulnerability And Tough Calls (00:50:40)
12. Cutting Earthwork And Chasing Real Margin (00:58:10)
13. Systems Beat Heroes: Documentation Flow (01:05:00)
14. Mental Load, Persistence, And Resetting (01:12:00)
15. You’re Not Alone: Most Struggle With This (01:18:40)
16. Where To Get Help And Lifeguard Analogy (01:24:20)
65 episodes
