To get the Project Management resource bundle, click here: https://trybta.com/DL287

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP287

Caleb George produces $34M in projects with just three project managers.

Scott Kelley’s team can run a million dollar project without asking him a single question.

What do these two builders have in common? Exceptional project management systems.

In this roundtable discussion, I sat down with Caleb George of Chris George Custom Homes, Scott Kelley of Evolution Design Build, and Jordan Coolidge from Buildertrend to break down the difference between projects that run profitably without owner involvement and projects that require constant firefighting to cross the finish line.

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Caleb and Scott are Breakthrough Academy Members who have worked with their coaches and contractor community group to achieve exceptional results. To learn more about becoming a Breakthrough Academy Member, click here: https://trybta.com/EP287

Check out Buildertrend: https://buildertrend.com/

Learn more about Chris George Custom Homes: https://www.chrisgeorgecustomhomes.com/

Learn more about Evolution Design Build: https://evobuildgroup.com/

00:00-Intro

07:37-Biggest Contractor Issues

09:59-Broken Process Signs

15:38-Defining PM Roles

26:18-Implementing Balanced Accountability

35:49-Optimizing Project Communication

57:51-Streamlining Planning Capacity

1:12:11-Advice for Contractors

To learn more about becoming a Member, click here: https://trybta.com/EP286

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL286

At just 30 years old, Riley Rivers owns a $7M dollar landscaping business, pulling in $120K in profit every month.

Multiple divisions.

Massive contracts.

Complex operations.

And he does it all in less than 40 hours a week.

In this episode, I'm talking to Riley to find out how he built his company, including the key decisions he made as he scaled.

If you're ready to step out of the day-to-day and become a real CEO, Riley's story is a must listen.

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Riley is a Breakthrough Academy Member who has worked with his coach and contractor community to build a business he loves running. To learn more about becoming a Member, click here: https://trybta.com/EP286

Learn more about Rivers Landscaping: https://www.riverslandscapingmt.com/

Episode highlights:

• Learn which systems enabled Riley to more than double his revenue without sacrificing profitability.
• Get insight into Riley’s hiring strategies when it comes to adding high-impact leaders into his organization.
• Discover how Riley built his team culture… by letting his team build his culture. Find out how he stepped back and let his people establish the company’s core values and the tactics used to live them out.

00:00-Intro

01:55-Journey to $3 Million

07:12-Evolution of Roles

09:41-Strategy for Growth

11:49-Identifying Core Gaps

21:01-Org Structure Strategy

30:18-Cultivating Company Culture

40:22-Leadership and Management

Grab a copy of Bob's Top 10 Tax Tips For Self-Employed Contractors: https://trybta.com/DL285

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP285

Ever run out of money despite making millions of dollars?

This is the situation Bob Gauvreau has seen hundreds of contractors fall into.

Revenue is up, profit may even be up.

But they run out of cash unexpectedly and when they get hit with an unexpected bill or expense…

…they crumple.

In today’s episode, Bob walks us through a foolproof system for managing your cash flow so financial stress becomes a thing of the past.

Episode Highlights:

• Learn why your P&L might be lying to you, and which metrics actually matter when it comes to the health of your business
• Understand where cash gets “stuck” and how to avoid accidentally spending the cash you need to pay the bills.
• Discover the foolproof system for managing your cash flow and forecasting potential issues 90 days in advance (no more being jump-scared by your bank balance)

Get in touch with Bob: https://gauvreaucpa.ca/

00:00-Intro

02:18-Cash Flow vs Profit

08:32-Tight Cash Impact

15:36-Optimizing Cash Inflows

23:04-Accounts Receivable Systems

29:38-Managing Cash Outflows

43:57-Owner Compensation Rhythm

47:24-Financial Process Organization

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP284

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL284

Joel Retherford made an extra $1.6 MILLION in the first four months of this year.

How? By hiring for one simple role.

In today’s episode, I’m talking to Joel to understand:

• How hiring a project manager helped him produce an entire year’s worth of revenue, in 4 months
• The hiring process he used to find a rockstar capable of driving all that value
• And why so many contractors completely botch their project management, and how to stop killing your profit as you grow.

If you’re struggling to scale and want to stop bottlenecking your operations, this episode is for you.

00:00-Intro

01:25-Overcoming Personal Operational Bottlenecks

09:20-Hiring An External Candidate

12:19-Managing Internal Staff Friction

21:02-Presenting A United Front

26:44-Unlocking Strategic Owner Advantages

31:19-Timing The Project Manager

36:41-Structuring Tangible ROI Goals

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP283

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL283

Eric Olson found a way to squeeze an extra 200 thousand dollars of profit out of work he was already doing.

His secret weapon? Change orders.

In today’s episode, Eric is going to talk us through:

- The exact strategy he used to 4X his profits on all change orders

- Why getting this wrong can leave you with angry clients, a frustrated team and zero dollars in the bank

- And how to get your team stoked about maximizing profit at all levels of the organization.

Eric Olson is a Breakthrough Academy Member and Owner of Olson Defendorf Custom Homes in Texas.

He has worked Breakthrough Academy coaches and community members over the years to create bulletproof systems in his business that have significantly improved his profit, cash flow and personal life.

Learn more about Olson Defendorf Custom Homes: https://www.odcustomhomes.com/

00:00-Intro

06:17-Incentivizing Project Managers

12:18-Pricing Logic

16:55-Profit Sharing Expansion

24:06-Collection Process Timing

28:48-Tracking Change Orders

34:14-Schedule Management Updates

40:58-Systems Optimization Change

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP282

Ready to build smarter? Meet Breakthrough Academy at Build Show Live in San Antonio, Sept 10–12. Use code BTA26 for 25% off. Click the link to register: https://www.buildshowlive.com/

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL282

Most contractors struggle to build four to ten homes a year. Today’s guest, Charlene Barrett sold six hundred. That's hundreds of millions in sales.

Today we're going to go through:

- What contractors get wrong about scaling from 1 to 10 million,

- How to use referrals and reviews to supercharge sales,

- And how to deliver world-class services that customers love, at scale.

Charlene is a Breakthrough Academy coach and former Director of Sales and Marketing for a top North American builder, where she worked for over 12 years.

She is a true expert in customer experience and sales, so don’t miss this episode if this is something you’re interested in improving.

00:00-Intro

04:59-Service vs experience

06:25-Creating wow moments

11:57-Negative customer experiences

15:00-Systemizing customer experience

23:02-Driving five-star reviews

32:55-Generating customer referrals

40:37-Insights on coaching

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP281

Ready to build smarter? Meet Breakthrough Academy at Build Show Live in San Antonio, Sept 10–12. Use code BTA26 for 25% off. Click the link to register: https://www.buildshowlive.com/

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL281

When most contractors think about disaster planning, they picture insurance policies, backup equipment, and emergency contacts.

But what if the real question is this:

Would your team know what to do if you weren't there?

BTA Members Curt Janzen and Kevin Boschee from Beyond Foam got an answer to that question when they found themselves in the worst case scenario:

Their shop burned down. While they were on a business trip. Hundreds of miles away.

In a matter of hours, their team had to make decisions, communicate with customers, protect equipment, coordinate next steps, and keep the business moving forward—all without waiting for the owners to swoop in and save the day.

The result wasn't luck.

It was the outcome of years spent building a business that didn't depend on them for every decision.

00:00-Intro

02:03-Operational Impact of a Fire

09:27-Initial Team Response

13:08-Enabling Structural Systems

18:45-Supporting Team Emotionally

24:21-Insurance Process Lessons

30:08-Overall Key Takeaways

Ready to build smarter? Meet Breakthrough Academy at Build Show Live in San Antonio, Sept 10–12. Use code BTA26 for 25% off. Click the link to register: https://www.buildshowlive.com/

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP280

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL280

Most contractors become leaders by accident.

You start a business because you're great at your trade. Then suddenly you're managing crews, handling conflict, giving feedback, and trying to keep good people from walking out the door.

And if you're like most owners, nobody ever taught you how to do any of it.

That's why this week's Contractor Evolution episode with leadership expert and former Head of Storybrand Dr. J.J. Peterson is worth your time.

In this conversation, Dr. J.J. breaks down a simple approach to leadership that helps you:

- Keep your best people longer

- Reduce costly mistakes and miscommunication

- Build a team you can actually trust

- Create a culture people want to be part of

The best part?

You don't need to become some hard-nosed manager or abandon the "nice guy" you've always been.

Strong leadership isn't about being tougher. It's about creating clarity, accountability, and trust.

00:00-Intro

04:41-Guide Versus Hero

11:28-Formulaic Collective Communication

22:20-Badass Softy Philosophy

30:45-Empathy and Authority

40:45-Three Leadership Pillars

49:53-Modern Leadership Era