Contractor Cuts

Hosted by ProStruct360

Business Management

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Episodes

208

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Join the ProStruct360 team on the Contractor Cuts podcast as we delve into the ins and outs of building and sustaining a thriving contracting business. Gain valuable insights and actionable tips from our experts who have successfully grown their own contracting company from the ground up. Our show is dedicated to helping contractors like you unlock the secrets to increased profitability, efficient organization, and seamless processes within your company. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, our episodes cover key topics essential for your business growth and long-term success. Make the most of your time between job sites by tuning in to our podcast and learn firsthand how to navigate the challenges of the contracting industry. Get ready to transform your business with valuable information that can potentially change the trajectory of your success. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain the knowledge and strategies you need to take your contracting business to new heights. Subscribe to Contractor Cuts today and empower yourself with the tools and insights to thrive in the industry.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 19, 202641 min

Are You Too Loyal to Fire? How to Know When It’s Time to Let an Employee Go

You know he’s not working out. You’ve known for months. But you like him, his kids come by the office, and if he leaves, all his work lands back on your plate. So you wait. Clark and James have counted the cost of that waiting — and on more than one employee, it ran six figures. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, they lay out how to make the firing decision with a system instead of your gut, so it’s neither rushed nor years too late. They cover: The four reasons employees fail — and why the first one is usually the owner How to tell a skills problem from an apathy problem Using regular reviews so feedback isn’t only negative Writing a performance improvement plan with measurables someone can actually pass or fail The keeper test: if they quit tomorrow, would you fight to keep them or feel relieved? Why subs should be cut faster than employees — and why emailing a sub agreement isn’t onboarding Three rules before you fire: never correct when you’re heated, set a decision date, and get an outside opinion If you’ve got someone on your team you already know needs to go, this is the episode that helps you stop putting it off. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

October 12, 202637 min

Why Good PMs and Subs Start Dropping the Ball

They were great for the first few months. Now things keep slipping — missed follow-ups, half-finished tasks, the stuff you told him to do last Tuesday still sitting there. So you start thinking maybe he’s just not the guy. Before you go there, look in the mirror. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James break down why good project managers and good subs start dropping the ball — and why, most of the time, it’s the way the owner communicates and delegates, not the person. They cover: Why an employee will never have the same motor you do, and why that shouldn’t offend you The “that’s just common sense” trap — and why you can only hold people to their job description The work order details that keep subs from missing things Onboarding a new PM with tight calendar accountability before giving them freedom Using a weekly PAL meeting to coach instead of grading One task, one owner, one deadline — and why “can someone handle this?” fails Batching instructions instead of firing off 17 things during a drive Say it, then send it: getting every ask into a task or calendar Why “we” is a warning sign that you’ve taken the job back Next week, they cover what to do when it really isn’t you — and how to make the call on firing. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

October 5, 202639 min

How to Change Your Systems Without Crashing Your Company

You know your processes need to change. But you can't pause every job for three months to rebuild the company — and changing everything at once feels like a good way to break what's already working. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James walk through how to swap out the engine while the plane is still in the air: rolling out new systems without losing jobs, momentum, or money. They cover: Why you never change the rules halfway through an active job Running "version 2" of your company on one pilot job before rolling it out How the approach changes for a one-man show, a small team, and a 10-person company Rewriting roles first when you're bigger, so decisions don't live in three people's heads Why trying to fix everything at once is the most common way rollouts fail Using your calendar to trick yourself into discipline when dopamine pulls you to the job site Why every new system needs an owner, training, and a way to measure it The accountability gap that shows up the moment you have employees If you know what needs to change but can't figure out how to change it without breaking things, start here. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

September 28, 202638 min

The 10-Day Test: Can Your Contracting Company Run Without You?

Most contractors take vacation one of two ways: they work the whole time from a hotel room, or they unplug completely and come back to a month of damage. Either way, ten days off turns into a thirty-day hit to the business. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James walk through how to leave for ten days without the company stalling — and why that vacation is one of the best diagnostic tools you have. They cover: Why a 10-day vacation can quietly turn into a 30-day revenue drop How a one-man show preps every active job before leaving Cutting 28 fires a week down to five you can handle from the road Building the re-entry before you leave, so you come back to work, not planning The vacation tracker that lets a project manager cover your jobs without guessing Setting spending limits and pre-planning crew payments while you're gone What your time off reveals about your team — who steps up and who doesn't Why the habits that make vacation possible should become how you run every week If you haven't taken a real vacation in years, this is the episode that shows you how. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

September 21, 202651 min

How to Present an Estimate So Clients Say Yes

You send the estimate over email and wait. They compare your number to two others and pick the cheapest one. You never had a chance — because you were never in the room. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James walk through every point of contact between a lead coming in and a signature going on the estimate — when to call, when to Zoom, when to go face-to-face, and why you should never send new numbers by email. They cover: Why speed on the first contact matters more than anything else you do Capturing scope, budget, and the why behind the renovation on that first call The either/or questions that reveal a client's budget without asking for it How to turn down a job you don't want without burning the relationship When the desk estimate helps the sale — and when it just adds friction Why you always schedule the next contact before ending the current one The real story of a $250K job they almost lost to a bad framing number — and won anyway Giving every lead 100%, even when 100% means "I can't take this one" Why the $5,000 job deserves the same process as the six-figure one If your estimates keep going out and going quiet, this is the episode that fixes the gap. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

September 14, 202635 min

Why Fall Decides Your Winter: Filling the Pipeline Before It's Too Late

From Thanksgiving to New Year's, homeowners aren't calling. Nobody's booking a bathroom demo two weeks before Christmas. Which means the work you'll do in December and January has to be sold right now. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James break down why September and October are the most critical months for growth — and exactly how to fill your winter calendar before the phone stops ringing. They cover: The stair-step revenue pattern that separates growing companies from ones that reset every spring Why you should be selling three to four months out right now, not one Sorting every lead into booked, probable, and pending — and knowing which to chase Working your list of past clients and dead estimates from two or three years back Building referral relationships with realtors, designers, architects, and engineers Real reasons a client should sign now: beating the frost, extending pre-con, permit timing Value-add follow-ups that beat "just checking in" Finding a material savings you can use as a foot in the door Low-cost canvassing in the neighborhoods you're already working in Blocking dedicated office hours to be a salesperson, not a contractor If your winter dips every year and you start over each spring, this is the month that changes it. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

September 7, 202639 min

Who's Wrong Is It Anyway? The Shower Pan That Cost $6,800

A contractor's regular tile guy gets buried on another job. He finds a replacement, they show up clean, finish in four days, and ask to get paid early. He walks it, it looks fine, he pays them. Two weeks later the client's brother-in-law puts a level on the shower pan. It holds water. The tile crew's phone goes straight to voicemail and never comes back on. Now the contractor's out $6,800 minimum, the clients have stopped paying at 80% complete, and they want the whole thing torn out plus a third-party inspector for every other trade — because if the tile guy was that bad, how do they know anyone else was any good? In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James break down where the line is and how you draw it. They cover: Why you don't send a crew back out before you have a game plan and a payment agreement Separating the work conversation, the money conversation, and the relationship conversation Owning what's genuinely yours — and holding firm on what isn't Why a client doesn't get to rewrite the scope because something went wrong Handling the third-party inspector demand without losing control of who inspects The "confusion over conflict" approach to pushing back without a fight The trust reset conversation that saves a job — or ends it cleanly How to vet a new tile crew before they're on your job site Why the real mistake happened weeks earlier: no bench, no benchmark walk, and paying early If you've ever been one bad sub away from eating five figures, this one's going to sting. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

August 31, 202639 min

Busy vs Booked: Why Contractors Work More and Make Less

Every contractor is busy. Far fewer are booked. Busy is running job to job all week putting out fires. Booked is knowing what your next six months look like — and being able to say no, raise your price, and sleep at night. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James break down the difference, and how the rut starts before you ever notice it. They cover: Ranking and pacing your leads instead of chasing everything in front of you The conversion-rate math that tells you exactly how much to bid each month Filling a slow month from a bench you built — not by dropping your price Why "I'll get to it next week" is how you go dark on a client without meaning to Telling your subs what's coming three weeks out, and why it buys you loyalty and urgency Creating an intentional office week instead of panicking through a slow one Measuring a good year by booked vs billed, not by how hard it felt The one change to start with if you only do one thing If you had your busiest year ever and somehow made less money, this is the episode that explains why. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

August 24, 202647 min

8 Places Contractors Lose Money That Never Show Up on the Estimate

You look at the job and the numbers work. You finish the job and somehow the profit is gone. It didn't disappear on the estimate — it leaked out in eight places you're probably not tracking. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James walk through the leaky bucket: the specific spots where contractors quietly bleed profit, and what to tighten up so you can pick up two to four points on every job. They cover: Unbilled trips — the drive-bys, Home Depot runs, and "I'll be right over" calls eating three hours a week Timeline slip — how a three-week job becoming four weeks costs you 20% of your annual revenue Gray area absorption — saying yes to free work and never naming it Flat markup — why 35% across the board loses you bids and underprices your risk Equipment sitting idle — the toys you justify for one job and pay for all year Free pre-construction — why every estimate needs a pre-con line, even a $150 one Rework from late decisions — the changes that cost $400 now and $4,000 later Overhead creep — why one good month isn't permission to buy the truck Which leak Clark and James think is the most dangerous — and why it's the hardest to see If you're doing good work and still wondering where the money went, start here. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com

August 17, 202630 min

The Difference Between a Good Boss vs a Great Boss

Your subs choose you every time they pick up the phone. Some say yes because they want to work with you. Some say yes because they have nothing else. The gap between those two is the difference between a good boss and a great one. In this episode of Contractor Cuts, Clark and James break down what separates a project manager crews tolerate from one they're loyal to — and why you don't need 30 years of trade knowledge to lead well. They cover: Why you can lead a crew without knowing more about construction than they do Good bosses pay — great bosses pay on time, every time, and lead the hard conversation Giving crews three weeks of visibility instead of "here's this week's work order" Why telling a crew what went right earns you the right to coach what went wrong Building a bench of crews instead of relying on one favorite Knowing the line between coaching a crew up and letting them go Why most crews who "screw up" were never told where the bar was Being trusted vs. being liked — and why only one of them lasts Most contractor-sub relationships die from neglect, not conflict. This is how you stop that. 🚧 2027 Growth Conference — Austin, TX | Jan 10–12. Two days diving deep into your company — what's working, what's broken — ending with your 2027 blueprint. Day 3: hands-on electives like financial management and estimate writing to make it real. Early Bird (very limited): 30% off + 3 hotel nights covered. Sign up at contractorcuts.com Contractor Cuts is a weekly podcast for contractors who want to build a better business — covering sales, operations, hiring, finances, and everything in between. 🔗 Book a free call: contractorcuts.com 🔗 ProStruct360 software + coaching: prostruct360.com