Free Field Guide
10 ways to start reducing owner dependency.
On your own time. Each one is something you can act on this week.
- 01
Stop being the only one who answers the phone.
Every call that comes directly to you is a call your business can't handle without you. Pick one person. Start routing calls through them this week.
- 02
Write down how you price a job — in plain language.
Not a spreadsheet. Just the logic. Material markup, labor rate, how you handle unknowns. If it only lives in your head, one bad month and nobody can keep the lights on.
- 03
Create a one-page job sheet your crew can run without calling you.
The 10 things that need to happen on every job, in order. If they have to call you to know what comes next, you don't have a process. You have a habit.
- 04
Let the next problem get solved without you.
Don't pick up. See what happens. You'll either find out your crew is more capable than you've let them be — or find out exactly what needs fixing.
- 05
Find out which customers are loyal to you vs loyal to your company.
Call your top 3 clients and tell them they'll be working more with your team going forward. Their reaction tells you everything.
- 06
Stop closing every job yourself.
If every deal requires your handshake, you've built a personality business. Shadow them on two jobs, let them run the third.
- 07
Put your key relationships in writing.
Your best GC. Your materials supplier. Your go-to sub. Their contact info, how you work with them. If that only lives in your phone, it walks out the door with you.
- 08
Give your foreman one decision he normally calls you for.
One. Not everything — just one. Change orders under a certain amount. Material swaps. Every decision you hand off is one less thing tethered to your availability.
- 09
Set a number for what your business should be worth without you in it.
Most contractors have never thought about this. But if you ever want to slow down or sell — the number that matters isn't what you made last year.
- 10
Do the 90-day test on paper.
Write down what happens to each part of your business if you're gone for 90 days. Sales. Estimating. Job operations. Billing. Whatever falls apart on paper will fall apart in real life.
Most contractors read this and recognize themselves.
The ones who do something about it make a call. Fifteen minutes. No pitch. Just clarity on where to start.