Real shop talk.
Weekly conversations with contractors and operators. Hosted by Brent Oberlink.
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Episode write-ups
The main points from sixteen of our most useful episodes, written out. Each one links back to the full conversation.
Revenue is not profit: what separates contractors who build wealth from the ones who just stay busy
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink on margin, pricing, and the difference between owning a job and owning a business.
When to buy equipment, when to rent it, and when to turn it over
Episode notes: Andrew Fiala of Vermeer Midwest on purchase timing, warranty windows and the cost of running equipment too long.
Performance pay on a crew: what changes when the bonus is weekly instead of at Christmas
Episode notes: Michael Fortinberry of Protiv on tying pay to production, and why annual bonuses do not change behavior.
Fifteen minutes a day: the dashboard habit that separates growing contractors from busy ones
Episode notes: Josh Alatis of 616 Solutions and Brent Oberlink on KPIs, systems and checking your numbers before they are a problem.
Why contractors stay small forever, and what it takes to get past it
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink and Alex Eckhardt on delegation, knowing your numbers, and the growth ceiling most owners build themselves.
The labor shortage and the low bid are the same problem
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink and Aney Bailor on why cheap work and thin crews feed each other, and how to get off that treadmill.
Delegation has strings attached: how to hand work off without losing the company
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink and Aney Bailor on why most contractors delegate wrong, and what has to exist first.
From running a job site to running a company: the five shifts
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink on documenting what you do, firing yourself from roles, and why structure beats hustle.
Tax planning is not tax filing: what contractors leave on the table every year
Episode notes: CPA Tyler McBroom on Section 179, why December equipment buying is usually backwards, and the trap of planning your taxes to zero.
When the lowest bid wins, safety is what gets cut
Episode notes: Shawn Galloway of ProAct Safety and Brent Oberlink on procurement, best value bidding, and what a real contractor partnership looks like.
Most contractors are underbidding, and overhead is where it starts
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink and Alex Eckhardt on what starting out actually costs, when debt is your friend, and why a contract is not optional.
Five things a foreman has to do that nobody ever teaches them
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink on the ten minute battle plan, giving the why, tracking production like an owner, and why the foreman runs your reputation.
Cash flow, subcontracting and the scope of work that saves the job
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink and Alex Eckhardt on lines of credit sized to receivables, progress payments, photographing the site, and what to sub out first.
A sales system for contractors who hate selling
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink on teaching instead of pitching, why retention beats prospecting, and what actually happens on a customer visit.
Why contractors struggle to find work, and what to do about it
Episode notes: Brent Oberlink and Alex Eckhardt on saying no to bad pricing, competing in a saturated market, and getting known where the work actually is.
The financing mistakes that cost contractors the most
Episode notes: Jonathan Fodera of Integrated Business Financing on lines of credit, all asset filings, and why a stack of UCCs shows up when you try to sell.
Brent Oberlink
Brent sits down with people who have built real companies in the trades and gets into what worked, what failed, and what they would do differently. Episodes cover pricing, hiring, culture, equipment, safety, and growing past the point where everything depends on you.
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