Building Margin

Follow Strategy Meets Finance: podcast.coltivar.com   Big announcement: join Steve on his new podcast, Strategy Meets Finance. This is where strategy and finance finally come together, giving founders the clarity and tools to scale without chaos, strengthen cash flow, and build companies that last.  Steve’s mission is to move past theory and deliver practical insights you can use to grow profitabl...

This is Part 9 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Learn how strong companies adapt without chaos—installing a build–measure–learn–adjust loop, using check-ins, and acting on leading signals to make calm, timely course corrections that protect margin. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com

This is Part 10 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve brings the framework full circle, showing that margin is more than profit—it’s power. He explains how financial, operational, and leadership margin create the space to scale with clarity, stability, and conviction, turning chaos into confidence and giving owners the freedom to build businesses that last. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.c...

This is Part 1 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . The introduction shows why contractors struggle with thin profits and cash flow, the trap of chasing volume over margin, and why systems—not hustle—create sustainable, profitable construction businesses. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com

This is Part 2 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve explains that contractors don’t have a hustle problem—they have a capacity problem. He explains how nonstop noise, rising complexity, and AI-era demands crush leaders without structural margin, and introduces a framework built for construction to create space, clarity, and sustainable scale. LinkedIn | YouTube   coltivar.com

This is Part 3 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve unpacks the margin crisis, showing how it creeps in quietly through strategic drift, profit erosion, and liquidity crunch. He explains why top-line growth can hide real problems, why confusion is more costly than competition, and how clarity and alignment are the foundation for protecting profit and cash flow. LinkedIn | YouTube   col...

This is Part 4 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve shows contractors how to reclaim financial margin by focusing on free cash flow over paper profit—calculating gross margin and break-even revenue, using the four profit levers (pricing, COGS, overhead, volume), and tracking simple efficiency metrics (LTGP:CAC, ROL, ROIC) to stop leaks and price with confidence. LinkedIn | YouTube   co...

This is Part 5 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve shows how most contractors stall from misalignment, not lack of effort. He explains the Coltivar Strategy Blueprint and how to tie strategy, incentives, and execution rhythms together so teams row in the same direction and build real margin. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com

This is Part 6 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve explains why most strategies fail not from bad ideas but from lack of rhythm. He shows how Coltivar helps contractors install a cadence of structured review that keep teams focused, accountable, and moving in sync so strategy turns into execution. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com

This is Part 7 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve reframes growth as a margin-first, systems-led discipline—not a volume push. He shows how to set a safe growth ceiling with ROIC, say no to low-value work, install simple systems to scale, and keep growth aligned with purpose so the business gets stronger, not just bigger. LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com

This is Part 8 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin . Steve shows how to turn data into decisions—closing the visibility gap, shifting from lagging to leading indicators, and building a culture where estimating, field, and finance interpret the same KPIs. The focus: track free cash flow first, use a tight KPI set, and run “insight sprints” so action protects margin. LinkedIn | YouTube   coltiv...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Most leaders build strategies focused on growth—but forget the one thing that actually sustains it: capital. In this episode, Steve reveals the two most common reasons strategies fail, and why execution alone won't save you.  You’ll learn why most plans fall flat, how to avoid the "growth kills cash"...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   What does it take to be a truly strategic CFO in today’s construction industry? In this episode, Steve sits down with Brad Collins, CFO of Barrett Industries—a regional construction leader and part of global infrastructure giant Colas.  They dive deep into how finance leaders can drive real business value beyond sp...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Most business owners say they have a strategy. But is it actually creating value? Or is it just a poster on the wall?  In this episode, Steve breaks down the 3 types of companies when it comes to strategy—and how most end up stuck in the middle, grinding hard without getting ahead. You'll learn how to test whe...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Steve sits down with special guest Jeff Calabro, President of SDI Services—a solar and drilling subcontractor recently acquired by Solv Energy. Jeff shares the raw truth about scaling a construction business without losing margin, control, or your mind.  From building a team that actually shows up, to pricing jobs...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Your brand, pricing, and portfolio are either setting you apart or silently sabotaging your business. Steve shares the gut-punch moment that exposed a painful truth about his sales process, and how that single experience forced a complete reinvention of his contracting business.  You’ll hear the real story behind a...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   You can do $10M, $50M, or even $100M in revenue and still be broke. That’s the brutal truth behind many construction companies today.  In this episode, Steve breaks down the critical difference between profit and cash flow—and why net profit on your income statement can lie. You’ll learn why even “profitable” busin...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Most contractors think a 30% markup means a 30% margin. It doesn’t, and that mistake could be costing you tens of thousands of dollars every year. In this episode, Steve shares the simple pricing math most builders and trades miss and how it wrecks your margins without you even knowing.  If your jobs look good in t...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Your profit looks great. So why does your bank account feel like it’s bleeding?  In this episode, Steve breaks down the hidden financial gap that’s quietly wrecking good businesses. If you’ve ever wondered how you can show a healthy margin on paper but still struggle to make payroll or invest in growth, you’re not...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Watch the estimating series now: youtube.com/@building-margin  Tired of guessing where the money went after every job? In this episode of Building Margin, learn why most contractors’ job costing reports are always off and how to fix it. You'll learn how poor labor tracking, unassigned costs, and broken feedbac...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   See where you stand in our industry benchmarks: coltivar.com/benchmarks   Most contractors think they’re making money until the bank account says otherwise.  In this episode, Steve breaks down the dangerous gap between revenue, profit, and actual cash flow. He reveals the three costly mistakes killing contractor bu...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Check out our tools & calculators: coltivar.com/tools   Free training for construction owners: coltivar.com/construction-series   You can be profitable on every job, and still run out of cash. The difference between contractors who thrive and those who go bust often comes down to one overlooked metric: throughp...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Too many contractors think they have a strategy when all they really have is a to-do list. In this episode of Building Margin, Steve explains the critical difference between strategy and planning and why getting it wrong can keep your business stuck, or worse, lead it straight to failure.  Steve walks through the r...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   In this episode, Steve dives into one of the most misunderstood topics in construction finance: revenue recognition. Just because the money hits your bank account doesn’t mean you’ve earned it, and messing this up could lead to chaotic books, cash flow surprises, and even bankruptcy-level mistakes.  Steve breaks do...

Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth   Levers of Profit Calculator: www.coltivar.com/levers-of-profit-calculator   Construction industry benchmarks: www.coltivar.com/benchmarks   Steve tackles one of the biggest myths in construction: that the only way to boost profit is to work more and sell more. He breaks down the four levers every contractor can use...