General contractors juggle subs, draws, change orders, and retainage across long projects, and one mispriced job or slow draw can strain the whole company. Hopium Island reviews the numbers and builds a practical plan.
General contracting is a coordination and cash-flow business. You are managing subs, materials, schedules, and a draw process that rarely lines up with when you have to pay everyone. The profit is decided in the estimate and protected through change orders, but it is collected slowly through draws and held back by retainage — so even good jobs can strain the company.
Hopium Island looks at how your business actually earns and collects: estimating accuracy, change-order capture, sub and material costs, draw timing, and the retainage tying up your profit. Then we build a plan to keep projects from running your cash into the ground.
A general contractor can run several jobs at once and still come up short because profit is set at the bid and eroded by missed change orders, cost overruns, and slow draws. If you are paying subs and suppliers before the draw clears, busy just means more cash going out ahead of what comes in. Volume without estimating and cash discipline strains the company.
Break-even for a general contractor is the monthly revenue needed to cover overhead, office and field staff payroll, insurance, bonding, equipment, and your draw — while carrying the cost of jobs in progress. Once we know your true overhead and your real margin per project after subs and change orders, we can calculate the volume and markup you need to consistently profit.
Sensitive documents are only shared through a secure process after confidentiality terms are discussed.
Because profit is set at the bid and eroded by missed change orders, cost overruns, and slow draws — and if you pay subs before draws clear, cash goes out ahead of what comes in. We review your estimating and cash timing to find the leak and build a plan. Call (239) 610-0676.
By documenting and billing every change as it happens instead of absorbing it. Unbilled changes are one of the biggest profit leaks in contracting. We help you see their impact and build the habit of capturing them so you get paid for the work you do.
Draws often lag behind when your bills are due, and retainage holds back part of your profit until the job is done. Together they can keep a profitable company short on cash. We help you map the timing so you can plan around it and stop getting squeezed.
Yes. Saturday coaching is built for owners who cannot step away from projects during the week. Sessions are $295 per hour. Call (239) 610-0676.
Saturday strategy coaching is offered at $295 per hour. Tell Robert about your business and he'll determine whether a session is a fit.