The ProfitDig Blog
Insights, strategies, and news for the modern contractor.
Still Busy, Still Broke: How Contractors Lose Money Even with a Full Schedule
How Can You Be This Busy and Still Struggling? A lot of contractors are slammed right now. Crews are working.Trucks are rolling.The calendar is packed. And yet… the bank account doesn’t feel any better. That’s one of the most frustrating situations in construction – being busy and still broke. Busy Doesn’t Mean Profitable Here’s the […]
Why February Is When Bad Bids Finally Catch Up With You
Why February Feels So Brutal for Contractors February is when the math stops lying. The jobs you bid last fall are far enough along now that you can’t hide from the numbers anymore. Labor ran long. Materials cost more than expected. Subs weren’t as cheap as you hoped. Back in October, everything looked fine on […]
It’s January. If You Don’t Know Your Numbers Yet, You’re Already Behind
January is a funny month in construction. The phones are quieter. The job sites slow down. And for a few short weeks, contractors actually have time to think. That makes January dangerous. Because this is the month when a lot of guys say, “I’ll dig into the numbers later,” and then later never comes. By […]
Stop Slashing 15% Off Your Bid and Do This Instead
When work starts to slow down, panic sets in fast. You look at the calendar. You see gaps between projects. Payroll is coming. Equipment payments do not care if you are busy or not. So you do what a lot of contractors do when they feel pressure. You slash 10 or 15 percent off the […]
How to Create Better Construction Bids
To create better construction bids, contractors must move beyond simple spreadsheets and adopt a data-driven approach that combines accurate takeoff, precise scope leveling, and strategic risk assessment. The most successful bids in today’s market are those that are digitized, transparent, and built on historical cost data rather than guesswork. If you are looking to improve […]
Stockpile Smart: The Contractor Trick for Beating Material Price Jumps
If you have been in construction for more than about five minutes, you already know one thing for sure. Material prices do not stay put. Fuel goes up and down. Pipe prices jump with no warning. Products that stayed flat for years suddenly spike overnight. And when that happens, the contractor who is not paying […]
Insights into the Cattle Business and its Connection to Construction
Inside the Wild World of MEP Design: Site Visits, HVAC, and Engineering Oddities
On this episode of ProfitDig Live, we sit down with Phillip Greer to talk MEP design—short for Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing. But don’t let the technical acronym fool you—this conversation takes some hilarious turns. Phillip has worked across the country on everything from wastewater treatment facilities to ice cream plants built in repurposed meat packing […]
If You Don’t Raise Prices in January, You’re Falling Behind
January is pricing season whether you admit it or not. Material costs don’t wait. Labor costs don’t wait. Insurance doesn’t wait. If your prices stay the same year after year, your profit shrinks even when revenue grows. Why January matters Customers expect change in January. New year. New rates. New costs. Raising prices in the […]
Get construction tips delivered to your inbox.
Join 5,000+ contractors getting our weekly digest on bidding strategies and industry trends.