Feed Me Your Construction Content

From Variance Myths To Profitable Builds


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Profit leaks don’t roar; they whisper. We’re pulling back the curtain on where margins actually disappear in residential construction—and how to shut those doors for good. From the dangerous comfort of “variance” lines to the myth of schedule float, we challenge the habits that quietly spend your profit before it’s earned. We share a practical framework for monthly lookbacks, daily logs that explain slippage by cause, and a clear stance: you cannot make up lost time tomorrow, and you shouldn’t budget to miss today.

Price increases are here to stay, but they don’t have to steamroll your jobs in flight. We talk through negotiating windows for new POs, building vendor partnerships that share the burden, and explaining markups without apology. That $5,000 toilet? It’s logistics, warranty, risk transfer, and customer care—not just porcelain. We also dig into a powerful tactic leaders overlook: set a dollar threshold for escalation so detail-focused managers hunt needles, not hay. Small leaks still get fixed through smart delegation, while top talent focuses on five-figure deltas that move the P&L.

Culture is the amplifier. “This is how we’ve always done it” corrodes margins; documented process and cross-training protect them. We walk through turning institutional knowledge into repeatable workflows, rewarding knowledge-sharing, and embracing software and AI to pressure-test budgets, estimate faster, and surface risk early. Finally, we spotlight the silent tax of carrying costs: every day of delay has a measurable price. Tie your margin target to disciplined schedules, track exceptions with evidence, and convert findings into process upgrades. If you’re ready to stop the quiet erosion and build profit on purpose, this conversation gives you the mindset, tools, and language to get there. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with the biggest leak you plan to fix next.

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Carolyn can be found on LinkedIn at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-mcmahon-937b89158
Joshua can be found on LinkedIn at:
www.linkedin.com/in/joshuamcmahon15
Email for feedback, questions, complaints, etc:
[email protected]

Daily Journal: https://amzn.to/41p9aKE

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Feed Me Your Construction ContentBy Joshua & Carolyn McMahon

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