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 profitably and create a business worth buying. Thank you for being part of Building Margin, the b...

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.com

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 coltivar.com

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

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" trap, and the missing financial link that can make or break your entire company. This isn’t about fram...

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 spreadsheets, why strategic alignment across teams matters, and what CFOs can do to shift ...

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 whether your strategy is really working using one critical metric. Plus, he shares the one simpl...

The Cash Flow Blueprint every business owner wishes they had sooner: coltivar.com/cashflow 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 right, to staying lean during rapid growth—this episode is packed with lessons ...

The Cash Flow Blueprint every contractor wishes they had sooner: coltivar.com/cashflow 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 humiliating client meeting, why that failure became the best thing that ever happe...

The Cash Flow Blueprint every contractor wishes they had sooner: coltivar.com/cashflow 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” businesses go bankrupt, how working capital and CapEx quietly drain your cash, and the f...

The Cash Flow Blueprint every contractor wishes they had sooner: coltivar.com/cashflow 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 the field but leave you wondering where the money went, this one’s for you. Because ...

The Cash Flow Blueprint every contractor wishes they had sooner: coltivar.com/cashflow 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 imagining it. This is the hard truth most owners miss. Disclaimer:&nbs...

Watch the estimating series now: youtube.com/@building-profit Tired of guessing where the money went after every job? In this episode of Building Profit, 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 feedback loops between estimating and accounting distort your numbers. Discover how to align your estimating and job costing systems to finally get accurate margins, bid with confidence, a...