Building Margin
Welcome to Building Margin: Strategies for Business Owners Who Want to Think Bigger and Earn More.
If you're a construction or service business owner working harder than ever, but still struggling with cash flow, profit margin, or burnout, this podcast is for you. Hosted by Steve Coughran of Coltivar, Building Margin helps you take back control of your business, stop guessing with your numbers, and start making decisions that actually move the needle.
Each episode dives into what really drives success: clear strategy, confident leadership, and a business that doesn’t depend on you for everything. You’ll learn how to grow your business with less stress, improve financial clarity, and create margin—in your time, your team, and your bottom line. Whether you’re trying to scale, step back, or just finally get ahead, this show helps you build something that lasts.
Episodes
140 episodes
Join Me for Strategy Meets Finance
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, givin...
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Episode 129
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2:22
Part 10: Margin | Building Margin for Construction
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 sca...
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6:20
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Part 9: Navigation | Building Margin for Construction
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 correction...
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21:42
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Part 8: Insight | Building Margin for Construction
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 i...
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31:12
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Part 7: Growth | Building Margin for Construction
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 s...
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27:08
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Part 6: Rhythm | Building Margin for Construction
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...
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30:14
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Part 5: Alignment | Building Margin for Construction
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 rhyth...
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44:22
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Part 4: Money | Building Margin for Construction
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 lev...
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55:18
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Part 3: The Margin Crisis | Building Margin for Construction
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 pro...
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41:29
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Part 2: Why Another Book? Why Now? | Building Margin for Construction
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 witho...
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26:20
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Part 1: Let’s Cut to the Chase | Building Margin for Construction
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...
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32:10
128: Business Strategy Fails—The 2 Mistakes That Kill Growth
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: capi...
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Episode 128
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10:41
127: How Great CFOs Create Value Beyond the Numbers with Brad Collins
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 s...
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Episode 127
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44:31
126: How to Know If Your Strategy Is Actually Working
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...
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Episode 126
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14:37
125: Scaling a Profitable Construction Business with Jeff Calabro
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 subcontr...
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Episode 125
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41:51
124: The 1 Thing That Transformed My Contracting Business
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. St...
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Episode 124
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13:24
123: Making $10M? Here’s Why You Still Might Be Broke
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 ...
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Episode 123
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9:42
122: Why a 30% Markup Won’t Get You a 30% Margin
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 yo...
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Episode 122
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12:15
121: Profit Is Lying to You (Why Cash Flow Tells the Real Story)
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 epis...
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Episode 121
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10:36
120: Why Your Job Costing Is Always Off (and How to Fix It)
Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Watch the estimating series now: youtube.com/@buildin...
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Episode 120
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9:19
119: Your Financial Blind Spots Are Killing Your Business
Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth See where you stand in our industry benchmarks: coltivar.c...
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Episode 119
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12:35
118: The Financial Metric That Separates Winning Contractors From Broke Ones
Want to grow your business? Download your free roadmap today: coltivar.com/growth Check out our tools & calculators: coltivar.com/tools&n...
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Episode 118
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9:35
117: Most Contractors Confuse Strategy with Planning - Here’s Why That’s Costing You
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 episo...
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Episode 117
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11:17