Cabinet Maker Profit System Podcast

Overtime may be costing your contracting business more than you realize but simply cutting overtime can create another problem: your employees may depend on it. So how do you reduce unnecessary overtime without losing your best people? In this episode, Dominic Rubino breaks down how contractors and trades business owners can identify the real causes of overtime, overcome resistance from their crews and foremen, and start building a practical system for reducing OT without simply putting more pressure on the team. You'll discover why overtime can become a hidden profit leak, why crews may resist attempts to reduce it, how to involve employees in identifying where work is piling up, and why changing your angle of approach can make a major difference. Dominic also walks through the thinking behind a practical 10-step overtime reduction process designed to help business owners take action over time. 🎁 FREE TOOL: Get the step-by-step resource mentioned in this episode and use it to start tackling the overtime problem in your own business. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d3FoVAMFLh_nm-tTekBOFEtmStyasQbc/view?usp=drive_link If you're a contractor, construction business owner, or trades business owner struggling with excessive overtime, low net profit, labor efficiency, or team resistance, this episode is for you. Subscribe for more practical strategies on building a profitable contracting business, developing your team, and becoming a stronger business owner. More about Dominic Rubino: Site: https://www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CabinetMakerProfitSystem/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cabinetmakerprofitsystem/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicrubino/ Also check out: Cabinet Maker Profit System: https://www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com Profit Toolbelt: https://www.profittoolbelt.com/ Contractor Wealth System: https://www.contractorwealthsystem.com/ DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE: @Cabinetmakerprofitsystemcom @profittoolbelt4527 #CabinetMakerProfitSystem #ProfitToolBelt #DominicRubino #CabinetMaker #CabinetShop #ArchitecturalMillwork #Millwork #Woodwork #WoodworkingBusiness #BusinessOwner #Entrepreneur #Leadership #TeamLeadership #BusinessSystems #BusinessFinance #Profitability #CashFlow #JobCosting #Efficiency #ShopManagement #ManufacturingLeadership #ContinuousImprovement #LeanManufacturing #ContractorBusiness #ConstructionBusiness #Estimating #AWI #AWMAC #NKBA #CMA #Podcast

What happens when you shut down a factory doing roughly $30,000 a day in throughput and refuse to start it again until you understand the problem? That's exactly what Brad Cairns did. In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with Brad to unpack an extraordinary Lean manufacturing "stop and fix" inside Brad's MDF cabinet door factory. The problem started with a number Brad couldn't ignore: roughly $40,000 in costs associated with glue squeeze-out over about 60 days. Rather than continuing to adjust, compensate and work around the problem, Brad decided to put the Toyota Way into practice: Stop the line. Find the problem. Fix it. The machines went silent. What Brad didn't necessarily expect was that the stop-and-fix would continue for eight days. During those eight days, the team tested variables, collected data, challenged assumptions and learned how to separate opinions from evidence. What started as an attempt to solve a manufacturing defect became a much bigger lesson about leadership, teamwork, Lean thinking and systematic problem-solving. In this conversation, you'll hear about: • Why Brad was willing to shut down an entire factory • The $40,000 quality problem that triggered the decision • Why "stop and fix" is so difficult for business owners to actually practice • How the team shifted from opinions to data • Why changing one variable at a time mattered • The importance of solving root causes instead of symptoms • How the experience changed the team's approach to conflict • The creation of Brad's "Red Team Code" • Why "run experiments, not arguments" became a guiding principle • What cabinet, millwork, closet and manufacturing businesses can learn from the experiment Brad Cairns has spent decades in woodworking and Lean manufacturing and has built businesses around manufacturing, machinery, consulting and continuous improvement. If you're a business owner who's constantly fighting recurring problems, rework, defects or bottlenecks, this episode will challenge an important assumption: Sometimes stopping production isn't the problem. Sometimes refusing to stop is. Subscribe for more conversations about building better cabinet, millwork, woodworking and manufacturing businesses. More about Brad Cairns: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stolbek_machines/ Website: https://stolbek.ca/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stolbekmachines Also check out: Cabinet Maker Profit System: https://www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com Profit Toolbelt: https://www.profittoolbelt.com/ Contractor Wealth System: https://www.contractorwealthsystem.com/ DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE: @Cabinetmakerprofitsystemcom @profittoolbelt4527 #CabinetMakerProfitSystem #ProfitToolBelt #DominicRubino #CabinetMaker #CabinetShop #ArchitecturalMillwork #Millwork #Woodwork #WoodworkingBusiness #BusinessOwner #Entrepreneur #Leadership #TeamLeadership #BusinessSystems #BusinessFinance #Profitability #JobCosting #Efficiency #ShopManagement #ManufacturingLeadership #ContinuousImprovement #LeanManufacturing #ContractorBusiness #ConstructionBusiness #AWI #AWMAC #NKBA #CMA #BradCairns

Why do contractors lose jobs on price? And when a customer says your estimate is "too expensive," is price really the problem? In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with entrepreneur, contractor, and business coach Adam Sylvester to break down one of the biggest challenges facing contractors and home-service business owners: losing deals because of price. The surprising reality? You shouldn't expect to win every job. Dominic and Adam discuss why your close rate matters, how to think about gross profit on every project, and why discounting a job can quickly erase the profit you were hoping to make. They also explore the bigger sales question: what happens before you present the price? If prospects consistently tell you that you're too expensive, the answer isn't automatically to lower your prices. Your marketing, qualification process, sales conversation, customer expectations, and understanding of the homeowner's real motivation can all influence whether a prospect sees the value behind your number. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why a 100% close rate may be a warning sign • How to think about gross profit on every job • Why seemingly small discounts can have a major impact on net profit • Why hearing "no" is part of running a profitable contracting business • How your sales conversation affects price objections • Why contractors need to understand the customer's deeper motivation • When walking away from a job may be the better business decision If you run a construction, contracting, or home-service business and constantly hear "your price is too high," this conversation will help you look beyond the number and identify what may actually be costing you the sale. Subscribe for more practical conversations about building a profitable, scalable contracting business. More about Adam Silvester: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamsylvester/ Website: https://www.adamsylvester.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jobber Also check out: Cabinet Maker Profit System: https://www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com Profit Toolbelt: https://www.profittoolbelt.com/ Contractor Wealth System: https://www.contractorwealthsystem.com/ DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE: @Cabinetmakerprofitsystemcom @profittoolbelt4527 #CabinetMakerProfitSystem #ProfitToolBelt #DominicRubino #CabinetMaker #CabinetShop #ArchitecturalMillwork #Millwork #Woodwork #WoodworkingBusiness #BusinessOwner #Entrepreneur #Leadership #TeamLeadership #BusinessSystems #BusinessFinance #Profitability #CashFlow #JobCosting #Efficiency #ShopManagement #ManufacturingLeadership #ContinuousImprovement #LeanManufacturing #ContractorBusiness #ConstructionBusiness #Estimating #AWI #AWMAC #NKBA #CMA #Adam Silvester

You sold the job at a 45% gross margin. You estimated it correctly. So why is there no money left at the end? In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with Nick Slavik to tackle one of the most frustrating problems facing cabinet makers, millworkers, contractors, and trades business owners: the gap between the profit you estimate and the profit you actually keep. Nick explains why a profitable estimate is only the beginning. The journey from lead → estimate → sale → administration → project management → production → closeout creates multiple opportunities for profit to disappear. And protecting that margin often comes down to things that aren't exciting: clear standard operating procedures, training, accountability, good handoffs, production management, tracking the numbers, and consistent leadership. We also discuss why delegating a task doesn't eliminate your responsibility as an owner. When you stop doing the task yourself, your job becomes managing the person responsible for doing it. In this conversation, you'll hear about: • Why 45% gross margin can still turn into little or no net profit • The difference between estimating profit and actually keeping it • Why every employee needs clear responsibilities and SOPs • How accountability protects your margins • Why business owners can't completely delegate management • Production, labor, and protecting profitability • Why knowing your numbers changes how you price work • Managing employees without trying to control everything • The difference between being a great craftsperson and a business owner • Building a business that gives you more freedom—not another job If you own a cabinet shop, architectural millwork company, renovation business, or other trades business and keep asking, "Where did all the profit go?"—this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more conversations about building a profitable trades business, developing your team, improving operations, and becoming a stronger business owner. More about Nick Slavik: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slaviknick Website: https://nickslavik.com Youtube: http://youtube.com/channel/UCeVoEqyymMmsmd8-8YQGjCg Also check out: Cabinet Maker Profit System: https://www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com Profit Toolbelt: https://www.profittoolbelt.com/ Contractor Wealth System: https://www.contractorwealthsystem.com/ DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE: @Cabinetmakerprofitsystemcom @profittoolbelt4527 #CabinetMakerProfitSystem #ProfitToolBelt #DominicRubino #CabinetMaker #CabinetShop #ArchitecturalMillwork #Millwork #Woodwork #WoodworkingBusiness #BusinessOwner #Entrepreneur #Leadership #TeamLeadership #BusinessSystems #BusinessFinance #Profitability #CashFlow #JobCosting #Efficiency #ShopManagement #ManufacturingLeadership #ContinuousImprovement #LeanManufacturing #ContractorBusiness #ConstructionBusiness #Estimating #AWI #AWMAC #NKBA #CMA #NickSlavik

Why are so many cabinet shops bringing in revenue but still struggling to make enough money? In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with business coach and former cabinet shop owner Pete Fico to break down one of the most important parts of running a successful cabinet business: PROFIT. Pete shares lessons from his own entrepreneurial journey, including growing a cabinet company from just over $3 million to nearly $11 million in sales. They discuss the difference between gross profit and net profit, why cabinet shops need to track their numbers, and how seemingly small costs can quietly destroy the profitability of a job. In this conversation, you'll learn about: • Gross profit vs. net profit in a cabinet shop • Why job costing and end-of-job reports matter • How to identify profit leaks in your business • Why installs, callbacks, and travel time can cost more than you think • What your sales conversion rate can reveal about your pricing • Why your prices may be too low • How tracking numbers helps you make better business decisions • Why collecting data is useless if you don't act on it Pete also shares how analyzing jobs by travel zones helped his company identify where money was being lost including installation issues, punch-list trips, parking challenges, and unbilled time. If you own a cabinet shop, millwork company, closet business, or woodworking business and you're generating sales but wondering where the money goes, this episode is for you. The goal isn't simply to sell more work. It's to understand your numbers, price your work properly, and make sure there's actually money left at the end. More about Pete Ficco: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-ficco-b203b017? Company's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prosper-vp? Website: https://www.prospervp.com/ Also check out: Cabinet Maker Profit System: https://www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com Profit Toolbelt: https://www.profittoolbelt.com/ Contractor Wealth System: https://www.contractorwealthsystem.com/ DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE: @Cabinetmakerprofitsystemcom @profittoolbelt4527 #cabinetmakerprofitsystem #ProfitToolBelt #dominicrubino #millwork #cabinetmaker #woodwork #profitability #podcast #efficiency #entrepreneur #architecturalmillwork #woodworkingbusiness #CabinetShop #ArchitecturalMillwork #ContinuousImprovement #LeanManufacturing #WoodworkingBusiness #ShopManagement #ExitPlanning #ManagementBuyout #ConstructionBusiness #petefico