Cabinet Maker Profit System Podcast

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

Your employees may think you're making far more money than you actually are. In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with Steve Baker from The Great Game of Business to discuss one of the biggest disconnects between business owners and their teams: understanding how the business actually makes money. Steve shares how The Great Game of Business helps companies teach employees to think, act, and feel more like owners without simply handing over equity or revealing every private financial detail. You'll learn why revenue, gross margin, net profit and cash are often misunderstood, and how those misunderstandings can affect decisions throughout a company. Steve also walks through the powerful "$1 exercise": showing employees what happens to every dollar of revenue after labor, materials, overhead and other expenses. For example, if a business generates a 5% net profit, it needs to produce $20 in revenue to create $1 in profit. That means a $300 expense ultimately requires $6,000 in revenue to generate the profit needed to cover it. That perspective can completely change how employees think about waste, rework, equipment, profitability and their individual impact on the business. In this conversation, we cover: • Why employees often overestimate how much profit owners make • Revenue vs. gross margin vs. net profit vs. cash • How to teach employees the financial fundamentals of your business • The $1 exercise and how to use it with your team • Why sharing financial information doesn't mean sharing everything • How to get employees thinking more like owners • Creating incentives tied to better business performance • Why financial literacy can improve accountability and decision-making • How stronger businesses can create long-term wealth and legacy Steve also shares the remarkable origin story behind The Great Game of Business and how Jack Stack and his team used financial education to help save jobs and build a stronger company. If you own a remodeling, construction, cabinetry, woodworking, contracting, or trades business and want your employees to better understand what it actually takes to make money, this episode is for you. Subscribe for more conversations about building a profitable business, developing your team, and creating a company that works for you not the other way around. More about Steve Baker: Site: https://www.greatgame.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GreatGameofBusiness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatgameofbusiness/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-great-game-of-business/ 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 #stevebaker #thegreatgameofbusiness

What if you could save HOURS of labor on historic renovations without tearing out the original architectural details? In this episode of CMPS, Dominic Rubino sits down with Kyle Neuroh to explore how laser cleaning technology can change the way contractors approach historic renovations, cabinet refinishing, stair restoration, architectural millwork, and other labor-intensive work. Kyle explains how pulse-laser technology can remove finishes while preserving the underlying surface and detailed profiles that can be difficult to restore using traditional sanding, scraping, or chemical stripping methods. One example stands out: Kyle says a standard cabinet door can be cleaned down to bare wood in roughly 2–2.5 minutes, regardless of the profile, depending on the type of finish. From there, the surface can receive a light sanding before recoating. Dominic and Kyle also discuss how this technology can allow contractors to restore certain architectural elements in place rather than disassembling them, taking them back to the shop, refinishing them, and reinstalling them. In this episode: • Why labor overruns can become a major profit drain • How laser cleaning works on wood and other surfaces • Historic stair and architectural millwork restoration • Cleaning cabinet doors in minutes • Restoring instead of replacing original materials • Reducing disassembly and reinstallation • Training employees to use laser cleaning equipment • Safety considerations contractors need to understand • Applications for graffiti, metal, manufacturing, and surface preparation • How better technology can create a competitive advantage • Why saving labor can mean protecting more margin If you're a contractor, remodeler, cabinet professional, restoration specialist, or construction business owner looking for ways to reduce labor and improve efficiency, this conversation will give you a completely different way to think about difficult restoration work. More about Kyle Neuroh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-neuroh-805b05108 Website: https://www.neurohhardwood.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurohhardwood Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Neurohhardwood/ 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 #KyleNeuroh

What happens when you want your kids to take over the family business but they can't afford to buy it? Selling a family business to the next generation isn't as simple as naming a price and handing over the keys. The owner still needs to get paid, the next generation needs to be ready to lead, and the business needs to remain profitable throughout the transition. In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with business exit expert Greg De Simone to unpack practical ways owners can structure a family business transition. Greg explains how seller notes can work, why they can create risk for both generations, and how performance-based ownership can provide another path when the next generation doesn't have enough capital to purchase the business outright. They also discuss: • How long a family business transition can take • Seller financing and seller notes • Performance-based ownership structures • Transitioning operational and strategic control over time • What happens if the next generation underperforms • Why owner dependency can reduce business value • How key employees can help or hurt a business sale • Why documented systems and processes matter • Teaching future owners how to solve problems instead of simply follow orders • Using financial data to make better business decisions • Preparing your company to operate without you For cabinet makers, millworkers, cabinet shop owners, and other trades business owners, this episode raises an important question: Are you building a business your kids can actually take over and one that can still pay you for everything you built? If passing your business to the next generation is part of your future, start planning before you're ready to leave. More about Greg De Simone: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorydesimone LinkedIn company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/catapultadvisorygroup Website: https://catapultadvisorygroup.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeSimoneOnDeals X: https://x.com/gregdesimone 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 #GregDeSimone #Profit

Overtime isn't the problem it's the symptom. If unnecessary overtime keeps eating into your profits, simply telling your team to stop working extra hours won't solve the underlying issue. In this episode of Cabinet Maker Profit System, Dominic Rubino explains how business owners can find the real cause of their overtime problem and begin fixing it with a practical order of operations. The problem typically comes back to three areas: flow, scheduling, and ownership/accountability. Dominic walks through how to make overtime visible in your numbers, identify production bottlenecks, improve daily communication, control work in progress (WIP), create foreman accountability, and track your Labor Efficiency Ratio (LER). In This Episode, You'll Learn: * Why overtime is a symptom rather than the root problem * How overtime quietly leaks profit from your business * What to do when your crew or foreman resists changing overtime * Why suddenly eliminating overtime can backfire * How to identify production bottlenecks * Why you should fix flow instead of demanding more effort * How to run a simple daily production huddle * Why controlling WIP can reduce operational chaos * How to hold your foreman accountable for labor hours, output, and flow * What Labor Efficiency Ratio (LER) tells you about your business * How to implement an overtime cap once the underlying system improves One of the biggest ideas from this episode: No plan = overtime. No flow = overtime. No ownership = overtime. If overtime has become "just part of doing business," it may be time to challenge that assumption. It's fixable but you have to fix the system creating it. Dominic also explains how to get the professional development tool featured in this episode. Follow the instructions in the episode to request your copy. Subscribe for more practical strategies on building a profitable business, improving your systems, leading your team, and getting your company to operate without everything depending on you. 👍 Like this video 💬 Comment your biggest takeaway 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