If your calendar’s packed and your team is running from job to job, it’s easy to assume things are going well. But here’s the truth: being busy doesn’t mean you’re profitable.

In fact, I’ve seen plenty of contractors lose money faster when they get “too busy.” Why? Because they stop paying attention to job margins, scope creep, material overruns, and labor inefficiencies. They’re so focused on doing the work, they forget to check if the work is actually paying off.

Busy without profit is just expensive chaos.

Here’s how you know you’re in that danger zone:

• You’re constantly chasing payroll
• You haven’t checked job margins in weeks
• You’re saying yes to every job
• You’re afraid to stop and look at the numbers

I worked with a contractor who was booking $100K/month in jobs. His crew was maxed out, weekends were common, and burnout was creeping in. But his net profit? Just 3.5%. When we broke it down, he had three main issues: underpriced jobs, overtime labor, and zero job review process. We fixed his pricing, created a weekly margin tracker, and trimmed his job queue by 15%. The result? Same revenue, but his profit more than doubled — and he got his Saturdays back.

Don’t work harder just to stay in the same spot. Work smarter so the busy season actually pays you.

Wondering if your busyness is hiding a profit problem?

Pick up your free copy of my new book, “The 7 Minute Conversation-How to Hear the Story Your Small Business Financial Statements Are Telling You-CONTRACTOR EDITION”.  Go to www.7MinuteConversationBook.com

Ready to find out where your cash and profits are really going? Book your free 15-minute Profit and Cash Flow Call with me. No pressure. Just real clarity. I’ll help you see where your money’s hiding — and what to do about it. Schedule at www.CashFlowCallWithLarry.com