The Builder’s Edge - Mastering the Business Side of Building

Are you a contractor, builder, remodeler, or small business owner with family members already helping in your business? Your spouse may answer calls, your kids may help clean the office, organize paperwork, take photos, shred documents, assist with social media, or help around job sites. But if that work is not properly documented, paid, and handled the right way, you may be missing one of the biggest legal tax savings opportunities available to family-owned businesses. 

In this episode of The Builder’s Edge, Deanna Lucas sits down with financial advisor Kate Adams to talk about how contractors can employ family members, pay children through the business, document reasonable work, explore Roth IRA opportunities, and build long-term family wealth. This conversation is for construction business owners who want to keep more of what they earn, prepare for tax season, create retirement savings, and stop leaving money on the table. 

Always talk with your CPA or financial advisor before making tax or payroll changes, but this episode will help you understand the questions to ask.

Highlights:

→ You’ll learn how family payroll can work for contractors when children or spouses are already helping with real business tasks like cleaning, filing, marketing, paperwork, and job site support.

→ Kate explains why earned income matters for tools like a minor Roth IRA, how contributions can grow over time, and why retirement accounts are often overlooked by small business owners.

→ You’ll hear what kind of documentation may help support family employment, including bank accounts, payment records, 1099s, job descriptions, timesheets, and proof of work.

→ This episode also covers how to start with a simple family business audit so you can identify which family members are already contributing and what financial opportunities may be hiding in plain sight.

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Most high performers do not have a strategy problem. They have an excuse problem. In this episode of The Builder’s Edge, Yusef Marshall breaks down the hidden excuses that keep entrepreneurs, business owners, contractors, coaches, and leaders stuck in burnout, isolation, and overwork.

If you feel like you have to do everything yourself, if your business is growing but your health, marriage, faith, or purpose is suffering, this conversation will hit home. Yusef shares why control and time are two of the biggest excuses high performers hide behind, how burnout sneaks up before you realize it, and why success without self-awareness can quietly break you.

You’ll learn how to regain your edge through better self-assessment, daily reflection, community, accountability, purpose, and the courage to ask for help. This episode is for leaders who want more than achievement. It is for people who want to build a business and life that actually works.

Highlights:

→ You’ll learn why many high performers believe they have to do everything themselves, and how that mindset creates stress, isolation, burnout, and damage in their family and business life.

→ Yusef explains the difference between being tired and being truly burned out, including the emotional warning signs leaders often ignore until they are already over the edge.

→ You’ll hear why purpose matters slightly more than discipline, how alignment makes decision-making easier, and why saying no can protect your values, health, and long-term mission.

This episode also explores the power of authentic community, accountability, and asking for help when you feel stuck instead of trying to solve every problem alone.

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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A lot of contractors look successful on the outside, but behind the scenes they’re robbing Peter to pay Paul just to keep jobs moving, crews paid, suppliers covered, and the business alive. In this episode, we break down what really happens when business debt, poor cash flow, merchant cash advances, late-paying clients, and fast financing start catching up with you.

If you’re a contractor, remodeler, trades business owner, or small business owner who feels like your company is always playing catch up financially, this conversation is for you. Credit and small business finance expert Gerri  Detweiler explains how to stop making panic money decisions, understand the real cost of quick business financing, protect your personal and business credit, and build a recovery plan that gives your company breathing room.

You’ll learn why some “easy money” options can quietly cost 35%, 50%, 70% APR or more, why debt consolidation does not always work the way business owners expect, how supplier credit and business credit can help cash flow, and what to do if collectors, lawsuits, or overwhelming debt are already part of the picture.

Highlights:

→ You’ll learn how contractors can improve cash flow by reviewing bookkeeping, depositing checks faster, using supplier credit, and setting better payment terms before money problems spiral.

→ Gerri explains why merchant cash advances, factoring, and quick business loans can look helpful in the moment but become extremely expensive when you calculate the true APR.

→ You’ll hear how business credit and personal credit are connected, why personal guarantees matter, and why contractors should monitor both before applying for SBA loans, business credit cards, or lines of credit.

→ This episode also covers what to do when debt is already overwhelming, including debt workout options, bankruptcy attorney consultations, creditor conversations, and how to avoid scams promising instant debt relief.

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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If your day starts with gas station breakfast, energy drinks, long hours, job sites, truck stops, and ends with you completely drained, this episode is for you. Busy contractors, entrepreneurs, truckers, and working professionals often think they just need more discipline, but the truth is, better health, energy, focus, and performance come from better systems.

In this conversation, Remi Rory, founder of the MNE Method: Mindset, Nutrition, and Exercise, breaks down how to stop relying on willpower and start building simple daily habits that actually work in real life. We talk about eating better on the road, avoiding the sugar and caffeine crash, creating realistic fitness routines, building mobility, improving your mindset, and using small wins to rebuild confidence.

This episode is especially helpful if you work long days, live out of your truck, run a business, manage job sites, struggle with burnout, or feel like your health keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list. More leads, more jobs, and more growth will not fix burnout if your body and mind are running on empty.

Highlights:

→ You’ll learn why discipline alone is not enough and how simple systems can help you stay consistent even when motivation fades.

→ Remi shares realistic nutrition tips for contractors, truckers, and busy professionals who often rely on gas stations, energy drinks, and fast food during long workdays.

→ You’ll hear why mobility, stretching, yoga, and a simple five-minute flow may be more useful than heavy workouts for people who already work physically demanding jobs.

→ We also break down the FAR Method: Foundation, Acceleration, and Results, and how it helps you build habits, improve your mindset, and create long-term health changes without overcomplicating the process.

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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https://calendly.com/mnecoach
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Why are so many contractors working harder than ever, bringing in more revenue, and still stressed about money? In this episode of The Builder’s Edge, Deanna Lucas sits down with Amanda Dilenno to uncover the hidden numbers behind profitable construction businesses. If you are a contractor, remodeler, landscaper, roofer, trades professional, or construction business owner who feels busy but broke, this conversation will help you understand why more work does not always mean more profit.

You will learn how poor job costing, underbidding, unclear bookkeeping, hidden overhead expenses, payroll costs, fuel changes, supply price increases, and weak profit margin tracking can quietly drain your business. Amanda explains why looking at your bank balance is not enough, why revenue can be misleading, and why every contractor needs clean books, monthly reconciliation, and a clear system for pricing jobs. This episode is for contractors who want less stress, better cash flow, stronger margins, and a business that supports their family, future, and freedom instead of creating constant financial pressure.

What You’ll Learn / HighlightsChapters

You’ll learn why contractors can have strong revenue but still struggle with cash flow, especially when job costs, unpaid checks, auto-drafts, credit cards, payroll, and overhead are not being tracked clearly.

Amanda breaks down why job costing matters and how separating each project’s labor, materials, supplies, indirect costs, and profit margin helps contractors know which jobs are actually worth repeating.

You’ll hear why underbidding is so dangerous, especially for newer contractors who feel pressure to win every job, compete on price, or take cheap clients who do not understand value.

This episode also explains how clean bookkeeping, monthly reconciliation, and reviewing actual numbers can reveal duplicate expenses, hidden profit leaks, missed deductions, and pricing problems before they damage the business.

00:00 Intro: Why contractors feel busy but broke01:12 Why more work does not always mean more profit03:10 Amanda’s accounting background and contractor focus06:25 Why tradespeople struggle with bookkeeping09:45 The problem with only checking your bank balance12:20 Why contractors stay busy but still feel broke15:05 Pricing, cheap clients, and knowing your value19:15 Warning signs of a profitability problem22:00 Revenue vs. profit: what contractors should track25:10 Why underbidding stops business growth28:30 Hidden expenses contractors forget to price in32:15 Payroll, fuel, supplies, and unexpected costs36:00 Job costing explained for construction businesses41:20 Why every project needs its own profit margin46:30 Marking up materials and explaining value to clients51:10 Payment structure and avoiding cash flow problems55:00 Amanda’s profit margin spreadsheet template01:02:30 First step: clean books and monthly reconciliation01:05:00 Free audit and final takeaways

#ContractorBusiness#ConstructionBusiness#JobCosting#ProfitMargins#TheBuildersEdge

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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