Epi 210: Why Accepting 10% Margins Forces You To Work For FREE | Harry Buckley

Harry Buckley, co-owner of Megham Building Services, hit a massive operational bottleneck by running custom projects at a suffocating 10 percent margin. Accepting low-budget jobs as favors forced his team to lose money from the start and stay bogged down with unqualified price-shoppers.He solved this leak by enforcing a strict 20 percent minimum margin and instituting a $2,500 baseline fee for all project quotes. By mapping their workflows with Scribe and actively disqualifying bad-fit leads, the company doubled its revenue to 6 million dollars and allowed his father to step away from daily site operations.Links & Resources Mentioned: Megham Building Services website: https://meghambuildingservices.com.au/ Buildertrend: Project management software for client and subcontractor portals. Scribe: Screen recording software used to visually map standard operating procedures. Hazard Co: Software platform utilized for managing site safety and compliance. Bluebeam: Tool used for on-screen measuring and reviewing subcontractor quotes. Jotform: Platform used to automate bi-weekly leadership reflections for site supervisors. 🕒 Timestamped Key Points 00:00 Why accepting jobs at 10 percent margins causes immediate financial loss05:00 Transitioning from commercial development to rural custom homes10:00 Building standard operating procedures using Scribe Software18:00 Sending a polite disqualification email to filter out bad-fit clients21:00 Charging $2,500 for Pre-Construction Services to eliminate tire-kickers28:00 Enforcing a 20 percent minimum margin to protect against material price hikes35:00 Implementing a fortnightly leadership reflection using Jotform50:00 Managing the father-son dynamic in a growing building companyhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/TPBmember: https://www.facebook.com/TheProfessionalBuilderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.