The Summit: December 2025

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Managing Subs Like a General Contractor

Lead Your Subs Like a General Contractor – Not From the Hip

Most contractors think their “sub problems” are about unreliable people:

Guys who don’t show up when they say they will
Sloppy work and messy job sites
Poor communication and last-minute schedule changes
Cigarette butts, energy drink cans, tools everywhere

All of that shows up on the surface. But the real issue almost always lives one layer deeper:

Subs rise or fail based on the clarity, structure, and leadership you give them.

Great subs perform better for great leaders.
Average subs become good under great leaders.
And even great subs will become average under weak, chaotic leadership.

If you want smoother projects, happier clients, and tighter schedules, you don’t start by “finding better subs.” You start by becoming a better leader of the subs you already have.

The Job Starts Before the Job Starts

Most contractors treat the job start as the day tools hit the floor.

In reality, the job starts long before that.

Your subs need more than an address and “start Monday”:

They need:

Scope – Exactly what’s in and what’s out
Drawings – If you have drawings, get them a set
Timeline – Start date, target completion, and critical milestones
Job site expectations – Cleanup standards, protection standards, access rules
Code of conduct – How we behave on site, and how we don’t
Communication protocol – Who they call, how they update, where notes live
Client boundaries – What to do and not do with the homeowner

Subs are not mind readers.

They’re running multiple jobs, juggling multiple GCs, and making decisions fast. If you don’t fill the gaps with direction, they’ll fill the gaps with guesses.

And that’s when things blow up.

Run a Pre-Job Meeting Like a Pro

One of the biggest missed leadership moves in residential construction is the pre-job meeting with your subs.

Most contractors skip it.

Here’s what a simple, effective pre-job meeting covers:

“Here’s the scope.”
“Here’s the sequence: who’s going first, second, third.”
“Here’s the schedule: when you’re on and when you’re off.”
“Here’s what the client cares about most.”
“Here’s what to absolutely avoid.”
“Here’s how we communicate and where we document changes.”
“Here are the non-negotiables on this job.”

If you do this well, you’ll eliminate 80% of your sub-related issues before they ever show up.

It’s not fancy. It’s leadership.

One Point of Contact, One Voice of Leadership

This one is hard, but it’s critical:

Subs need one point of contact.

The minute you step off the job, who does the homeowner go to?
The sub.

If your subs don’t clearly understand your process and chain of command, here’s what happens:

The homeowner asks the sub a question.
The sub—trying to be helpful—starts making decisions.
Or your field guy who isn’t authorized to direct subs starts telling them what to do.
Changes get made. Nobody tells you.
You show up and you’re the last one to know.

That’s how scope creep, free work, and misalignment show up.

Fix it by:

Establishing you or your PM as the single point of contact.
Allowing normal conversation, but insisting someone reduces decisions to writing.
Using your project management software for daily logs, notes, and direction.

Leadership needs one clear voice, not five different people giving mixed messages.

Set Non-Negotiables (Then Actually Enforce Them)

If you don’t define your standards clearly, you can’t enforce them.

Your subs should know:

What must happen
What must not happen
What details matter most
What the client expects
What your standards are and where the line is

Examples of non-negotiables:

No smoking on site
Music at a reasonable level (and nothing obscene or offensive)
Floor and wall protection in place and maintained
Job site broom clean at the end of every day
Little to no direct communication with the homeowner about scope or changes
No helping themselves to the client’s kitchen, fridge, or microwave
No extra work performed without written approval

If a sub does extra work without a signed change order:

“If you don’t get a signature, I can’t pay you. That’s the rule.”

You’re not being difficult. You’re being clear.

Non-negotiables protect you, the client, and the sub.

Inspections > Assumptions

Never assume the job is going fine just because you haven’t heard anything.

Inspections are always better than assumptions.

You need to physically show up and check:

Progress
Accuracy
Sequencing (is work happening in the right order?)
Cleanliness
Communication (does everyone understand what’s next?)

Subs perform better when they know you’re present and paying attention.
Things don’t get swept under the rug when you’re the leader who shows up.

Praise the Good Subs, Replace the Bad Ones (Quickly)

There are really two groups of subs:

The ones who elevate your business:

They show up when they say they will
They take pride in their work
They communicate clearly
They charge appropriately so you can still make margin
They respect your client and your standards

These people are gold. Take care of them.

The ones who hold you back:

They disappear after promising to be there Monday
They leave messes and argue about standards
They blow up your schedule and make you look bad
They’re disrespectful to clients or act one way with you and another with them

Replace those quickly—not emotionally, but decisively.

“I can’t run a professional business with this level of reliability. I need a different kind of relationship.”

Simple. Firm. Clear.

Build a “Sub Startup Packet”

Before your next project, treat it like a fresh canvas and create a Sub Startup Packet you give to everyone who steps on your job.

Inside that packet:

Scope of work
Drawings (if applicable)
Timeline and milestones
Job site rules and expectations
Code of conduct
Communication protocol and software usage
Non-negotiables (cleanup, client boundaries, change orders, etc.)
Payment schedule — when and how they’ll be paid

Then go over it with them. Don’t just email it and hope they read it.

This one move will save you massive headaches, callbacks, and uncomfortable client conversations.

Reflection Questions for You as the GC

Take a minute and ask yourself:

Where am I unclear with my subs?
Do I assume too much and communicate too little?
Do I have a true pre-job process, or am I winging it?
Which subs elevate my business, and which ones hold it back?
If a brand-new project started tomorrow, could I hand my subs a clear startup packet?

You don’t have to be perfect.
Subs don’t need perfection.

They need leadership.

Final Thought

When you lead your subs like a true general contractor—not from the hip—everything tightens up:

Jobs run smoother
Clients feel safer and more confident
Problems shrink
Schedules tighten
And because your schedule tightens, you can often do one or two more projects a year

That extra capacity goes straight to your bottom line.

You don’t build a great contracting business in spite of your subs.

You build it by leading your subcontractors well.

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Delegate Like a Leader, Not a Martyr

If everything in your business depends on you, you don’t own a business.

You’ve got a job with overhead and way more risk than a normal job.

Most contractors (and honestly, most entrepreneurs) are stuck in that trap. They’re convinced the only way to keep quality high and clients happy is to keep a death grip on every task, every decision, every problem.

I lived that life. It almost broke me.

This is a playbook for breaking out of it—so you can delegate without losing control, lead at a higher level, and finally give your business room to grow.

The Real Reason You’re Not Delegating

Contractors don’t avoid delegation because they’re lazy.
They avoid it because they’re scared.

Here are some of the common stories:

“Nobody does it like me.”
“It’ll take longer to explain than to just do it.”
“If I let go of this, it won’t be done right.”
“I don’t want to fix someone else’s mistakes.”
“I feel guilty handing stuff off—I should be doing everything.”
“I don’t have a system anyway, so it’s easier to just keep it.”

Underneath all of that is one thing: control.

The problem? Trying to control everything guarantees:

Burnout
Bottlenecks
Stalled growth
70–80 hour weeks
A frustrated family who barely sees you
A business that can’t function without you on site

That’s not leadership. That’s martyrdom.

My Reality Check: Outwork Everyone… Then Collapse

For years as a contractor, my “strategy” was simple:

“I’ll just outwork everybody.”

So I did it all:

Ran the jobs
Managed the clients
Ordered materials
Did the estimates
Answered the phone
Scheduled subs
Put out fires
Jumped on the tools and tried to outwork the crew

You know what I created?

Chaos.

Missed calls. Constant frustration. A family that didn’t see me. And a business that literally could not move without me touching every single thing.

I wasn’t leading a company.
I was the bottleneck in my own life.

The shift came when I finally accepted this:

Delegation done right gives you more control, not less.

When you delegate well, you’re not abandoning responsibility—you’re building a structure where the business can actually function without you glued to every detail.

Leaders Delegate Results, Not Tasks

Most delegation fails before it even starts because it’s weak and unclear.

Weak delegation sounds like:

“Hey, can you maybe handle this?”
“Do me a favor and see if you can get this done.”
“Just kind of take care of it.”

That’s how you end up disappointed, resentful, and convinced “no one cares like I do.”

Strong delegation sounds like:

“Here’s the outcome I need.”
“Here’s what success looks like.”
“Here’s the standard.”
“Here’s the deadline.”

Then you ask:
“What do you think is the best way to get there?”

Let them think. Let them propose a plan. Support their approach as long as it meets the standard.

I used to tell my guys:

“I don’t care how we get there as long as we get there. If your way doesn’t work, we’ll try mine. But let’s start with your plan.”

That does two things:

Builds their confidence and ownership.
Frees you from being the only brain in the company.

Systems First. People Second.

Most contractors “delegate” by throwing tasks at people with no structure:

No written process
No checklist
No examples
No clear timeline
No checkpoints

Then they’re shocked when it falls apart.

If you want someone to succeed, you have to set the stage for them to succeed.

A simple delegation system includes:

Steps – What needs to be done, in order.
Standard – What “done right” looks like.
Deadline – When it must be complete.
Communication – How and where you’ll update each other.
Checkpoints – When you’ll check in and course-correct if needed.

This doesn’t have to be fancy. It might live in:

A simple checklist
A note in your project management software
A recurring daily/weekly check-in

But if there’s no system, you’re not delegating—you’re just flinging responsibility and hoping it sticks.

Accountability: You Can Delegate Responsibility, Not Ownership

Here’s the part a lot of leaders miss:

You can delegate responsibility, but you cannot delegate ownership of the outcome.

As the leader, you still own the result.

Delegation works when you:

Set clear expectations
Set clear deadlines
Have regular check-ins
Ask, “What do you need from me?”
Keep accountability calm, not chaotic

What doesn’t work?

“Set it and forget it.”
Handing someone the keys and disappearing.
Only checking in when something’s on fire.

Delegation without accountability is just avoiding your role as a leader.

Start Small. Then Stack.

Don’t start by handing off the hardest, gnarliest thing you do.

And don’t just dump all the stuff you hate on your team.
That’s disrespectful and a fast way to kill morale.

Instead:

Start with low-dollar, high-friction tasks.
- Material runs
- Jobsite cleanup
- Sending scheduling confirmations
- Client updates
- Punch lists / job closeouts
Match tasks to strengths.
- Got someone detail-oriented? Give them punch lists.
- Got a strong communicator? Let them handle client updates.
Build trust by degrees.
Like lifting weights, you don’t walk into the gym and bench 500 pounds.
You start with the bar. Then add a little more. Then a little more.

As their competence grows, you expand the responsibility.

Let Them Do It Their Way

One of the biggest delegation killers is ego:

“That’s not how I would do it.”

As long as:

The standard is met
The client is happy
The job is done right

…does it really matter if it’s done exactly the way you’d do it?

Somebody showed you how to do it.
It’s your turn to show someone else—and then let them put their own spin on it.

Leadership means letting go of perfection and embracing progress.

Self-Reflection: Where Are You the Bottleneck?

Ask yourself honestly:

What tasks am I doing right now that someone else could do?
What am I afraid to delegate—and why?
Where am I the bottleneck in my own company?
What system needs to be built before I can delegate confidently?

Design a simple, repeatable way you want delegation to happen in your business:

“This is how we hand things off. This is how we check in. This is how we close the loop.”

That’s how you move from improvising to leading.

One Concrete Move for This Week

Don’t just nod your head and go back to business as usual.

Choose one thing to delegate this week. Just one.

Examples:

A repeated admin task (collecting hours, sending them to payroll).
Material pickups (use your foreman and your suppliers instead of you playing delivery driver).
Routine client updates on active jobs.
Final punch lists and closeout details.

Build a small system around that one thing:

Write the steps.
Define the standard.
Set the deadline.
Schedule a check-in.

Then let someone else own it—while you own the outcome.

Your Next Level Depends on This

Your business can’t grow if:

Every decision runs through you
Every phone call finds you
Every problem lands on your desk
Every client interaction requires you in the room

Delegation is the bridge between:

A contractor working in the business
and
A leader working on the business.

Your next level is waiting on your ability to hand things off like a pro.

Start small. Stack wins.
Train people for your job so you can move to your next one.

And remember:

Leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself.
It’s about building people who can do the work with you and for you.

Sunday, December 7, 2025

The Mindset of a Professional Seller (Especially if You’re a Contractor)

Most contractors don’t struggle in sales because they don’t know the work.
They struggle because they don’t see themselves as professional sellers.

Read that again.

You can be the most skilled builder in your market and still stay broke if your identity in a sales situation is, “I’m just a contractor who has to sell my jobs.” That mindset leaks out of you in every estimate, every walkthrough, every proposal conversation.

Clients feel it — even if they can’t explain it.

How I Used to Show Up (Maybe You Can Relate)

For years, I would roll into sales calls and just start beating my chest:

Talking about how good our team was
Throwing around project photos and credentials
Hoping they liked me enough to pick me

What I wasn’t doing?

Asking how I could help them the most
Leading the conversation
Controlling the frame around budget, scope, or fit

Underneath all of it, I was showing up with:

Fear and insecurity
Price anxiety
“Geez, I really need this job” energy
Subservient body language

I avoided real conversations about numbers. I talked fast. I tried to prove myself. And I had no idea that I was projecting uncertainty the whole time.

That attitude kills sales faster than a high price ever will.

Your Clients Aren’t Looking for the Cheapest — They’re Looking for a Leader

Most homeowners don’t know what they’re looking at.

They’re not contractors. They’re not on jobsites every day. They don’t know how to compare two bids beyond price and “how they felt” about you.

They are not always hiring the cheapest contractor.

They’re hiring the contractor who:

Leads the conversation
Knows what they’re doing and can explain it simply
Guides them through a process they don’t fully understand
Makes them feel safe — before, during, and after the job

Pros don’t shrink back. Pros step forward.

When you walk in with “I need this job” energy, you’re desperate.
And desperation repels. Leadership attracts.

Clients want:

Stability
Confidence
Clarity
Someone who knows their value and isn’t afraid to tell the truth

The Shift: From Chasing Work to Choosing Fit

Everything changed for me when I got proper sales training and realized:

I actually have a choice in how I show up.

I stopped arriving as a nervous bidder and started showing up as the leader of the project:

Slower, calmer presence
Clearer questions
Prepared and intentional
Willing to talk numbers directly
Willing to say no if it wasn’t a good fit

I stopped trying to sell and started to lead.

I’d say things like:

“With all due respect, you’re interviewing me, but I’m also interviewing you. I need to make sure this is a good fit for both of us.”

Or:

“We don’t work for everybody, and that’s on purpose. We want to stay out of trouble. I don’t want to work for someone who needs to have me over a barrel at the end of a job.”

Those statements weren’t about arrogance; they were about standards.

When you operate from standards instead of scarcity, people feel it. Your presence changes. Your closing rate follows.

Sales Isn’t Manipulation — It’s Leadership

A lot of contractors get weird around the word sales.

They picture manipulation, pressure, or cheesy closing lines. That’s not what I’m talking about.

Real sales — the kind that builds a healthy contracting business — is leadership:

You’re not manipulating anyone.
You’re not convincing anyone.
You’re not pressuring anyone.

You are guiding them to make a confident decision about something they don’t fully understand.

Pros lead.
Amateurs chase.

Stop chasing.

Confidence Is Not a Personality Trait — It’s a Habit

Confidence isn’t something you’re either born with or not.
It’s a habit.

You build that habit by:

Preparing your questions before you show up
Reviewing your process so you’re not winging it
Knowing your numbers cold
Having a clear follow-up rhythm
Owning your standards and sticking to them

When you walk into a sales interaction with clarity — not chaos — the entire tone of the meeting changes.

People can feel when you’ve done your homework.
They can also feel when you’re hoping to “just figure it out” in the living room.

Check Yourself: How Are You Actually Showing Up?

Before your next estimate, ask yourself honestly:

Am I confident or uncertain when I walk in?
Do I see myself as a professional seller, or as a contractor who just happens to sell his own work?
Do I show up with “I need this job” energy, or “I’m here to see if we’re a good fit” energy?

You always have a choice in how you show up.

Most contractors never stop long enough to make that choice on purpose.

Create Your Contractor Identity Statement

If you want to change your results, change your identity first.

Write yourself a simple Contractor Identity Statement like this:

I am a professional who leads with clarity and confidence.
I don’t chase work; I look for the right fit.
My presence sets the tone.

Then:

Read it before your next sales call.
Smile before you walk into the house or pick up the phone.
Choose to show up from that identity, not from fear or scarcity.

Track what happens:

Does your closing rate go up?
Do more people stop shopping after talking to you?
Do you hear, “We just felt like we could trust you,” more often?

That’s not an accident. That’s identity.

Sell Like You’re Going to Eat Next Week Either Way

Sales is not about tricks.
It’s not about pressure.
It’s not about chasing every lead like it’s your last meal.

Sell like you’re going to eat next week, whether you get this job or not.

Because if you keep showing up as the leader clients want to hire:

You’ll get more of the right jobs.
You’ll deal with fewer nightmare customers.
You’ll build a business that supports your life instead of draining it.

Have the mindset of a professional seller.
Lead. Don’t chase.
Operate from abundance, not scarcity.

You’ll be surprised how many more opportunities show up when you start seeing yourself the way a true pro does.