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Cabinet Maker Profit System Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Dominic Rubino
For business owners who are CabinetMakers, Architectural Woodworkers Furniture Makers and Woodwork shop owners. Cabinet Maker Profit System is a resource that shows you how to work less and earn more. Listening here is how you "2x your Profits" and "2x your Time off". For tips, tricks and information on business building. Its not boring business talk- its real world info, podcasts, videos and articles just for trades pro's. Join the conversation at --> www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com
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- 3 days ago42 min
Why You Keep Losing Deals on Price
Why do you keep losing deals on price and does it actually mean you're charging too much? In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with business coach Pete Ficco to unpack one of the most frustrating problems contractors and business owners face: presenting an estimate only to hear that someone else can do the job cheaper. But lowering your price isn't necessarily the answer. Pete shares how estimating, sales training, your sales process, competition, lead qualification, and customer expectations can all affect whether you win or lose a deal. You'll also hear a counterintuitive discussion about close rates. If you're proud of closing 70% or 80% of your estimates, is that automatically a good thing? Pete explains why he has viewed a roughly 35% conversion rate on properly qualified opportunities as a useful benchmark and why hearing "no" is an unavoidable part of selling. Pete speaks from experience. He started his first company at 29, built businesses across multiple industries, and grew his custom cabinetry business from approximately $3 million to more than $10 million in about five years. In this conversation, you'll learn: • Why price may not be the real reason you're losing jobs • How to properly qualify prospects before estimating • Why your sales process matters before you reveal the price • How competition affects your pricing strategy • Why comparing your offer with cheaper alternatives can be misleading • What your close rate can tell you about your pricing and sales process • Why successful salespeople need to get comfortable hearing "no" If customers keep telling you that you're too expensive, don't immediately sharpen your pencil. First, figure out whether you actually have a pricing problem or a sales problem. If this episode gives you value, like the video and leave a comment. 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
- 1 weeks ago23 min
How to Reduce Overtime Without Losing Your Best Employees
Overtime may be costing your contracting business more than you realize but simply cutting overtime can create another problem: your employees may depend on it. So how do you reduce unnecessary overtime without losing your best people? In this episode, Dominic Rubino breaks down how contractors and trades business owners can identify the real causes of overtime, overcome resistance from their crews and foremen, and start building a practical system for reducing OT without simply putting more pressure on the team. You'll discover why overtime can become a hidden profit leak, why crews may resist attempts to reduce it, how to involve employees in identifying where work is piling up, and why changing your angle of approach can make a major difference. Dominic also walks through the thinking behind a practical 10-step overtime reduction process designed to help business owners take action over time. 🎁 FREE TOOL: Get the step-by-step resource mentioned in this episode and use it to start tackling the overtime problem in your own business. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d3FoVAMFLh_nm-tTekBOFEtmStyasQbc/view?usp=drive_link If you're a contractor, construction business owner, or trades business owner struggling with excessive overtime, low net profit, labor efficiency, or team resistance, this episode is for you. Subscribe for more practical strategies on building a profitable contracting business, developing your team, and becoming a stronger business owner. 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
- 2 weeks ago59 min
He Shut Down His Factory for 8 Days. Here's What Happened.
What happens when you shut down a factory doing roughly $30,000 a day in throughput and refuse to start it again until you understand the problem? That's exactly what Brad Cairns did. In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with Brad to unpack an extraordinary Lean manufacturing "stop and fix" inside Brad's MDF cabinet door factory. The problem started with a number Brad couldn't ignore: roughly $40,000 in costs associated with glue squeeze-out over about 60 days. Rather than continuing to adjust, compensate and work around the problem, Brad decided to put the Toyota Way into practice: Stop the line. Find the problem. Fix it. The machines went silent. What Brad didn't necessarily expect was that the stop-and-fix would continue for eight days. During those eight days, the team tested variables, collected data, challenged assumptions and learned how to separate opinions from evidence. What started as an attempt to solve a manufacturing defect became a much bigger lesson about leadership, teamwork, Lean thinking and systematic problem-solving. In this conversation, you'll hear about: • Why Brad was willing to shut down an entire factory • The $40,000 quality problem that triggered the decision • Why "stop and fix" is so difficult for business owners to actually practice • How the team shifted from opinions to data • Why changing one variable at a time mattered • The importance of solving root causes instead of symptoms • How the experience changed the team's approach to conflict • The creation of Brad's "Red Team Code" • Why "run experiments, not arguments" became a guiding principle • What cabinet, millwork, closet and manufacturing businesses can learn from the experiment Brad Cairns has spent decades in woodworking and Lean manufacturing and has built businesses around manufacturing, machinery, consulting and continuous improvement. If you're a business owner who's constantly fighting recurring problems, rework, defects or bottlenecks, this episode will challenge an important assumption: Sometimes stopping production isn't the problem. Sometimes refusing to stop is. Subscribe for more conversations about building better cabinet, millwork, woodworking and manufacturing businesses. More about Brad Cairns: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stolbek_machines/ Website: https://stolbek.ca/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stolbekmachines 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 #JobCosting #Efficiency #ShopManagement #ManufacturingLeadership #ContinuousImprovement #LeanManufacturing #ContractorBusiness #ConstructionBusiness #AWI #AWMAC #NKBA #CMA #BradCairns
- 3 weeks ago1h 2m
You're Not Losing Jobs Because of Your Price
Why do contractors lose jobs on price? And when a customer says your estimate is "too expensive," is price really the problem? In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with entrepreneur, contractor, and business coach Adam Sylvester to break down one of the biggest challenges facing contractors and home-service business owners: losing deals because of price. The surprising reality? You shouldn't expect to win every job. Dominic and Adam discuss why your close rate matters, how to think about gross profit on every project, and why discounting a job can quickly erase the profit you were hoping to make. They also explore the bigger sales question: what happens before you present the price? If prospects consistently tell you that you're too expensive, the answer isn't automatically to lower your prices. Your marketing, qualification process, sales conversation, customer expectations, and understanding of the homeowner's real motivation can all influence whether a prospect sees the value behind your number. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why a 100% close rate may be a warning sign • How to think about gross profit on every job • Why seemingly small discounts can have a major impact on net profit • Why hearing "no" is part of running a profitable contracting business • How your sales conversation affects price objections • Why contractors need to understand the customer's deeper motivation • When walking away from a job may be the better business decision If you run a construction, contracting, or home-service business and constantly hear "your price is too high," this conversation will help you look beyond the number and identify what may actually be costing you the sale. Subscribe for more practical conversations about building a profitable, scalable contracting business. More about Adam Silvester: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamsylvester/ Website: https://www.adamsylvester.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jobber 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 #Adam Silvester
- Oct 8, 20261h 3m
I Sold the Job at 45% Margin… Where Did the Money Go?
You sold the job at a 45% gross margin. You estimated it correctly. So why is there no money left at the end? In this episode, Dominic Rubino sits down with Nick Slavik to tackle one of the most frustrating problems facing cabinet makers, millworkers, contractors, and trades business owners: the gap between the profit you estimate and the profit you actually keep. Nick explains why a profitable estimate is only the beginning. The journey from lead → estimate → sale → administration → project management → production → closeout creates multiple opportunities for profit to disappear. And protecting that margin often comes down to things that aren't exciting: clear standard operating procedures, training, accountability, good handoffs, production management, tracking the numbers, and consistent leadership. We also discuss why delegating a task doesn't eliminate your responsibility as an owner. When you stop doing the task yourself, your job becomes managing the person responsible for doing it. In this conversation, you'll hear about: • Why 45% gross margin can still turn into little or no net profit • The difference between estimating profit and actually keeping it • Why every employee needs clear responsibilities and SOPs • How accountability protects your margins • Why business owners can't completely delegate management • Production, labor, and protecting profitability • Why knowing your numbers changes how you price work • Managing employees without trying to control everything • The difference between being a great craftsperson and a business owner • Building a business that gives you more freedom—not another job If you own a cabinet shop, architectural millwork company, renovation business, or other trades business and keep asking, "Where did all the profit go?"—this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more conversations about building a profitable trades business, developing your team, improving operations, and becoming a stronger business owner. More about Nick Slavik: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slaviknick Website: https://nickslavik.com Youtube: http://youtube.com/channel/UCeVoEqyymMmsmd8-8YQGjCg 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 #NickSlavik
- Oct 1, 202647 min
Why Most Cabinet Shops Aren't Making Enough Money
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
- Sep 24, 20261h 1m
Your Employees Think You Make More Money Than You Do
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
- Sep 17, 202640 min
How to Save Hours of Labor on Historic Renovations
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
About Cabinet Maker Profit System Podcast
For business owners who are CabinetMakers, Architectural Woodworkers Furniture Makers and Woodwork shop owners. Cabinet Maker Profit System is a resource that shows you how to work less and earn more. Listening here is how you "2x your Profits" and "2x your Time off". For tips, tricks and information on business building. Its not boring business talk- its real world info, podcasts, videos and articles just for trades pro's. Join the conversation at --> www.cabinetmakerprofitsystem.com
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