Plan B Business
Construction

Stop floating subcontractors with your own cash.
Build a contracting business that compounds.

We work with general contractors and design-build firms doing $2M-$15M in annual revenue who are tired of cash-flow whiplash, scope creep, and finishing projects in the red. Our 12-month engagement gets you to disciplined job costing, payment-milestone structures, and 10-12%+ net margins on every project.

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Industry Reality

8 patterns we see in >70% of general contractors

85%
frequency

Cash flow whiplash (front-loading subs, back-loaded payments)

Root cause: GC pays subs at 30 days. Owners pay GC at 60-90 days. GC floats $100K-$500K every month from own capital or credit line.

What we do: Restructured payment milestones: 10% mobilization / 25% rough-in / 25% mid-completion / 30% substantial completion / 10% punch list. Match sub-payment schedule to owner draws. Float reduces 70%+ within 6 months.

80%
frequency

No job costing - profit known only after project closes

Root cause: Estimating is intuition-based. Mid-project tracking is non-existent. GC discovers profit (or loss) at close-out.

What we do: Real-time job costing in QuickBooks Online + JobTread (or Buildertrend/Procore). Weekly project-margin dashboards. Estimate-vs-actual variance tracked at line-item level.

85%
frequency

Scope creep eaten by GC (not billed as change orders)

Root cause: PMs and superintendents don't enforce change order discipline. Owner asks for 'one small thing,' GC absorbs. Adds up to 4-8% of project margin gone.

What we do: Documented change order process: every scope change → written CO → signed before work proceeds. Train PMs to enforce. Adds 3-7 points back to project margin.

75%
frequency

Subcontractor management is reactive (no-show, late, quality issues)

Root cause: GC uses cheapest sub for each trade. No vetting. No insurance verification. No scoring system. Every project has the same fire drills.

What we do: Subcontractor tiering and scoring: Tier 1 (reliable, insured, on-time), Tier 2 (acceptable), Tier 3 (last resort). Insurance verification automated. Tier 1 subs get priority on best projects.

70%
frequency

Estimating wins 20-30% of bids (race-to-the-bottom)

Root cause: GC bids everything that comes in. Bids based on competitor matching. No project qualification.

What we do: Project qualification framework: owner type, project size, timeline, design completion, financing confirmed. Bid only on qualified projects. Win rate jumps from 22% to 45%+ on fewer, higher-quality bids.

70%
frequency

Owner-GC running every project personally

Root cause: Owner doesn't trust PMs to run projects. Owner is on every site daily. Can't take vacation. Can't grow.

What we do: Project Manager role professionalized: defined responsibilities, weekly project review with owner, monthly margin review. Owner role shifts to estimating, sales, and PM oversight. Owner site visits drop from 5/week to 1/week per project.

75%
frequency

Marketing is referral-only (no digital presence)

Root cause: GC says 'we don't need marketing.' But referrals are unpredictable and limited to existing network. No project pipeline visibility.

What we do: Google My Business + project portfolio website + completed-project case studies. Local SEO for service areas. Builds pipeline visibility 90-180 days out.

65%
frequency

No succession plan / unclear path to exit

Root cause: Owner-GC plans to work until 65 then 'figure it out.' No documented systems, no buyable business, no successor identified.

What we do: Documented operating procedures. Identified successor (internal PM or external acquirer). Clean financials for due diligence. GCs valued at 3-5x EBITDA when systematized; 0.5-1.5x without.

Benchmarks

The numbers we hit

KPIMarket avgPlan B targetAfter 12 mo
Net profit margin per project3-7%12%+8-14%
Days of GC float (sub paid vs. owner pays)30-50<1012-25
Bid-to-win rate18-28%45%+35-50%
Change order capture rate40-60%95%+85-95%
% projects on-time at substantial completion55-70%85%+75-88%
Owner-GC site days per week4-5 per project<2 per project1.5-3
Backlog (months of confirmed projects)2-4 months9+ months6-10 months
Engagement Model

What working with us looks like

  1. 01

    Month 1: Project + financial audit

    We pull last 24 months of project P&Ls (every project, every line item). We map cash-flow patterns, subcontractor reliability, change-order capture rate, bid-win-loss. You leave with the 1-2 highest-leverage actions.

  2. 02

    Months 2-3: Job costing + payment milestones

    QuickBooks Online + JobTread (or Buildertrend) deployed for live job costing. Payment milestone restructure rolled out on new contracts. Change order discipline training with PMs and supers.

  3. 03

    Months 4-6: Subcontractor system + bid qualification

    Subcontractor tiering and scoring system live. Project qualification framework rolled out to estimating. Bid-win-loss tracking. Marketing/website foundation built.

  4. 04

    Months 7-12: Operations + ownership freedom

    Project margins lifted by 4-7 points. Cash float reduced 70%+. Owner role shifted from site supervisor to estimating + PM oversight. We shift to quarterly cadence. The business now compounds.

Common questions from general contractors owners

What size GC is this for?−
Sweet spot: $2M-$15M annual revenue. Below $2M, you're owner-operator and need different help. Above $15M, you need full-time CFO + Director of Operations - we'd hand off.
Residential, commercial, or both?+
Both. Residential GCs (custom homes, major renovations) and small-commercial GCs ($200K-$2M projects). We don't work with public-works or government contractors (different bid dynamics, bonding requirements, and timelines). We don't work with national homebuilders (different model entirely).
Our subs hate change orders. How do we enforce them without burning relationships?+
Common concern - usually misplaced. Best subs prefer change order discipline because it means they get paid for scope changes too. The subs who resist change orders are the ones taking advantage. Implementing change order discipline filters your sub base toward the professional ones.
What about design-build vs. traditional GC?+
We work with both. Design-build firms have higher margins (15-25% target) and longer project cycles. Traditional GCs run leaner (10-15% target) with faster cycle times. The fundamentals are similar - the application differs.
What software do you recommend?+
QuickBooks Online for accounting (standard). For project management + job costing: JobTread (residential focus), Buildertrend (residential focus, broader), Procore (commercial focus, higher complexity), CoConstruct (custom homes). We help you choose based on your project type and size. We don't sell software - we help you implement what you choose.
Will you help with hiring?+
Yes - PM hiring is typically the #1 unlock for owner-GCs. We help with job descriptions, comp structure, interview process, and onboarding for PMs, superintendents, and estimators. We don't recruit for you.
What about bonding and insurance?+
We don't sell bonding or insurance. We help you understand your insurance program (general liability, workers comp, builders risk, umbrella) and connect you with vetted brokers if needed. Bonding requirements (especially for commercial work) are part of project qualification.
Who does the work?+
Ligal Frish and Eitan Eshtemaker - the two co-founders. Direct access, no associates.
Fee structure?+
Diagnostic: $1,500 one-time. Advisor: $3,500/month (most GCs, 12-month engagement). Partner: $8,500+/month (fast-growth GCs or M&A prep).

Stop finishing projects in the red.

30-minute strategy call. We'll diagnose your top 2 levers and tell you if we're a fit. No pitch. No pressure.

Book My Free Strategy Call