Builders, Budgets, and Beers
The Builders, Budgets, and Beers Podcast is on a mission to make project financials less intimidating for commercial and residential builders. We aim to give builders the confidence to take control of their business’ cash flow by bringing on relatable guests who share real stories of financial wins and losses from their journeys in the building industry.
Produced by the team at Adaptive, this podcast is here to help builders build smarter—one budget, one story and one beer at a time.
Builders, Budgets, and Beers
Cash Flow Isn’t Profit: Job-Cost It
Trent Waldrop shares how confusing cash flow with profit can quietly sink a small builder—and why ruthless job costing is the only way to know if you’re actually making money. He breaks down moving from 75–80% cost capture to billing every line item (even the $25 ones), hitting budgets within ~5%, and choosing the right pricing model so you can net 10–12% (or better) on $200–$400K homes.
https://waldropcompany.com
Show Notes:
0:00 Hitting Budget Within 5% on Every Build
9:17 Building Homes for the Community You Know
13:36 Tracking Costs Like a Hawk on Lower-Margin Projects
18:26 Why We’re Moving Back to Fixed Price
22:33 Competing in a Small Market
26:25 Avoiding “Building for Free” Jobs
31:00 Deposits and Getting Paid Before Dirt Moves
35:17 Customer Satisfaction with Younger Buyers
40:16 Building for the Long Haul: 60+ Year Homes
49:17 Value Engineering That Protects Your Margin
Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano
Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media
