Why do most contractors lose money on jobs?

The top reasons are under-quoting, unbilled scope creep, untracked labour hours, materials waste, and slow invoicing. None of these are skills problems — they're visibility problems that compound across every job.

What is the most important number for contractor profitability?

Gross margin per job — the difference between what you quoted and what the job actually cost in labour, materials, and subcontractors. If you don't know this number for your last 10 jobs, you can't fix the problem.

How do I stop scope creep from killing my margin?

Require a written variation order — even a one-line text message — for every change requested on site, before the work happens. Verbal yeses cost contractors thousands per year.

How fast should I invoice after completing a job?

Within 48 hours. The longer you wait, the more likely the client questions line items, delays payment, or forgets the value of work delivered.

Does Contractor Revenue Hub track job costs?

Contractor Revenue Hub tracks quotes, invoices, follow-ups, and conversion — not time or materials directly. It's designed to fix the revenue-side leaks (forgotten invoices, no follow-ups, low conversion) that most job-costing tools ignore.

Why Most Contractors Lose Money on Jobs (And How to Fix It)

By Lee Stephens · Founder, Contractor Revenue Hub

Most contractors lose money on jobs for one reason: they don't know where the money actually went until the job is finished. By then it's too late. The quote was too low, the hours blew out, materials crept up, and the "profitable" job ended up break-even — or worse.

This isn't a skills problem. It's a visibility problem. And it's fixable.

More guides on the Contractor Revenue Hub blog.