Free 3-minute self-check

How Much Revenue Is Your Business Leaking?

Most contractor businesses lose significant revenue every year to operational gaps they cannot see. This 3-minute scorecard shows you where your business is most likely losing money, and what to fix first.

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Setup

Your Business

This personalizes your leakage estimate to your revenue level.

What is your approximate annual revenue?

Under $300K

$300K to $500K

$500K to $1M

$1M to $2.5M

$2.5M to $5M

Over $5M

System 1 of 7

Lead Capture & Follow-Up

How your business captures and converts incoming work.

When a new lead contacts your business, what typically happens?

We have a defined process. Leads are captured and followed up consistently.

We try to follow up but it depends on how busy we are.

Leads come in through different channels and it is hard to keep track.

We handle it as it comes. No set process.

How do you follow up on quotes that have not been responded to?

Automated follow-up runs without us having to think about it.

We follow up manually when we remember.

Sometimes. Depends on how busy we are.

We rarely follow up on unanswered quotes.

Can you see your full lead pipeline: how many leads are active and what they are worth?

Yes. We have a live dashboard that shows this.

Partially. We know roughly but not precisely.

No. It is not something we track.

System 2 of 7

Estimating & Proposals

How you price work and present it to clients.

How do you currently calculate the price for a job?

Structured cost build. Labour, materials, overhead, and markup applied consistently.

Rough formula. We have a general approach but it varies by job.

Experience-based. We know our trade and price from feel.

Market rate. We price to what we think clients will accept.

Do your proposals clearly define what is included and what is excluded?

Yes. Scope, exclusions, assumptions, and payment terms are always documented.

Mostly. We include scope but exclusions are not always explicit.

Sometimes. It depends on the job and the client.

Rarely. Our proposals are basic and do not go into that detail.

Do you know your overhead costs and include them in every estimate?

Yes. Overhead is calculated and built into every job price.

Partially. We know roughly but it is not always in the estimate.

No. Overhead comes out of whatever is left after labour and materials.

System 3 of 7

Project Management

How jobs are organized, executed, and closed.

How do you currently track what needs to happen on each active job?

Defined task checklists and job stages. Visible to the team in real time.

We use a system but it is not always up to date.

Mostly in our heads. Key people know what needs to happen.

No system. We manage as things come up.

How are scope changes handled when a client requests additional work?

Written change order signed before any additional work begins. Always.

We try to document changes but it does not always happen upfront.

Usually verbal. We add it to the invoice at the end.

We often absorb small changes without charging for them.

How long does it typically take to fully close a completed job, with the final invoice sent and payment collected?

Within a week. We have a defined closeout process.

1 to 2 weeks. Takes follow-up but we get there.

2 to 4 weeks. Jobs tend to drag after completion.

Months. Jobs sit done but not fully invoiced or collected.

System 4 of 7

Communication

How information flows between your team, trades, and clients.

How often do clients contact you unexpectedly asking for project updates?

Rarely. They receive structured updates on a defined schedule.

Occasionally. Some clients are more persistent than others.

Regularly. Managing client calls takes significant time each week.

Constantly. It is one of the most time-consuming parts of the job.

Do subcontractors receive written scope before arriving on site?

Always. Every sub gets a written scope document before mobilizing.

Usually. For complex jobs we document it. Simpler jobs are verbal.

Sometimes. We call to confirm but it is not always written.

Rarely. Subs know what to do. We handle it by phone.

Have you had a scope dispute with a client at invoicing over something you believed was already agreed?

Never. All approvals are documented in writing before work proceeds.

Rarely. A couple of situations but they resolved easily.

Occasionally. It is an accepted part of doing business.

Regularly. Verbal agreements cost us money at closeout.

System 5 of 7

Financial Visibility

How clearly you can see where your money is going.

Do you track what a job actually costs vs. what you estimated, while the job is running?

Yes. Actual costs tracked in real time against the estimate on every job.

Partially. We review at closeout but not during the job.

Rarely. We find out how a job did when the accountant runs the numbers.

No. We do not formally track job costs.

Do you know your gross margin by job type, meaning which work is most profitable?

Yes. We track margin by job type and use it to make bid decisions.

We have a general sense but not precise data.

No. We do not track margin by job type.

How current is your cash flow visibility? Do you know your net cash position right now?

Yes. Live view of cash position, receivables, and payables.

Roughly. We check the bank and have a sense of what is outstanding.

We find out when cash gets tight. It surprises us sometimes.

We are regularly caught off guard by cash position.

System 6 of 7

Knowledge & Documentation

How your business captures and retains operational knowledge.

How are your operational processes documented?

Written SOPs exist for core processes. A new team member could follow them.

Some things are written down but incomplete and not regularly used.

Mostly in our heads. Key people know how things work.

Nothing is written down. We train by working alongside people.

If a key team member left tomorrow, how prepared would the business be?

Well prepared. Processes are documented and someone could step in.

Difficult but manageable. Some knowledge would be lost.

Very difficult. That person holds critical undocumented knowledge.

Serious problem. The business depends on specific individuals.

System 7 of 7

Owner Visibility

How clearly you can see the full picture of your business at any time.

Without calling anyone, how quickly can you answer: what is the status of every active job right now?

Immediately. I have a dashboard that shows me everything at a glance.

Within a few minutes. I can pull it together from my system.

It takes calls and messages to get the full picture.

I am often unsure of full status without significant effort.

How much of your working time do you spend on things a system or team member could handle?

Less than 20%. Systems and team handle most operational work.

Around 30 to 40%. I am involved in more than I should be.

More than 50%. I am the bottleneck in most areas.

Almost everything. The business runs because I am in everything.

Do you have clear annual revenue and profit goals, and a way to track monthly progress?

Yes. Goals are defined and I review progress monthly.

I have rough goals but do not track formally.

My goal is to stay busy and profitable. No specific targets.

I do not set goals. I take what comes.

Your scorecard is complete

Enter your details to see your results: your estimated annual leakage, system health by area, and the recommended plan for your business. The Sustate team personally reviews every scorecard that comes through.

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Scorecard complete

Your Leak Scorecard

Estimated annual profit leakage

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System health by area

Priority areas: where to focus first

This estimate is based on your answers.

It shows where to look, not exact figures. Your real numbers depend on your jobs, pricing, and costs. Sustate tracks leads, jobs, change orders, and invoices in one place so you can see them yourself.

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Sustate Systems · sustate.ca