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 bleeding money — and what to fix first.

7Systems checked

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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–$500K

$500K–$1M

$1M–$2.5M

$2.5M–$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 — final invoice sent and payment collected?

Within a week — we have a defined closeout process

1–2 weeks — takes follow-up but we get there

2–4 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 — 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 30–40% — 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 unlock your results — your estimated annual leakage, system health by area, and the recommended next step 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. The real number is in your books.

The scorecard tells you where to look. The Profit Leak Audit goes into your actual data — your estimates, invoices, change orders, and lead log — and comes back with your three biggest leaks, each with an annual dollar figure attached and the fix explained. Fixed fee, delivered in 7 business days, and credited in full toward any system build.

Get the Profit Leak Audit →

Prefer to talk it through first? A 30-minute discovery call with the Sustate team costs nothing.

Sustate Systems · sustate.ca