What these stories show
These examples describe earlier business operations engagements. They are not measured outcomes from the current training packages. To see a practical teaching example, try the task handover check.
Results
What changed for two real companies.
These are earlier business engagements that informed the courses we now teach. They demonstrate experience applying systems to real operations, rather than results from the current training courses. Company names are kept private.
Calgary siding contractor
From $300,000 in the hole to sold in ten months.
Where it started
A residential siding contractor that had never done more than $250,000 in a year. It went into the November off-season $300,000 in the hole. The owner was the business: his name, his face, his cell number, his labour. Prices didn't cover the real cost of the work, business and personal money were mixed, and a spouse's paycheque was quietly covering the gap.
The company was acquired and run on our system, with the owner kept on a guaranteed monthly draw.
What changed
- The numbers came first. A true monthly break-even of $60,000 was set before anything else changed.
- The owner stopped being the business. Sales, quoting, and customer contact no longer depended on him.
- Cash flow was fixed. Jobs were funded before work began, and crews were paid on a schedule that kept them fast and loyal.
- The work changed. Jobs that couldn't reach break-even were turned down, and larger contracts came in.
- The books were rebuilt, recovering thousands in unclaimed credits from CRA.
It was sold in September with $500,000 in contracted work scheduled and deposits in hand. The trucks and the installs weren't where the value came from. The system was.
Results from one business. Not a promise of what yours will do.
Custom window company
The owner offered to sell for $120,000. It was worth about four times that.
Where it started
A custom window and framing business that had peaked at $2 million in revenue, run almost entirely by its owner. He did the design, the customer relationships, and the operations, working 12-hour days. He wanted out, but he was the business. The only buyer he could see was an installer he had trained, so he offered to sell to him for $120,000.
What changed
- What he knew was written down. His design and delivery method became a documented system someone else could run without him.
- He stepped back within one week. His days went from 12 hours to 3.
- Customers stayed with the company. They kept getting his standard of work without him on site.
- The deal protected him. He kept ownership of his method and his customer list until he was paid in full.
It sold for well above his $120,000 asking price, with the business itself funding the buyout. He kept his method and licenses it to the new owner.
Results from one business. Not a promise of what yours will do.