The $100 Job
A Blue Collar Coach Workshop
Where the money goes—and how fast profit disappears.
Blue Collar Coach · Live financial workshop
The $100 Job
Where the money really goes, why good work can still lose money, and how one bonus or rework decision can erase an entire job’s profit.
Before we show the answer…
For every $100 the customer pays, what do you think happens to the money? Enter the room’s best estimate.
📊
What remains after direct labor and job costs.%
👷
Field wages, payroll burden, and job labor.$
🧱
Materials, subcontractors, rentals, and job costs.$
🏢
Office, management, vehicles, insurance, interest, and taxes.$
Start with the room’s best guess
Direct labor + materials + gross margin must equal $100. The overhead estimate is captured separately for comparison.
One separate gut-check
Out of every $100, how much becomes net profit?
Do not try to make this number fit the previous screen. This is simply the room’s instinct about what a healthy trades company actually earns after all expenses.
$
Enter a number from $0 to $100.
Now make two real-world decisions
The job went well. What should the crew get?
The direct costs are now visible. Decide on a crew bonus, then decide whether the job requires rework. These choices will follow the money all the way to the final result.
1. Crew bonus
How much of this $100 job should be paid as an extra crew bonus?
$
2. Rework / callback
The company has to go back. Pick the cost of labor, material, travel, and lost production.
$
Immediate impact on this $100 job
Knockout demonstration
Death by 1,000 Cuts
None of these feels fatal by itself. Together, they erase the job.
$100SALE
Original benchmark profit$6
Remaining profit−$7
The job looked profitable.
The company still did the work, carried the cash, and accepted the risk.
The reality check
Benchmark: How the full $100 is actually divided
Benchmarks are facilitation estimates, not audited standards. Construction-wide profitability is anchored to CFMA’s 2025 benchmark reporting (6.7% pre-tax net income); trade-specific mixes are practical midpoint models informed by current construction and home-service margin guidance. Actual results vary by geography, service mix, company size, accounting method, and owner compensation.