Modern Systems
For Traditional Trades
Where Do You Want to Start?
Three ways to get systematic—pick the one that fits.
Need Help Now?
15-minute discovery call. We'll diagnose your biggest bottleneck and map out your next step. No pitch, no pressure—just clarity.
Want to Learn with Other Contractors?
Free access to the Build Ledger Community. Systems, templates, and conversations with contractors who think like you.
Ready to Implement?
Field-tested PDFs covering client screening, cash flow, estimating, contracts, and referrals. $37 each or grab the full bundle for $147(total value of all systems is 1700!).
THE REALITY
Why 96% of Contractors Fail
It's not the work. It's the business. Six killers take down good contractors every day.
Bad Clients
One nightmare client wipes out the profit from three good jobs. No screening system = you're gambling on every quote.
Cash Flow Gaps
Profitable on paper, broke in real life. Materials due now, payments come later. 76% of contractors use personal credit cards to cover the gap.
Guessing at Pricing
Winning jobs that lose money isn't winning. If you're pricing by gut, you're bleeding margin on every project.
Weak Contracts
Handshake deals become courtroom disasters. One scope dispute can cost $25K+ and your reputation.
Hiring Blind
One bad hire costs 3x their salary in damage, delays, and callbacks. Most contractors have no system for vetting, training, or firing.
No Pipeline
Feast or famine isn't a business model. No marketing system means you're always one slow month away from panic.
These aren't opinions. They're the documented reasons contractors go under. Build Ledger exists to fix them.
THE FIX
Systems That Solve the Killers
Field-tested by contractors. Built to prevent the problems that sink 96% of businesses.
The Problem Client Filter
Screen clients before you waste time quoting. Red flags, scripts, and a system that protects your profit.
The 6-Month Cash Flow Forecaster
See the gaps before they hit. Plan for slow seasons, time your expenses, stop the credit card cycle.
The Estimator's Edge
Price with math, not gut. Material calculators, labor tracking, and markup formulas that guarantee margin.
How to Write Contracts That Save Your Ass
Templates, change order systems, and legal language that prevents disputes before they start.
Hiring Systems
Vet, train, and manage crews without the guesswork. Stop paying for bad hires.
The Referral Machine + Pipeline Builder
Stop chasing leads. Build a system that brings quality clients to you consistently.
Every system built from real contractor failures—and recoveries.
WHO'S BEHIND THIS
10 Plus Years in the Trades. Zero Patience for the BS.
I didn't learn business from a course. I learned it from watching contractors fail—including myself.
Started in my dad's shop before I could see over the workbench. Spent 10 plus years in the trades—shop kid, landscaping, trim work with an Amish outfit, traveling the East Coast doing cabinet installs and custom homes.
I saw the pattern everywhere: skilled contractors going broke. Not because they couldn't do the work—because nobody taught them how to run a business. Cash flow disasters. Nightmare clients. Pricing by gut. Handshake deals gone wrong.
When I went out on my own, I hit the same walls. That's when I realized: the trade skills were never the problem. The missing piece was systems.
Build Ledger is what I wish existed when I started. Straight to the point. No motivational garbage. Just field-tested systems that solve the problems that actually kill contractor businesses.
THE SYSTEMS
Get the Tools
Complete systems, not quick tips. Implementation roadmaps you can deploy this week.
Start With One
Pick the system that solves your biggest problem right now.
- Problem Client Filter
- 6-Month Cash Flow Forecaster
- The Estimator's Edge
- Contracts That Save Your Ass
- The Hiring System
- The Referral Machine
- The Pipeline Builder
Get Everything
The complete stack. Every system, one purchase, immediate access.