Building Margin
Steve Coughran
Welcome to Building Margin: Strategies for Business Owners Who Want to Think Bigger and Earn More. If you're a construction or service business owner working harder than ever, but still struggling with cash flow, profit margin, or burnout, this podcast is for you. Hosted by Steve Coughran of Coltivar, Building Margin helps you take back control of your business, stop guessing with your numbers, and start making decisions that actually move the needle. Each episode dives into what really drives success: clear strategy, confident leadership, and a business that doesn’t depend on you for everything. You’ll learn how to grow your business with less stress, improve financial clarity, and create margin—in your time, your team, and your bottom line. Whether you’re trying to scale, step back, or just finally get ahead, this show helps you build something that lasts.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 9, 2025 • 2min
Join Me for Strategy Meets Finance
Follow Strategy Meets Finance: podcast.coltivar.com Big announcement: join Steve on his new podcast, Strategy Meets Finance. This is where strategy and finance finally come together, giving founders the clarity and tools to scale without chaos, strengthen cash flow, and build companies that last. Steve’s mission is to move past theory and deliver practical insights you can use to grow profitably and create a business worth buying. Thank you for being part of Building Margin, the best is yet to come.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 22min
Part 9: Navigation | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 9 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Learn how strong companies adapt without chaos—installing a build–measure–learn–adjust loop, using check-ins, and acting on leading signals to make calm, timely course corrections that protect margin.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 6min
Part 10: Margin | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 10 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve brings the framework full circle, showing that margin is more than profit—it’s power. He explains how financial, operational, and leadership margin create the space to scale with clarity, stability, and conviction, turning chaos into confidence and giving owners the freedom to build businesses that last.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 44min
Part 5: Alignment | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 5 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve shows how most contractors stall from misalignment, not lack of effort. He explains the Coltivar Strategy Blueprint and how to tie strategy, incentives, and execution rhythms together so teams row in the same direction and build real margin.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 26min
Part 2: Why Another Book? Why Now? | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 2 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve explains that contractors don’t have a hustle problem—they have a capacity problem. He explains how nonstop noise, rising complexity, and AI-era demands crush leaders without structural margin, and introduces a framework built for construction to create space, clarity, and sustainable scale.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 55min
Part 4: Money | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 4 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve shows contractors how to reclaim financial margin by focusing on free cash flow over paper profit—calculating gross margin and break-even revenue, using the four profit levers (pricing, COGS, overhead, volume), and tracking simple efficiency metrics (LTGP:CAC, ROL, ROIC) to stop leaks and price with confidence.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 31min
Part 8: Insight | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 8 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve shows how to turn data into decisions—closing the visibility gap, shifting from lagging to leading indicators, and building a culture where estimating, field, and finance interpret the same KPIs. The focus: track free cash flow first, use a tight KPI set, and run “insight sprints” so action protects margin.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 41min
Part 3: The Margin Crisis | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 3 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve unpacks the margin crisis, showing how it creeps in quietly through strategic drift, profit erosion, and liquidity crunch. He explains why top-line growth can hide real problems, why confusion is more costly than competition, and how clarity and alignment are the foundation for protecting profit and cash flow.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 32min
Part 1: Let’s Cut to the Chase | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 1 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. The introduction shows why contractors struggle with thin profits and cash flow, the trap of chasing volume over margin, and why systems—not hustle—create sustainable, profitable construction businesses.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
Sep 9, 2025 • 30min
Part 6: Rhythm | Building Margin for Construction
This is Part 6 of Steve Coughran’s book Building Margin. Steve explains why most strategies fail not from bad ideas but from lack of rhythm. He shows how Coltivar helps contractors install a cadence of structured review that keep teams focused, accountable, and moving in sync so strategy turns into execution.LinkedIn | YouTube coltivar.com
