Sounds like you're operating on the top tier in your market. Good for you! I have always tried to find guys who are a little leaner. Depending on the type of job, sometimes you can get connected with the subs who work for the top tier outfits, and pay the sub rate.

It sounds like your days are dang better than they were. Glad you're doing better.

This guy is exactly right. Spot on.

I saw your thumbnail, face and read the title of the video. I'm not even watching the video I'll just trust you and not brake down estimates. Thank you for the advice.

My husband and myself take tirzepatide for the last 1.5 yrs we feel amazing on this and the food noise is gone we have energy and our joints don't ache like before both of us have lost over 100 pounds each. We are on a maintenance dose now. I'm 46 a grandma and able to keep up with the young 20 yr old men while working on building fence increased energy!

Another nice video! I don't build fences, but all your videos are the best and make me what to start a fence business. I wonder what contractors' license I need? I told an old lady I could fix her gate and told her just to give me 20 bucks for the hinges and 4 hours and 2 trips to Home Depot Later, she had a new gate/fence. I was trying to tell her her 20 bucks is now 120$ What a nightmare. Not including my wife thought I was at the strip club because I was gone all day. Ive learned the hard way! Like most of us.

I didn't get an itemized breakdown of the comtracted work and it bit me in the ass. If you don't know your profession well enough and you're too "busy" (lazy) to give a written itemized list of work, including an addendum in case of unseen problems, then you aren't worth hiring. If you bring your car to me and ask "how much to restore this?" I just dont throw a random number. After thorough discussion with the owner I can then give a more accurate breakdown of the entire process and materials requested/required and why it's priced the way it is.

I don’t break down everything I give a scope of work estimated hours and materials 30% on everything. I like this bid though I’m switching what software does bids I’m on invoice simple just estimates. Plus I act like it’s a bid I ate shit before never once charged a client more I figure it’s my responsibility to give a accurate price for the job if it takes longer that’s on me.

Where is the next inventory video...

When people have the (Bright) idea, I’ll just go get my own materials. You’re doing them a favor by shopping sourcing pick out delivering well worth the markup price in my opinion

When I was first starting I gave breakdowns with blueprints and an estimate. After I watched several other contractors build to my plans, I started only giving bids with working prints available after a deposit and acceptance. Way better. Our greatest mistake as tradesmen, is we fail to value ourselves. I was raised in a large family and everyone was a tradesman. I thought every other family was the same, so I never felt that my skills were that marketable. It took me years to figure that one out.

Finally someone understands business kudos to you sir! Hopefully a lot of homeowners will watch this video and understand a professional contractor.

This guy is offering just bad advice!👎

I give a lump sum price with a very detailed scope of work.

Haha ! Buy this man a beer !!! I wish i had of seen this video a few weeks ago ! My client wanted to buy the lumber and guess what ... It was short , the bolts were not included etc etc ... Its by far the only industry that you have to constantly justify your numbers. Imagine going to the grocery store and contesting the bill at check out 😂.lol

Customers that what you to break it down are cheap. They are looking to give you less money and get you to work for less. Why would you do that as a business owner? The car mechanic fixes things that people NEED. A fence is something people want. There is your difference.

I've had customers ask for itemization on remodels where I mistakenly obliged. They would pick out part of the scope of work asking if their friend, son, or whoever they knew could do the painting, drywall, cleanup, etc. No way that's gonna happen.

Really touching and heartfelt, Mark. Beautiful said!! I think this resonates with so many of us. Jamming everyone in a box or labeling people has always been a peeve of mine. I hadn't heard the idiom "underwater basket weaving" lol. Keep sharing wisdom brother!

I love it

W Grandpa.

Great advice! I've been a contractor for the past 15 years and now I'm starting a marketing agency for contractors. We have also partnered with an amazing software developer to automate and super charge the sales process.

👏🏼👏🏼

❤❤❤ bless your heart! Thank you for your transparency! It will get better.

It's truly about knowing the contract type. "Stipulated Contract Sum" (fixed price) is what he's talking about here. Very, very different than a "cost plus" type of contract. Cost plus involves A LOT of working with the client (non-stop paperwork). Stipulated Contract Sum is a good approach. Customers need to make their peace with the cost. Never ever start a project with a client that is already unhappy entering into a contract because that's a huge red flag they're going to fight you either every step of the way OR try to slime their way into unwarranted credits at the end of the job after they've received all the work. Lastly, Guaranteed Contract Sums will ALWAYS be presented at the higher cost. Not worth pricing oneself out of work just because someone wants a Guaranteed Max Price (*this type of client won't accept/believe they're financially responsible for an unknowable issue discovered during a construction project. Example: during construction, after demo commences, an old fuel tank is found buried under the earthwork. Now there's cost for epa and hazardous spoil removal. Why on earth would anyone expect the contractor to be responsible for paying for this disposal? Hello! It's the owner's properly so therefore it's the owner's problem. Yeah. Property Owners watch too much TV and internet shows and think they know and can do everything 😂🙄. Just stop yourselves with the DIY backseat driving and start appreciating what a contractor brings to the table.

Hello folks, All this braking the cost down depends on the size of the job. This gentleman only does fencing probably and that’s why he does not break down the bid. If you do multiple projects for the same Ho it’s best to break the cost per item. Not necessarily break the material and labor cost. Keep that the same. In the end of the day be honest and don’t try to get greedy. As a business owner of 20 years I don’t want to go on a job with less than 35% profit. Most of my jobs are 50% profit. That’s how you make money. Hey I have lasted 20 years and have done pretty good for myself. New work trucks. Small crew. Investment property etc.

Any general contractor that won’t break down a bid is a crook OR just doesn’t want to win contracts.

This is the biggest reason customers are told to get 3 to 5 different contractor bids and never settle for your first bid.

Doing a Break Down is essentially you being willing to providing two contracts that can conflict with each other.

Happy to see you guys back!

You'd be wasting my time if I had you come out and bid on a job I needed done. If it's not in writing the contact is unenforceable. And I doubt you are a real business owner. It's just a paid actor here folks.

I HATE CONTRACTORS LIKE THIS WITH A PASSION!!!!!

I’m a Hardwood floor contractor and what I’ve found with people when I do break down estimates which I don’t anymore, but I used to on request is that they will cherry Pick the hard work have you do that and then try to save money either do it themselves on some of the stuff or get another Contractr it will be cheaper for that And it usually happens after you’re already in the job and you’ve cost average everything out to where you’re gonna make what you need to make when you do the whole entire job, but then they’ll come back and say hey I don’t want you to do one of the most expensive things in the bed now where all your profit pretty much was tied in And then you lose sometimes it’s just out of their control. They just wanna change their mind or it just doesn’t work out where you can do that work now it’s in your best interest because you have the negotiating power and you can set the price to give them a credit on instead of them setting the price. Another thing I can say is when you write down for time material and labor if there’s any material left over that you had delivered which most smart contractors always order extra material because it cost time and gas to go pick up a couple extra pieces of wood or whatever you might need. The customer will try to keep the extra material. you have to state that in your contract that all material delivered. The job is for doing the job and at the end of the job once it’s complete. Any leftover material is the contractors not the homeownersfor some reason the homeowners always want to try to keep the material. I don’t understand why.

Man i hope my fence business takes off like every other ones is im just getting stated i want it to be ran by me and my wife kids just subbed to your channel my friend god bless you all doing your best

Customers tell me just so you know I'm getting several bids. I say well thank you for the call and head for my truck. When they chase me down the driveway I tell them hire somebody else I already have more work than I can do. Thanks bye!🧑‍🎨🙋‍♂️

This may be true for contracting jobs in your area but in my field and area the bee encounters I work for definitely want a broken down estimate

the marketing strategy: pay 5 different businesses money to grow your business. clickbait when you clarify you need lots of cash, not nothing.

You two have such a strong bond, and it’s pretty awesome. I really really hope you two keep fighting!!! I have pretty bad ADHD which has made long-term relationships incredibly challenging for me. I don’t have a wife or kids, which has put me in a good financial position-I’m debt-free and never want for anything. But despite all that, I feel an emptiness from not having a family of my own. Showed up for a fencing YT video, got life advice instead! Like you said, material things don’t bring true happiness.

Hey Mark. Thank you for all you do. I’ve modeled my fence company after yours and your suggestions (bought post drivers and tools from you guys that you recommended). We have our own shop and run two crews here in Tacoma, Washington. I owe part of our success to you. Thank you 🙏

I dont break down jack diddley $#!t, 99.9% of the time they want it because they are cheap asses and want to save a dollar and then hover over you during the project. when they ask me for a "breakdown" their bid goes in the shredder and i dont call them back. Asking me for a "breakdown" is a HUGE red flag and i dont deal with people like that, they are always more of a pain in the a$$ than they are worth.

So really what you’re saying is you are an unscrupulous businessman. You wanna leave yourself full license to misrepresent the quantity of materials that will be used and the scope of work involved in installing them and then just keep the change when you make a “mistake” I’d be willing to bet you make these “mistakes” all the time. it’s the customers money and you think they are not entitled to know where it’s going and why I’m just curious, if a job ends up requiring more materials or becomes more complex without a change order do you just absorb that like you do the overages you can place in your bids? I thought not.

lol don’t break it down and I go somewhere else

Can you address what you do if a customer refuses to pay the total bid? Say they paired half but refuse to pay the rest

An itemized bid or estimate demonstrates to the customer that you can actually and legitimately run a business.

Your customer’s aren’t stupid. You should be OPEN and HONEST with people and be willing to your give customers an itemized bid in writing. The burden of customers trusting you is on you!

The truth is.. Customers can be good or weird. If you have the ability to chose your customers safe the headache and make the right choice. Not every customer needs the service. They can be someone else's headache

This is best practice for a residential work and most commercial work.

I don’t usually break out material and labor, but will sometimes break out different parts of the job. Then they can decide if they want to leave certain things out or do them later. Depends on the type and size of job though. But I think most people wouldn’t like it if you put $125/hr on the bid. Most people won’t think about it if they get a lump sum bid but would freak out if they knew what the labor rate was.

Great video. Thank you for sharing.

damn you have the home depot contractor screen in the back there haha

I wouldn’t work with you. You are acting like I am a simpleton and don’t like details.