If I had to double margin without raising rates, I wouldn’t cut people I’d fix how labor is being used.
For us, the biggest shift comes from tightening efficiency. Making sure every job has the right crew size is huge because a lot of times we overstaff without realizing it. Scheduling is another big one drive time, gaps in the day, or waiting on materials can quietly eat a large chunk of payroll. The more you can have jobs fully prepped before the crew shows up, the better, because field time should be strictly execution, not figuring things out.
Strong field leadership also makes a massive difference. One solid lead running the job well will outperform adding extra guys every time. On top of that, tracking labor daily instead of after the job is finished helps catch problems early before they snowball. And rework is the silent killer every mistake essentially doubles your labor on that portion of the job.
At 50% payroll, it’s usually not a staffing issue, it’s an efficiency issue. Tighten those systems and you can realistically bring that number down without cutting your team.
