Customer Reviews

Markup & Profit: A Contractor's Guide

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Written by a contractor for contractors, this book provides very sound business advise for many who are considering starting various types of small businesses. Contractors must charge appropriately for their services. This book will tell current and future contractors how-to establish job costs and an appropriate markup rate to increase the opportunity for long-term success. In addition, the author provides very sound advise on business/customer service best practices. The advise on properly communicating the value of services provided is very good. Lot's of other great information and the CD-ROM has some good forms to get you started. I highly recommend this book to all small general and specialty contractors, and especially to all contractors who are having problems making ends meet.

I have been a builder for over thirty years. During that time we learned how to master the quality aspects, scheduling, accounting, different volume levels and all the other things that can be thrown at a home builder. I have been able to provide a decent living for myself and a number of employees, however if I had known what I learned from this book and his newsletters I would be retired in Tahiti by now. Learning how to build is the easy part, learning how to make money is the hard part.
What Michael Stone does that is so different is he teaches you how to make a proper amount of money for your work. You learn how to do a great job for your clients and take great care of yourself at the same time, actually providing a better outcome for both of you. Although you will learn how to make money and make your business successful, he is never "slick" or "wall streetish". Just work hard, do a better job than the competition and run your company like a business rather than as a carpenter with a license.
I give this book to every young person I see starting up in the field. Over the years I have read most of the books out there and this is top of the list.

I am a general contractor in the commercial/public works market. This book is meant for the residential market. The author is well versed in that arena, but makes various references that these methods can be applied to the commercial market. That is best decided by the individual, but this is a residential construction book.

I found this book to be informative in the field of contracting. I changed my pricing method and found it to be fair to both customer and contractor. Everyone needs to make money to survive in this day and age and this book definitley helps. Thank you for Mr. Stone.

Great book, bought it for my husband, but was very disappointed with the forms on the cd rom. They seem to be for beginner contractors as change orders and estimate checklists tend to be already used by seasoned contractors. The forms were nothing new to us. I was under the impression that the cd rom had sample contracts and was sadly mistaken. However, the book gives great advice. If one wants to purchase the authors' contract software system, be prepared to shell out $200.00 at his website. No wonder this book was inexpensive.

This book is one of the best I have read on the subject. Plenty of good street smart advice that covers more than just the title subject. Mr. Stone has come up with a book that will help both those new to the industry, and those more experienced (see the section on the difference between new home construction and remodeling, and those who attempt to mix these business models.)
Should be required reading for those attempting to get into this business.

Excellent information on mark-up & profit! Not your average "how to" book. It will generate many different approaches that can be adapted to all types of contractors.
There are many techniques mention in this book for you to try and apply.
A must for all contractors & sub's, new business or established.

While the book has some great advice and positive inspiration. I thought it was a bit dated for 2007. The forms on the CD were old and lacking. I had made a batch of forms before I read the book that were much better. I would like to see someone do a book like this focusing on a specific trade.

This book has a world of information that is extremely helpful for any aspect of the construction field from start to finish. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone that wants to know how to lower their overhead and still give out quality service with a greater profit or to someone that is looking for inexpensive ideas on marketing their business to increase activity.

I found this book informative. It has a wide range of information much of it I was already aware of. The break down on cost and markup was eye opening and made me reconsider my old school approach of fixed markup. The contract section is just as good though and worth a mention.