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Home Contractor Evolution

Contractor Evolution | Does Open Book Management Really Work?

If you’ve ever wondered how an Open Book Management business operates and whether or not this model might work for you. You’re in luck!

 

Open Book Management, or OBM for short, is a business philosophy and system that communicates the entire financial picture of the business all the way down to the laborer in the field. 

 

The fundamental idea is that every set of hands comes from with a free brain, and people generally play better when your keeping score. 

 

Our guest today is Ryan Markewich, founder of Creative Roots Landscaping in Kelowna, BC, and a certified Great Game of Business Coach. For the last twenty years, he’s run Creative Roots fully “Open Book” and is here today to tell us about it.

 

I ask him:

  • Does OBM really work? Or is this just another hyped-up business framework?
  • How much extra work is it to train employees on the financial reports and KPIs in order for them to truly be “in the game”?
  • How do they select future partners from their employee pool? 
  • How do they groom them? And what does it actually mean when an employee purchases a tranche of the company?

 

Open Book Management isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve ever been curious about it, this is a great jumping-off point.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here:  https://trybta.com/PCEP155

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Episodes

Episode 291    

If you’ve spent any time playing around with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini etc., you’ve probably noticed how easy it is to put a ton of work into something that ended up being inaccurate, too complicated or more work than it’s worth. Tyler Folkman has worked in AI for almost 20 years, and in this podcast episode, he shares the roadmap for using AI in ways that actually benefit our business, our people, and our bottom line.

Contractor Evolution | What Happens When You Sell To Private Equity?

Episode 290    

There's a lot of noise about selling to private equity in the trades right now. If you’ve considered making it your exit strategy, there’s a few things you should know about the process. Today, private equity insider Tyler Goodhue is on the show to walk us through what actually happens when you decide to sell to private equity. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Contractor Evolution | The REAL Impact Of AI in Construction (And How To Prepare)

Episode 288    

When ChatGPT released in 2022, we all knew the start of a new era in tech was coming. But we couldn't possibly comprehend just how much our industry was about to change. Today, I've brought on DJ Carroll to talk about where the industry is now, where it's headed, and what we HAVE to learn to survive what he calls the next industrial revolution.

Contractor Evolution | : $7M Playbook: Build A Profitable Landscaping Company

Episode 286    

At just 30 years old, Riley Rivers owns a $7M landscaping business, pulling in $120K in profit every month. And he does it while working less than 40 hours a week. In this episode, he reveals the systems and people he put in place to make it happen.

Contractor Evolution | The Formula For Consistent Cash Flow In 7-Figure Contracting Businesses

Episode 285    

Ever run out of money despite making millions of dollars? This is the situation Bob Gauvreau has seen hundreds of contractors fall into. Revenue is up, profit may even be up. But they run out of cash unexpectedly and when they get hit with an unexpected bill or expense… …they crumple. In today’s episode, Bob walks us through a foolproof system for managing your cash flow so financial stress becomes a thing of the past.

Contractor Evolution | How Hiring ONE PERSON Doubled This Contractor's Business

Episode 284    

Alabama builder Joel Retherford finished 2025 at just under 3 million. By May 2026, he was already at 2.4. The only reason he was able to do this was by hiring a rock solid project manager. In this episode, he’s walking us through the process he used to recruit this critical hire, and how this one role is scaling his business while getting him out of the day to day.

Contractor Evolution | How This Contractor Made $200K From Change Orders

Episode 283    

Does your team see change orders as a necessary evil or an opportunity for profit? Texas builder Eric Olson used to make 2% on a year’s worth of change orders, largely because his project managers weren’t trained or incentivized to ensure they were in the company’s best interest before moving forward. After putting a system in place and aligning his team around it, Eric made 20% profit on change orders the next year. A 10X increase that came from an intentional focus on a “problem area” of the business.

Contractor Evolution | She Sold 600 Homes In A Year. Here's How $100M Contractors Scale.

Episode 282    

Most contractors struggle to close a million in sales. Today’s guest, Charlene Barrett used to sell hundreds of millions every single year. In this episode, she’s revealing the secrets to scaling operations without losing the quality of your work and customer experience.

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