Operational Overhaul for a Fast-Growing Construction Company
Project overview
THE CLIENT
This family-owned general contracting business had been in operation for nearly a decade, with steady growth year over year. They specialized in high-end remodeling projects and custom additions, operating across multiple counties in Central California. By 2022, the business had crossed $4M in annual revenue, but with increased project volume came mounting inefficiencies. The owner—who had transitioned from on-site work to overseeing operations—found themselves constantly pulled back into daily execution. Projects were profitable but chaotic. Decisions were reactive. The team lacked clarity and systems hadn’t evolved with the business.
THE CHALLENGE
Despite healthy revenue, the business was facing mounting inefficiencies. Project delivery varied widely across teams, with no standardized workflows in place. The owner—originally a builder—was still heavily involved in daily decisions, approvals, and coordination, leaving little time for strategic planning. While the team was skilled, roles were loosely defined, resulting in duplicated work and inconsistent communication. Financial oversight was also a pain point; project profitability was tracked manually, and cash flow projections lived in spreadsheets the owner managed alone. As the business scaled, these gaps became increasingly unsustainable and posed a real risk to long-term growth.
OUR ROLE
We were brought in to provide strategic leadership and hands-on support as a Fractional COO, with the goal of building the operational backbone the company lacked. Our role was to diagnose inefficiencies, implement structure, and drive accountability—without adding unnecessary complexity or overhead. Acting as a true partner to the founder, we led the audit and execution of new systems, clarified roles across the organization, and introduced scalable tools to streamline both operations and financial oversight. Throughout the engagement, we remained embedded in the business, providing ongoing guidance, making decisions collaboratively with the owner, and ensuring momentum was maintained from strategy to execution.
We got to work
With our Fractional CFO and COO expertise, we:
- Conducted a full audit of project workflows, communication channels, client experience, and internal tools
- Mapped current state vs. ideal state across all operational touchpoints
- Delivered a phased, prioritized roadmap outlining quick wins, foundational fixes, and longer-term strategic initiatives
- Assessed current team responsibilities and workload distribution
- Redesigned the org chart to support growth, reduce dependency on the founder, and improve accountability
- Created detailed role definitions, KPIs, and SOPs for office staff, field teams, and contractors
- Standardized processes across the business—including project kickoff, job costing, materials management, client updates, and close-out procedures
- Introduced a centralized project management platform to streamline communication and reduce reliance on email and text threads
- Built internal dashboards to track key operational and financial metrics in real time
Results
freeing up time for strategic growth planning
through standardized workflows