Profit First for Contractors

Listening to Shawn Van Dyke narrate his own book is like having your crustiest foreman finally explain why you’re always broke—except this time, he brings receipts. His delivery is relentless but not obnoxious, cutting through jargon with the authority of someone who’s watched too many contractors bury themselves in overhead. The pacing is tight, but I’ll admit the chapter on job costing lost me for a solid five minutes as he geeked out over spreadsheets. That said, Van Dyke’s knack for storytelling—like the time he helped a roofer quadruple margins by retooling payments—keeps even the driest financial advice gripping. The production is clean, but the real standout is how he forces you to confront hard truths upfront: your pricing is probably wrong, your buffer’s a joke, and your ‘profit’ is whatever’s left after you play catch-up with suppliers every month. My only gripe? The audio quality dips slightly during his table readings, but it’s minor enough to overlook given how much practical firepower this book packs. If you’re tired of breaking even—or worse, working yourself into debt—Van Dyke’s hard truths delivered in his signature no-BS cadence might just be the wake-up call your business needs.