When the construction company bills 1 million but you work 90 hours/week

And many hours dedicated to prospecting

Do you recognize this situation?

• Construction company, solid revenue, good profits (contained margin)
  
• Several employees and collaborators, significant growth
  
• But you work too many weekly hours (practically always)
  
• Of which many hours prospecting (large part of time seeking clients)
  
• Ideal client: high-end who trusts unconditionally, money available
  
• Ambitious goals: acquire company, buy beach house
  

And the fear is: burning yourself before achieving goals

---

The trap of founder who does everything (even too much)

The company goes strong.

Solid revenue, significant growth.
High-end clients, important works.
Several employees and collaborators = articulated structure.

But you:

Too many hours per week.

Many hours daily, always.

Of which:
Many hours prospecting (seeking new clients).

Remaining hours everything else (sites, management, administration, problems).

And you also have expansion goals:
Acquire company, buy beach house.

But how, if you don't even have time to breathe?

---

What happens when you're the engine of everything

On the time front:
Too many weekly hours = unsustainable long term.
Many prospecting hours = necessary but excessive (should be much less with system).
Zero commercial delegation: only you sell.

Zero operational delegation: must supervise everything.

On the team front:
"Non-collaborative employees" among main problems.
Probably: hired for necessity, not cultural fit.
Several employees and collaborators but you work too much = they're not producing autonomously.

Probable turnover (problematic employees = conflicts).

On the financial front:
Solid revenue, good profit = contained margin (construction can do more).
Problematic banking system management = tense cash flow.
Bad debts = clients who don't pay or pay late.

Want to acquire company but with what resources if low margins and problematic cash flow?

On the strategy front:
Expansion goals (company acquisition) but shaky foundations.
Beach house = personal goal incompatible with crazy hours.

Significant but unsustainable growth: you're burning yourself.

---

Why it happens

You're the operational founder who didn't become CEO.

Founder phase 1: you do everything (justified at start).
Founder phase 2: delegate operational, keep strategy.

But you're still in phase 1, even at solid revenue:
You do prospecting (many weekly hours).
You supervise sites.
You manage employee problems.

You manage banks and bad debts. You're not scaling. You're multiplying work.

And several people among employees/collaborators should lighten your load,
instead they increase it (because they're not autonomous).

---

The (wrong) path many try

Apparent solution: "I work even more to cover everything"

But from too many weekly hours you can't increase further.
You're already at physical limit.

You can't work more. You must work differently.

---

The method

No longer do everything yourself. Build system that works without you. Stop direct prospecting: systematize acquisition.

Many weekly prospecting hours = enormous wasted time.
System: structured referral (incentives clients who bring clients), partnerships surveyors/architects/agencies.
Local marketing: sites with visible signs, before/after on social.

From many your hours to few system supervision hours. Autonomous site manager/foreman.

Non-collaborative employees? Maybe missing intermediate leadership.
Hire/promote foreman who manages sites.
You visit periodically for control, not every day.

Delegate responsibility (and consequences). Administrative/financial: dedicated figure.

Banks, bad debts, invoices management = administrative work.
Shouldn't be done by entrepreneur with solid revenue.
Hire part-time senior administrative profile.

Contained annual cost, value: many monthly hours yours freed. Employee cleanup: A-players or out.

"Non-collaborative employees" = dead weight.
Objective evaluation: who produces, who doesn't.
Months plan: top performers stay/grow, others replaced.

Better fewer good employees than more problematic employees. Decision point: expansion OR consolidation.

Acquire company with crazy hours and internal problems = suicide.
First consolidate: reduced hours, autonomous team, healthy cash flow.
THEN expand.

Beach house: purchase when you work sustainable hours, otherwise when enjoy it?

---

What changes after

You no longer work crazy weekly hours.

Client acquisition system runs without you (time drastically reduced).
Foreman manages sites autonomously.
Administrative manages banks/bad debts.

You work sustainable weekly hours:
Strategy/supervision.
High-value commercial (large clients).
Team/leadership.

Admin/finance reduced to minimum.

Margins improve significantly because efficiency increases.
Healthy cash flow because professional financial management.
Solid team because you only have A-players.

And THEN:
Company acquisition = possible with solid structure.
Beach house = really enjoy it, with free weekends instead of zero.

You don't grow by working more.
You grow by building system that works without you. This is the turning point: when you stop being the engine and become the architect.