• (00:00:09) - The Real Cost of Winning The Wrong Job
• (00:03:15) - Protect Your Margin

Episode 19: The Real Reason You're Drowning in Custom Work | The Total Profit Podcast

If you can't standardize it, you can't scale it. You definitely can't price it. In this episode, we dive into the hidden costs of custom work and why chasing every unique client request might be the exact reason your margins are shrinking.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why custom work causes a 5 to 12 point margin compression compared to standardized work
• The hidden costs of scope creep, change order delays, and labor overruns
• Why business owners fall into the custom work trap (pride, fear, and competitive pressure)
• How to define your core offers and track custom jobs separately
• The importance of enforcing minimum margin thresholds to protect your profitability

Control the chaos. Or the chaos controls you. Tune in to learn how to stop drowning in custom work and start building a business that pays you back.

Visit our website at www.totalprofitmanagement.com and book a free consultation today.
Contact us: info@tpmllc.us

#TotalProfitPodcast #BusinessProfit #MarginCompression #CustomWork #SmallBusiness

• (00:00:09) - Can Personalization Hurt Your Marketing?
• (00:00:23) - How to Increase Profit Margin
• (00:02:35) - Is customization worth $200,000? Even when business owners know

• (00:00:08) - Total Profit: What's the Business Problem?
• (00:00:29) - Is Inflation Killing Your Margin?
• (00:01:36) - Why Are Some Companies Still Running 20% Gross Margin?
• (00:02:24) - Work Mix and Performance Margin
• (00:04:48) - Stop Guessing Your Business's Margin

• (00:00:09) - Margin Enforcement Rules for Small Businesses
• (00:06:19) - 5 Rules for Discipline in Your Business

3 Budget Blind Spots That Are Draining Your Cash | The Total Profit Podcast | Season 2, Episode 15

If your forecast looks fine but your bank account doesn't — this episode is for you.

In this episode, we break down the 3 most common budget blind spots that quietly drain cash from small business owners — and how to fix them before they cost you everything.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why building a budget once a year (and never revisiting it) is one of the most dangerous habits in business
• How misaligned charts of accounts skew your budget from the very start
• The truth about overhead creep — and why your spreadsheet isn't lying, it's just not telling the whole truth
• Why what you pay an employee on their check is NOT what they're costing you
• How blended margins hide underperforming work types and service lines dragging on your net profit

The Total Profit Podcast is hosted by Total Profit Management LLC. We help business owners stop guessing and start knowing their numbers to build truly profitable companies.

Visit our website and book a free consultation today: www.totalprofitmanagement.com
Contact us: info@tpmllc.us

• (00:00:09) - 3 Things Most People Get Wrong When They're Budgeting
• (00:06:52) - Performance Margin Software

• (00:00:00) - Profit Aligned Budget
• (00:03:48) - How to Get Back to Profitability

• (00:00:00) - Tommy P
• (00:00:31) - What is the Performance Margin Zone?
• (00:06:32) - Knowing What to Bother Bidding

The first 90 days of the year are in the books—what did we learn? In this episode, T2 and Tommy P share real stories, patterns, and margin wins from TPM clients who went through onboarding this quarter. You’ll hear what systems made the biggest impact, what mistakes showed up most often, and how smart structure unlocked serious profit.

Highlights from this episode:

• Top takeaways from TPM’s Q1 client cohort

• The systems that created early wins in under 30 days

• What every founder should focus on heading into Q2

If you want a behind-the-scenes look at what real businesses are fixing (and how), this wrap-up is packed with lessons you can use.

• (00:00:00) - The Total Profit Management Client Experience
• (00:04:19) - Onboarding the Process of Digital Transformation
• (00:06:02) - What are the early wins for service pricing?
• (00:06:32) - The Startup Startup Experience: Phase 4, 5
• (00:07:35) - What Onboarding Into Total Profit Management Really Delivers