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Built with Billd Blog
Expert strategies, comprehensive guides, and industry insights for growth-focused commercial subcontractors.
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Blog
From $10K to $100M+: Five Hard-Earned Lessons for Subcontracting Executives Who Want to Scale
How Charlie Stewart built Southwest Construction Services from $10,000, a storage shed, and one truck into a $100M+ subcontracting business — and his five hard-earned lessons for scaling toward $100M.
8 min readJul 30, 2026
Procurement
How Subcontractors Negotiate Better Pricing With Material Suppliers
Suppliers reprice contractors constantly based on how they pay. This guide breaks down the levers that lower your unit cost and a word-for-word negotiation script.
6 min readJul 29, 2026
Blog
How UCEL Rose to New Heights, Improving Profitability Tenfold in 10 Years
How Mack Csaszar grew his family’s Ontario subcontractor, UCEL, tenfold in profitability over a decade — through pricing discipline, innovation, contract alignment, and empowering his people.
7 min readJul 23, 2026
Blog
Why Focusing Only on Topline Revenue Isn’t Enough: Lessons on Financial Discipline and Profitability from a $50M Subcontractor
RoomReady grew from $1M to over $50M in revenue — but topline growth hid fluctuating profits. Founder Aaron McArdle shares how balancing service and profit, focusing the business, and building financial discipline created sustainable growth.
7 min readJul 16, 2026
Finance
Subcontractor Cash Flow: What Turner Trade Partners Learned About the Construction Payment Cycle
Turner Construction VP & Treasurer Chai Nakka and Billd break down why the construction payment cycle stays broken and how trade partners can take control of subcontractor cash flow.
8 min readJul 8, 2026
Construction
GC Early Pay: An Overlooked Margin Opportunity in Construction
Most General Contractors juggle competing priorities, but one strategy capable of both expanding and protecting profit margins often gets overlooked: implementing an early pay program. Unlike many strategic initiatives, it typically requires no major technology investment, lengthy implementation, or extensive change management [...]
5 min readJun 29, 2026
News
Billd's Sixth Annual National Subcontractor Market Report Reveals the Playbook Behind the Industry's Fastest-Growing Subcontractors
With 83% of subcontractor owners now worried about cash flow, up from 71% a year ago, Billd's sixth annual National Subcontractor Market Report identifies the repeatable capital strategies that set the strongest-performing subcontractors apart, from supplier negotiations to pricing capital into every bid [...]
5 min readJun 23, 2026
Field Notes from the Founder
The Unwritten Dress Code of a Construction Site
Billd Founder Chris Doyle spent years on the jobsite before founding and leading Billd. In Field Notes from the Founder, he shares the stuff you only learn by being there. Editor’s note: ATX Fashion Week wrapped this month in Austin, Texas (our home base). We figured it was a good excuse to ask our founder [...]
10 min readMay 28, 2026
Construction
GCs: Don’t Let Capital Constraints Stall Your Early Pay Program
For many General Contractors, early pay programs start with a simple assumption: “We’ll fund it ourselves.” At first, that makes sense. A self-funded program can increase margins, earn higher yields on cash, strengthen subcontractor relationships, and create a competitive advantage in the market. But one reality often gets overlooked: A company’s cash position is never [...]
5 min readMay 27, 2026
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