Or, set up an appointment to speak directly to a Coach
Or, set up an appointment to speak directly to a Coach
Portland Contractors: You Built a Great Business. Now Make It Work for You.
You're a skilled builder in one of the most competitive construction markets in the Pacific Northwest. Your work speaks for itself. If you're working harder than ever and still wondering where the profit went, the issue isn't your work; it's the systems behind it.
The Aspire Institute for Contractors works exclusively with residential general contractors, remodelers, and custom home builders to fix exactly that. We help Portland-area construction business owners increase profits, reduce owner workload, and build companies that don't depend on them for every decision.
The Aspire Institute provides industry-leading resources, strategies, and customized contractor coaching programs. Our in-house team of construction business experts is dedicated to helping Portland contractors build the business they set out to run.
The contractors in these videos had full schedules, solid reputations, and the same questions about where the profit was going. What they found at the Aspire workshop, and in the Business Mastery Program, changed how they run their numbers.
Aspire works with remodelers and home builders across the Pacific Northwest and in markets throughout the country.
Our "Where GC Profit Actually Comes From" workshop is where Portland remodelers and home builders get specific answers to the questions they've been carrying for years.
Most contractors in Houston have no idea what their jobs actually cost. They think they're making 15% or more per job, but the actual number is closer to 3%. The profit is disappearing somewhere, but where?
You'll learn how to identify your specific profit leaks, understand what you're actually spending (vs. what you think you're spending), and see exactly where the money goes in YOUR business.
This isn't about raising prices across the board. It's about understanding your true costs so you can make informed decisions about pricing, project selection, and where to focus improvement efforts in your specific operation.
You're taking every job that comes your way, working 70-hour weeks, and still barely breaking even. There's no strategy, just constant reaction to whatever opportunity appears next.
You'll discover how to evaluate which types of work in the Houston market actually serve your business goals, how to structure your services to deliver better client outcomes, and how to build systems that support the life you actually want.
We help you design a business model around YOUR priorities to reach YOUR goals; whether that's more time with family, higher profit per project, building a sellable company, or something else entirely. One size doesn't fit all.
You're competing in multiple-bid situations against Houston contractors who undercut you on price. When clients can't clearly see the difference between you and the low-bidder, price becomes the only factor.
You'll learn how to position your business so the right clients seek you out, how to differentiate based on your actual strengths, and how to have conversations that highlight value beyond just the price tag.
This focuses on attracting clients whose values and needs align with your values and expertise. When there's genuine alignment, price becomes less important than trust, approach, and shared priorities.
Portland's labor market is one of the most expensive in the Pacific Northwest. Most remodelers and home builders know their hourly wage lines — but the fully loaded cost of keeping a field employee is often 30 to 40 percent higher than that number alone, and the difference rarely shows up accurately in estimates.
The workshop covers exactly what goes into a fully burdened labor rate — taxes, benefits, insurance, and more — and how to build that real number into every bid so you're not absorbing those costs out of your margin.
Aspire's Labor Burden Calculator breaks down the true cost of every person on your roster — not a national average, but the numbers tied to your specific payroll structure — so you know what it costs you to put someone on a Portland jobsite before the bid goes out.
Most remodelers and builders come to the workshop running hard. They have a good reputation, steady work, a crew they're proud of, and still aren't seeing the financial results they should be getting for all their great work and countless hours. The business side has always taken a back seat to the work itself, not because it doesn't matter, but because no one hands you a business education when they hand you your contractor's license.
That's exactly the gap the workshop closes. Every attendee leaves the "Where GC Profit Actually Comes From" workshop with a Road Map, a custom, individually calculated document built to your specific numbers and business model in a one-on-one meeting after the workshop session. During the workshop, Aspire introduces the Aspire Intelligence System: a business intelligence dashboard that shows exactly where gross profit is being generated and where it's being lost across every area of your operation. Knowing your number is the start. Knowing what's moving it is what changes things.
This is a full day of real business education. Not a preview, not a pitch. You will work through your numbers, sit down one-on-one with a business analyst, and leave with a customized profit strategy tailored to your specific operation. One day. Real education. No obligation beyond showing up ready to work.
Aspire has helped remodelers and builders improve profitability and reclaim their time in more than 40 states by providing comprehensive coaching services and resources to enhance their business strategies, foster growth, and promote lasting success.
Join us for the "Where GC Profit Comes From" construction business management workshop that reveals why most contractors keep too little profit and exactly how to fix it. Walk away with a custom profit analysis and clear action steps.
Schedule a no-pressure consultation with an Aspire Coach. We'll review where your business stands today and outline a clear path to higher profits and a better quality of life.
Download white papers and watch webinars on contractor profitability, hiring, and business strategy—designed for remodelers and builders.