Paul & Jocelyn

Paul and Jocelyn had been running their plumbing and mechanical business for eight years. fourteen people. consistent work, solid reputation, repeat partners. the business was not in crisis. it was entirely dependent on Paul being present, and Paul was starting to feel what that actually cost.

he was approving quotes at 10pm. he was taking calls from site during his son's football games. every variation above a threshold came back to him. the team were experienced tradespeople who knew how to do the work. they had never been given the authority to make the decisions that surrounded it.

Jocelyn had been across the finances for three years and had been flagging a margin problem that Paul had filed and not acted on. back-costing on three of their most common job types showed consistent underpricing - not dramatically, but enough that the cumulative effect was material. Paul knew it. he hadn't had the headspace to address it while he was fielding calls seven days a week. Jocelyn had the numbers. Paul had the relationships. neither had the structure to act on what they both knew.

within four months Paul was working two days per week in operations. in month six the business had its highest-margin quarter on record - not from new revenue, from fixing what was already there. Paul and Jocelyn attended every football game together from that season on.

the team wasn't underperforming. they were understructured. the margin problem wasn't the market - it was pricing that had never been reviewed because the founder was too busy to look at it. and the partnership had all the skills it needed. it just needed a structure that let both people use them.