Adam Sylvester
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The 1 number that other Multi-Million Cabinet Shops Track with Adam Sylvester
Most contractors fall into one of two traps:
- They don’t track numbers at all
- Or they track too many numbers and still don’t know what to do next
In this episode, Dominic Rubino talks with Adam Sylvester—business owner and host of Jobber’s Masters of Home Service—about the handful of numbers that actually matter.
Because the truth is simple:
If the right number is flashing red, it’s trying to tell you what to fix.
1) Start With the One Number That Matters: Profit
Adam says it straight: most people don’t even know what to track.
But if you don’t know your profit, you don’t know your business.
You’re just working.
Profit isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s what keeps the company alive:
- better tools
- better people
- better service
- better pay at home
2) Revenue Per Employee: The Fastest Reality Check
Adam shared a number many owners can’t answer:
How much revenue does one technician produce in a year?
Then he simplified it even more:
What does one employee need to produce per day?
If a worker costs you ~$200/day (example), and they only produce $400/day…
That’s a problem.
Because labor gets too high, fast. And profit disappears.
3) The One Hour Calculator: Price Like a Real Business
This is one of the core tools discussed:
The One Hour Calculator helps you stop guessing.
It shows what you must charge per hour to cover:
- wages
- burden
- overhead
- profit
If your required rate is $130/hr and you’re charging $80/hr, you don’t have a “more work” problem.
You have a pricing problem.
And once that number is real, it creates the next conversation:
- Do we sell better?
- Do we target better clients?
- Do we change the offer?
- Do we raise prices and get tighter?
4) Close Rate: If You Win Too Much, You’re Probably Too Cheap
Dom asked a question they use in coaching:
“If you do 10 estimates, how many do you win?”
If the answer is 7 or 8 out of 10, it often means you’re priced too low.
That hurts to hear.
But it’s real.
Winning “too many” jobs often means:
- you’re attracting price shoppers
- you’re running too hard
- you’re taking on the wrong work
- you’re making profit on hope, not math
Adam’s simple approach:
Raise pricing slowly (example: 1% per month) until the close rate drops into a healthier zone.
5) Standards: Bad Employees Leak Profit (And Culture)
Adam talked about a leadership shift:
He stopped trying to be everyone’s friend.
He started holding standards:
- performance standards
- attitude standards
- professionalism standards
And once he did that, everything improved:
- better hires
- better culture
- better client experience
- a business he actually enjoys
Customers can feel it. Like Dom said:
You can walk into a coffee shop and feel if the culture is “off.”
Same thing happens when your crew shows up to a jobsite.
6) Strategic Planning: Pick Your Lane and Ignore the Noise
Adam shared a key moment:
He decided what kind of business he wanted—and tuned out distractions.
That’s strategic planning:
- what services you do (and don’t do)
- who you serve
- what standards you operate by
- what kind of company you’re building
It’s how you stop being pulled by every shiny opportunity and start building a real machine.
What To Do Next (Simple Action Steps)
If you want to apply this episode fast, do this:
- Pick ONE number to track weekly (profit, close rate, revenue/employee, job costing)
- Run the One Hour Calculator and face the truth
- Review your close rate—if it’s too high, test a pricing increase
- Tighten standards (your team and your process)
- Build a simple EOJ/job review so you stop guessing
Listen to the Full Episode
If you want the full conversation with Adam Sylvester, go listen to the full episode and take notes—this one has tools you can use immediately.
More about Adam Sylvester: LinkedIn | Site
Company's Linkedin: LinkedIn | Company's Website | Instagram
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