90 Days to Stop Being the Bottleneck

From Chaos to Control: Building a Self-Sustaining Contracting Business with Liz Chism 

Working 100-hour weeks, brewing beer, and managing international shipments while raising a toddler might sound like a recipe for burnout—but for Liz Chism, it was a wake-up call. In this powerful conversation, Liz shares how she transitioned from running a multi-million-dollar craft brewery to helping contractors escape the hamster wheel of long hours, missed deadlines, and constant stress. She opens up about the mindset shifts and systems that enabled her to reclaim 30+ hours per week, and now teaches others to do the same—without sacrificing quality, profit, or control. 

If you've ever felt buried by your construction business, struggling to scale, or trapped in a cycle of doing everything yourself, this episode is your blueprint out. 

Guest Bio 

Liz Chism helps contractors build profitable, self-sustaining businesses. Growing up working alongside her father, a third-generation contractor, Liz learned the grit and challenges of construction early on. Later, she co-founded a successful brewery, where she juggled operations, family life, and international distribution—all while refining the systems that allowed her to escape burnout. 

Now, through her Contractor’s Roundtable Program and 90-Day Contractor Operating System, Liz guides contractors in streamlining operations, increasing profit margins, and reclaiming their time. Her book, SOPs SUCK, challenges the traditional approach to standard operating procedures and offers practical methods for building a business that runs without constant supervision. 

Episode Highlights and Chapters 

00:01 — The contractor's hamster wheel: late-night estimates and working weekends 
02:53 — From homeschooling job sites to head brewer: Liz’s journey through construction and beer 
05:43 — Why she shut down the brewery and began coaching contractors 
07:00 — How her construction roots gave her an edge in coaching tradespeople 
08:38 — The real reason contractors are buried in work: communication breakdowns and lack of delegation 
10:25 — The “Jingle Bells” problem: why verbal instructions fail and what to do instead 
13:20 — Contractor case study: boosting margins from 25% to 40% through estimating accuracy 
15:25 — The power of pricing for profit and paying for roles before hiring 
17:00 — Why small jobs burn time and kill margins 
20:00 — Understanding costs as percentages and spotting hidden inefficiencies 
22:00 — The trust recession: how to win clients without lowering your prices 
23:51 — Building trust through content: why most contractor marketing fails 
25:56 — The real reason SOPs don’t work—and what to do instead 
28:58 — How to create SOPs that your team actually follows 
30:37 — AI as a contractor's superpower and the mindset shift to think like a $10M business 
32:11 — Project audits, time audits, and the first steps toward freedom 
34:00 — Discovering your “Working Genius” and delegating your weaknesses 
35:28 — Why the best carpenters make terrible CEOs—and what to do about it 

Contact Information 

Liz Chism 
Website: https://lizchism.com 
Instagram: @liz_chism 
LinkedIn: Liz Chism Coaching 

For more episodes and insights from Eugene Gershman, visit https://giscompanies.co/podcast/ 

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