Ever wondered why your profitable projects aren't reflected in your bank account? The answer lies in construction financial management, specifically, the disconnect between traditional accounting software and the unique needs of contractors.
In this revealing conversation, Sy Kirby speaks with Caleb Smith, Co-Founder and President of ControlQore, about the financial visibility gap plaguing blue-collar businesses. Caleb, whose team combines construction experience with software expertise, explains how their platform was born from frustration with QuickBooks and the cumbersome patchwork of spreadsheets contractors typically rely on.
"We were hitting this wall of challenge around having visibility and control over our project financials," Smith shares, describing the pain point that drove ControlQore's creation. The solution? A comprehensive financial platform built specifically for contractors that connects every transaction to specific projects and cost codes.
What sets ControlQore apart isn't just the software itself, but their approach to implementation. Unlike other platforms that provide minimal onboarding and then leave users to figure things out, ControlQore's CEO personally oversees customer implementation. This hands-on approach helps contractors overcome the typical hurdles of adopting new technology while running daily operations.
The most compelling takeaway comes when discussing real-time job costing. As Sy points out, knowing you're losing money on manholes at installation #2 rather than #20 can be the difference between salvaging profitability and watching margins disappear. This visibility allows contractors to make corrections while there's still time to impact outcomes.
Whether you're a general contractor managing multiple trades or a specialty subcontractor focused on a specific craft, ControlQore offers adaptability without sacrificing power. The result? Owners report gaining back 20+ hours weekly while increasing net profit, time, and money that can be reinvested in growth or simply enjoying the fruits of your labor.
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More About this Episode
Why Blue Collar Contractors Deserve Better Software, And How ControlQore is Changing the Game
In the world of blue-collar business, the most dangerous phrase you can hear is “This is how we’ve always done it.” It’s the same mindset that keeps so many contractors and construction companies stuck in a cycle of inefficiency, guesswork, and profit bleeding, especially when it comes to managing their financials.
Let’s face it: blue-collar entrepreneurs didn’t get into business to manage spreadsheets, fight with software, or guess where their margins went. They came to build things. But to build a sustainable company, you need to know your costs. You need visibility into what’s working and what’s not, not six months after the fact, but in real time.
And that’s exactly where the new generation of software has been failing the trades. Until now.
In this episode of the Blue Collar Business Podcast, I sat down with Caleb Smith, co-founder of ControlQore, a financial software built by contractors for contractors. His team isn't just a bunch of tech wizards; they’ve lived the grind of managing crews, chasing payments, juggling QuickBooks, Procore, and spreadsheets just to find out whether a job made money or not.
What they’ve built is a streamlined, no-nonsense financial system designed to replace the patchwork of tools most of us are currently using, and it’s a serious game changer.
The Blue Collar Software Dilemma: Why Current Tools Just Don’t Cut It
Let me get real for a minute. If you're like most of the contractors I talk to, your current tech stack looks something like this:
- QuickBooks (because you were told it’s standard)
- Procore or Buildertrend (probably underutilized)
- Spreadsheets (everywhere)
- Whiteboards, emails, napkin notes (you know who you are)
And even with all that, you’re still flying blind when it comes to knowing your true job costs. You might see that you grossed $2 million last year, but you’ve got no idea why only $200K is left in the bank. The disconnect between field operations and financials is a real problem, and the software that claims to solve it often ends up being too bloated, too complex, or just flat-out not built for the blue-collar world.
Take it from me, we tried Procore. Great in theory, nightmare in implementation. It took us a year just to get it halfway operational. And once it was live, good luck making changes without breaking everything.
Caleb’s been there, too. And ControlQore? It was built to fix exactly that.
What Makes ControlQore Different
ControlQore isn’t just another project management tool. It’s not trying to be a CRM, either. It’s a fully integrated financial system for project-based businesses, focused on project accounting, job costing, and real-time visibility into every dollar that moves through your company.
It starts where most blue-collar companies really begin to care: at the point of contract.
While a lot of CRM tools can manage your pre-construction pipeline, ControlQore kicks in the moment a job is won. From there, it manages every transaction, approval, job cost allocation, and financial detail, all the way to project closeout.
Let’s break it down:
- Cost Code Flexibility: Whether you're a GC with 600+ cost codes or a specialty sub with 20, ControlQore lets you set up your own structure, or use a provided template. It’s not rigid. It’s built around your workflow.
- Job Costing Built for Contractors: No more guessing what labor, materials, or sub costs are doing to your margins. With ControlQore, you can drill down into project performance in real time. Not after the job is over. Not after your CPA’s year-end report.
- Cost Types for Company-Level Visibility: It connects the project-level detail to your company-wide P&L, so you can see exactly how labor, materials, and subs are impacting your bottom line, across the board.
- Live Transaction Management: Credit card receipts, vendor bills, purchase orders, it’s all pulled into a simple, repeatable workflow where your team can tag, job cost, and approve in a matter of clicks.
- Field-Friendly Mobile App: Built for foremen and supers. Capture transactions, receipts, and cost allocations straight from the field in seconds.
Built By Contractors, Not Silicon Valley
What really stood out to me in this conversation is that ControlQore isn’t some VC-backed Silicon Valley pipe dream. It was born out of real job site frustration.
Caleb’s co-founder, JD, is still a GC. Their entire team has construction and field accounting backgrounds. That’s why the language inside the software actually makes sense to blue-collar teams; you won’t be left wondering where to enter a change order or how to classify an equipment rental.
In fact, one of the reasons so many contractors end up hating software is that the terminology doesn’t even apply to how we work in the field. ControlQore fixes that by keeping the structure simple, flexible, and contractor-friendly from day one.
The Implementation Problem, Finally Solved
Now let’s talk about what kills most software rollouts: implementation.
Every single guy listening to this knows the pain of software that sounded great on the sales call, and then fell flat in rollout. You start training your team, spending weeks inputting data, only to realize it’s either way too complicated or totally misaligned with how you operate.
ControlQore takes a radically different approach.
Every customer gets:
- A dedicated onboarding team
- Migration of your general ledger and job data
- Help build out your cost code structure
- Real-time support from the CEO and founders
- Unlimited implementation support, not a 30-day limit
They’ll even do the heavy lifting for you. You just bring the bills and real data, and they’ll show your team how to enter, tag, job cost, and track in a way that actually makes sense. If you’ve ever tried to get a straight answer from a Procore rep, you know how different this is.
Built for GCs and Subs Alike
Yes, ControlQore was born out of the GC world, but nearly half of their customers are subcontractors. Whether you're a dirt contractor, utility sub, HVAC installer, or concrete crew, the tool adapts to your needs.
They even tailor the user experience based on your role in the company. If you’re a PM, you see your projects and approvals. If you're a bookkeeper, you get the transaction and GL side. If you're an owner, you get high-level visibility without all the noise.
And while some GC-focused features like lien waivers are still built from a general contractor perspective, they’re actively developing versions tailored for subcontractors as well.
The Real Cost of Not Knowing Your Costs
Let me bring it home with this.
The most eye-opening moment of the episode was when Caleb talked about a client who got 20 hours per week back just by switching to ControlQore. Not only that, but they saw tangible improvements in profitability, because they finally had visibility into what was draining their margins.
Here’s the thing: not knowing your job costs isn’t just inconvenient. It’s dangerous.
Let’s say your crew is supposed to install 20 manholes in two days each. Somewhere along the way, a third guy gets added. Suddenly, it’s taking four days per manhole, and nobody knows. Not the estimator. Not the owner. Not until six months later, when the job’s over and the damage is done.
By that time, you’ve lost your profit, and maybe even trust with your client. That’s what real-time job costing prevents.
ControlQore Isn’t Just Software. It’s a Strategic Partner.
If you're at the stage where your business is growing, and you're ready to go from reactive to proactive with your financials, ControlQore is the tool to take you there.
- No more mystery margins
- No more spreadsheet nightmares
- No more waiting for your CPA to tell you how you did
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