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Professional Certificate · Business Operations & Profitability

Build a business that runs with structure, control, and profit…not survival.

Contractor.MBA strengthens pricing, cash flow, estimating, and daily operations to help your business achieve greater control and profitability.

You will not only learn best practices, but also apply them directly to your company. You will leave with a Business Operations Portfolio that remains a valuable resource long after the program concludes.

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Self-Paced · Online

5 Professional Toolkits

Business Operations Portfolio

THE PATTERN

Good contractors can still build unstable businesses.

You already know how to do the job, take care of your clients, and finish projects. But running a business takes a different set of skills, and just working harder will not fix problems that come from being disorganized.

THE COMPANY BEHIND THE WORK

Projects bring in revenue, but the way you manage your company decides how much you keep.

THE COMPANY BEHIND THE WORK

Projects bring in revenue, but the way you manage your company decides how much you keep.

Contractor.MBA replaces informal habits with practical tools that improve how your business runs.

Contractor.MBA replaces informal habits with practical tools that improve how your business runs.

If your business lacks a solid operating foundation, you will face these challenges:

  • Pricing decisions are based on guesswork
  • Cash flow remains unpredictable
  • Estimates vary from job to job
  • Important processes only exist in your head
  • Your team relies on you to make every decision

But with Contractor.MBA, things change:

  • You set prices based on actual costs, overhead, and your target profit margin
  • You can see your cash flow clearly with forecasts and dashboards
  • Work gets documented with repeatable standard operating procedures
  • Projects, people, and priorities are managed with clear written systems
  • Your business keeps running smoothly, even when you are away

The goal is not just to learn more but to run your business differently.

WHAT THIS CERTIFICATE IS

BUSINESS OPERATIONS & PROFITABILITY

Can my business consistently make money and run smoothly? This certificate is designed to help you find that answer. It covers the financial controls, workflows, and structure your contracting business needs to focus on profit instead of guesswork.

This certificate is part of the Contractor Capacity Framework™, a four-part program designed for contractors at different stages. It is made for owners who already have a business and want it to run more smoothly.

BUSINESS FOUNDATION               

Learn how to set up and run a legitimate contracting business.

BUSINESS  OPERATIONS & PROFITABILITY 

 
Gain skills in financial control, efficient workflows, and building an operating structure that helps your business become more profitable.
 
Current Certificate

COMMERCIAL READINESS                   

 
Get ready to compete for bigger commercial projects and government contracts.

CAPACITY & GROWTH                       

 
Discover what leadership, workforce, and funding you need to help your business grow.
Not sure this is the right starting point? 
Take the Contractor Starting Point Check →
POWERED BY CONTRACTOR CONDITIONING

Information shows you what to do, but conditioning helps you actually do it.

Contractor Conditioning™ is Contractor.MBA's hands-on learning approach. Rather than just watching lessons, you will keep applying what you learn in your own business. With every Contractor Rep, you build stronger judgment, better habits, and a more capable company.

LEARN

Real questions, not theory

Work through realistic contractor situations and multiple stakeholder perspectives.

PRACTICE

Contractor Reps

You will complete practical assignments like calculating overhead, reviewing job costs, and documenting a process, all within your own company.

BUILD

Real assets, not worksheets

Each rep results in a tool, control, or process that you add to your Business Operations Portfolio.

 
THE CERTIFICATE BLUEPRINT

This is a suggested order to follow, not a strict weekly schedule. Each concept builds on the last as your business skills develop.

PHASE 01

Assess

Complete the Contractor Business Intake Form and establish your Contractor Readiness Plan.

 

 PHASE 02

Understand

Work through real contractor questions and learn key business principles.

 

PHASE 03

Evaluate

Look at decisions from the point of view of lenders, clients, and procurement officers.

 

PHASE 04

Build

Use practical templates to improve your pricing, estimating, and financial management.

 

PHASE 05

Complete the Rep

Put each lesson into practice by completing assignments within your own business.

 

PHASE 06

Implement

Organize your finished tools in your Portfolio and decide what to focus on next.

You make progress by building, not just by watching.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

Five Professional Toolkits Ready to Use

You won’t start from scratch. Each toolkit provides professionally designed templates, calculators, checklists, and worksheets for you to tailor to your business throughout the course.

 

  TOOLKIT 1  

Financial Command Center

  • Pricing & break-even calculators
  • Job-costing tools
  • Cash-flow forecast
  • Financial dashboard

 

 

 

 

 

  TOOLKIT 2  

Business Operations Playbook

  • Operations map
  • SOP templates
  • Documented procedures
  • Office operations checklist

  TOOLKIT 2  

Business Operations Playbook

  • Operations map
  • SOP templates
  • Documented procedures
  • Office operations checklist

  TOOLKIT 3  

Project Operations Toolkit

  • Project tracker
  • Scheduling process
  • Client communication templates
  • Documentation workflows

  TOOLKIT 4  

Hiring & Onboarding Toolkit

  • Hiring process
  • Interview guide
  • Selection criteria
  • Onboarding checklist

  TOOLKIT 5  

Capstone & Readiness Workbook

  • Operational readiness assessment
  • Business scorecard
  • Implementation priorities
  • 90-day action plan
WHO'S TEACHING THIS

Meet Erick

Commercial Banker  ·  Contractor  ·  Entrepreneur  ·  Economic Development
M.S. - Northwestern University  ·  M.A. - University of Wisconsin-Madison  

Erick Soderberg built Contractor.MBA after spending 16 years evaluating companies as a commercial lender and seven years running his own general contracting business. He has worked with construction businesses from both perspectives.

This mix of experience is unusual. Most bankers have never priced a job, and most contractors have never served on a loan committee. Erick has done both, so the curriculum focuses on the financial choices and daily decisions that matter to contractors.

 

 

 

 

16 Yrs Commercial Lending

7 Yrs General Contractor

M.S. - Northwestern

M.A. - Wisconsin - Madison

Your skills open the door, but the way you manage your business decides how much it can grow.

Your skills open the door, but the way you manage your business decides how much it can grow.

  FIELD NOTE  

The Contractor's Reality Check

Throughout the certificate, Erick uses real contractor situations to challenge common assumptions. He shows how a lender, client, employee, or procurement professional might each see the same decision differently.
WHY CONTRACTOR.MBA

Information shows you what to do. Implementation builds the skills to actually do it.

What Most Online Courses Offer
  • Covers basic business concepts
  • Gives you general examples and empty templates
  • Tracks whether you finish each lesson
  • Ends when the videos end
How Contractor.MBA Is Different
  • Starts by tackling real problems contractors face
  • Helps you build good judgment by looking at situations from different angles
  • Asks you to complete hands-on Contractor Reps
  • You create tools designed for your own company, not just a sample business
Instead of just leaving with a folder full of ideas, you walk away with a better way to run your business.
FIT CHECK

Built for contractors with a business to strengthen.

Who This Is For
  • Owner-operators currently running a contracting business
  • Contractors struggling with pricing, cash flow, or organization
  • Companies preparing to hire or delegate
  • Owners who are ready to put what they learn into action
Who This Is Not For
  • DIY homeowners or those looking for trade skills training
  • Anyone who needs contractor licensing
  • Anyone just looking for passive videos or motivation
  • Owners who are not open to reviewing their numbers or habits
 
PROGRAM DETAILS

Designed to fit around the business you're already running.

Format

100% online and self-paced

Time Commitment

Approximately 3-5 hours per week

Starting Point

Contractor Business Intake & Readiness Plan

Primary Deliverable

Completed Business Operations Portfolio

Access

Lifetime access to curriculum and tools

Enrollment

Open and rolling

Completion

Required lessons, Contractor Reps, and Portfolio deliverables

Credential

Professional Certificate: Business Operations & Profitability

Tuition

$499, installment options available

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE

Build better control into the business.

 $499

Installment options available at checkout.

Your enrollment Includes:

  • 100% online curriculum you can complete at your own pace
  • Lifetime access to all course materials
  • Case studies based on real contractor experiences
  • Contractor Reps and implementation assignments
  • Downloadable templates, calculators, and practical tools
  • Five professional toolkits
  • Business Operations Portfolio
  • Professional Certificate upon completion   
Start Building My Business

Enrolling through an employer, municipality, or workforce organization?
If so, use the private enrollment link your organization gave you, or continue to Organization Enrollment.

FAQ
READY WHEN YOU ARE

Let go of trying to manage everything in your head.

Strengthen your pricing, financial control, estimating, and operations to help you lead a more profitable company.

3-5

hrs/week

5 

toolkits

$499 

tuition

Start Building My Business
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