Concrete business plan
Concrete has a hard operational constraint no other trade here shares: once it is on the ground, the clock runs. Being short a person or short on preparation is not a saving, it is a defect you cannot undo.
The plan should reflect that in both crew costs and scheduling.
Startup costs
| Item | Realistic cost |
|---|---|
| Truck and trailer | $12,000–$30,000 |
| Skid steer or mini excavator (or hire) | $0–$25,000 |
| Plate compactor, forms, screeds, floats, power trowel | $4,000–$10,000 |
| Mixers, saws, hand tools | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Insurance (annual) | $2,000–$6,000 |
| Registration, licensing, marketing | $1,500–$4,000 |
| Working capital (material float) | $6,000–$15,000 |
| Total (hiring excavation in) | $27,500–$70,000 |
Hiring excavation equipment for the first season is a defensible staged approach — say so, and state the volume at which owning becomes cheaper.
Base preparation is the profit variable
The pour is predictable. What is underneath is not, and it is where concrete jobs lose money.
A 600 sq ft patio:
- Flatwork revenue: 600 × $8.50 = $5,100
- Base prep on easy ground: excavation, spoil, aggregate = $1,885
- Total $6,985, gross margin ~38%
The same patio over a reinforced existing slab with poor access:
- Add tear-out: $2,700
- Add pump: $1,100
- If you quoted the first price anyway, you just did $3,800 of work for free.
The plan’s unit economics must show the pour and the ground separately, and the quoting process must do the same.
Crew economics
Three to four people for residential flatwork. At $62/hr loaded per person, a one-day pour costs $1,500 to $2,000 in labour alone.
Which means a small job is disproportionately expensive — the crew and the mobilisation are the same whether the slab is 300 or 700 square feet. Set a job minimum around $1,200 to $2,500 and state it in the plan.
Seasonality
In cold climates, pours stop. State your season length honestly and what happens outside it — interior slabs, prep work booked for spring, or a deliberate reserve.
A concrete plan showing twelve equal months will not survive scrutiny from anyone who knows the trade.
Break-even
Fixed monthly costs — truck, equipment, insurance, software, marketing — run roughly $3,500 to $7,000.
At an average $6,500 job with 38% gross margin, that is 1.5 to 3 jobs a month to break even. In season that is comfortable; out of season it is the whole problem, which is why the seasonality section matters.
Twelve-month projections
- Months 1–3 (early season): 2 → 4 jobs/month, building reputation locally
- Months 4–9 (season): 5 → 8 jobs/month, crew of three
- Months 10–12: tapering, prep and bookings for next spring
At 6 jobs a month averaging $6,500 in season, that is roughly $39,000 monthly gross with 38% gross margin.
What to run it on
Quoting with specification detail, deposits and weather rescheduling are the needs.
Jobber at $49/mo plus $29 per seat handles multi-day jobs, deposits and bulk rescheduling for weather. QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo measures flatwork area off satellite imagery for faster quoting. Housecall Pro includes five seats at $189/mo for a crew.
Questions operators actually ask
What should a concrete business plan include?
Equipment and crew costs, unit economics separating the pour from base preparation, seasonality for your climate, working capital for material, and 12-month projections. Base prep is the variable that decides whether jobs make money and it deserves its own line.
How much does it cost to start a concrete business?
$25,000 to $70,000. A truck and trailer, a skid steer or mini excavator, plate compactor, forms, power tools, mixers and finishing equipment, plus insurance and working capital. It is one of the more capital-intensive starts on this site.
Do I need my own excavation equipment?
You can hire in at first, and many operators do. Owning a skid steer changes your margin on every job with excavation, which is most of them, but it is a year-two decision after you know your volume.
How many people do I need on a crew?
Three to four for residential flatwork. Concrete is time-critical once it is on the ground, so being short-handed on a pour is not a saving — it is a finish quality problem you cannot undo.
What are realistic concrete margins?
30% to 45% gross on residential flatwork, with net around 8% to 15%. Material and machinery are a large share of every job, and base prep is the variable that most often destroys an otherwise profitable pour.