It’s easy to say yes to everything. Especially if the machines are quiet or your team’s hungry for work.
But more jobs doesn’t always mean more money. In fact, if the numbers aren’t right, it can mean less.
More quoting time
More material chasing
More pressure on scheduling
More chances to disappoint
And at the end of it all - not enough left on the table to make it worth it.
The small, low-dollar jobs often take more energy than you realise.
They interrupt your flow. They clutter your schedule. And they can drain morale when your team is constantly chasing pennies instead of building quality.
The worst part? They crowd out the bigger, better jobs. The ones that pay properly, challenge your team, and leave everyone feeling like they’re building something that matters.
You don’t have to take every job that comes your way.
You’re allowed to say:
“We’re not the right fit for that one.”
“That job doesn’t meet our minimum.”
“Here’s a shop that might suit this better.”
This isn’t arrogance. It’s alignment. It’s about choosing the kind of work that moves your business forward, not sideways.
The jobs worth doing usually have a few things in common:
Clear scope
Healthy margin
Reasonable timelines
Good communication
Opportunities to build a long-term relationship
They also give your team more satisfaction. Because they’re not scrambling - they’re delivering.
If you’re stuck in a cycle of small, low-margin jobs, here’s how to start thinking bigger:
Know your numbers. What’s your minimum viable job? What does it actually cost you to quote, cut, build, and deliver?
Raise your floor. Set a baseline margin or value that makes a job worth doing.
Talk to better customers. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Go after the work you want to be doing.
Use the slow patches. Quiet weeks are an opportunity to reset, refine your offer, and build the systems that support better work.
You can run a busy shop. Or you can run a profitable one.
The smart fabricators aren’t chasing every scrap - they’re focusing on the right jobs, for the right customers, at the right price.
Big thinking isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being focused.
Use our Minimum Viable Job Checklist to pressure test the next low-dollar job that comes across your desk.
It’ll help you gut-check the value before you burn time, team capacity, or margin.
Use this before saying yes to low-value or quick-turnaround jobs.
☐ Yes - it hits our minimum threshold for revenue
☐ No - it's below what we need to cover quoting, prep, production, and delivery
☐ Yes - it will return a healthy % after all costs
☐ No - even if it’s fast, we’ll be cutting it too fine
☐ Yes - this customer has long-term potential
☐ No - it’s a one-off with no bigger upside
☐ No - it fits neatly between or alongside larger jobs
☐ Yes - we’ll have to reshuffle or rush better work to squeeze it in
☐ Yes - we have the capacity to do it properly
☐ No - it risks rushed work, rework, or burning out the team
☐ Yes - they’re aligned with how we price and operate
☐ No - they’re price shopping or overly difficult
☐ No - it’s the kind of work we want more of
☐ Yes - and we need to rethink why we’re taking it