How to Scale Your Elevator Business and Land Bigger Contracts

When I started Madden Elevator, I didn’t have any of the answers. We had no formula and no strategy. We had a vision and a relentless drive to build something that lasted.

Along the way, I made a lot of expensive mistakes that felt like a waste of time. For example, I hired an outside company to come in and handle our marketing for $30k. After six months, we had nothing to show for it and zero ROI. Poof, there goes $30k.

I racked my brain with shame over how that money could have been better spent in our business. But in hindsight, moments like this were just the stepping stones to our next big win.

There are a multitude of milestones as a new business owner—cutting the grand opening ribbon, securing your first contract, or raking in your first million-dollar year.

My first big win, one that sparked a fire for more, was securing our first $1.3 million job as a small elevator company. This was an exciting moment for us. We were making a name for ourselves within the industry and the needle was finally moving in our business.

So, how did we do it?

We were intentional. We had a goal and created a path that would get us to the finish line. I crafted a 13-week cash flow model to manage our finances and proactively planned for this particular project.

I didn’t sit back and hope the right contract would come my way. I structured my business in a way that could handle a project of that size, and I went after it.

Hope is not a business strategy. These kinds of jobs don’t just fall into our laps. If you’ve been in the industry awhile, you know what I mean.

Building a roadmap based on where you currently are and where you want to be in the next few months takes precision and commitment.

Start by Knowing Where You Stand

Growth never happens by accident. Before you can move forward, you need to take a hard look at where you are right now. It’s time to ask the tough questions and get clear on what’s working and what’s not in your business.

• Are your finances in order?
• Do you have control over cash flow, profit margins, and expenses?
• How does your overhead look?
• What does your Chart of Accounts say?
• Could you handle a million-dollar project right now with the state of your business?
• Would you be under an insurmountable amount of stress if you did?

If you started feeling doubt creep in as you read those questions, then it’s time to take a step back. Consider the work that needs to be done in your business before offering a quality service for a million-dollar job.

I found myself in this exact position early on after spending time outside of my business due to unforeseen circumstances. Madden Elevator almost fell apart. My numbers were all over the place, and I had unpaid invoices that led to unsteady cash flow.

Things became tight quickly because I hadn’t planned for the unexpected, and I couldn’t see our cash flow past next month!

I had become reactive in my business rather than proactive. The old Sean Madden would have never successfully handled a multi-million-dollar project with the state of Madden Elevator at that time.

It was time to be the Visionary my business needed.

If you haven’t taken the time to assess your business in detail, now is the time. What you don’t know will hurt you. I cannot stress this enough.

Build a Business That Runs Without You

Too often, I see business owners attempting to micromanage their operation and calling it “keeping a pulse” on their business. They want to be involved in every decision, and I understand that.

On the other hand, I’ve had clients who don’t want to be involved in their finances or the operation because “someone else takes care of that.”

Neither of these approaches leave much room to grow. If you want to scale, you need a business that can function without you—but you also need to know how it works.

You need to understand your financial health, how your team is handling operations, the satisfaction of your customers, and how to improve in all of these areas.

Once you have a deep understanding of these areas and build on them, you gain back your freedom, flexibility, and the ability to take on multi-million-dollar projects as often as you want.

Here’s what made the difference for me:

• Systematizing Operations – Creating repeatable processes so my team could easily manage our day-to-day tasks and make decisions without waiting for my input.
• Creating Recurring Revenue – Locking in long-term service contracts so cash flow was predictable and stable. I could focus on catching bigger fish if I knew the bills were already paid.
• Keeping Clean Financials – Making sure every dollar was tracked and the business was financially strong enough to stand on its own. Yes, even that lunch your supervisor takes on the company dime a few times a month belongs in your financials.

I knew I had built something sustainable when I left for a real vacation and didn’t have to check my emails or take calls every hour. Madden Elevator kept running just fine without me.

If you stepped away from your business today, what would happen? Would it function without you, or would you be in deep financial chaos by the time you got back?

The Shift From Survival to Growth

At some point, you have to shift from survival to growth. That means making decisions that move you forward—not just through the month.

This involves thinking outside of the box and making investments in areas you may not have considered before. (Just not a $30k marketing gig).

This could look like:

• Expanding your services and territory instead of just maintaining what you have
• Investing in marketing and sales, even if you’ve never had to before and rely mostly on referrals
• Building a trusted leadership team that can take on key responsibilities so you’re not doing everything yourself
• Trying different technologies to improve efficiency and free up your time

The biggest shift I made was realizing that working harder wasn’t the answer. I had to work smarter.

That meant stepping back, seeing the bigger picture, and making decisions that positioned Madden Elevator for long-term success—not just for the next week or month.

Your First Big Win Starts Today

It’s time to build something sustainable and profitable. The steps you take today will determine where your business is six months or a year from now.

Pull up your financials today. Look at your cash flow projections. Would your business survive a slow quarter? Could you take on a million-dollar job tomorrow?

If the answer isn’t a confident yes, it’s time to do something about it.

Your next big opportunity is closer than you think. The only question is—are you ready to go after it?