Daniel jumped into excavation young with “$10K and a dream”… but commercial work hit him hard. One missed detail in a bid cost him thousands—and that was just the start. This episode is about what actually happens when you move into commercial site work: slow pay, tight margins, and contracts that can bury you if you’re not careful.
Takeaways:
✅ You’re not losing money on dirt, you’re losing it on wording.
One missing “budgetary” note cost him $4,000. Contracts matter more than the machine.
✅ Commercial jobs don’t pay fast, plan for it
45-day waits with $50K–$80K floating out there will choke you if you’re not ready.
✅ Your reputation gets you in, your paperwork keeps you alive
Word of mouth got him commercial jobs. Contracts almost took him out.
✅ Give customers 3 options and stop getting shopped
Good / Better / Best pricing helped him close more residential jobs without competing on price.
✅ Being a great operator won’t scale your business
The real test = can your company run without you? He calls it the “2-week test.”
Why it Matters:
If you’re moving into commercial excavation or site work, this is the stuff that decides if you stay in business.
Links:
➡️ Visit DMS Excavation’s Facebook Page – Follow Daniel Snell’s excavation journey. https://www.facebook.com/dmsexcavation
➡️ Build your business with the right attachments. Shop Attachments at Skid Steer Nation: https://skidsteernation.com/
➡️ Marketing built for contractors. Marketing Help at Throttled Up: https://getthrottledup.com/
00:03:35 The “2-week test” for a self-sustaining business
00:04:30 Starting with $10K, Craigslist ads, and pure hustle
00:06:46 Using social media daily to generate work
00:08:05 Growing into commercial work through referrals
00:11:33 Hard lessons in commercial contracts and wording
00:13:07 Getting burned by scope gaps and hidden costs
00:14:00 Paying for estimating help to level up faster
00:17:13 Pricing strategy: knowing your margins and not racing to the bottom
00:19:14 Losing his mom and shutting the business down
00:20:15 Getting back up—landing a Tesla job and rebuilding
00:26:10 Grinding solo again and rebuilding reputation locally
00:31:31 Sales strategy: giving customers 3 pricing options
00:33:14 Residential vs commercial buyers—emotion vs ROI
00:34:38 Cash flow reality: surviving 45-day payment cycles
00:44:52 Growth vision: scaling to $3–5M with a real team
01:00:47 Final thoughts: staying humble, networking, and learning
