68 min · 30 video lectures · quizzes · assignments · workbook
About this course
Most millwork and cabinet shops are run by craftspeople who are great on the tools but thin on the business side. Jobs are priced from gut feel, cut-lists are built in notebooks, QA happens when a client complains, and profit disappears in rework and waste. This course fixes that.
Why it pays for itself:
You will learn how to price work so the number you quote is the number you keep.
You will build cut-lists that minimize sheet-good waste below 15 percent and generate CNC-ready nesting files.
You will field-measure out-of-plumb walls and out-of-square rooms correctly so your cabinets land plumb, level, and scribed the first time.
You will run a punch-list QA process that catches every reveal, every soft-close, and every grain-match issue before the client walks the job.
And you will track income, expenses, and booked work in a single kit so you always know where your business stands.
Every lecture is grounded in the ServiceOpsKits Millwork & Cabinet Install Operations Kit, which is included in the bundle price.
The kit contains a cut-list waste optimizer, a shop-to-site dimension verification matrix, a CNC tooling log, a final-reveal QA punch list, a job tracker with booked totals, and an income and expense ledger.
You will use these tools on real scenarios throughout the course.
This is a buy-once course for working operators: shop owners, lead installers, and ambitious finish carpenters ready to run their own book of business.
No subscription.
No upsell calls.
Just a practical, operator-to-operator walkthrough of every system you need to run a tight, profitable millwork shop.
By the time you finish, you will have a working estimate template, a QA process your crew can follow without supervision, a client-onboarding flow that sets professional expectations from day one, and a bookkeeping rhythm that takes less than 30 minutes a week.
What you'll learn
You'll be able to build accurate cut-lists that keep sheet-good waste under 15 percent
You'll be able to price custom millwork jobs with full cost recovery and a target margin
You'll be able to field-measure out-of-plumb and out-of-square spaces and translate them into shop drawings
You'll be able to run a reveal QA punch list that catches installation defects before the client walkthrough
You'll be able to onboard clients with a scope document that prevents change-order disputes
You'll be able to track booked work, cash in, and cash out in a single weekly review
You'll be able to log CNC tooling usage and schedule bit replacement before it affects cut quality
You'll be able to identify and close recurring revenue opportunities in service, refresh, and referral programs
Course curriculum
Section 1: Welcome & Setup
Welcome: What This Course Builds for You
Kit Orientation: Six Modules, One System
The Millwork Business Model: How Shops Actually Make Money
Licensing, Insurance & Contracts: What You Actually Need
Tools, Shop Layout & Your First 90 Days
Section 2: Estimating, Cut-Lists & Pricing
Estimating Foundations: What Goes Into a Millwork Price
Building Cut-Lists That Don't Waste Your Sheet Goods
Setting Your Labor Rate: Burden, Overhead & Margin
Pricing Custom Work: When Standard Rules Break Down
Writing Proposals That Win and Protect You
Section 3: Winning & Onboarding Clients
Where Millwork Clients Actually Come From
The Site Visit: What to Measure and What to Ask
Client Onboarding: Setting the Job Up to Go Smoothly
Deposits, Progress Billing & Getting Paid
Change Orders: How to Handle Scope Changes Professionally
Section 4: Field Measure, Install & Reveal QA
Field Measuring Out-of-Plumb and Out-of-Square Spaces
Installation Sequence: Uppers First, Level, Then Lowers
Scribing, Reveals & Making Cabinets Look Built-In
CNC Tooling Log: Bit Life, Quality & Swap Schedules
Final Reveal QA: The Punch List Your Crew Runs Before You Do
Section 5: Money, Bookkeeping & Profit
Bookkeeping Basics for a Millwork Shop
Job Costing: Knowing Your Real Profit Per Job
Tax Obligations for Canadian Millwork Contractors
Cash Flow: Why Profitable Shops Run Out of Money
Reading Your Numbers: The Monthly Financial Review
Section 6: Recurring Revenue & Scaling
Recurring Revenue for Millwork Shops: What Actually Works
Building a Referral System That Runs on Its Own
Hiring Your First Installer: What to Expect and What to Verify
Moving Into Commercial Work: Contracts, Timelines & Bonding
Scaling Without Losing Quality: Systems, SOPs & the Right Growth Rate