The Rule of 12 with Lance Cayko

What do you do when you’ve built an award-winning, nationally recognized firm… and still can’t find profit?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Lance Cayko (F9 Productions) to break down a counterintuitive turnaround: instead of hiring more people and chasing bigger volume, Lance capped headcount, tightened operations, and used pricing strategy to change the economics of the business.

You’ll hear how Lance and his team created an “expedite” option that cut delivery time in half—and in many cases, prospects happily paid double. He also shares what happened when they raised fees (including for repeat clients), tracked time and KPIs at the employee level, and built a real feedback loop between architecture and construction to reduce field issues and improve outcomes.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

✔️ Why “busy” doesn’t mean profitable (and how to prove it with time tracking)

✔️ The hidden ceiling around headcount and customer service quality

✔️ A simple premium “speed” add-on that converts fast

✔️ How a 25% fee increase landed with clients (and why most didn’t blink)

✔️ The culture play: revenue visibility, shared targets, and 5-star review tracking

✔️ Why vertical integration (design + build + development) changes margins

✔️ The mindset shift: hearing “no” is part of winning long-term

If you’re stuck at a plateau, drowning in overhead, or afraid to raise prices—this episode is a practical playbook for making profit without piling on more staff.

👉 Connect with Lance Cayko

Lance Cayko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-cayko-1227031a/

Lance Cayko on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@FishingWithLance

Lance Cayko on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fishingwithlance/

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, https://www.youtube.com/@YourBusinessGrowthPlaybook

Chapters:

00:00 The “half the time, double the fee” moment

01:12 Meet Lance Cayko + the profit problem

03:05 Builder-first background and why it matters in design

06:10 Design-build as a differentiator and feedback loop from the field

09:05 Early survival mode and building systems for volume

12:20 Tiny house project, viral growth, and big brand opportunities

16:35 Vertical integration: architect + builder + developer

20:10 The confusing plateau: busy team, no profit

23:40 Time tracking, KPIs, and finding the real leak

27:10 Why headcount growth can break customer service

30:05 Raising fees and the “attorney letter” model

33:10 The expedite add-on: faster timeline, higher fee

37:05 Premium pricing vs race-to-the-bottom thinking

40:20 Revenue transparency: the office thermometer + reviews

44:10 Hiring lessons: training, standards, and culture

47:30 Turning losses into profit with better pricing mechanics

51:10 Advice: hear “no,” take ownership, and protect the model

54:40 Where to find Lance + wrap-up

Keywords: Lance Cayko, F9 Productions, Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro, premium pricing, price increase, value-based pricing, expedite fee, faster delivery, profit margins, service business profitability, time tracking, KPIs, architecture firm growth, design build, vertical integration, headcount cap, customer service, operations strategy, revenue transparency

#podcast #PremiumPricing #ProfitTurnaround #ExpediteFee #ServiceBusinessGrowth #DesignBuild

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