Building the systems behind a growing construction company

Building the systems behind a growing construction company

When Esteban Araya joined TG Renovation as an operating partner, the company already knew how to build. His job was to build the systems behind the work.

That meant creating repeatable processes, improving financial visibility, professionalizing estimates and giving the team more structure before projects hit the field.

Eano Pro became the platform TG uses to put those systems into practice. Eleven months later, the company has tracked $1M+ in project-linked job costs, expanded from one initial user to 42 active users, and used Eano estimates to help win its first HOA project.

“I know systems, processes, I know marketing, I know sales — my partner let me come in and build out some of the infrastructure. Let's divide and conquer that way.”

The impact at a glance

The challenge: professionalizing a business that already knew how to build

TG Renovation handles new construction, major renovations and ADUs, with projects typically starting around $250,000.

The team already had the construction experience. What Esteban wanted to introduce was more operational discipline.

One of the biggest challenges was understanding what the company was actually earning on each project.

“We're on accrual basis. We do receive hundreds of thousands of dollars [in payments], but those are just not [necessarily] our earnings.”

Planning was another challenge. A crew that's good at executing naturally wants to get started, but moving too quickly without a defined process can create mistakes and delays.

“You really start to see errors there, and more mistakes or delays — because you're so good at just execution, execution, but there needs to be some planning.”

TG had previously used Buildertrend, but it wasn't the right fit.

“We were using Buildertrend before. That was it. But — just very boxy. Just a lot, but very little. Just wasn't for us.”

And there was another complication: Esteban manages operations remotely from Medellín, Colombia.

TG needed a system that gave him visibility into what was happening in Los Angeles without requiring him to physically be there.

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Knowing whether every project is actually profitable

For Esteban, financial visibility is one of the most important reasons to use Eano Pro.

A large customer payment doesn't necessarily mean a construction company has made money. Materials, labor and other expenses still have to be accounted for.

TG has recorded over a few months:

• Thousands individual expenses recorded
• 100% of expenses aligned to specific projects
• Clear oversight of profitability by project

That project-level structure gives Esteban the visibility he needs to understand profitability while operating remotely.

“Making that really easy for us is important.”

An estimate that helped win their first HOA project

TG's estimating process also became part of its sales strategy.

For some homeowners, a high-level number may be enough. More sophisticated clients, boards and stakeholders may expect a detailed explanation of exactly what they're paying for.

Eano lets TG create detailed estimates while controlling how that information is presented in the final proposal.

“Sending out a quote and an estimate super professional, being able to either itemize it or leave it more of a general number — that is very helpful for clients.”

That became especially important when TG pursued its first HOA project.

The board wanted quantities and unit counts before approving the bid.

TG could provide them.

“That's what helped, because they wanted to see that level of detail for their board to accept the bid.”

For Esteban, presentation isn't just administrative work.

It's part of winning the job.

“If you're not able to really present that in a professional way — you're losing bids.”

Creating discipline before the crew gets started

Esteban didn't just want software that documented what had already happened.

He wanted it to help TG standardize how work should happen.

That's where task templates became particularly valuable.

Instead of starting each project from scratch, the company can establish the tasks and processes that should happen before and during the job, then reuse that structure across projects.

“Let's do that discipline. And you see that it helps, because it's not just for us, it's for the customer's experience as well.”

The result is a process that doesn't depend entirely on someone remembering the next step.

From one operator to a company-wide system

TG's adoption of Eano didn't stop with Esteban.

The account grew from one active person in September 2025 to 23 active people in July 2026, with 42 people actively using the platform over the broader period.

Across eleven months, TG recorded:

• 171,512 product events
• 330 active days
• 1,480 sessions
• 571 crew clock-ins
• 131 project tasks created
• 131 daily logs

Eano went from being one operator's tool to becoming part of how the broader company runs its projects.

And Esteban has been able to oversee that operation while working thousands of miles away.

Software that listens to the people using it

TG also valued having a direct relationship with the team behind the product.

When Esteban and his team encountered workflows they wanted improved, they didn't feel like their feedback disappeared into a queue.

“I love that Eano listens. Me and Goyaale were actually talking about this… he's like, ‘I've really enjoyed that they actually take into consideration what we're mentioning.’”

He particularly called out TG's customer success relationship:

“Rosse is an A player. She's on it, very responsive, and just cares. She really cares.”

The progress-payment workflow is a concrete example. TG raised the need for tracking partial payments against milestones; after the capability became available, they quickly put it into use.

“The beginning is when you need it the most.”

Esteban's recommendation isn't limited to established contractors.

In fact, he believes contractors should start building these systems before operational problems force them to.

“I recommend it — especially even to a GC starting out that says ‘I don't need it.’ The beginning is when you need it the most, because you can start to systematize things.”

His advice:

“Don't wait until you're trying to put out a fire. Start from the beginning, develop this discipline, and it's going to professionalize you quicker, and you're going to look more presentable to your customers.”

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