Zero percent chance – The danger of thinking anything is impossible

TLDR

Thinking something has a zero percent chance of success creates a limiting mindset that blocks innovation and growth. Bolster’s story proves that challenging the idea of “impossible” can lead to industry-changing outcomes. By combining construction experience with technology, Bolster transformed estimating accuracy and helped contractors increase profits, bookings, and efficiency.

Why believing something is impossible can hold you back

In an ideal world, the sky would be the limit to what is possible. Great ideas would never be dismissed as too unconventional to fund, and contractors would never struggle with inaccurate estimates.

In the real world, however, ideas are often written off as having a zero percent chance of success. Market volatility, time pressure, and human error all contribute to inaccurate construction estimates.

The danger lies in assuming that something is impossible simply because it has not been done before. This mindset limits growth, creativity, and long-term success. Just because something seems unlikely does not mean it cannot be achieved.

Believing that anything is possible encourages open thinking. It allows people to explore options, challenge assumptions, and push past industry norms instead of accepting limitations as facts.

This belief is exactly why Bolster exists.

Bolster from zero percent chance to 800 percent growth

Being told by an expert that you have no chance of success can be demotivating. Most people would abandon the idea and move on. That did not happen with Bolster.

While raising early funding, a local investor told Bolster’s founder that the company had a zero percent chance of succeeding. From the outside, it made sense. Creating accurate construction estimates in a constantly shifting market seemed unrealistic.

Founder Mike Bignold refused to accept that conclusion. Partnering with David Vass, he went on to raise $8.45M in seed funding and build a construction technology company designed to perform in any market conditions. Today, Bolster processes over $250M in construction value.

Had the idea been dismissed as impossible, countless contractors and homeowners would have continued losing time and money to inaccurate estimates.

The reality is simple. The only true zero percent chance is not trying at all.

The Bolster story so far and where it is headed

Bolster was built to solve a critical problem in construction. Inaccurate estimates sit at the core of broken workflows, strained contractor homeowner relationships, and profit loss.

Drawing on experience in business, construction, and coding, Mike Bignold developed Bolster from the ground up. Rather than outsourcing development, he personally coded the platform. His background running a 35-employee contracting company gave him firsthand insight into the cost of bad estimates.

Since launch, Bolster has focused on de-risking estimation and automating complex processes. The platform delivers a dynamic real-time estimating experience that remains unmatched in the industry.

Contractors using Bolster report a 35 percent increase in bookings and a 7 percent increase in profit per job. They also spend significantly less time building and revising estimates.

Despite early skepticism, Bolster has become one of Canada’s fastest-growing construction technology companies. Over the past year alone, the team has grown sevenfold.

Why anything construction estimate related is possible with Bolster

Starting a project with a rough estimate puts it behind schedule before work even begins. Underquoting leads to stalled projects, cash flow issues, and frustrated homeowners.

Between fluctuating material prices, complex scopes, and limited time, many contractors wonder whether accurate estimating is even possible.

With Bolster, it is.

Bolster is a construction estimating platform built to deliver fast, accurate estimates without guesswork. Its H.A.R.T. Quote Engine breaks every material down to a unit price, producing real-time estimates contractors can trust.

Allowance pricing is no longer necessary. Contractors protect their margins, and homeowners gain full clarity on what they are paying for.

Quotes can be updated in minutes, with real-time material adjustments and a digital catalog of upgrades and downgrades homeowners can choose from.

Beyond estimating, Bolster includes built-in CRM and project management tools. Contractors can collect leads, book jobs, manage projects, send invoices, receive payments, and pay vendors and subcontractors in one platform.

The result is less rework, stronger trust, and better outcomes for everyone involved.

Bolster exists because its founder refused to believe that anything was impossible. By combining construction expertise with technology, he proved that even a zero percent chance can turn into long-term success.