The rich folks I know learned early to compromise perfection for production and satisfy the customer whilst at the same time taking risks
That about sums up how to make money laying floors. You learn where you can shave a little time off the jobs here n there by making compromises along the way. Maybe you don’t putty your nail holes or caulk your base. I got a 21 gauge brad nailer for shooting up 1/4 round. The brad still has a head on it but the hole is 25% smaller than an 18 gauge brad nail. Smaller hole is harder to see and now I don’t have to spent time puttying nail holes. That’s time in my pocket and time is money.
Or how many jobs have you done where the last guy didn’t scrape staples. That was time in his pocket. Kinda like ridin in the Tour de France, if you ain’t pumpin juice (taking shortcuts) then you’re not even in the race.