To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP206

Grab your free strategic planning template here: https://trybta.com/DL206

You may be thinking:

Is this an episode of Contractor Evolution…

…on a FRIDAY?

Yup.

After over 200 episodes, we thought it was time to introduce a new face—our co-founder and visionary Danny Kerr.

And what better way to do that than by bringing you some BONUS content you can enjoy alongside our regular releases?

Starting with a bit of a throwback.

Today, we’re re-releasing an episode we made back in 2021, hosted by Danny and his fellow co-founders Igor and James, covering all things strategic planning.

Oddly enough, it has become one of our most popular episodes.

If you’ve never given it a listen, now’s your chance.

Episode Highlights:

• In this BONUS episode, take it back to 2021 with us and delve in to strategic planning with Danny, Igor and James.
• Understand why you SHOULDN’T be planning in a boardroom with whiteboards and laptops - and where to go instead
• Learn the 3 things you should come away with once you’ve completed your Annual Strategic Plan

00:00-Intro

01:56-Why is Strategic Planning important?

15:02-What are you trying to achieve with your strategic planning?

17:27-What is the step-by-step process for annual strategic planning?

42:36-What do you do after you've got a strategic plan?

45:13-Sharing your plan with your team

53:56-Purpose of quarterly reviews

58:05-Wrap up

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP205

To learn more about Todd, check out https://toddherman.me/

Whether we realize it or not, we all play characters in our lives. The idea that we should unashamedly show up as the “best” version of ourselves in all settings sounds good, but in reality, it is a gross oversimplification of the truth.

Think about it….

There’s:

• You the CEO
• You the friend
• You the salesperson
• You the mum or you the dad
• There’s you the amateur train collector or video game enthusiast

We have different versions of ourselves. Does that make you disingenuous or inauthentic? Not at all. We’re all multifaceted beings, and if you can’t see that, you’re not paying attention.

Our guest today is Todd Herman. His book The Alter Ego Effect explains WHY understanding and investing in these different archetypes of the self is one of the most powerful performance cheat codes available to us. Today’s conversation is about how to harness it.

Episode Highlights:

• Understand the Alter Ego Effect and how it can be used to exponentially improve your performance in every aspect of your life.
• Learn how to identify the different versions of you, their strengths, and how to harness them at the right time to achieve the right results.
• Get tips from Todd Herman, performance coach to billionaires and elite athletes, on creating your own alter ego, designed to help you succeed in whichever area of your life is lacking.

00:00-Intro

01:48-Clark Kent vs. Superman: Understanding the Alter Ego

05:14-Where does the term "Alter Ego" come from?

07:40-Using the Alter Ego to improve performance

10:19-Why everything is a performance

19:42-How to create an Alter Ego

30:36-Alter Ego examples

34:15-How to get started on your Alter Ego(s)

41:17-Activating your Alter Ego

47:18-What business people can learn from athletes

51:42-Connect with Todd

Grab your free "goodie bag" of financial management templates here: https://trybta.com/DL196 

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP196 

If you’ve made it this far in business, I probably don’t need to tell you that need to budget, track your overhead, and do job costing.

The problem is: nobody ever shows you HOW.

A few weeks back, we co-hosted a webinar with our friend Bob Gauvreau from Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory to teach 7-figure contractors everything they need to know about managing their finances. We talked about budgeting, job costing, avoiding cash crunches and more.

And today, we’re replaying it here on the podcast so more contractors can benefit from the insights.

This is a must-listen for anyone whose New Year’s Resolution is to get better at financial management.

Episode Highlights:

00:00-Intro02:34-About the session03:47-About our free templates (link in description)05:24-Why talk cash flow and budgeting?06:50-About Benji & Bob08:05-Purpose, Outcomes & Agenda10:59-Why is staying on top of your numbers so hard?13:41-Common challenges with financial management21:41-3 Core Systems of Financial Management36:23-Industry Benchmarks - Profit Margins41:20-Margins as you evolve46:21-Signs you should be worried about your cash flow51:04-Five Cash Flow Destroyers59:33-How to implement change01:07:18-Q&A

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, Click Here

Use The Scrollers To See Dan’s Brand Transformations (srsly cool): https://www.kickcharge.com/portfolio/small-business-rebranding-before-after/

Dan’s Book “Branded, Not Blanded:” https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Not-Blanded-KickChargeTM-Service-ebook/dp/B0BBL1CCJ9

If you’ve ever wondered whether wrapping your fleet of vehicles is worth the cost, this episode is a must-listen.  We’re suuuper lucky to have the “G.O.A.T.” of vehicle wraps, Dan Antonelli, on the show today.  

His agency KickCharge Creative has built brands for some of the biggest home service companies in North America: A1 Garage, Goettl Air Conditioning, and Absolute Airflow, just to name a few.  

Today’s conversation is about outdoor advertising in general but, more specifically, the 5 rules that all contractors and home service business owners need to follow when designing a vehicle wrap that pops and drives results.  We also talk about his new book Branded, Not Blanded. It’s the best book I’ve ever read on branding for our niche.  We’ll link it in the description.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, Click Here

Matt’s Build Show Network: https://buildshownetwork.com/

Risinger Build: https://risingerbuild.com/

The Build Show Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-build-show-podcast/id1560010348

My guest on the show today is Matt Risinger.  

Matt is one of the most recognizable thought leaders in the construction space. His Youtube channel, which has over a million subscribers, is dedicated to all things building science, and he’s parlayed that into the creation of an entirely new platform called Build Show Network - Picture Netflix, but all the content is for construction nerds. Pretty awesome! His actual construction company, Risinger Build, is one of the most sought-after in Austin, Texas, where he lives with his family.  

Today’s conversation is about his entrepreneurial journey… Why he chose this industry, how he built his construction empire, and became the household name he is today. He shares some of the life-altering mistakes he made along the way, plus I get his take on the future of residential construction in North America.

I really look up to Matt and deeply admire everything he’s built but, more importantly, the values he embodies. For all his success, he’s one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. We need guys like Matt, and I consider myself blessed to have gotten to know him a bit over the last year.

Listen to this episode to hear the full Matt Risinger story.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, Click Here

Learn More About Jeff’s Work And His Book Here: https://www.jeffskipperconsulting.com/

Ideas are the easy part.  

The truth is getting implementation projects across the finish line is ALWAYS harder in reality than it is in your mind's eye.    

You’ve, no doubt, fantasized about the business efficiencies made available by new technology, the rollout of SOPs, a new sales methodology, whatever… and then been met with blank stares from your team when you excitedly announce these grand visions:

• “Why do we need to do this?”
• “This seems complicated!”
• “What's wrong with what we're doing right now?”

As today’s guest, Jeff Skipper, says: the easiest thing for an employee to do when confronted with change is NOTHING.  Jeff is a Change Management consultant and just authored a new book called Dancing With Disruption (definitely check it out).  

If you need to get your people doing things a new way, adopting a new system, or dropping an old one, the fundamentals of Change Management can help.  At its core Change Management is about guiding organizational changes all the way from conception through to implementation.  

Jeff gets hired by companies like IBM, Suncor, Cenovus, Bayer, Molson, and Sport Chek to help them make monumental internal changes, and he’s here today to help us do the same.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, Click Here

If you’ve ever wondered: 

• How do I set up performance based pay for my Production Managers?
• Is it possible to effectively interview for “coachability”?  (cuz saying “I’m great with feedback” and actually taking it are two different things)
• Or, how do I make my field staff accountable for quality without my direct supervision?

In Today’s episode of Contractor Evolution Igor and I tackle five tricky listener questions head on.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To register for BTA's Staff Accountability Secrets Masterclass, CLICK HERE

The late and great Arnold Palmer asserted that golf was a game “predominantly played in the 6 inches between the ears.”

Business and life are no different.  

Your mental game - what happens inside that head of yours - influences reality to such a profound degree it's difficult to measure.  Where you set your sights, how you feel about yourself and your work, what you think is possible for you and your team, and how you handle massive setbacks; all of this and more are 100% dictated by the thoughts you allow (or do not allow) through your mind.  

The contractor’s formula for a high-performance mindset exists, and Shawn Feurer (Shawn Feurer Consulting) is here to break it down for us.  Shawn has built a mindset framework specifically for contractors and actively coaches about 60 individuals through it. 

On today’s episode, you can expect to learn:

• The most common self-limiting beliefs contractors struggle with and where they come from
• How to distinguish “what you truly want” from “what you think you can have”
• A 3-step daily mindset routine that magnetizes your brain for prosperity (I’ve already started it and am loving it)

So if you’ve been looking for the fluff-free, non “woo-woo” approach to disrupting your thoughts and reprogramming your mind for success and abundance, watch this episode. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP101

To Download Contractor Dynamics Testimonial Guidelines, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP101

If you, like me, are always looking for inexpensive but effective brand upgrades, look no further than client testimonials.  Simple videos of your happy clients talking about how pleased they were with the experience they had with your company are one of the best assets to start collecting, and here’s why.

The modern homeowner doesn’t put much weight on what you have to say about your own business or service.  And why should they?  You’re biased.  It’s your business, after all!  Of course, you’re gonna say how amazing it is.  Fifty years of constant bombardment from advertisers and brands have made today’s consumers a bit more scrupulous and a bit less gullible.  

This is why getting clients to sing your praises is orders of magnitude more effective than singing your own.  It’s just that simple.

Here’s what I love about client testimonials:

• They’re cheap
• They’re versatile as hell (you can put them on your website, social media, in your sales process, and about eight other places too)
• People watch video content more than they read
• Social Proof from actual customers is way more persuasive

Today on the show Joseph Hughes, founder of Contractor Dynamics, is here to unpack why they work, how to capture them, and where to put them.  

Listen to this episode to get these low-cost, high-conversion videos working for you!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP100

To download Benji & Igor's 10 Commandments of Contractor Success, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP100

We want to hear your feedback after 100 episodes, click this link to complete the survey (3 min): https://trybta.com/100

Yeehaw! That’s 100 episodes down (and goodness knows how many more to go!)

We’re blessed and humbled to have spoken to some incredibly smart people over the past two years and have noticed some fundamental commonalities among them. Belief systems, habits, and tactics the best of the best all seem to share.  

Today’s episode is an amalgamation of the 10 things we’ve observed about success in the contracting and home service space after 100 episodes of Contractor Evolution. Huge thanks to both our guests and you listeners. We couldn’t do it without you!

Tune in to find out why:

1. No one at the top of their game is a ___________.
2. The labor market is a challenge, but___________.
3. ___________ matters more than working hard.

Listen to this episode to fill in the blanks on these three and the remaining seven!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP99

To download Devon's 7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Marketing Agency, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP99

Search Engine Optimization for your business can be a thorny rat’s nest full of technical jargon, disappointing results, and shifty marketers who’ll not only underdeliver but hold your website hostage if you ever try to leave.  This is why going into a relationship with a 3rd party without at least a baseline understanding of how it works and what questions to ask is a recipe for disaster.  

We’re super lucky to have Devon Hayes of Elevation Marketing on the show today. Her Denver-based digital marketing agency is niched to serve contractors almost exclusively.  Over 80% of their client base are businesses like yours, and they do phenomenal work.  

I learned a tonne from her, but my highlights were:

• The seven questions you need to ask your SEO person or agency before engaging.  No joke, these could save you thousands of dollars and dozens of headaches.
• Easy “SEO Layups” - simple things you can do for little to no money time that provide an immediate boost to your findability online.
• And lastly, Devon drops a truth bomb about the risks of overusing Chat GPT for your website’s content; listen right until the end for that nugget!

Whether you're a total SEO newb or already know a thing or two, listen to this episode for a beginner’s guide to SEO with Devon Hayes. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP98

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but employees tend to be much better at pointing out problems than fixing them.  “Hey Boss, just wanted to let you know that [insert business issue you’re already abundantly aware of here].  We should really do something about that, hey?”

Staff drop problems in your lap as consistently as a golden retriever drops a tennis ball at your feet. 

But what if you could instill a culture of problem-solving within your team?  How much easier would your life be if, instead of you being the single source of critical thinking, your entire team was encouraged and even rewarded for making problems go away on their own?

In today’s episode of Contractor Evolution, I talk about why problem-solving is one of the most critical traits to look for in new hires and even how you can develop it with the team you already have.

Listen to this episode to find out why problem solvers are infinitely more valuable than problem finders.

Highlights:

• Why finding problems is easy
• How to interview to find problem solvers
• How to spot Problem Solvers
• How to instill a culture of problem solving into your current team

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP97

To learn more about Tom and The Contractor Fight, click here: https://thecontractorfight.com/

My guest on the show today is Tom Reber. You may have heard of him. He hosts the Contractor Fight Podcast, speaks at many conferences, and has become a pretty well known guy in our space.  

Tom runs a program not unlike our beloved Breakthrough Academy, but for slightly smaller businesses.  In fact, you could even call him our competitor (Ahh, the horror 😱).  

Here’s the thing though.  We tell our contractors to collaborate with the competition and raise the entire industry on a daily basis, and the same rule applies to us.  Practice what you preach.  

Tom is a phenomenal guy with a message you all should hear loud and clear, and we were lucky to have him.  You can expect to learn the following from my conversation with Tom:

• Why trades and construction play one of the most essential roles in a functioning western society but get almost no credit for it
• How we overestimate how much we can accomplish in a year but underestimate what's possible in a decade
• And how to make trades cool again in the eyes of our young people, our clients, and ourselves

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP195

How are you using AI and automation in your business? Maybe you use ChatGPT for idea generation or have some automated reminders going out through your bookkeeping software or CRM.

If so, that’s great. But the reality is there is a lot more you could be doing. And it doesn't all require in-depth programming knowledge or tech skills.

Today’s conversation is with Tersh Blissett. He’s an AI and automations expert for trades and construction, Host of the Service Business Mastery Podcast, owner of two HVAC companies, and founder of Trade Automation Pros. 

We discuss the five types of automations all contractors need and three of the most clever ways he’s seeing AI deployed in the trades today. 

If you’re tired of monotonous and repetitive tasks but aren’t sure where to start with automations, this episode is a must-listen.

Episode Highlights:

00:00-Intro  01:16-Defining automations  02:04-Background on Tersh's passion for AI and automation  06:42-About Tersh  11:55-Five automations every contractor needs  12:23-Automated appointment scheduling and reminders  19:36-Streamlined customer support ticket handling  24:10-Automated lead management  25:23-Social media content curation and posting  30:54-Automated onboarding for new clients  40:49-Three clever ways contractors can use AI in their business  54:10-Advice for the not so tech-savvy contractor  56:52-Connect with Tersh

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP96

To Download A Visual Representation Of Artisan’s Sales Process, click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lkfp3NXG6r0QjFNu_5ts6qY_B8pUYatM/view?usp=share_link

To get in touch with Brad & Devon you can email: marketing@artisanroofing.ca

One facet of our businesses' that will undoubtedly look wildly different in 10 years is in-home selling.  

How we sell leads into closed deals hasn’t changed much and is ripe for major disruption.  Think about it…  

Get lead > Call lead > Call lead again cuz they didn’t pick up > Qualify lead over the phone > Schedule appointment > Do appointment > Close deal ~40% of the time > Follow up with the rest until you’re blue in the face.

This way of going about it leaves a few things to be desired.  For one, there’s very little time spent actually selling.  The drive there.  The drive back.  The time spent measuring or building a scope.  Oh, and don’t forget about the four outbound calls you had to make to reach them in the first place.  Rising costs in fuel make this format increasingly burdensome too.  

And then there are changing buyer preferences to consider:  Baby boomers may welcome us for a cup of coffee and a two-hour chit-chat in the backyard, but are millennials looking for that level of personal touch when they need work done?  Doubt it.

My personal take?  In-home selling is ripe for disruption and is about to evolve in ways that will blow your mind.

Brad Baker and Devon Crowell of Artisan Roofing are at the forefront of this progression.  

Using marketing automations, clever email nurtures, EagleView reports, and a VA in the Philippines, they drove 6.6 Million in sales out of one salesperson in one of the worst markets (economically speaking) in the country. 

BTW, they did this all in a city of only 116,000 where the average income is 38K. Oh, and the kicker….zero time lost in the car driving from appointment to appointment.

This conversation highlights the story of a roofing company. But the overall thought process and implementation will have parallels and learnings for any contractor. The lingo might be different, and the tools might vary, but mark my words, this is the way it’s going, no matter your industry niche.

To hear how these two are pioneering a brand new way of selling, listen to this episode.

Highlights:

• How Artisan roofing hit 6.6 M in sales with 1 salesperson selling small residential jobs
• Where Artisan roofing borrowed from other industries to design their sales system to be hyper efficient
• How it’s possible to provide a very personal experience in an 'automated' sales process
• The changing landscape of sales in 2023 and what it means for contractors in the next 10 years

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP95

To connect with Storyhook click the links below: 

Website: https://www.storyhook.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearestoryhook/

You can find Erik Miller on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spelledwithak

There are many competing philosophies around how to build a brand customers feel a connection with.  

Erik Miller might have my favorite angle, and he is my guest on the show in this episode of Contractor Evolution. 

Erik believes instead of bending over backward to fit the mold you believe your ideal client avatar wants, it's way less work to look inward and display what's already there.  

In other words, finding out who you really are by paying attention to what your clients already love about you and highlighting THAT, is faster and more authentic than trying to be something you're not.

Erik founded StoryHook in 2015, a branding agency obsessed with the power of stories.  

He’s also the Director of Brand for Company Cam and has been instrumental in making them the household name they are today.

Today’s conversation is about:

• How and where contractors can find the “hooky” parts of their story and put them on display
• Why your sales team is the ultimate testing ground for new brand ideas and how you can use them to reality test new concepts.  Because believe it or not, not everything you come up with is pure gold ;).
• And lastly we talk about the best LOW BUDGET brand upgrades that any contractor can do without engaging an expensive agency.

To learn more about how to accentuate the amazing elements of your brand, listen to this episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP94

To find out more about Baeumler Approved click here: https://www.baeumlerapproved.ca/

Our guest on this episode of Contractor Evolution is Bryan Baeumler.  Star of HGTV’s hit shows Disaster DIY, Leave it to Bryan, Island of Bryan among others.  

Behind the TV Persona is a pretty sophisticated yet down-to-earth businessman with a super diverse portfolio of companies, the largest being his actual construction company, Baeumler Quality Construction, which is on trend to 60 Million plus next year.

We talk about 

• How and why our education system is under serving mechanically minded youth
• The best and worst parts of being a TV star
• Why hiring a CFO was one of the smartest business decisions he’s made and the growth it unlocked
• And I get his honest and unpolished take on what effects (both positive and negative) HGTV shows like his have had on the construction industry.

To find out what really goes on behind the scenes of a celebrity contractor listen to this episode. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP93

You can find Dr. Ken Keis by contacting the Consulting Resource Group at https://crgleader.com/

Today’s conversation is about Core Values.  

The term “values” comes up a lot these days, but I’m pretty dissatisfied with how surface level the conversations are around it.  

“Hire for values train for skill” 

“Core Values are the foundation of a strong culture” 

“They didn’t align with our values”

You get the gist.  

Now we can all agree values are extremely important and deep, but I always want to get behind the buzzwords and figure out what’s really going on.

In order to find out what really makes a difference we have a friend of the show, Dr.Ken Kies, returning on this episode of Contractor Evolution.  

Dr. Keis holds a PHD in leadership and management and is the president of Consulting Resources Group, a global consultancy focused on team building, leadership, and communications.

In this episode he shares with us:

-Why 80% of the working population is unhappy with their career and the role values play in that

-How to go think about, talk about, and write about your core values so they’re way more than just some 5 dollar words on a poster that no one actually understands 

-And perhaps most importantly, how to assess core values fit in an interview so that you don’t find out the hard way 6 months later that you are indeed not at all aligned

To learn how to define your core values and leverage them for performance (out of both yourself and your team) click on the links below

Highlights

• Why 80% of the working population is unhappy with their career and the role Values play in that
• How to go think about, talk about and write about your core values so they’re way more than just some 5 dollar words on a poster that no one actually understands 
• And perhaps most importantly, how to assess core values fit in an interview so that you don’t find out the hard way 6 months later that you are indeed not at all aligned

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP92

To learn more about Brian’s company gfour marketing go to https://www.gfourmarketing.com/

This episode of Contractor Evolution is with Brian Kaskavalciyan, Author of The 7 Secrets to becoming a Wealthy Contractor, Host of the Wealthy Contractor Podcast, and Co Founder of gFour Marketing Group: A relationship marketing firm that helps contractors unleash the power of their customers by installing the industry leading framework for driving referrals.

Before becoming the well known figure he is today, Brian founded Handyman Network which he developed into a national franchise. It was there he began to realize the power of not just referrals, but having a customer base that truly promotes you and reps the brand. So he began to develop a wholistic approach to Relationship Marketing which makes up the framework that he now implements with clients through gFour.

I wanted to go deep with Brian on how to put a referral program on steroids and become a company where our raving customers do a lot of the marketing for us.  If you do good work and take care of your clients you're obviously going to get some referrals organically, but if you're a growing company and want to become more intentional with this all important lead source, there’s actually a ton of stuff you can implement.  Our conversation is anchored in four core areas:

1. How to drive google reviews which boost searchability and position you as the customer service leader
2. Customer Appreciation and how automated post job gifts and notes of gratitude build crazy goodwill in the marketplace
3. We talk about Referral Rewards programs which incentivize clients to actually bring you hot leads
4. And lastly we talk about the all important long term nurture sequence which keeps your brand front of mind and makes you a repeat business magnet.

To learn more about how to put your referrals on steroids, listen to this episode.

Highlights:

• How to drive Google reviews which boost searchability and position you as the customer service leader
• Customer Appreciation and how automated, post job gifts and notes of gratitude build crazy goodwill in the marketplace
• Referral Rewards programs which incentivize clients to actually bring you hot leads
• Long term nurture sequence which keeps your brand front of mind and makes you a repeat business magnet

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP91

To join the Bookkeeping, Beer and BS FB group click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourblueskies

To learn more about Blue Skies Admin Services for home service companies click here: https://yourblueskies.com/

As you’ve grown your business you may have noticed that there are certain sizes or stages that feel worse than others.  

There are times when the scale of your business seems to be in a “Sweet Spot”, and then there are other times when you feel stuck in purgatory.  

If you’ve grown your team, and your top line, but your actual profits have stubbornly stayed the same (or sometimes even deteriorated), then this episode will give you the path out.

To learn more about these Business Purgatories, what causes them, the revenue ranges they rear their ugly heads in, and most importantly what to do to pass through them as quickly as possible, listen to this episode.

Highlights

• The 3 common business 'purgatories' that happen in contracting businesses - which revenue levels you’ll typically see them, and what to do about it
• How to ensure that your management team doesn’t make decisions that allow your costs to balloon out of proportion
• Actions you can take to speed through these purgatories so you don’t end up trapped for years in the ‘no fun zone’

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP90

To visit Sales Talent Agency click here: https://www.salestalentagency.com/

If you’re wondering, like I am…

• What effect will inflation and climbing interest rates have on employees and employers alike?  
• How does a recession change the landscape of the labor market?  
• What emerging trends should business owners stay in front of moving into 2023?  
• How do you capitalize on hiring opportunities in a down market?

…Then this episode is for you.

In this episode of Contractor Evolution I’ve brought back Asad Zaman, CEO of Sales Talent Agency and a friend of the show.  For those of you that listened to our Ultimate Hiring Funnel Series, you’ll remember him from episode 3.

Sales Talent Agency is an international recruiting agency, they’ve helped acquire talent for over 1500 companies:  Harley Davidson, SAP, IBM, Salesforce, and Sonos just to name a few.  

I wanted Asad back to talk about the state of the workforce and what we can expect out of the 2023 talent market.  

To learn where big trends are going, what to watch out for, and how to jump on opportunities this year, listen to this episode.

Highlights

• The effects the last 3 years has had on the workforce and recruiting in the trade
• How inflation and a recession will impact the talent market and where to leverage opportunity as an employer
• Why you can't lower the bar for candidates you're hiring, even in a tough labor market
• Why you should never have your top employees asking you for a raise, and if they are, why you’re in trouble
• The reason knowing your data going into a recession is especially important
• The key traits that you should be looking for in your candidates in 2023 and which ones are different from previous years?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP89

To find Lydia on Instagram click here: https://www.instagram.com/drywallshorty/

To watch Lydia on The Build Show click here: https://buildshownetwork.com/go/lydiacrowder

Our guest on the show for this episode is Lydia Crowder (aka Drywall Shorty).  Lydia puts out the best content for the drywall trade on all of the interwebs.  

She’s been a drywall finisher for 20 years, and owns Trinity Drywall in Bozeman Montana.  She started to make educational videos about 3 years ago and today her following has grown to over 1 Million subscribers across her various platforms.  

Our conversation is about what it's like to be a female tradesperson in a historically male-dominated industry and how business owners can attract and retain women in the trades.

To learn more about why you should be pushing hard to recruit women, what they bring to the table, and how to create an environment that attracts them, listen to this episode.

Highlights

• What's it's like being on site as a female tradesperson
• How women in the trades are treated today vs 20 years ago
• 2 Unique qualities tradeswomen bring to the job site
• How to build a work environment that appeals to women and has them wanting to stay for the long haul
• Advice to women thinking about getting into the trades

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP88

Download your free 2023 Strategic Plan Templates for Rapid Growth here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP88

We did a Strategic Planning Roundtable with some Breakthrough Academy Members a couple weeks back.  We had over 300 live attendees and tons of positive feedback so we thought we’d release it as a Contractor Evolution episode. 

Given that you are probably doing some much needed year end reflection and beginning to chart your course for 2023, we thought this would be a timely conversation as well.

Moving from one year to the next without evaluating what in your business went well, what did not, and what needs to change is a recipe for exhaustion, frustration and stagnation.

One of the coolest things about being an entrepreneur is the opportunity you have to choose where your business goes, what it becomes and why.  This is like… the fun part.  

So if you're not creating space every year to reflect and strategize, not only are you hindering your businesses growth, you're also just missing out on one of the richest aspects of entrepreneurship.

If you’re wanting to learn first hand how the best in the business take the vision in their mind and turn that into a reality, listen to this episode.

*Note* - This was originally delivered as a web class with video and slides, so if you want to see the slides, move on over to YouTube.  If you’re in the car though, this will still totally makes sense with just audio only. 

Episode Highlights:

• What business looks like before you have a plan, and what it can look like after
• How to build a detailed annual plan, and what data should drive your decision making
• How to get team buy-in AND accountability
• A deep dive into REAL Annual Strategic Plans, both before a year starts and after a year in review
• Where to find the time to set an annual plan when you’re super busy
• How to evaluate key drivers and restrainers to adjust targets

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP87

To connect with Buildertrend click here: https://buildertrend.com/

If you listen to Contractor Evolution, there’s a good chance you’re not only an entrepreneur, but you are smart enough to understand that you’ll have big opportunities to cut your costs using software in the next few years.

However, understanding what a software service does vs implementing it are two COMPLETELY different things.

In fact, if you’ve tried getting your team to adopt new tech at some point already, it can easily lead to you wanting to fire everyone, quit the trades, and start a simpler business like building space stations.

All joking aside, it’s not easy to embrace change, especially when it comes to tech.

My guest on the show today is Brett Jones, a Key Account Executive of Data Solutions at BuilderTrend.  

Over the last 3 years, Brett has done over 150 On Site Consultations helping builders, GC, and Remodelers implement BuilderTrend so that it functions at its fullest and delivers the highest possible ROI for the Entrepreneur and their team.

To learn what Brett has observed about the builders that succeed in this area, vs those that don’t, listen to this episode.

Episode Highlights:

• Why so much of the contracting industry hold their cards close and why that isn't working as a competitive advantage anymore
• The Profile of a strong tech implementer vs poor tech implementer (after implementation consulting with 150 Contractors)
• How the contracting industry has changed as a result of tech adoption and the big picture trends that will shape the industry in the next 10 years
• The impact of venture capital in the contracting market and how it’s changing the way contracting companies are being run
• Where Buildertrend is innovating in the contracting space and the big value they will be bringing builders in fintech
• Advice to young entrepreneurs for the next decade - where they should focus their attention for maximum results

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP194 

Get your copy of Greg McKeown's new Essentialism Planner here: https://gregmckeown.com/books/the-essentialism-planner/ 

Do you know what you want this year? Or next year? Or in five years?

In this distracted world we’re living in, it can be pretty hard to drown out the noise, algorithms and influencers and figure out what it is that you want. And how to go get it.

Our guest on the show today is Greg McKeown, author of one of the most beloved books in the small business world: Essentialism: the Disciplined Pursuit of Less. He’s here to teach us how to define and achieve what’s truly most important to you by narrowing your focus and aligning your actions with the highest priority—the most essential—goals in business and life.

Late last year, Greg released a new workbook to help readers work through the concepts of an essentialist lifestyle, and we’re lucky enough to get a preview into what the process looks like on the show.

Episode highlights:

• Learn how to apply the concepts of Greg McKeown's book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less to your business and life.

• Get tips from Benji and Greg on how to figure out what it is you actually want in life, and how to go after it with laser focus.

• Gain a new perspective on your 2025 strategic plan and vision, just in time to go out and crush your goals.

00:00-Intro

01:44-Essentialism: A 2024 Update

04:19-About the Essentialism Planner

07:43-How to discern the "trivial many" from the "vital few"

30:39-How to figure out what you actually want

55:25-The power of a graceful no

01:01:40-The importance of rest, play, and escape

01:10:40-Advice for contractors as they enter 2025

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP86

To visit Check The Level accounting click here: https://www.checkthelevel.com/

To Join the ‘Job Costing and Bookkeeping for Contractors Only’ Facebook Group click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jobcostingandbookkeepingfocontractorsonly

Have you ever wondered why the bookkeeping and accounting for your contracting or trades business is so challenging?  

Well, there is a very real reason, and no it's not because you hated math in high school.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that your project lifecycles and the cash inflows and outflows that happen therein don’t follow the gridded and calendarized rhythms of accounting cycles.

They march to the beat of a different drummer (so to speak) and this can create all sorts of headaches and confusion when it comes to both your books and your bank account.  

Our guest on this episode of Contractor Evolution is Leeroy Beeby, Co-Founder of Check the Level - an accounting, bookkeeping and software provider. 

Check The Level was created for general and specialty contractors to master their pricing, profits, and cashflow. They do this through both managerial accounting as well as their proprietary reporting software. 

What’s unique about Leeroy’s perspective is he has back-end access to the budgets, P&Ls, cash positions and pricing systems of hundreds of contractors all over North America and is able to see large-scale patterns in a way almost no one can.

To dive into the common practices that are shared by the top 10% of contractors (as well as the common mistakes made by the bottom segment of contractors) listen to this episode.

Episode Highlights:

• The difference between Financial Accounting vs. Managerial Accounting and why most firms won't do the latter for you (even though you really need it)
• The patterns that become evident when you look at 100's of contractors' financials, and what the top 10% are doing differently than the rest
• How the top 10% of contractors set up their sales contracts uniquely to protect their cash flow
• Why you need to be charging a higher markup on your change orders than your standard rates
• How to get your team involved in the financial performance of each job
• The typical profile for a financially 'at risk' contracting company

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP85

To download Breakthrough Academy’s ‘Annual Strategic Planning Template’ click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP85

To Connect with Alex Brueckmann click here: https://www.brueckmann.ca/

It is strategic planning time here at Breakthrough Academy. 

Our 500+ members are all reflecting on the year that was 2022 - the highs, the lows, the lessons…and they're using all of that to inform their visions for 2023.

You should be too.  

“Strategy” is another one of these terms that gets tossed around so much it loses some meaning. 

Most entrepreneurs will make mental associations between strategy and other ideas like goals for the future, well-laid plans, or a list of priorities for the organization.

But this still leaves a lot of room for differing interpretations and abstraction.

This episode's conversation is with Alex Brueckmann. Alex is a Strategic Facilitator and the Author of The Strategy Legacy which comes out in 2023.  

After 15 years of fine-tuning his philosophy and process in the corporate world, Alex now gives small to medium-sized businesses access to the tools and techniques that fortune 500 companies use to dial in their strategy and create the clarity and direction teams (large and small) need to get bought in and execute.

To learn more about Alex’s 3 Do’s and 3 Don'ts of Strategic Planning, listen to this episode.

Episode Highlights:

• The difference between strategy and tactics and why NOT to worry about tactics when planning at a high level
• Why celebrating small wins too early can sometimes hurt your momentum
• Why your strategy NEEDS to be tied to emotions, and how emotions propel results more than any other factor
• How to create a strategy that everyone will buy into, not just your leadership team
• Why you shouldn't force your plan forward when things aren’t working, and when it's ok to take a couple steps back
• How to leverage the power of writing to communicate your vision and deflect distractions

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP84

To assess where you lay on the visionary/integrator spectrum, click here: https://rocketfueluniversity.com/assessments/

This episode is Part 2 of a 2 part conversation with Mark C. Winters,  co-author of Rocket Fuel and the foremost expert and Visionary/Integrator relationship.  If you haven’t listened to part 1 of this episode, go do that now.

In part 1 of this 2 part conversation Mark and I focused on the dynamics between a Visionary and an Integrator.

What wasn’t shared in that episode is that great Integrators are RARE.

Mark and his team at Rocket Fuel University™ discovered there are 4 Visionaries for every 1 Integrator.

Which means really good Integrators are hard to find…and even harder to keep.

If you want to learn where to look for your integrator, and more importantly, the principles for keeping them happy and effective, listen to this podcast.

Episode Highlights:

• Where to find great Integrators both inside and outside your organization
• The necessary 3 part process for successfully onboarding an integrator so they quickly earn team respect and don’t burn out.
• 5 Rules to follow to ensure a long term relationship thrives between the Visionary and the Integrator
• The way to maintain equality in the relationship even when it's not equal ownership
• The difference between Visionaries and “Idea People” and how the latter is not actually very beneficial to a company
• What happens when either the Visionary or the Integrator outgrow the role? How do you responsibly exit the relationship

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply to Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP83

To assess where you lay on the visionary/integrator spectrum, click here: https://rocketfueluniversity.com/assessments/

The Visionary/Integrator relationship is one I hear a lot of business owners wrestling with.  

Here is why - A lot of you likely fall on the visionary end of the spectrum.

You have a head full of ideas and a heart full of passion. You took the entrepreneurial leap and gave birth to what would become the business you own and lead today.

You saw opportunities where others didn’t and you have a natural ability to see what you COULD build.

But here's the thing. Visionaries can wreck companies. 

It’s possible to have too much vision, too many ideas. A Visionary can easily rip their team in a million directions or load them down with an unreasonable number of projects. Visionaries are also typically pretty terrible with holding accountability.

And your business pays for that.

The answer is to find an integrator. 

BUT

Just because you find an integrator, doesn’t mean your business will thrive. The Visionary/Integrator relationship is like a marriage. 

And just like a marriage needs frameworks, habits, and methods of communication that will set it up for a shot at long term success, so does the relationship between a visionary and an integrator.

Listen to this episode to hear from Mark Winters, the co-author of Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business

Mark shares the frameworks you’ll need to set up to successfully navigate the waters of one of businesses most powerful relationships.

Episode Highlights:

• The visionary/integrator dynamic and why it can lead to friction or harmony depending on the relationship
• The character traits of the visionary and the integrator and why you typically won’t be both
• Why not everyone wants to be the visionary, and why the integrator role is so important
• The benefits to a business that has both roles as opposed to business that only has one or the other leading the team
• The amount of Visionary 'Juice' that a business needs and why a businesses will die when the have too much vision
• 4 ‘Readiness Signs’ a visionary be aware of  that will tell them it’s time to go and find an integrator

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply to Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP82

To download the pricing calculator, click here:  https://www.bookkeepingacademyonline.com/pricing-calculator

Other Links Mentioned In This Podcast:

https://likesaccounting.com/

https://www.bookkeepingacademyonline.com/

https://jefflikescleanwindows.com/

http://profitstofreedom.com/

http://adminbootcampadventure.com/

Let’s say that I give you a challenge.

I tell you that you need to triple revenue in your business in 1 year…and if you can’t, I get to take it from you.

You’re probably already thinking, “How do I ramp up EVERYTHING by 3X? It’s TOO MUCH.”

Yeah…maybe you could pull it off, but it wouldn’t be easy…or fun.

Okay pause.

Now what if I told you that there’s a way to accomplish your 3x revenue growth simply by moving 3 VERY SPECIFIC levers forward by 5%,10% and 20%.

That’s it. Just the 3. Nothing else. And the lever you need to push by 20% can be moved overnight by sending 1 email with guaranteed results.

It’s not a pipe dream. When you see it and you run the math you realize it’s entirely possible. It will blow your mind how easy it can be.

Meaghan Likes, a Home Service Company owner and Certified Public Accountant figured this magic formula out and shares it with us in this episode of Contractor Evolution.

Would you like to know what the 3 levers are? Then listen to this full episode for all the details.

Episode Highlights:

• The real reason so many entrepreneurs avoid talking to their accountants and how to approach your accounting in a new mindset
• Why tracking Average Job Size (AJS) is so important and how to increase your AJS overnight
• How much you need to be raising your prices, when to do it, and why you should feel ZERO guilt about it
• If you have a poor Sales Ratio here’s what you can change in your customer experience that often corrects the problem
• The most common reason for high lead slippage, and how to train your team to reduce it in a day
• How to easily 3x your company revenue in a year with 3 simple moves in AJS, Sales Ratio, and Lead Slippage.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP81

Find the dripjobs CRM Here:  https://www.dripjobs.com/

If you’re ambitious and always looking for an opportunity, you might have thought about building a software product to ‘fill a gap’ in your business.

You hear this story on podcasts, or youtube videos…maybe from a friend. Some contractor out there got frustrated with a lack of software in their business and they decided to do something about it.

They decided to build it themselves.

And then became bajillionaires.

But is it really that easy?

To find out, we invited Tanner Mullen of Dripjobs to share the realities of building a software company while still running a painting business.

If you’d like to learn more about the SaaS building process, managing multiple companies, and how to sell your software, listen to this episode.

Episode Highlights:

• How to train your team to manage the client so you free up your time for other things
• How to manage your calendar when you're running 2 businesses and a family
• The process of designing a CRM with programmers when nothing else seems to fit your business model
• Tactics that work to gain the sales advantage when pitching a SAS product from a successful salesman turned contractor
• What a 'Unique Mechanism' is, and why most contractors are not using it to their advantage 
• What Tanner wishes he knew when he started both of his businesses

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP80

Download the 5 tips for keeping your trades and contracting business secure https://trybta.com/PCDLEP80.

Cyber security is something for tech companies, banks and nerds to worry about right?

Yeah, in 2010 maybe, but not anymore. 

There has been a STEEP rise in the number of attacks on small businesses the last few years and contractors are a prime target for hackers.

Why? 

Because in the trades we work with big chunks of cash AND most of us haven’t made the time to put cyber security as a top priority.

To a hacker, we’re the prime target.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about why you might be vulnerable, what hackers are after, and how to protect yourself.

Episode Highlights:

• What is going on high level that is leading to an increase in cyber security breaches in the contracting community
• The assets of value that hackers are looking for in a typical contracting company and how to protect them
• The most common threats and attacks you’ll be targeted for as a contractor
• What it costs you to buy security vs pay for damages
• The 4 stupid things most business owners do that leave themselves open to hacking
• How to tell if a software has legitimate security measures in place

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP79

Download your free resources for Project Management Secrets for Rapid Growth here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP79

A couple months ago we did a Project Management Roundtable with some of our highest performing members in the construction space.  

It was so popular and well received we thought we would release it as a Contractor Evolution episode.

As you no doubt have experienced, most (but not all) Project Managers in construction and trades are professional firefighters.  

This is a problem.  

Under equipped PM’s burn themselves out and eventually hurt morale, but more importantly mismanaged jobs can make or break our year end P&L’s.  

So we put together a live roundtable with Greg Hasler of Hasler Homes and Iain Kent of Eagleview Construction where we discuss their evolution story from chaotic to dialled in.

We dove into the systems that have made the biggest difference, and the personality profile of a rockstar PM as well as where you might find one.  

Episode Highlights:

• 3 PM 'Red Flags' that will tell you things can be improved on
• What makes a great PM (from the perspective of highly effective contractors)
• How to hold PMs accountable to the results they were hired to achieve in your business (including which KPI’s you should be tracking)
• The number of jobs should your PM's be able to manage at one time
• The PM qualifications you should you look for and where to send PMs to learn proper PM systems for your business
• The best way to keep your field crews (and your subs) engaged with the PM systems and actually filling out daily logs (spoiler - yes, it is possible)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP78

The Discount Code for 10% off Gembadocs is BTA10. Download the app or visit https://gembadocs.com/ to start your FREE 30-DAY TRIAL!

Also, get Tom’s book for free in multiple formats at https://improvementstartswithi.com/

If you don’t have clear SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) for all the things you do in your business you’re in trouble. 

Here’s why:

 - You won’t be able to scale

 - You can’t take a vacation

 - You can’t promote anyone on your team

 - It takes FOREVER to train new staff

 - You field a million questions everyday that suck your time

 - You’ll never be able to take a step back from operations

…the list goes on 

Not having clear SOP’s is why your business is a mess.

BUT if you don’t have them, it’s not your fault.

Because no one told you where to start, how to create them, how to have your SOP’s evolve with the business or WHO IN THE HELL would be creating all of these things?

However, now all of your obstacles are irrelevant. Someone has figured out how to get around all those challenges and more.

His name is Tom Hughes and he’s going to open your mind to the possibility of SOP’s that are highly effective and practically create themselves.

To learn Tom’s brilliant approach to these age old challenges, listen to this week's episode.

Episode Highlights:

• The reason why you can’t predictably grow a business without SOP’s
• How much value SOP's will give to the sale price of the business and peace of mind to the owner
• The 3 keys most owners miss when implementing SOP's that lead to a giant waste of time and money
• How to foster ownership and buy-in from the team by implementing bottom-up rather than top down SOP creation
• How to put SOPs at the point of use to make sure they actually get used instead of collecting dust
• Lastly, how to make the update process easy so that your SOPs grow with your business instead of falling out of date

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP77

Do you have a leadership team? Do you let them lead?

I’m sure you’ve probably heard that you need to hire a leadership team who will allow you to take a step back from the grind.

But rarely do you hear HOW to nurture that leadership team to a point where you feel comfortable letting them take over.

In this episode of Contractor Evolution, I meet with Dan Young of Kingdom Roofing Systems of Marion Indiana.

In just 3 short years (2018 to 2021) Dan grew Kingdom from 3 million in revenue to over 16 million.  

Contributing massively to this explosive growth is his Executive Leadership team, which over the years, he has assembled and trained with care and purpose.  

I wanted to have Dan on to talk about where he found these people and nurtured underappreciated talent into truly exceptional leaders.  

If you’ve been wondering what it actually takes to build a leadership team that will allow you to step back, listen to the full episode.

Episode Highlights:

• How the leadership team is organised in this 16M contracting company
• How to recruit a high-end leadership team from outside your industry and the attributes you should watch for in the people you interact with daily
• One way to nurture under-appreciated talent as opposed to expecting you'll have all the skills you’ll need in everyone you bring in
• How your role as a leader evolves as you go from 3M to 16M (hint - it’s both easier and harder)
• Striking the balance in a 'family vibe company' when you're running corporate systems
• The value of hiring women in the trades and what they bring to the organization that the men typically don't

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stop telling yourself the lies in this episode and start telling yourself the 7 TRUTHS in this free download instead: https://trybta.com/DL193

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here:  https://trybta.com/PCEP193 

For the first episode of 2025, Benji is speaking from the heart.

Today, he's calling out seven lies to stop telling yourself in 2025. And, really, seven lies we all need to stop telling ourselves.

We hope this episode helps you break unhealthy thought patterns. About your business. About your family. And most importantly, about yourself.

New year, new you. And new us, too. 

Episode Highlights:
- Understand whether seven unhealthy thought patterns are impacting your business and life, and how to let them go as you enter the new year.
- Reflect on the limiting beliefs that held you back in the past, and start to shift your thinking as you move into the future.

00:00-Intro
02:09-It’s “just a [insert industry] business”
04:32-Another business/industry would have been easier
08:39-It HAS to be hard
10:39-I need to be good at everything.
11:45-I’m not worthy of the abundance my business is creating
14:32-A+ Talent doesn't want to work for my business
16:32-I’m behind; everyone else is so far ahead

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP76

You ever heard that quote about the bumblebee flying? The one that goes, “Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it flies anyway.”

I feel like Tommy Mello didn’t get the memo that a garage door company traditionally caps around 10 Million.

When he was growing his company, Tommy looked around for inspiring models he could replicate and didn’t find much from the other garage door companies in the market. So instead of accepting industry norms, he looked elsewhere.

And now he’s sailing past 200 Million in revenue and says it’s just the beginning.

Listen to the full episode to learn about the 5 game changers that Tommy attributes to his unusual growth.

Episode Highlights:

• What Tommy & A1 Garage Doors needed to do to go from 800k to 200M
• Where to start when you know you need to dial in your finances but can't afford a CFO
• How to find and work with an integrator if you're the visionary
• The way a 200M contractor thinks and spends their time vs the way a 1M contractor thinks and spends their time
• When, during your growth, you need to start finding advisors, which ones will really move the needle for you, and how to filter out the crappy ones
• What advice Tommy would have given himself in the early years of his business that would have saved him a pile of headaches

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP75

Have you ever run a project and gotten so fed up with the people doing the job that you wished you could swap them out with robots?

Yeah, so did Garrett Moore…

…and then he built the robots.

While on deployment, this former Navy SEAL was getting so fed up with the sub-trades building his house that he decided to do something about it.

Now he runs Agorus, a company that blends construction, robotics manufacturing, and software to build custom residential homes.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about this super ingenuitive company and how they are disrupting the building industry.

Episode Highlights:

• Garrett Moore's frustration with the contracting industry & what was happening on the macro level that led to the start of Agorus
• The current state of decline for skilled workers and where we will be by the end of the decade
• The true size and scale of the housing crisis in North America the demand for construction and trades its creating
• How Agorus designs and manufactures custom homes using software and robotics - and then is able to erect to lockup  in 5 days or less
• What smart contractors should do right now to stay ahead over the next decade
• What serving in the Navy SEALS taught Garrett about team building in construction and how to pinpoint entrepreneurs that show signs of success

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP74

Build A Long Client Waitlist Using These 4 Sales Documents: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP74

When selling to your prospects and customers, do you ever get tired of answering the same exact questions over and over again?  

Are you ever bored by the sound of your own voice, endlessly running through the same talking points, addressing the same concerns, constantly explaining the same process sometime multiple times a day?

What if you could replicate yourself for those conversations? 

You’d both save yourself some time AND you could talk to all the potential clients you’re struggling to get to right now.

Well, guess what. You can. Kind of.

We live in an age where you can create a piece of sales collateral and it will continue to sell long after you’ve created it.

Yet, there’s a lot of testing that goes into WHAT to create.

In this episode, Jamie Overley of Boulder Land Design shares the 4 pieces of sales collateral that she has found are the most effective in getting the sale, and then driving reviews and referrals after the project is complete.

Oh, and she has been booked out over a year for the last 3 years PLUS continued to raise her prices, so something is working.

Learn how this former marketing exec is sailing past the competition with her easy to replicate 4 part process. 

Episode Highlights:

• What consumer habits have evolved into and how to play to the change in behaviour in 2022
• How to make sure that the customer gets the right sales message every time no matter who they talked to
• The red flags that tell you you are doing a poor job communicating your brand
• 4 examples of easy sales collateral that you can create and the details that go into each piece
• Why you should build a 'post project' package and what goes into it to drive referrals and reviews
• Tips for managing a huge backlog of inquires when your sales collateral works too well

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP73

If you’ve ever felt like your profit should be increasing with your revenue, you’re not alone.

If revenue goes up…profit goes up. Right? It’s simple math. It should work like that.

You think if you just work a little harder, push a little more…POOF… you’ll magically crest revenue hill. Economies of scale will kick in and all of the sudden you’ll have the kind profit you’ve always wanted.

But it doesn’t work like that.

If your revenues have been growing, but your profits aren’t matching the same growth rates (or exceeding), then you, my friend, have a very simple problem.

One that is pretty easy to fix if you know what to look for.

Listen to what this husband and wife team did when they found they had the same problem in their $4M landscaping company and how they fully controlled profits from that point out:

• The reason why profits didn't change even though revenue was seriously increasing
• 1 file that CLS implemented which made the biggest difference in their business growth and profit margins.
• The mental struggle with being a contractor vs working in a white collar industry and how to shift your mindset
• How to install a strong leadership team to manage multiple locations PLUS the roles you need to hire and in what priority order
• What advice would Cooper and Janelle have given themselves back when they started
• What it's like to find balance between 60 staff, 3 kids and themselves

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP72

Download The Rapid Hire Hiring Funnel Here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP72

Check out Rapid Hire Here: https://rapidhirepro.com/

As a millennial myself, I take a small amount of personal offense whenever I hear frustrated contractors verbally bash my entire generation (or young people broadly speaking) for their supposed lack of work ethic, chronic ADD, and apparent disinterest in construction and trades.  

I admittedly roll my eyes a little anytime I hear someone throw their hands up in frustration and declare: “These young people I tell ya, no one wants to work these days”.  

If you listen to this podcast, you know this is a recurring theme on the show.  

Having said all that, I also deeply empathise with the business owner whose phone is ringing off the hook with potential customers but can’t seem to hire enough good people.

Which is why this episode is so monumental. Our guest today, Jody Underhill, has figured out how to deliver a literal flood of qualified applicants to almost any contractor.

Don’t believe me?

Listen to the full episode to learn more about all the genius ways Jody has sailed past traditional hiring methods to deliver as many applicants as he needs.

Episode Highlights:

• Why young people aren't responding to trades ads, and what you can do to attract them.
• The statistical results between marketing on social media vs traditional digital job boards
• The exact formula for ad copy that gets high #'s of applicants and sets you apart from the competition
• How to structure your application page and what you need include in your employer brand promo video to get a high level of applicants (hint, it’s not you talking about the company)
• How to run hundreds of video interviews without the interviewer actually being involved
• The statistical difference between using email vs text and which medium brings in stacks of applications

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP71

Nothing in the world of contracting sucks the life out of you or your team like a miserable client. A sorry SOB whose apparent mission in life is to ruin yours.  It almost seems they take pleasure in the process.

What I’m saying is I think we can all agree that avoiding the crazies is in your best interest.  And the sooner the better.

After running my own painting company and talking to over 1000 contractors, I’ve noticed there are a few client patterns that have emerged in our collective experience.

I should mention, this list is by no means exhaustive and if you have your own red flags I’d love you to leave them in the comments of this episode's Youtube video. I read all the comments you guys put in there.

Episode Highlights (6 Key Phrases That Should Raise A Red Flag):

• “Can I help out? And what kind of discount will I get if I do?”
• “We bought the materials already, just charge us for labor.”
• “I could do this myself, I’m just so busy”
• “I’m a realtor and I’ve flipped many houses so I know what things cost.”
• “I have a brother-in-law who does some flooring. Can he be involved?”
• “I’m super busy, do we have to meet?”

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP70

Download the Mental Fitness Framework and Quiz Here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP70

Connect with Fyfe here: https://www.uplifementalfitness.com/

If you roll into a multi-day hike with tons of vertical and a 50-pound pack after 6 months on the couch eating Doritos, chances are you’re probably not going to have the best time.

But what about if you're asking a lot of your mind?  

How many stressful situations do you encounter in your business in a single day?

How often is intense focus demanded of you even though your batteries are drained?

In its simplest form, mental fitness is your capacity to handle life's challenges with a positive rather than negative mindset.

We, as humans, have all formed negative self-sabotaging characteristics that protected us while we were young. However, these same saboteurs can ultimately lead to downfall if we don’t recognize them.

In this episode, we have Fyfe Barraclough on to explain the 10 saboteurs that exist, which ones are most common in entrepreneurs, and what we can all do to turn self-sabotage into opportunity.

Listen to the full episode to learn how you can transform your metal liabilities into tangible assets.

Episode Highlights:

• The definition of mental fitness and when a contractor would need to be concerned about it
• The neuroscience science behind mental fitness and why large organisations are starting to pay attention to the training
• The 10 saboteurs that we form to protect ourselves when we’re young but can hold us back as adults
• The common saboteurs that plague entrepreneurs specifically and examples of what they look like in the workplace
• How to play "mental judo" and turn your stress induced self sabotage into an opportunity instead
• The observable benefits of someone who actively works on their mental fitness vs someone who doesn’t

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP69

On this episode of Contractor Evolution, we’ve brought in Anthony Langdon of Asset Roofing in Seattle WA.  It wasn’t too long ago that Anthony’s business hit a ceiling because he was always stuck on the roof.  No pun intended.  

In 2018 his business was doing 400k a year in revenue while he worked 80 hours a week due to a lack of systems.  Anthony was making money, but he was breaking his back for it.  

He owned a job, essentially.

Today, only 4 years later, his business is trending to do over 10 Million dollars in revenue with a net profit margin north of 20%.

How?

Listen as Anthony breaks down the most critical business systems that lead to this remarkable growth - both in mindset and in revenue.

Episode Highlights:

• The first system Anthony built that led to his epiphany moment
• The most fundamental systems that Anthony implemented in his business which led to exponential growth
• Of the hundreds of systems you can implement in a business, Anthony shares where he started and what he tackled in order after that
• What to do if your entire team isn’t buying into the changes you’re trying to make for the health of the business
• Outside of systems, Anthony shares 3 key areas that required a complete overhaul and despite pressure, he didn’t compromise in
• What Anthony’s life looks like now in the day-to-day after completely re-inventing the way he ran his business

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP68

Your business is a “For-Profit Entity”.  

Profits are a slippery business though.

Sometimes it can feel like what you made on paper and what is in your bank account don’t quite line up.  

Sometimes top-line growth doesn’t translate to bottom-line growth. 

And sometimes it's only a few expense categories on our P&L that are giving us all the headache.

Listen to the full episode and we’ll show you where and how contractors most commonly destroy their year-end profits

Episode Highlights:

• Why it’s so easy for your overhead efficiency to spiral out of control and the best way to track your overhead deliverables
• The difference between managing expectations in your "Ditch Diggers" vs managing expectations with your more abstract roles
• Managing increasing material costs and why you NEED to take action in your business to mitigate them and not just accept tightening margins
• The two kinds of companies when it comes to addressing inflation and why one thrives while the other fails
• Why writing off big expenses at the end of the year to offset your tax bracket is a bad move
• How your ego can tank your financials if you aren’t very careful

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP67

Tradie Web Guys - https://www.tradiewebguys.com.au/BTA

“Create Content” is such an easy thing for some marketing guru to tell you to do. 

But those people are the same A-holes that sit in front of a screen all day and have no realistic clue what goes into running the average contracting company. 

On top of that, why on God’s green earth would you take the time you don’t have to bring in leads when you’re flooded with work already?

I’ll tell you why.

Demand.

Creating a list of 1000’s of people that want to work with you allows you to raise your prices SIGNIFICANTLY.

Demand is the reason some contractors are able to charge 3 to 4 times more than average.

In order to show you how to create that kind of demand (without eating up your entire work day filming selfies) we have plumber turned marketing expert Matt Jones on the show.

Listen to the full episode to learn some stupidly simple things you can do to dial in your content strategy and build your brand presence. 

Episode Highlights:

• What it means for a contractor to have a "Content Strategy" in 2022 and what you can expect for results if you get it right
• An easy way to tell your story in a way that leads to sales (even if you think you’ll be terrible at it)
• How much work it (really) is to produce content as a contractor and the easy incentive to get your team to produce content for the business so you don’t have to
• The communication mediums you should use in 2022 to target an upper-middle-class demographic
• Why it’s a huge advantage to produce content even if you have more than enough work
• The obvious “RED FLAG” mistakes on contractor websites that actively push ideal clients away

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP192 

Have you ever wondered how the masters of big business scale up to nine-figures and beyond?

Today’s guest is Adam E. Coffey, author of 3 bestsellers: The Private Equity Playbook, The Exit Strategy Playbook, and Empire Builder: The Road to a Billion. After 10 years as an executive at General Electric, he was hired as the president of three private equity-backed service companies where he completed 58 acquisitions and facilitated billions of dollars in successful exits. 

In this episode, we pick his brain about how small-to-medium sized contractors like you can apply the concepts of The Private Equity Playbook to their business systems and operations. And trust us, there is a ton to be learned from our conversation.

Episode highlights:
- Get a breakdown of the concepts in Adam E.Coffey’s bestselling books, The Private Equity Playbook, The Exit Strategy Playbook, and Empire Builder: The Road to a Billion.
- Learn the three stages of business growth on the road to a billion, and what tactics and areas of focus are most important at each point in the journey.
- Understand how to apply the mindset and tactics used in the world of private equity to your own strategic plan.

00:00-Intro
01:23-About Adam Coffey
06:22-Stage 1 : $0 to $1MM
16:26-Stage 2: $1 M to $10MM
32:17-Stage 3: $10MM to $100MM
42:40-Four Powerful Organic Levers to Bend Your Growth Curve Upward
50:27-The 2 Most Essential Business Skills for Growth
53:39-Connect With Adam

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP66

As you might have guessed by the title, we’re talking about books in this episode of Contractor Evolution?

Why? 

Because someone way smarter than you has devoted DECADES of their life mastering a principle that will significantly impact you in a positive way.

And you can choose to ignore that fact…or you can absorb a lifetime of learning in roughly a day.

There’s a reason we say leaders are readers. Leaders have accumulated hundreds of lifetimes of wisdom and then are able to apply it to their specific circumstances. Simply put, leaders that read have a huge strategic advantage.

And if you don’t like reading, guess what, all the books we’re talking about have audio versions.

So click the icons below for a fresh list of 9 books from our contractor top picks.

Episode Highlights:

• Learn to see and stop problems before they happen so your days of firefighting can come to an end
• A framework for making better decisions in work and life
• The best way to make huge changes in your life through small, everyday actions
• Why you should never believe you’ll be happy "Once you make it" and why you’re selling yourself short on the possibility of a fulfilling life starting now
• Everything in you life is a negotiation - here’s how to master the art of creating win-win scenarios
• Navigating the road ahead by finding your centre and coming back to what’s true when the world is an ever changing tumultuous mess

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP65

Do you ever feel like a fraud?

In certain situations do you ever feel like you are one minor mistake, one missed detail away from being found out by everyone as a phony?  

Do you sometimes feel totally under qualified to occupy the position that you do?

Flawed, imperfect, error-prone, human?

If you do, that CAN be healthy. Or, it can ruin you.

Either way, you aren’t alone.

Click the links below to get my take on Imposter Syndrome and why it affects so many contractors.

Episode Highlights

• A definition of imposter syndrome and some of the key signs to look out for in yourself of others
• An anecdotal observation about imposter syndrome after speaking with over 1000 contractors and diving deep into their mental and emotional challenges
• The surprising reason that an unusually high number of contractors are prone to feeling imposter syndrome and why it might be a sign you’re on the right track
• Why you shouldn't block out your negative emotions and how to listen and act on them in a healthy way
• 3 Practical steps to manage imposter syndrome if you think you have it
• The dangers of trying to mask a lack of confidence by being overly confident

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP64

To download “LEAN in a nutshell” click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP64

To learn more about Paul Akers click here: https://paulakers.net/

To learn more about Fastcap click here: https://www.fastcap.com/

The average American worker (across industries) outputs about $150/hour worth of value a day.  

Our guest in this episode, Paul Akers, runs a company called Fastcap who’s workers now output $500-$700 a day and are happier than when the company started. He’s been so recognized for his work that he’s been invited to speak and consult with companies like Mercedes Benz, Amazon, and the US Navy.

So what’s his secret sauce?

It’s a concept he stole from Toyota and applied to his business. He tells us only 2% of contractors ever ‘get it’ and he wants to share with those who will listen.

Episode highlights:

• How LEAN production revolutionized the job site and the 8 areas where you can eliminate wasted time, material, costs
• The state of the average job site in North America and why it’s not where you want to be
• How to apply LEAN principles to a contracting business model with specific examples
• The "Quick Wins" you want to start with to see some immediate results
• The best way to retrain your team to see the waste and what needs to happen to create an ongoing culture of continuous improvement
• What to do about the team member that fights the change and get them totally bought in

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.