Get access to Benji and Mike's favorite mindfulness practices here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP176

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP176 

Did you know the average employee loses 600 hours a year due to distractions?

That’s a lot of untapped potential.

And a lot of anxious people.

Our guest on the show today is Mike Lee, a best-selling author and globally recognized keynote speaker whose entire body of work is dedicated to helping leaders find focus, block out distractions, and get more done with a calmer mind.

Mike and I talk about how to be more present in the way you work, live and lead. From separating yourself from the constant notifications, algorithms and open tabs to dealing with the anxiety that comes with owning a business, leading people and being a human in 2024.

If you want to be more focused, more present and more mindful, this one’s for you.

Get Mike's book, New Rules for the Future of Leadership here: https://mindshiftlabs.com/new-rules-for-the-future-of-leadership/

Episode highlights:
- Learn about the real cost distractions have to our businesses and our personal lives.
- Get tips on practicing focus, mindfulness and presence from best-selling author and globally recognized keynote speaker Mike Lee.
- Find out what working with athletes like Steph Curry taught Mike about the power of mindset in achieving success on the court and in business.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP175

To learn more about Ryan and Brush Strokes, click here: https://brushstrokesga.com/

Today’s episode is your daily dose of inspiration. 

Ryan Gill, Breakthrough Academy Member and owner of Brush Strokes Quality Painting in Georgia, has quite the story. He’s battled addiction, struggled with his mental health, and been on the brink of bankruptcy three times.

And today, he runs a thriving painting company with a mission to give back.

Through an unconventional hiring strategy, Ryan gives second chances to ex-inmates and individuals in addiction recovery programs while maintaining the highest standard of quality and world-class customer service.

His story powerfully reminds us of the bigger role our businesses play in making the world a better place.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP166 

To download our FREE Strategic Planning Tool, click here: https://trybta.com/DLEP166 

Private equity buying up contracting companies is a popular subject lately.

You may have seen Instagram posts and articles about entrepreneurs who’ve struck it rich by selling their businesses to mysterious private equity investors.

But, what does that actually mean?

Today, we’re going to learn what it's ACTUALLY like to sell to private equity investors, from someone who's done it.

Over the course of 30 years, Steve Wheatcroft grew his humble landscaping business called Urban Life Solutions into a 30MM behemoth that - no surprise - caught the eye of private equity. 

After the deal was done in late 2019, Steve remained the CEO for another three years and helped the new ownership scale through more acquisitions to 100 MM.

And in today’s episode, he shares the unfiltered truth about what selling to private equity is really like. 

The good. 

The bad. 

And the ugly. 

And there is plenty of all three. 

Enjoy.

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/PCEP165 

A changing market can mean fewer leads, slower decision-making, and lower average job size.

While punchy Facebook ads, a decent website, and a Google Business profile may have been enough to get the phones ringing in the past, passive marketing is just not cutting it for contractors in 2024.

According to today’s guest Sam Taggart, now is the time to try one of the most tried and tested methods of “getting in front of your customer” — meeting them where they live. 

Literally.

As the founder and CEO of The D2D Experts, Sam helps hundreds of companies build successful and cost-efficient Door-to-Door Sales teams every year, and today, he’s going to teach us how to: 

• Hire enthusiastic door knockers
• Build your own script using a proven framework
• Design a compensation plan for your D2D team
• …and more.

If you’re door-to-door curious or looking for a more active marketing channel to add this year, this episode is a must-listen.

To learn more about Sam and his door-to-door sales coaching, check out The D2D Experts: https://thed2dexperts.com/ 

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.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP63

To download the Sales Handoff Project Charter and DECA analysis click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP63

Misaligned expectations between contractor and client are the route of all evil when it comes to:

• Hitting or missing budget
• Finishing the project on time or way behind schedule
• And creating a happy customer who will refer you for years or not.

Sales handoff is one of the most critical links in the overall chain that is your business’s workflow.  

Get this right and producing the job you sold can, believe it or not, go off without a hitch.  

Get it wrong though and your production team can be stuck in a hellish nightmare for way longer than planned, hurting the project’s profitability and team unity.  

Your sales handoff can seem more straightforward than it actually is though, which is why we’ve got Paul Atherton, one of BTA’s most senior coaches on for this episode.

Click the icons below to learn the 6 things Paul tells us your sales team needs to share with your production team for a headache free job.

• How to prevent "I thought you guys would do this too" from the customer (and end death by 1000 requests)
• What it looks like to set “bumper guards” on the job so things like deadline and expenditures don’t get out of hand
• The common assumptions that will kill your project
• The best way to avoid false promises during the quoting process from being made in the first place
• How to use a Project Charter to insure everything is communicated properly at key points along the project
• Using a DECA Analysis to be able to ask the right questions at the start of the job

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Business Assessment with Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP62

You can find Barrett’s Company Cadence Real Estate at: https://www.cadencere.com/

Just 13 years ago, Barrett was working as a bags-on carpenter fresh out of school. 

Since then, he has not only built an extremely successful construction company but has also become a full-blown multi-family developer. 

His company, Cadence Real Estate, which is actually composed of 4 subsidiaries, now owns over 380 Million dollars worth of Real Estate in the Seattle area and is expanding beyond. NBD.

To learn Barrett’s somewhat unique approach to business development click the icons below.

• The 2 core systems Barrett implemented that really moved the needle in his business
• How to run effective Strategic Planning when you run 4 companies
• How to select the leaders and leadership traits for the business you run
• 2 Key lessons learned going from 0 to 380M and what Barrett would change if could start again
• Barrett's strategy for managing capital and investment in a business that has huge swings in revenue
• Barrett's advice to young contractors today and his reflection on opportunity in 2022 sharing similarities to opportunity in 2008

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click: https://trybta.com/PCEP61

Aleph Holdings: https://www.alephholdings.com/

This painter crushes it by buying into his competition

You may have, at some point, pondered the idea of supercharging your growth by buying another business.

Entrepreneurs naturally see opportunity all around them - owners that don’t know what they’re doing, older guys trying to get out, young untapped potential rising up.

And to be clear, your intuition isn’t wrong, the opportunity is out there.

What we want to do is make sure you don’t get blown up by the hundreds of proverbial landmines that can lay hidden under the surface of those businesses.

Learn from our guest Jason Paris, who’s built a 10M+ painting empire and shares many of the red flags to watch out for, by clicking the icons below.

Highlights:

• The pro's and con's of buying out other businesses within your industry
• The types of businesses and people you should be looking looking to partner with and the red flags that mark the ones you should avoid
• How to value businesses when you're looking to buy them out
• The internal systems in the seller's business that matter when you are the purchaser
• The buying process from start to finish
• The first goals/systems/structures that you should implement in a business once you've purchased it

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click: https://trybta.com/PCEP60

Perficut Website: https://perficut.com/

Ballard Inc Landscaping Products: https://www.ballard-inc.com/

If you have ever wondered what it takes to expand into a new market, begin operations in a new city, or even a new state, this episode is a must-listen.  Our guest for this episode is Kory Ballard, founder of Perficut Site Management.  

Kory started as a teenager, borrowing his dad's mower to do his neighbor's lawns and save up for a moped. 

Fast forward a couple of decades, and Perficut would become a massive full-service commercial landscaping company with nearly 200 employees operating in 3 different cities across 2 states.  

Quite recently, Kory sold Perficut to a national site management brand…kind of the dream exit actually.  He now focuses 100% of his time on Ballard-Inc.,  an equipment and accessory manufacturing company for landscapers.  

Kory is a classic entrepreneur: successful enough to retire, but so driven he can’t - at least not yet.

We wanted to have Kory on to share his lived experience. What is it ACTUALLY like to push your brand to its limit and expand into new territories? What is unexpectedly hard about it?  What are the financial implications and risks? How do you choose where to go? How does your role as a leader change?  And What systems make this possible?

Like many things in life, actually doing the thing is many orders of magnitude harder than daydreaming about it.  And that's why this episode is a good one.  Kory gives us the unpolished reality of what it takes to expand geographically.

In this episode we learn:

• How to determine when you've saturated your current geographic market
• What is the best way to pick your next market
• The business systems to you need to have fully functional before you consider opening a new branch
• The financial implications of starting a new branch
• How you as a leader will need to change to lead multiple locations
• The challenges you don't think about when you decide to expand

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click: https://trybta.com/PCEP59

As we say all the time on the Contractor Evolution show, business is a game you have to play for the long run.

One situation you are inevitably going to face at some point, or many points, is an economic downturn. Or Recession. Or Meltdown. Whatever you (or the media) wants to call it.

You get what I’m saying though. Business isn’t just about winning when the times are good and everyone is fat and happy.  You also need to know how to play the game when things aren't so flush.

Now I want to be clear. We are not economists. We don’t have a crystal ball. We’re not in any way trying to guess what the market is going to do. 

However, we do try to stay current and provide value to our listeners, and lately this conversation, around the market, what's ahead, and what to do, seems to be coming up a lot with our contractors.   

While we’ll be the first to tell you we have NO IDEA what’s going to happen, I think we can all agree there are a lot of flags on the field right now. There are a lot of scary headlines, and that's making people nervous.  Fair enough.

In this episode Igor and I are going to go over:

• Why a downturn isn't a bad thing and how to look at it from a new perspective
• How to identify true revenue drivers vs 'nice to haves'
• Why you need to create 2 business plans and 2 budgets when times are unstable, and what the 2 plans should look like
• The true costs of laying people off (which is beyond the loss of ROI)
• What reserves should you keep in place to make it through a rough period?
• What percentage of monthly revenue should you put away for a rainy day?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To apply for a Breakthrough Academy Business Assessment click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP58

Download your free Budget Tool for Rapid Growth here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP58

Today’s Episode is a case study with Curtis and Channell Murray of 180 Kitchens: A kitchen cabinet refacing business based in Vancouver BC.  Listen carefully now okay?  In one short year, they accomplished the following.

 -They increased their top line revenue by 250%

 -They moved their net profit from an already healthy 15% to a world class 22%

 -They doubled the size of their team 

 - And they both work 15 hours a week less than they did before

- Oh and just as a side note, they did all this with 3 kids under 5.

So the obvious question is HOW?  That’s what we’re going to unpack here over the next half an hour.  We’re going to get into the story of how they tamed the chaos in their business, and most importantly they’re going to break down the three most crucial systems that underpinned this tremendous growth.

• Why, despite having a clear vision, Channell and Curtis struggled to make any gains towards it.
• What the first year of Breakthrough Academy was like and the unexpected learnings
• The first ‘big secret’ that led to a significant shift in how work got done at 180 kitchens
• 3 of the ‘big picture’ management tactics Channell and Curtis changed to create massive growth in 1 year
• How 180 Kitchens use GSR's to keep everything running efficiently and significantly reduced the need for BS meetings
• What life looks like now vs 2 years ago for Channell and Curtis

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP57

To download the Hiring & Recruiting Tactics, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP57

About 2 months ago we put on our first digital Contractor Evolution Summit where we focused on recruiting and hiring.

We had so many questions during the live event that we couldn’t get to them all so here are an additional 9 questions that were too good not to respond to.

By the end of this episode you’ll know:

• Whether you should focus on recruiting "lifers' or also consider people you know will stay only a few years?
• If it’s a good idea to hire someone that aspires to run their own business
• The percentage of annual revenue that you should allocate to recruiting
• How do you get a high volume of applicants from your job ads and drive traffic to your ‘Work With Us’ page
• How to market to people that are already employed but not steal employees from your competitors
• When we recommend personality testing to determine culture/role fit in your company and how it can save you a huge amount of headaches

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP164 

To access Ken’s path to a successful life course click here: https://courses.kenrusk.com/a/2147833006/FaqKwmD9

For the past few decades, we’ve been steering kids towards university and away from the trades, but why?

The average North American college grad is underskilled and in debt, especially compared to their blue-collar friends who skipped the college experience and got on the job site. 

Today, I’m talking with Ken Rusk, a lifelong contractor and author of Blue-Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future, and Find Happiness for Life. He’s got some insights on the benefits of choosing a blue-collar career and shares some fascinating statistics that kids are definitely not learning in school.

Learn from Ken how to paint a bright picture of a future in trades and construction and use that narrative to recruit the young talent you need.

So…is blue-collar work making a comeback?

Tune in to find out.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interested in working with us? Let's chat: https://trybta.com/PCEP56

To download the Hiring & Recruiting Tactics, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP56

When it comes to solving business problems there will always be hundreds of theoretical or formulaic sounding answers floating around out there.  

There is certainly value in these more textbook concepts, but one of the best ways we entrepreneurs learn is by simply listening to how other entrepreneurs have solved the same problem.

The problem we’re going to dissect in today's episode is a recruiting and hiring one. 

Today on the show we’re excited to have Brett Farrington, owner of Renova Exteriors and Holiday Spirit Lighting. 

In the late summer and early fall of 2021 Brett was faced with a massive recruiting gap. His projections for the year's sales and production clearly showed he would need about 16 staff to get through his busy season and execute everything. 

This created a pretty real “Oh Shit” moment for Brett, because at the time Brett only had 4 people on payroll.  Now what's cool about this epiphany, and the steps he took thereafter, is his complete refusal to blame external factors or feel sorry for himself.  

Brett faced a seemingly insurmountable problem and instead of comforting himself with the all-too-often used excuses (millennials suck, covid ruined the workforce, no one wants to work) he put his head down and got to work.  

Now I don’t want to give away too many spoilers cuz I really want you to hear it from him, but some of the highlights for me were:

• The game plan that Brett came up with to eliminate the labour challenge he was facing
• How to methodically establish the #'s needed to run a successful recruiting strategy
• How Brett reverse engineered who he was trying to hire and how that played into the job ads descriptions
• The web and visual assets every contractor should create before running a recruiting campaign
• How Brett implemented a unique and highly effective incentivized employee referral system
• The mind-blowing results that Brett got by changing his recruiting tactics from ‘old school’ to ‘new school’

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP55

You can find the Building Business Youtube Channel From Job Nimbus here: https://youtu.be/dg25mpaz7eM

If you took a survey of contractors right after the implementation of their first CRM or Project Management tool, many of the responses you’d get would sound something like:

• That was awful
• My head nearly exploded
• Truly the worst 6 months of my life for me and my team
• I never want to go through that again

Technology and software are supposed to make your business life simpler and more efficient.  So why do most entrepreneurs talk about the adoption period like veterans talk about the war or mothers talk about childbirth?  

This whole “tech overwhelm” thing, especially for contractors, is something we’ve been wanting to get some answers on for a while now, which is why we are so excited to have Ben Hodson on the show today.  Ben is the Co-Founder and CEO of JobNimbus which is one of our favorite pieces of contractor software, and we thought who would be better to teach us how to implement technology headache-free, than the guy who builds it.  

We’re fans of Ben and JobNimbus for a couple of reasons. It's super customizable and integrates easily with everything. It's relatively simple to implement compared to other CRM’s and they have a dynamite customer support team that is super hands on. 

So if you’ve purchased a CRM and barely used it, if you’ve been frustrated by your tech stack or lack thereof, or if you’re still managing your business on a spreadsheet but you’re ready to take the leap… this episode is a must listen.

By the end of this episode you’ll know:

• The difference between contractors that struggle to implement new systems vs those that find it pretty easy
• How to use an “I.C.E.” decision making matrix to ensure you select the right CRM to begin with
• How to avoid the common “employee pushback” scenario and foster adoption of any new tech system
• How to identify all of the problems you face in business as one of two factors which then become easier to solve
• The elements of the trades and contracting sectors are ripe for disruption and what you need to be getting ready for
• The things that a serial CEO Ben Hodson wished he had learned earlier when running businesses

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP54

To get the Team Event Planning Checklist click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP54

The interconnectivity of the individuals on your team is a huge predictor of success.  

When people know and trust each other they’re more likely to collaborate together on important work, they’re more likely to be honest with each other when it counts, and your business will be better for it.  

Your employees need to form deeper relationships than simply “someone I work with” in order maximize productivity and truly love their work; and part of your job as a leader is  to foster this. 

In this episode of Contractor Evolution Igor and I discuss how to breed infectious team culture through better team events.  

We talk about how to plan and execute gatherings and get-togethers that your staff will rave about and thank you for.

By the end of this episode you’ll learn:

• Why quality time off site with your team is so important to the quality of work getting done
• Things you as the leader should consider before planning a team event to get the most out of it
• Dozens of ideas that you can use to create team events that are fun, unique, and have a positive impact on your team, the business and the community
• How often you should be running team events depending on the size of your company
• How much you should budget for team events and what can you expect for ROI
• Some of the positive signs you will notice if you run team events for a year or more that go beyond profit

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP53

To get the Contract Checklist click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP53

You want to keep your A$$ out of trouble. 

All ventures, big and small, face some form of legal risk and whether you realize it or not, the business of contracting is on the riskier end of the spectrum.

You put thousands of hours of work every year into growing your company, not to mention the millions of dollars that get spent in the pursuit of growth. To do all of that on a shaky legal foundation is like building your dream home on sand.

Because of this, smart entrepreneurs put effort and money behind proactive, preventative legal work, so that they can feel confident that the effort and money they are putting in is working to build something that will last. 

Our guest on the show for this episode is Trent Cotney, Partner at the firm Adams & Reese.  

Trent has been practicing construction law for 23 years and runs a large team of lawyers within the firm that specialize in various specifics of construction law.  He’s written two books related to OSHA defense for contractors and is the General Counsel for the National Roofing Contractors Association. Needless to say, he is the best in the business when it comes to protecting yourself, and all things legal in our industry.

In today’s conversation, we get into:

• Some of the most typical legal risks that a contractor faces and how to prevent them
• What a contractor needs to know about corporate structure and how to protect themselves
• Why when you cut and paste contracts from google you could be seriously screwing yourself
• How manuals and SOP's in your business serve a much bigger function than just getting the work done
• How to cover your butt when it comes to safety on site
• Why you need a crisis management plan and what goes into one so chaos doesn’t break out when things go sideways

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Free Trial for CompanyCam: https://app.companycam.com/signup?email=

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP52

In this week’s episode of Contractor Evolution I sat down with a guest we’ve been trying to pin down for awhile, Luke Hansen.

Luke is the founder and CEO of a CompanyCam, our favourite photo storage and site management app. Company Cam is purpose-built for contractors - it’s an intuitive platform to help you snap, store, sync and share photos of your jobs so that you, the owner, can better understand what's happening on site. 

No, I’m not getting paid to say this, I just really believe in what Luke and his team are doing.

It’s so much easier to empower your crews to make decisions and drive production without having to get in your truck and go out and see them if you have great photo management. Plus, it covers your butt if anything goes to the lawyers.

Luke in particular is one of my favourite CEOs in the contracting space. Not only because his product rocks but because he has a really unique perspective on life and business

It's important to mention that before building a software and pitching venture capitalists, Luke was a roofer working for his family business White Castle Roofing so he understands the lived experience of the contractor because that was him not that long ago.

In this episode with Luke Hansen we unpack:

• The problem Luke saw in his own business that led to the creation of CompanyCam
• How photo sharing empowers your staff and requires far less of the owner's time
• The 3 traits that separate a dreamer from a visionary with traction
• When it’s ok to look stupid in front of your peers
• How to know when it's time to delegate and elevate tasks as a leader
• Why perfection can easily be an enemy of something good

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP51

To download the Active Listening Framework, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP51

There is one skill out there that very few people engage in, but when executed well leads to stronger social connections, increases your ability to problem solve, makes you a more interesting person, builds trust, and increases your effectiveness as a leader.

That skill is active listening.

I realize that listening seems like a no brainer, and you might feel the desire to skip over this topic, but if that’s what you’re feeling then this episode is probably exactly what you need right now.

Active listening isn’t as easy as you think. In fact it’s one of those skills that can take YEARS to perfect.

Which is why I want to run through a bit of a ‘Crash Course’ on how to improve your ability to get more out of your conversations simply by being a better listener.

In today’s episode we’ll cover:

• How to maintain intense attention during a conversation, especially when you are naturally distractible
• The kind of body language, eye contact, and verbal cues you need to display to show you are open to listening to what a person has to say
• The best way to empathize with the person you are talking to so they feel comfortable opening up
• What you need to say after they’ve completed their statement so they feel they’ve been heard and understood
• The kind of detailed follow up questions you SHOULD be asking to keep the conversation interesting and yourself well informed
• The exact cues you need to be looking for that tell you you’re doing a good job

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP50

To download the Canadian Immigration Roadmap, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP50

Have you ever considered bringing in skilled workers from abroad?

Think about it… you as an entrepreneur can’t find the people you need at home, so the next logical step is to seek help elsewhere. If overcoming the labour shortage and growing your business is something you care about, immigration and foreign worker programs are things you NEED to consider.  And the sooner, the better.  

A surprising fact here in Canada is that our current demographic modelling shows that by early 2030, our population growth will grind to a halt and large scale immigration is likely the only way to fix that problem. Therefore, bringing in foreign help is quickly becoming NOT optional, and this applies to individual businesses and the economy as a whole.

When done correctly, recruiting and integrating foreign workers into your business and community is a win/win. And it's something that you, the evolving contractor, need to have on your radar.

Our guest on Episode 50 of Contractor Evolution is Brooke Finlay, Managing Partner of Whistler Immigration. Brooke is an entrepreneur and a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant. She and her team help over 200 clients a year navigate the immigration process.  Her firm connects business owners in construction and trades with the international talent and human capital they desperately need. 

Quick caveat. Brooke’s firm services Canada only (except Quebec). This conversation and the trends we discuss are still super relevant for our many American listeners, but we would advise you to find a local immigration consultant.

By the end of this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why the need to bring in help from abroad exists in the first place
• The viability of using immigration as a tool to keep up with your recruiting needs
• What you, as the employer, are responsible for when bringing in a foreign worker
• How much it costs to bring in foreign labour
• The pro’s and con's of bringing in foreign workers
• Success stories of contractors who've brought in foreign workers
  
  

PS - To get in touch with Brooke Finlay and Whistler Immigration, visit https://whistlerimmigration.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP49

To download the Critical Convos Template click: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP49

The Los Angeles Rams have on the wall of their locker room a mantra.  That mantra is, “The standard is the standard.”

It serves as a reminder to the team that the standard is non-negotiable. Excellence is self-evident, and it is always the goal.  No if’s and's or but’s.  

Now, the actual results may miss the mark.  Perfection is not possible, and human beings by nature are error prone and that’s okay.  They as a team can accept losses, dropped passes or other missed assignments.  They learn from them, get better, more resilient, and move on.  But what is NOT up for debate and never will be is the standard.

Okay admittedly, I am a football nut, but lemme try and bring this back to our world. 

Your Business is a game of human beings making commitments and then following through.  But where the real work begins is in the managing of the follow-through.  The people in your business are going to make mistakes, are going to screw up, are going to have lapses in judgement, are going to say and do things they regret.  This much we know is inevitable.  What matters, is your ability to effectively coach them back to the standard.  And this the hard part.

Today's episode is on what we call Critical Conversations.  How to communicate when the stakes are high.  These are those conversations you know you need to have, but would rather avoid.  Your project manager blows up inappropriately at a customer.  Your Journeyman shows up hungover and late for the 3rd time in a month.  Your usually excellent sub-trade partner messes up their scheduling and pushes your entire project back two weeks.

You can’t build a performance culture, a strong brand, or leaders within without Critical Conversations and yet most people, even accomplished entrepreneurs, are terrified to have them.

In today’s episode Igor and I break down a 5 step process for how to have these that will reduce whatever anxiety you feel about these and facilitate a way more productive conversation for everyone involved.

We’ve also included a super easy to follow downloadable framework you can download and keep nearby.

I hope you enjoy this, and remember, the standard is the standard.

• Why you need to uphold your standards, especially when it's uncomfortable
• How to decide if a Critical Conversation is worth engaging in so you don't waste your emotional energy
• How to define the focus of the conversation you're about to have
• Where you should have the conversation and how to set it up with the person you are talking to
• The way to have a critical conversation so that you're able to explore both parties perspectives
• The simple action plan that creates a foundation for positive behaviour moving forward

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP48

While business tactics, skills and systems make up a big part of our discussions on the show, we’d be remiss to not also talk about the importance of having a balanced life outside the walls of your business.  

A lot of you are husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, community members, fitness enthusiasts and adventurers. Balance is a virtue worth striving for and that means spending our time in a way that allows us to express our core values, be with the people we love, and do things that we enjoy.  

Yes crushing goals and making money is great, but if your life outside of that is empty, what are you really achieving with your time here on earth?

So today on the show we’re going to explore how one super successful 8 figure contractor has implemented a life planning process to drive his business strategy and truly show up for the myriad other components of his life.  

Blaise McDonald owns Mac Renovations.  Before MAC, Blaise was an industrial electrician working in a very hands-on capacity. Since entering the business 10 years ago, which was founded by his dad has gone from about 2 Million a year in revenue to close to 15 today. In that time, he’s grown his team from 12 employees to over 40 exceptional project managers, carpenters, sales people and administrators and he is one of the highest performing entrepreneurs we work with at Breakthrough Academy.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How a deeper and more meaningful “why” improves his clarity of thought, motivation levels, and entrepreneurial enjoyment
• The way to think about planning your business vs planning your life
• The detailed personal planning system he and his wife use to chart the trajectory of their shared life and how that drives his approach to business
• When you add life goals to your list of already existing business goals, does it make it easier or harder to achieve everything?
• How life balance is actually (almost) possible for a busy entrepreneur
• How to incorporate accountability into your personal goals

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP47

In a chess match, a player’s first sequence of moves is known as an “opening”.  The opening is a memorized series of 8 to 12 moves that, ideally, sets up the chess game in an advantageous way for the player.  

Execute the right opening and you’ve created some leverage for yourself.  Execute the wrong opening, or make a mistake during it, and you’re fighting an uphill battle.

Now when I say “Master your Opening” what I’m talking about specifically here are the first few minutes of your sales call.  I’ve heard different businesses call sales calls different things. You might call it an estimate, a quote, a consultation, an appointment, a design meeting, a discovery meeting, but for the sake of clarity I’m going to refer to it as the sales call.

I know what you might be thinking.  Aren’t the last 10 minutes the most important?  Aren’t those precious moments when you’re “closing” the most important?  When a pen is being put to paper, or when a deposit cheque is being cut?  

The closing moments ARE crucial, but to me the opening is the most important because it’s what sets up the close.

The customer usually makes up their mind about whether they would do business with you in the first ten minutes, not when they are staring at your quote.

My goal in this episode is to increase your sales conversions by covering a few core principles which I’ve learned including:

• Why the first 10 min of your sales call is more important than the last ten minutes
• The 3 things that you need to accomplish in the first 10 min that will help you close the sale
• 1 little mindset trick to perform before you talk to your prospect
• How to convey likability right off the bat
• The best way to establish a Leader/Follower dynamic during a sales call
• Where to insert trial closes into your sales calls so the customer doesn't ever feel blindsided

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP163  

Download our Ideal Candidate Profile + Job Posting Tool for FREE here: https://trybta.com/DLEP163 

Over the last year, the tone has changed with salespeople. The deals aren’t closing the way they were, and entrepreneurs are (understandably) frustrated.

You need rockstar closers, but instead, you’re stuck with a bunch of order-takers.

A decade of low interest rates, strong economies, plus MEGA improvements in digital marketing has created a whole cohort of (frankly) average sales professionals who are not exactly thriving in this tighter, more competitive environment.

Adam Bensman is the author of the Roofing Sales Survival Guide, the creator of the Roof Strategist Sales System, and the founder of the Roofing and Solar Reform Alliance (that’s a lotta stuff!).

His sales education videos have a massive following on YouTube, and if you go check it out, you’ll see why. This guy’s legit.

Today’s conversation has everything you need to fix a lethargic salesperson or sales team and get them firing on all cylinders as we head into a new economy.

As Adam says: A “feeling” economy.

To learn more about Adam Bensman, check out his YouTube channel, The Roofing Strategist: https://www.youtube.com/ @TheRoofStrategist 

To learn more about the Roofing & Solar Reform Alliance click here: https://www.rsra.org/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP46

To download the Employment Agreement CQT click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP46

Welcome to Contractor Evolution and our 6th and final episode of the Ultimate Hiring Funnel series.

Over the last 5 weeks we’ve tried to lay out the fundamental steps involved in attracting and hiring the talent your business deserves.  Building a world class hiring funnel is not an easy thing to do, but nothing important ever was.  And if building a rockstar team isn’t at the top of your priority list, I don’t know what is.

Last week we talked in depth about the interviewing stage, but we aren’t quite done yet. To close this process out we need to talk about the all important Job Offer Call and Expectations Meetings.  

One thing that a lot of contractors struggle with is holding people accountable. Employees make up their own expectations, standards slip, and your frustrations mount. The expectations meeting solves this by clearly articulating the standards at the precise moment when your new employee is the most malleable.

Remember this, you can’t hold the line with someone if you never drew it in the first place.

To walk us through this we’re excited to have James Dale returning to show.  James is the Director of Training and Development at Breakthrough Academy.  He’s hired and conducted expectations meetings for 100’s of staff all the way from labourers to executives. He’s the brains behind the BTA Management System which he and his team of coaches help implement into the businesses of 400 fast growing contractors. 

It also should be mentioned that his fantasy football team is off the chain this year, and he has a black belt in krav maga.

So let's conclude this ultimate hiring funnel series with James Dale where we’ll discuss:

• What's the Job Offer Call and why do you need to conduct one?
• How to get your candidate excited about the job they are about to start
• The best way to reinforce the positive attributes of a new hire while prepping them mentally for inevitable on-the-job coaching
• The prep you need to do BEFORE you go into an Expectations Meeting
• The 5 parts of the Expectations Meeting that allow a really strong start for any new employee
• How to come across as a strong leader a new hire can trust

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP45

To download the Interview Guide Tool, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP45

If you’ve been around long enough you already know the cost of one bad hire….to your profitability, team morale, your brand, and your own personal stress levels.  

But what I want you to think about is the cost, over your entire career, of not being an exceptional interviewer…. being someone that is susceptible to frequent hiring mistakes.  

As we say all the time on this show, you run a people driven business. Your ability to objectively analyze someone’s previous behavior, and predict their future performance with a high degree of accuracy is one of the deadliest skills you can have as an entrepreneur. 

Your growth potential is directly related to how well you can team build, and interviewing is arguably the most crucial step in the whole process. 

Understanding a candidate - not just in terms of what is on their resume, but their deep rooted wiring, personality style, strengths, weaknesses, core values, and their wants and needs for the future -  allows you to be an extremely precise decision maker when it comes to personnel. 

This is why we are very excited to be joined by James Alisch - Managing Director of 1-800-GOT-JUNK: the world’s largest junk removal service. 

James is at the helm of a brand doing 490 million dollars a year in revenue, and is executing a multi year strategy to exceed 1B by 2025.  Over the course of his extensive career, James has done literally thousands of interviews to build power house teams. He knows interviewing inside and out, and we’re thrilled to have him on to share his wisdom and insight on the topic with you. 

In this episode of Contractor Evolution we unpack:

• The 3 things a good job interview should accomplish
• How to 'Peel back the onion' on a job applicant in the interview process to see their true character
• The way to interview for character traits and core values so you don’t have to fire them 3 months later
• The Interview Scoring Matrix and how to use it to evaluate an applicant's aptitude for the job
• How to manage your energy during the interview to come across as a strong leader
• The 'Beer & BBQ' test that an applicant should pass when you're interviewing

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP44

To download the Contractor Interview SetUp Call click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP44

Hey, Welcome back to Contractor Evolution and episode 4 of our 6 part Ultimate Hiring Funnel Series.

Last week with Asad Zaman we talked about some of the active recruiting and promotional tactics you can lean on besides just your basic job boards.  

At this point in the funnel you should be starting to receive applicants… and if you’ve followed the best practices shared over the past 3 episodes you should have quite the volume coming at you.  

As we said last time, making a good hire is impossible if you have no one good to choose from.  So now that you’ve solved that problem, the question becomes, “How do we prioritize and convert our best applicants into interviews?”

This applicant flow management and interview set up call stage is an unbelievably important step and one that entrepreneurs often don’t take seriously enough.  Not Taking it seriously leads to you wasting your time on the wrong candidates, or worse - being no-showed by your interviewee.

To walk us through this we’re lucky to have Danny Kerr, managing director at Breakthrough Academy.

Before starting Breakthrough Academy, Danny was the head recruiter for all of Western Canada for College Pro Painters.  He’s the best person we know at this critical flow management and interview set up stage.

In this episode we cover:

• The most efficient way to categorise, process and schedule applicants
• How to treat referral candidates vs outside applicants
• The best way to get people to open up on the phone so you get a better sense of who you’re really talking to
• The questions to ask to draw out their true motivations
• When to bring up ‘Deal Breaker’ questions 
• The best way to close out the call and transition to the next phase of the process

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply to be a Breakthrough Academy member, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP43

To download this episode's free transcript "Where to Find the Top Candidates" click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP43

Welcome back to Contractor Evolution and episode 3 of our Ultimate Hiring Funnel Series.

I want you to think about your current recruiting strategy. How much of it relies on lucking out and having the right person see your posting at the right time? Are you actively recruiting for top talent or passively waiting for a needle in a haystack? 

Making a great hire is impossible if you don't have anyone good to choose from. This is why 90% of the hiring problem is fundamentally "Top of Funnel". 

You can practice your interviewing skills all you want (and we will go over this in the next episode), but if you don't have a great pool of candidates to interview, where does that leave you?

We've all at some point felt the frustration of posting an open position on a job board only to find that a few days later, only a few completely unqualified people have applied. 

This 'hope and pray' strategy has led many lesser entrepreneurs to all but abandon the search entirely, comforting themselves with stories and excuses that often blame lazy millennials, COVID, or government policy. 

But that's not you. As an evolved contractor, you know the promotion of your job ads and your employer brand is the missing link in this all-important chain.

We're excited to have Asad Zaman on the show to speak in-depth on active tactics and promotional recruiting. Asad is the CEO of Sales Talent Agency, an international recruiting agency that has helped acquire talent for over 1,500 companies - some of them you may know: Harley Davidson, SAP, IBM, Salesforce, and Sonos, to name a few. 

Toronto Board of Trade named Asad Toronto's Young Professional of the Year for 2019, and you'll see why in this episode. This guy is seriously dialled. There is a good reason why we chose to bring someone from outside the trades and construction space in for this topic - because the level of sophistication in recruitment, employer brand, and all things hiring - is much more evolved in other industries like tech, where he plays. 

There is a ton that we learned from today's conversation. In today's episode, we explore:

• The three talent pools available to any entrepreneur and why most of us just barely tap into one 
• The way to think with "strategic empathy" and how placing yourself in the shoes of a candidate will lead to way better results
• Some specific ways you as an employer can stand out in a highly competitive market
• The best way to make a compelling offer to your target candidate
• The (incorrect) common belief systems that hold most contractors back
• How to integrate a talent acquisition mindset into your company culture

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP42

You can get in touch with Josianne Gaudette by contacting her company  https://crewhr.co

To download the Job Ad template click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP42

This is episode 2 of our 6 part Ultimate Hiring Funnel series.

Remember we walked you through how to build the all-important Ideal Candidate Profile so hopefully now you've got at least a bit of an idea how to break down a role, reverse engineer that avatar, and really think through the type of person you want to hire.

Now the question is how do we use that profile to write an engaging posting that top quality applicants can't help but click on (and apply to).

So to do that we're joined by our amazing guest Josieanne Gaudette of crew HR who you should remember from last week's awesome episode.

We're going to break down a super easy-to-follow framework that will have you writing compelling job postings that attract the best candidate. And don't worry, you don't need to be a Wordsmith to do this.

Josianne also takes us through the all-important do's and don'ts and then how to evaluate your job postings on the scale from amateur to world-class.

Some other episode highlights include:

• The difference between a job posting and a job description
• What needs to be in a headline to stand out in today’s competitive market
• How to write a job ad that gets a high performer excited to work at your company
• The 8 Part proven framework of a winning job ad
• The best way to visually lay out your job ad
• Some of the best and worst practices when creating job ads

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP41

To get the Ideal Candidate Template and Examples click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP41

You can get in touch with Josianne by contacting her company https://crewhr.co

Welcome to the first part of our Ultimate Hiring Funnel Series, today is episode 1.

I'm going to talk quickly about what this entire series is about and then I'll get to today's episode.

So look - it is no secret that hiring is hard. Like really hard. Especially in our construction and trade Industries.

Labour shortages are a real thing, and yes, perhaps Millennials and Gen Z’ers aren't as gritty as older Generations may have been.

And also yes, the government has paid a bunch of people to stay at home for over a year-and-a-half leading to a super lethargic Workforce. We get it.

But look, it is what it is and can’t do much about the above factors. What you can do though is build the best hiring funnel in your market…and that is exactly what the next six episodes are going to be all about.

Over the coming weeks we're going to explain in plain English how you can think like a marketer and start building an Employer Brand that attracts top talent.

It doesn't matter whether you are a seasoned pro, or you just started your business this year. It also doesn’t matter what trade you are in. If you’re in home services and you want to build your dream team this series is for you.

Today is episode 1 and we couldn't be more excited to launch the series with our favourite recruiter Josianne Gaudette.

Josianne runs Crew HR here in Vancouver. She has a master's in HR and over her extensive 18-year career she's been involved in the hiring of over 600 roles for her huge book of clients. We here at breakthrough Academy have also worked with her a ton over the years and she is a true expert in all things recruitment. 

In today's episode she teaches us how to make an Ideal Candidate Profile which is the primary building block for any hiring funnel.

Think about it - you can't hire the right person if you don't know exactly what you're looking for in the first place.

While that might seem kind of obvious a lot of people mess this up. Josianne explains in no uncertain terms how you can gain tremendous clarity about who you want, and then how to leverage that Clarity throughout the rest of your hiring funnel.

In this episode we cover:

• What an Ideal Candidate Profile is and why you don't want to post a job ad without one
• How to systematically establish deliverables and accountabilities on an Ideal Candidate Profile 
• Where personality traits fit in, and how to establish the the traits that will fit the role
• How to identify what a good job candidate looks like if you haven’t hired the position before
• What will likely happen if you don't create an Ideal Candidate Profile
• Examples from a real contractor’s Ideal Candidate Profile

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP40

Every once in a while, Igor and I like to go through listener questions and really get a grip on the challenges you’re going through daily.

So in this week’s episode of contractor evolution I’ve sifted through a few hundred listener/member questions and selected 5 on leadership.

Based on the conversations I have every week, I believe these are common challenges for most contractor business owners.

In this episode we cover:

• The most critical management rhythms that keep a company growing
• 2-3 Keys to retain superstar employees
• The 2 step process to create raving fans out of your customers
• The recommended percentage of revenue you should spend on advertising
• Which types of marketing should be done in a specific order
• How to implement a culture of accountability without scaring people off

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP39

A growing company needs people to step up and lead divisions, initiatives and small teams.  

While this may be plainly obvious to you, what is less clear is how to assess whether or not someone has what it takes to step to the plate and be a driving force in your business.

What traits do you interview for before making someone a General Manager, Site Supervisor, or Crew Leader.. or some other leader within?

In this episode Igor and I tackle this question, having completed north of a thousand interviews for a multitude of leadership roles. 

We talk about:

• The three critical traits every leader in your business needs to have
• The specific questions you need to ask during an interview to assess someone’s ability to lead
• How to ask questions the interviewee can’t BS their way through
• What’s at stake if you hire someone without the 3 characteristics
• Examples of people who lack of these traits and how they will show up on the jobsite
• The difference between which traits you can train vs which ones you can’t

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP38

To download Ryan Shantz' sample quote, click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP38

When you add up all the quotes, estimates, proposals (whatever you call them) that you do in a year and consider the sheer volume of sales opportunities your business has every season, you realize that even a slight boost in efficiency has a massive impact on how much revenue you sell.  

If you could land one more deal out of every 10 quotes you give.  How many dollars would that add up to?  How much more profit would your business generate with no extra effort.

Do the math… Seriously… the number might surprise you because it’s a lot.

One of the easiest ways to maximize your closing ratio is by leaving your customer with a beautiful and informative proposal that does a bunch of the selling for you. Something that not only articulates the scope of work in precise detail, but also showcases your brand as the obvious solution to your customer’s problems.  

It turns out there is actually a formula to building such a perfect proposal, and to walk us through it we have Ryan Shantz on the show today.  Ryan is the Founder of SumoQuote.  

For years, Ryan has obsessed over how to craft the perfect proposal that will stand for itself and drive more sales. 

Why is he qualified to be a subject matter expert on this topic? 

Well, for years prior to SumoQuote, he has owned (and still owns) a massive 8 figure roofing company in Calgary, Alberta. When he implemented these high level proposals into the company their closing ratios shot up from 27 to 44 percent. On today’s show he breaks down the ingredients that go into a proposal that sells itself.

In this week’s episode we discuss:

• The 5 core items that exist in proposals that sell themselves
• The simple key image that is most likely to impact the homeowners decision (that most quotes leave out)
• The psychology behind strategically placed visuals and graphic design
• Where to include social proof in your design to increase SR
• New ways to make it super easy for the customer to say yes
• How a better proposal allows you to scale your sales team while protecting you from liability

So if you want to close more, charge more, and save time, this episode is a must listen.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP37

Where your business ends up in 10 years depends on a few things.  Your effort.  The market.  Your people.  Some luck.  The list goes on.  The other predictor that may (or may not) be on your radar is the quality of advice you get.

Having a true team of “Experts” in your corner can and will have a pronounced impact on where you end up as an entrepreneur.  Consulting with specialized advisors is one of the highest leverage activities available to you. It's like adding 50 yards to your drive without swinging any harder.  

If you haven’t carefully curated the professional advisors that sit in your corner, I promise you, you're leaving dollars on the table.  

Look, you’re more than likely gonna spend a decade plus at this … Don’t you want to maximize the return on your blood, sweat, and tears?   

Good advice is worth A LOT. So in today’s episode we examine the 5 professional advisors that every contractor needs to turbocharge their business.

We’ll be covering:

• The 5 advisors that will significantly impact where you end up 
• At what stages of your business growth do you look at bringing these advisors in?
• What to look for when you are selecting these advisors to ensure you don’t get screwed by the sea of imposters out there.
• Some of the specific frameworks these advisors will be helping you establish
• Where to find the best advisors in some of these areas
• What do you stand to lose by not engaging the services of these specific advisors?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To download your accountability resources and to book a call with Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP162

How does your team function when you’re not watching?

Do they get stuff done on time, as good as if you did it yourself?

Or do they miss deadlines, point fingers and leave clients underwhelmed?

If you’re feeling less like an owner and more like a babysitter, you may have an accountability problem. Your team’s performance is inconsistent, their focus is all over the map, and no one really knows who’s supposed to do what, when.

Back in April, we co-hosted a webinar on staff accountability with the one and only Tommy Mello. His staff accountability secrets were so good, we decided to replay the session on Contractor Evolution. In this episode, he gives away his tried and tested methods of holding people accountable without micromanaging or pointing fingers.

Listen in to learn how you can steal Tommy’s accountability system to create a solid performance culture for your team.

To learn more about Tommy Mello, check out https://homeserviceexpert.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP36

To learn more about Eric visit his website at https://www.erictermuende.com/ or purchase his book RETHINK WORK here https://www.erictermuende.com/rethink-work/

What’s up with the new generation?

People have been complaining about “kids these days” since before the dawn of time.  This whole “young people are entitled and don’t know how good they have it” thing isn’t new, and it seems to be an especially well used trope in trades and construction.  When you have young 20-somethings demanding a higher hourly wage than you ever made and the quality of their work is suspect, it's tough NOT to be a little cynical.  This puts you in a tough spot because as infuriating as some of the Gen-Zers and Millennials are to you, the physically demanding nature of your business means you need to find a way to connect, attract and lead young people. 

The other pitfall of cynical thinking is that you paint a huge population with too broad a brush.  Writing off 70 million people as “lazy” is, ironically, a form of laziness in and of itself.  

For every blue-haired tick tocker that makes your eyes roll, there is a quiet mechanically minded kid who wants to work with their hands...  and it's your job to find these youngsters and showcase what an amazing lifestyle and career IS possible through trades and construction.  Our education system definitely ain’t doin it, so like it or not, this responsibility lies squarely with you… the evolving contractor. 

To bridge this gap and debunk some myths, we’ve brought in Eric Termuende, a leadership author, speaker, and entrepreneur. Eric specializes in working with organizations to build incredible teams and attract the next generation.

Eric delivers north of 75 keynote speeches a year to large organizations like John Deere, Zoom, Amazon, Toyota and various Trade Associations. He is the author of the book, RETHINK WORK and has been unpacking the generational challenge for the last 7 years.

In this episode we cover:

• How the changing world ends up shaping each generation in a unique way
• Why approaching the conversation in terms of this generation vs that generation is ass backwards
• How to leverage the story you already have to catch the attention of ambitious, driven and loyal young people.
• How the physically demanding hands-on nature of your business may actually be its most attractive feature rather than a detractor.
• How you need to conduct yourself as the owner and leader of the company to bring in young talent
• The super simple method any leader can use to quickly build trust in their teams

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP35

To download the 3 stages coaching pdf click here: https://trybta.com/PCDLEP35

What are you working so hard for?

Money for you and your family.

And the time to enjoy it.

Most evolving contractors want both.  The finer details of the picture may change from entrepreneur to entrepreneur, we are all unique.  But for a lot of us, our dream life and business is centered around more money and more time.  You can’t really savour one without the other.

Now, as you’ve definitely realized already, this dream is impossible without competent staff who can independently solve problems, make decisions, and drive the business forward.   Developing leaders within is essential because if everyone and everything needs us, we’ll never feel the freedom that motivated us to start our company in the first place.  Do you want empowered teams and leaders that execute well without you?  Or a bunch of worker bees who need constant babysitting?  The choice is yours.

This is why “coaching” will always be more effective than “bossing”.

To help us move from boss and coach, we’re joined by James Dale, one of our favourite recurring guests.  As you’ve heard in other episodes James is Director of Training and Development for Breakthrough Academy.  

Today’s conversation is about situational leadership and how to coach your employees as they go through the 3 developmental stages associated with taking on a new role or learning a new skill.

If you can’t develop talent your business will always run you! To avoid this, here are a few key points we go over:

• How to tackle the very common scenario of moving a skilled employee into a management role
• What happens to contractors that don’t see themselves as a coach in their business
• How to work with someone when they have low skill but high commitment
• The coaching style most contractors skip when their employees are doing OK that holds back big opportunities for growth
• How NOT to lead employees that have high competency and high commitment
• What to do when you are too busy to properly coach each employee that reports to you

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you'd like to apply for Breakthrough Academy click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP34

If you’ve been a contractor for even a short period of time you’ve no doubt noticed that technology is changing the game…..and fast.

There are technologies and softwares purpose-built to help you with nearly every aspect of your business.  From lead gen to estimating, Bookkeeping to HR, inventory management to time tracking.  No matter what the task is, there is some platform out there to help you with it.  

And if there isn’t yet there will be soon.

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying randomly buying software subscriptions is going to fix everything. In fact, if you don't know how to navigate this world you can actually do more harm than good - and we’ll talk about how to avoid that mistake in the episode.  But for evolved contractors planning to play this game for a while yet, the slow and methodical implementation of your tech stack is no longer optional.

This is why we brought Piers Dormeyer to the show today.  Piers is the president of Construction and Utilities at EagleView.  If you’ve not heard of EagleView yet, let me give a great example of how tech is changing the game.  They’re a geospatial software designed to help take estimating and project planning to another level.  

Let me explain: Eagleview owns and operates a fleet of over 100 aircraft that are constantly flying over the towns and cities of North America, taking high-resolution aerial photos of buildings and properties.  These photos then get turned into hyper-precise diagrams accurate to a 10th of a foot.  

Think about it… you could drive to the customer’s house with a tape measure and a ladder, to spend an hour painstakingly measuring and estimating.  Or you could order an EagleView Report and have all that data (images, 3d models, measurements) in seconds.  No human error, no drive time, and way better information to build your pricing and project plan around.  

That’s probably why over 54,000 contractors ordered an  EV report last year.

Anyway, Piers’ background, before joining EagleView, which we’ll let him explain in a second gives him a super unique perspective on technology's influence on the contracting industry.

In this episode with Piers we unpack:

• How the contracting tech space has changed in the last 15 years
• The specific tech stack that Piers would recommend if he were starting a contracting company from scratch
• The difference in mindset between ‘early’ adopters and ‘late’ adopters and where each path leads
• The process you should be using to both select and integrate new software into your business
• How Covid has permanently altered the way contractors use technology
• Where Piers sees technology evolving in the contracting space in the next 10 years

To watch the full episode and access free resources go to www.contractorevolution.com

If you are growing, but working like a dog to make it all happen, take our 10 day, Evolved Contractor Challenge to free yourself - http://www.btacademy.com/evolvedcontractorchallenge

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.