On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP224 As entrepreneurs, we’re constantly learning how to lead others. How to manage people, set direction for our business, and implement systems with our team. But how often do we take the time to learn how to lead ourselves? Today, we're tal...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 35 min
On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 Grab a copy of our free tech stack audit tool here: https://trybta.com/DL223 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP223 Ever had to shop for a software solution? It sucks. There’s so much out there and they all say they’re the best. That’s why today we're talking to James Benham....
Jun 25, 2025•44 min
On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP222 In ten years of working with contractors, we've noticed that a LOT of entrepreneurs have ADHD or other forms of neurodiversity. It’s both our biggest strength, and our biggest weakness. And the data backs this up. Studies show as much as...
Jun 18, 2025•40 min
On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 Get your free accountability resources from Jen here: https://trybta.com/DL221 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP221 Is there someone on your team who is not performing the way you need them to? Someone you know you need to do a better job of holding accountable? Someone you...
Jun 11, 2025•55 min
On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP220 Those of you who know us know that we're huge advocates for putting as much effort into your hiring funnel as you do to your sales funnel. And that’s exactly why I’m excited for this week’s episode. Brandon Vaughn is a long-time entrepre...
Jun 04, 2025•57 min
On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 Download Trent's Price Acceleration Provision and tariff-proof your contracts today: https://trybta.com/DL219 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP219 While the details have shifted over the past few months, there’s no doubt that all the talk about tariffs has caused uncertaint...
May 28, 2025•37 min
On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 Grab a copy of your resource bundle: https://trybta.com/DL218 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP218 Growth can be intimidating. More revenue, more staff and more work = more headaches. Plus, there’s no way to predict what new problems you’ll face as you grow. Except…there ac...
May 23, 2025•52 min
On July 8, join me for a special Web Class where I’ll show you how to eliminate ALL staff excuses using ONE structured 30-minute meeting. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-GSR-JL25 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP217 You’ve heard it before: the riches are in the niches. But, is that really always true? Today, I’m talking to Ryan Lee, founder of Landscape Lighting Secrets and host of the Landscape Lighting Secrets podcast. Before selling in 2019, Ryan...
May 21, 2025•42 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP216 To the outside world, the word “sales” has gotten a bad rap. People think it’s all transactional. All about pushing something on the customer in order to get what’s best for the sales rep or the company. And that can make the act of selling feel uncomfortable, awkward and transactional. That’s why we wanted to talk to Joe Crisara. Joe is a seasoned expert in contractor sales training, best known for creating the Pure ...
May 14, 2025•57 min
Grab a free chapter of Beyond the Hammer here: https://trybta.com/DL215 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP215 Being a strong leader is an essential business skill. We all know this. If you listen to this podcast, you probably know most of the fundamentals already. And yet so few of us actually take the time to work on them. Today, we're talking to Brian Gottlieb. After a highly successful career building and exiting his $150MM remodeling business, Brian w...
May 07, 2025•46 min
Download Dr. J.J.'s one-liner template here: https://trybta.com/DL214 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP214 Today we're interviewing the one and only Dr. J.J. Peterson, Head of Storybrand and co-author of Marketing Made Simple, which sold over a million copies worldwide. Dr. J.J. has helped thousands of businesses clarify their message by using a storytelling framework as old as time. Plus, we found out before we started recording that he actually has a c...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 7 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP213 Today’s the day. The last official day of Benji's time on Contractor Evolution. And the first official day of a new era. In today’s episode, we're pumped to introduce Danny Kerr as your new host. Danny is one of the co-founders of Breakthrough Academy. In fact, he’s the visionary behind the whole thing. He’s a lifelong entrepreneur, former painting contractor and a true expert in guiding contractors to more profitable...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP212 Grab your free financial management resource bundle here: https://trybta.com/DL212 A few weeks ago, Danny cohosted a web class with Matt Risinger (Host of The BUILD Show) on one of the most important topics in business: finances. On top of teaching the hundreds of attendees our approachable financial management systems, I had a chance to pick Matt’s brain about his experience managing cash flow as he grew his company ...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 15 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP211 Chances are, you’re familiar with at least one personality test. Myers Briggs, Enneagram, Personal Style Indicator (PSI) or, the focus of this episode, DISC profiles. Are these tools actually helpful? In my opinion, they have a time and place. But the truth is they’re kinda useless if you don’t actually apply the information you get from them. Otherwise, people just use them as an excuse to behave a certain way. That’...
Apr 16, 2025•57 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP210 To grab a copy of the Skill/Will Matrix, DORAGI framework, and Conflict Resolution Guide, click here: https://trybta.com/DL210 In contracting, your people are your business. They determine how customers experience your brand, the productivity of your job sites, the profitability of your business and your own enjoyment of life as an entrepreneur. So understanding how to manage them as a strong leader is essential. Toda...
Apr 11, 2025•13 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP209 Our guest on the show today is our very own coach, Ian Ouwerkerk. Ian coaches the highest number of businesses here at Breakthrough Academy. He has a massive sample size and a unique perspective on what works and what doesn't when it comes to growing your construction or trades business. He is particularly well-versed in implementing what we call the Contractor Growth Method with his coaching Members. It’s a six-part ...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 18 min
Grab your FREE hiring resource bundle here: https://trybta.com/DL208 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP208 In 2025, there is one issue contractors talk to me about more than any other: Hiring. Getting good people to agree to—and show up to—an interview suddenly seems impossible. You book five interviews and three no-show, one thinks they’re applying to be CEO and the other shows up drunk. After conducting over 2,400 interviews for trades positions myself,...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 21 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP207 To learn more about David, check out https://www.systemology.com/ If you know me, you know I strongly believe that business systems = owner freedom. That’s why it made sense to get today’s guest David Jenyns on the show. David is the author of SYSTEMology: Create Time, Reduce Errors and Scale Your Profits with Proven Business Systems. It’s literally a system for building systems. I took this opportunity to ask David f...
Apr 02, 2025•59 min
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 throwbac...
Mar 28, 2025•1 hr
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 ...
Mar 26, 2025•53 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP204 Openness and transparency are values MANY of us espouse. But how open and honest are you really? Does your crew understand budget hours vs. actual hours? How about the projected gross profit on the project they just started? How about last year's net profit? In today’s episode, we’re talking to Creative Roots Landscaping founder Ryan Markewich along with three of his team members: Jacob Markewich, Rik Van Espen and Za...
Mar 19, 2025•48 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP203 Learn more about WorkBetterNow here: https://www.workbetternow.com/ Are you using Virtual Assistants and other forms of offshore talent yet? Because you probably should be. Many of the roles in your business can’t be done remotely, sure. But could your office manager effectively administrate from Mexico City? Could you delegate all the lower-level stuff to an executive assistant based in Medellin? The answer is: maybe...
Mar 12, 2025•53 min
Grab a copy of Ellen's pricing tool here: https://trybta.com/DL202 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP202 Today, we’re welcoming industry legend Ellen Rohr to the show. We couldn’t be more excited. She’s built and sold two companies. Written a slew of unbelievably helpful books including Where Did the Money Go? and How Much Should I Charge? She’s the founder and owner of Zoom Drain which now has over 50 locations. This episode is all about pricing. AKA how...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Get your free guide to being COACHABLE here: https://trybta.com/DL201 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP201 Today’s episode has a very specific purpose. We’ve gathered four of our world-class business coaches to give advice to contractors who are just beginning to systemize their business with Breakthrough Academy. If you chose this episode, you are either: Through conversations with Coach Harold, Coach Ashley, Coach Brayden and Coach Shane, you’ll learn:...
Feb 26, 2025•36 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP200 Today is a very special day for the team here at Contractor Evolution. Today, we’re releasing our 200th episode. We've spoken to some incredible guests, and that has helped us build a following of the coolest listeners in the world. So... if you've been on the show or just listen to it, we want to express profound gratitude to you. To say we are humbled and proud would be to say nothing at all. For this milestone epis...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 6 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP199 Use code TRADE2025 to get $10 off a copy of the Motivated By Appreciation Inventory for Trades here: https://shop.appreciationatwork.com/collections/mba-inventory (limit one code per email, good through March 15, 2025). Ever wonder why your staff feel “under-appreciated?” Like—you tell them they’re doing a good job, you take them for lunch every now and then, and you pay them fairly. And yet there’s always someone who...
Feb 12, 2025•46 min
Get your free SOP starter kit here: https://trybta.com/DL198 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP198 Ever wonder why some contractors scale smoothly to 7-figures and beyond while others constantly get stuck in an operational hellhole? Clients constantly badgering you… Crews relying on you to answer every single question… Margins so depressing they could make a grown man cry… The good news is, there’s a relatively simple tool that can help you solve most of ...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 25 min
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP197 When times get tough, tragedy strikes or things take a turn for the worst, how do you keep faith that everything will turn out ok? Today, that’s what our very own Breakthrough Academy coach Ian Ouwerkerk is joining me to discuss. On August 29th, 2008 on their way to a wedding, Ian, his mum and his dad were T-boned by a car going 70 miles an hour. The accident left Ian with a severed carotid artery plus 11 ribs and bot...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 13 min
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 everyth...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 24 min
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 tra...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr
