Family & Friend Discounts. There’s something about it that makes us feel good. Especially when we use the skills our business offers to give them a valuable service. There are so many business owners who sacrifice a little bit of monthly profit to help their family and friends out. I just wish more of them knew the real cost... Because it’s not just the job profit you’re sacrificing. Everybody knows there’s a cost for doing this type of work. But It’s scary how few know the full cost. Becaus...
Jun 18, 2024•24 min•Ep. 126
Do you have issues in your business but just haven’t had the time to fix them? Let's say your system for tracking your numbers. You know if you get it sorted, your profit will improve. You might even have a plan about how you’re going to do it But to this day the issue is still there... It's probably because you just don’t have the time to make these changes to your business. But unfortunately, the more you put it off the more urgent these fixes become. Luckily there’s some things you can do. Ph...
Jun 11, 2024•31 min•Ep. 125
If there’s one thing I miss from my days as an employee, it's the certainty. Getting home at the same time every day and being able to enjoy time with friends & family. Don't get me wrong, being a business owner is much better than being an employee... But having a guaranteed income does have its advantages. That's why landing large jobs is appealing. They give you 6-12 months' work that's worth decent money. And instead of constantly finding, pricing, completing and invoicing lots of little...
Jun 04, 2024•50 min•Ep. 124
How much should you pay your employees? It’s not actually all that complicated. But let’s get one thing clear. There is no golden number. For example, I could say that you should pay a new employee $41 per hour. But that number is one I made up and more than likely isn’t the right figure for you. But here’s the good news. It’s not rocket science. Every position for every business has that golden number. A number which is high enough to attract the best workers to apply... But low enough that the...
May 28, 2024•28 min•Ep. 123
Is your work flow up and down? One month it feels like you’re two employees short and the next it feels like you have too many. Phil & I have noticed more and more businesses suffering from this setback. So we recorded a training on what it is and how to avoid it. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The tools to achieve consistent workflow from month to month Understand what Marketing lag is and how it can effect your workload Urgency to reach out to clients to keep the relat...
May 21, 2024•26 min•Ep. 122
After a 10 hour shift on the tools you come home for some quality family time. For about 90 minutes... You then head to the desktop to finish up some estimates, quotes & payroll. Bedtime rolls around sometime after 11 when you find your partner is already out. Unlike her though you toss and turn. It’s hard to sleep with all the stress you’re carrying from owning your business. But eventually you drift off. And at 5am you get up feeling exhausted, ready to do it all again. And just before you...
May 14, 2024•19 min•Ep. 121
Do you HATE when employees make avoidable mistakes? Nobody’s perfect but employees can take a profitable job and screw it up big time. Mistakes in business can be a death sentence. But business owners like you and I can also make mistakes. The difference is our mistakes tend to be a lot more expensive. An apprentice might do a poor job which costs $500 to fix. But a business owner who hasn’t delegated that job properly is leaving much more on the table. It’s easy to see when staff muck up becaus...
May 07, 2024•22 min•Ep. 120
You’ve just finished an excruciating 12-hour day on the tools. It seems that every day for the last year or so has been like this. And you’re not sure when this will end and when life will get better. You get back home and your wife asks, “hey honey, how was your day?” And you say the same thing you say everyday: “It was good... How was yours?” Curtis Hancock felt like that for 20 years. Eventually it was time to make a change. And what a change he made... He improved his pricing & systems w...
Apr 30, 2024•45 min•Ep. 119
Have you ever heard the phrase, “trim the sails”? It’s one of the most important phrases in business. It originates from sailing, where reducing weight and drag creates more speed. In business it relates to trimming the fat off a business which has become too bloated to grow. It’s too easy to grow quickly only to find yourself with a business which lacks systems. Or one which has too many overheads. Growing without “trimming the sails” is unsustainable. It makes every extra dollar you earn expon...
Apr 23, 2024•25 min•Ep. 118
“I’m scared of losing my business”. That’s something we hear from business owners TOO OFTEN. And it’s often because of a fear that the work is going to dry up. One day you’re moving into a nice new house and the next you can’t afford the mortgage. But what if we told you this sort of thing doesn’t just come out of nowhere. If you know what you’re looking for there’s signs that your business is in trouble. And things you can do to prevent it. So Tony & Phil recorded a training on the subject....
Apr 16, 2024•26 min•Ep. 117
NO. Not the word you want to hear when tendering for a job. We’re not all silky salesmen. So we all know that hearing the N word is part of business ownership. But as you’ve probably heard about negotiation, no doesn’t mean no. Whether someone has outright rejected your quote or is bartering with you to get a better deal... There are certain things you can say to put the ball in your court. Like a lot of business owners, I’m not interested in the airy details. I’m interested in knowing Exactly h...
Apr 09, 2024•33 min•Ep. 116
The money side of business is hard. For many it’s downright confusing. Way too many trades business owners stare at their numbers without having a clue what they really mean. Too many business owners aren’t taught about things like pricing, cashflow and profit maximizing until after they’ve already started the business. So they only really pick it up as they go. And the only people there to teach them are the accountants who haven't got a clue what it’s like to actually own a trades business. Mo...
Apr 02, 2024•39 min•Ep. 115
Business has been uncertain over the last few years. 2020: Covid 2021: Lockdowns 2022: Inflation 2023: Interest Rate Spikes And now in 2024 the forecast is for depression and a decline in the construction industry. If you think that things are going to get any better soon, you’re sadly mistaken. We’re in a time where businesses die. And it’s only the best ones which will come out the other side. So here’s a thought experiment. Is your business in the position to survive when things keep getting ...
Mar 26, 2024•29 min•Ep. 114
Here’s one thing that all trades businesses have in common. If they lost their biggest client they would struggle to keep the employees busy. It’s more important than ever to be on your clients’ backs about giving you more work. Because the research shows that when you stop communicating with your clients... They start dishing out work to your competitors that would usually be given to you. But asking for work all the time can feel too much for some business owners. And that’s true. There’s a ri...
Mar 19, 2024•24 min•Ep. 113
Have you ever put your mind to something but not achieved it? Most of us have. But you’d be surprised the amount of business owners who didn’t achieve their goals because they simply gave up. And the reason is because change is hard. Us humans like to keep things within our comfort zone. But you left your comfort zone to start your business. So you have the ability to make changes more than the average Joe. So the guys sat down & recorded a training on Why Making Change is Hard and How To Fi...
Mar 12, 2024•35 min•Ep. 112
You and your team have knocked off for the week. They’re off to the pub to have a few hard-earned ice-cold beers. Whereas you trudge home to slug away at piles of paperwork and get a head-start on next week already. That work spills over into Saturday and you feel you don’t have the time to watch your kids play sport. And once in a while you’re putting in a shift in the office on a Sunday. The alarm goes off on Monday morning and you’re shattered. Last week (and just about every week before that...
Mar 05, 2024•26 min•Ep. 111
It can be frustrating when employees make simple mistakes that eat into your profit margins. You’ve likely wanted to scream at them, but at the back of your mind you’re worried they will leave. So the boys sat down to record a training on what you can do to minimize team mistakes. (Without them getting upset and quitting) WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM TODAY’S PODCAST: Learn the skills to prevent employee mistakes Confidence that your business can produce quality work when you’re off the tools Understand...
Feb 27, 2024•29 min•Ep. 110
Do you enjoy paying your bills late? I’m guessing probably not. In fact, I'm willing to bet you value your reputation as somebody who pays their bills on time. So why is it that others seem to do everything they can to avoid them? And after all, it’s these slow payers that stop you from getting money to suppliers. Knowing how to deal with slow payers is crucial in business. So, Phil & Tony sat down and recorded an episode on it. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: Understand ...
Feb 20, 2024•30 min•Ep. 109
“Maybe I should lower my prices to get more work” “If prices were lower, vendors would accept more of my bids and I’d be making more money.” It’s a natural thought. The problem is you’d be slashing your profit margins. And asking to go broke. There are plenty of other things you can do to book out jobs which don’t involve cutting your pay. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: The Hidden Downside Everyone Misses when dropping their prices. what to do when thinking about dropping yo...
Feb 13, 2024•37 min•Ep. 108
“The stress of facing financial disaster is crippling” The man who told me this had a good business from the outside. 1.5 million in revenue and 8 staff members. But behind closed doors the business was losing money hand over fist. And the owner, Luke, didn’t know what to do. But he was different. 18 months on, his business has doubled its revenue and now has a net profit of 25%. I sat down with Luke to uncover the secrets of how he turned everything around with no experience. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN F...
Feb 06, 2024•54 min•Ep. 107
Have you ever had a crack at marketing and not seen a penny back? Maybe you’ve tried and given up? Preferring to focus on word of mouth, the quality of work and relationships with other contractors. Now these are crucial, don’t get me wrong. But the downside is, if you’re short of work you can’t ‘increase’ your word of mouth. Which can leave you in a tight spot. That’s when it’s important to have a bunch of marketing tools in your back pocket you can use when you’re short on work. I’ve recorded ...
Jan 30, 2024•25 min•Ep. 106
There are so many marketing agencies around that it feels natural to hand control off control to them and forget about it. But that is a huge mistake. Marketing is the heartbeat of your business. And if you put the wrong person in charge, your cash flow will suffer. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic agencies out there. But too often you’ll get stung. So if you want to get the marketing off your plate but make sure the quality is still there WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S P...
Jan 23, 2024•28 min•Ep. 105
Only you can destroy your business. Until you take on a business partner. Now the fact you read my emails leads me to suggest that you’re pretty good at NOT destroying your business. So, let’s focus on how you can make sure somebody else doesn’t ruin it fopr you. Now there are a bunch of reasons why you might bring on a business partner. But all of them have one thing in common. You NEED TO KNOW what you’re getting yourself into. I’m not saying things will go south. Especially not if you both do...
Jan 16, 2024•42 min•Ep. 104
I want to die with $0 to my name. And so should you. Think about your bank account and imagine how difficult your life would be if that was all you had until the day you died. You’d probably be very shrewd with your spending. So why don’t we do that with our time? Right now, we have a bank account with a limited amount of time. It’s great that we use some of that time to get more money. But what is the point of using our valuable time to earn money that we’ll never live to use. Now why am I tell...
Jan 09, 2024•28 min•Ep. 103
He did in 3 years what some business owners never do... Built a sizeable business which can run on autopilot. Now, it might not be your goal right now. But it’s definitely a good goal to have because having a business that doesn’t rely on you is a top feeling. Gaining freedom and a stress-free business was key for Duncan. And the impressive part is that he started his business from scratch in 2021. When Duncan joined our program, growth felt like an uphill battle. Margins were tight, and the wor...
Jan 02, 2024•36 min•Ep. 102
Most business owners undervalue their work and many do it chronically. When you don’t value the work you do, it leads to charging less than you could and should for the services you provide. And not charging enough creates profitability and cash flow issues for your business. Well, here’s the issue that too many trades buisness owners make. They feel awkward about charging enough or even asking for money. As a result, they get pinched for profit and cash flow gets tight. And there’s not enough m...
Dec 26, 2023•38 min•Ep. 101
Want to know how to price so you win the job AND make profit? It’s a very fine line. It feels impossible to win jobs unless you eat into your margins. Which is a deadly cash flow sin. As we come to the end of the year, it’s obvious that pricing has been a big issue of 2023. And it’s looking like it’ll be a business killer in 2024 as well. Phil and I shot a training on how much you should charge earlier this year and it went off! So, because it’s so important that trades business owners know this...
Dec 19, 2023•38 min•Ep. 100
The more you grow the more you need this! At some stage most business owners have to think about how to market their business. One marketing activity that gets talked about a lot is Google Ads. But most business owners don’t fully understand how Google Ads work. As a result, they spend too much money for not enough results. Either through an agency or by spending hours trying to master it themselves. Well I’m sick of seeing trades business make these marketing mistakes. So I sat down with an exp...
Dec 12, 2023•43 min•Ep. 99
I’m not implying you keep slaving away through the Christmas break. But holidays and vacations are coming up for the trades businesses. Most owners are thinking about shutting down for a few weeks to give themselves (and their team) a break. It’s a noble idea but most business owners haven’t thought through the consequences of a holiday shutdown. I see too many trades business owners who navigate the holiday period wrong and pay for it with their businesses. And the last thing our supportive fam...
Dec 05, 2023•30 min•Ep. 98
Is there anything more disheartening than this… You’ve booked out work and things are looking busy. But then just to throw a spanner in the works, one of your guys quits. If you have a bigger company, you might even have a few resignations within a short period. It can be easy to look down on these guys. Almost like they abandoned you. But here’s the thing. The sad reality is that employees don’t leave their job, they leave their boss or leader. And the costs of losing good employees are much la...
Nov 28, 2023•40 min•Ep. 97
