Contractor Evolution

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP187   Get a copy of Profit First for Contractors here: https://www.amazon.ca/Profit-First-Contractors-Construction-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B07L38J49P   Did you know that the vast majority of construction and trades businesses net less than 5% profit a year?   In case you were wondering—that’s not good.   Our guest on the show today is Shawn Van Dyke, author of Profit First for Contractors and The Paperwork Punch List.   In this episode, we break down the Profit First for Contractors (or PFC) cash management model, including a prescribed framework for implementing PFC in your business right away.   If you change the way you manage your finances, you’ll also change the way you think about money flowing in and out of your accounts. And in turn, you’ll make better decisions that benefit you and your business.   Episode highlights: Unpack how the profit-first approach Shawn Van Dyke outlines in Profit First for Contractors produces a powerful and positive psychological change to the way you see money flowing into and out of your business. Learn the four most common profit-destroying mistakes that Shawn sees owners make all too often. Find out which five bank accounts you need to set up right away.   00:00-Intro 01:35-About Profit First for Contractors 10:31-Why is minimal profitability so common in construction and trades? 15:49-Brief synopsis of the PFC Model 21:05-Five bank accounts you need to set up 31:36-What's the value of the five bank accounts? 47:07-4 mistakes that kill profitability 01:05:08-Connect with Shawn  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grab your free copy of the Max Priorities Pyramid and start sorting your priorities today: https://trybta.com/DLEP186   To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP186   How good are you at prioritization in your business?   It’s ok. You can be honest.   The truth is that prioritization seems straightforward, but in reality it’s much more complex than it appears, especially in the context of a business like yours - which is inherently dynamic, ever-changing, and unpredictable.    Issues come out of nowhere. Circumstances change. People quit. Clients cancel. Unexpected weather roles through.   How are you supposed to get anything done when you’re constantly putting out fires?   Our guests today have some practical strategies that can help.   Harry Max is the author of Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions. And Wes Bright is his partner at Peak Priorities. They consult with some of the biggest companies in tech, and today, they're going to level up our priority management toolbox in a major way.   Episode highlights: - Learn what makes prioritization so hard and what systems and tools you can use to get better at it.- Understand the frameworks Harry Max recommends in his book, Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions.- Get practical prioritization tips from two consultants who work with the biggest companies in tech including Apple, Google and Microsoft.   00:00-Intro 01:48-About the book - Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions 03:56-Why "prioritize" is the most important verb 09:32 - Why we all suck at prioritizing 14:22-About the "false sense of urgency" 22:58-The impact of a clear vision on prioritization 31:24-The DEGAP Framework 42:40-Sorting methods for prioritization 47:45-Ideal rhythms for reviewing goals and progress 52:27-What to delegate vs. what to keep 58:54-Evolving our prioritization systems as we grow 01:03:22-Where can people connect with you?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP185     How did Plus Construction owner and Breakthrough Academy Member Charlie Bethell go from endless callbacks, cash crunches and frustration to selling and building 500 decks a year?   Systemizing and optimizing. And a lot of it.   Today, Charlie’s on the show to talk about his digital marketing strategies, which bring in 60% of the businesses annual leads, and the massive changes he made to his sales-to-production handoff.   In other words, we’re diving into the secrets of a high-volume contractor.   Episode highlights:- Learn the strategies and tactics Charlie Bethell uses to get 60% of his leads from digital marketing initiatives.- Find out which implementation items Charlie used to vastly improve his sales-to-production handoff, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, better team morale and more profitable jobs.- Hear how Charlie hit his BHAG five years early and what he learned in the process.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grab your free copy of the Four Numbers Exercise to help you 10x your wealth attraction: https://trybta.com/DLEP184    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP184    Learn more about Brian here: https://www.thewealthycontractor.com/    Running a highly profitable contracting business has two sides of the coin.   You need the profitability skill sets: budgeting, job costing, pricing strategies, accounting best practices, and so on.   We’ve discussed these plenty on the show.   The other thing you need is the “profitability mindset.”    This has very little to do with spreadsheets and bookkeeping and everything to do with your attitude towards money, your belief and self-worth, and your ability to practice what our guest on the show today calls wealth attraction.   Brian Kaskavalciyan, aka The Wealthy Contractor, is back on the show for the second time to talk about how to clarify your why, get control of your mind and develop the sense of deserving that so many contractors are missing.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP183    To get the your copy of the Freedom From Fear eBook, click here: https://sparkingsuccess.net/fgfff/     Here’s a question you’ve probably pondered before.   Do your technicians, laborers, and field staff excel at customer service?   Do they know how to build rapport? De-escalate an angry customer? Can they upsell and bring in more revenue for the company?   The fact is, whether you like it or not, your reputation, and the success of your business, depends on the people you have out on the front lines.   Our guest on the show today is Mark Matteson. He’s a personal development speaker and author of 6 books, including his best-seller Freedom From Fear.   Before the big stages, though, Mark spent the first half of his career in the field as an HVAC tech and salesperson. He translated those formative years into a customer service excellence curriculum he teaches to many of the biggest HVAC companies on the continent.    And today he’s going to teach us how to get our whole team aligned around providing exceptional customer service at every stage of the buyer journey. Episode Highlights: Hear from Mark Matteson, HVAC tech and sales rep turned personal development speaker and best-selling author of Freedom From Fear, about the importance of embedding customer service excellence into every part of your business. Get a walkthrough of the customer service excellence curriculum Mark teaches to many of the biggest HVAC companies in North America. Learn how to recognize and let go of the fears holding you back in business and in life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get a downloadable copy of Matt Risinger's Team Building Tactics here: https://trybta.com/DLEP182    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP182    Ever wonder how an industry titan recruits and retains top talent?   Before creating his 1.1 million subscriber YouTube channel dedicated to building science, Matt Risinger worked as a recruiter for a national builder, where he learned the tactics and skills he would use to assemble his incredible teams at both Risingerbuild and The Build Show.    And today, he’s back on the show to teach you how to do it, too.    We talk about how to get great applicants in the door, tips for behavioral interviewing, the right questions to ask (and which ones to NOT), how to retain talent for the long haul, and how to know when and why to let someone go.   This is a Masterclass in human resources for construction and trades with one of the most trusted names in the industry.   Episode Highlights:- Learn the tactics and skills Matt Risinger used to build the exceptional teams that allowed RisingerBuild and The Build Show to grow into the industry titans they are today.- Hear about Matt’s experience working as a recruiter for a national builder earlier in his career and how the experience shaped his current recruitment practices.- Get Matt’s take on how to know when it’s time to let someone go, and how to approach the conversation professionally.        See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP181    To learn more about Duct Tape Marketing, click here: https://ducttapemarketing.com/   If you’ve ever cut your marketing budget when times were tough, this one’s for you.   When you find yourself in the middle of a downturn, leadflow turning to a trickle, customer decision-making slowing to a crawl…something's gotta give.    And if your marketing budget is just an expense you pay because you think you should, it’s a pretty easy decision. Cut the deadweight.   But according to today’s guest John Jantsch, that might be the wrong approach.   John is the author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Ultimate Marketing Machine, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur, and more.   And today, we’re talking about how to adapt your marketing strategy for economic headwinds. The market around you may be slowing down, but that doesn’t mean your business—or your marketing—has to.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP180   Grab a free copy of QuickBooks' Top 5 Profit Leaks for Contractors download here: https://www.btacademy.com/ce/download/ep180/     Grab your free Breakthrough Academy budgeting tool here: https://trybta.com/ak3   Have you ever wanted to better understand how to use QuickBooks effectively but haven’t had the time to really dive into it?   Most contractors are probably in the same boat.   Our anecdotal guess is that north of 85% of our Members use QuickBooks as their bookkeeping software. But there is so much the platform can do, it’s hard to know if you’re using it “right.” Or to its full potential.   So… we thought it would be cool to have someone from QuickBooks come on and teach us how to get the most out of it.   Nate Flake is the Senior Partner Development Manager at Intuit (the makers of Quickbooks) and he also hosts their Constructing Growth Podcast. Today, we’re going to unpack 10 crucial QuickBooks mistakes contractors often make and how to avoid them moving forward.     538d9f21ce1440514fe7d46194e8e85cbc8da07eSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get your free guide to Chris Voss' Top Negotiation Tips for Contractors here: https://trybta.com/DLEP179   To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP179   Check out Chris Voss' new documentary, Tactical Empathy, here: https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Empathy-Chris-Voss/dp/B0D83LHHZT    Today’s episode frickin’ rocks.   The one and only Chris Voss, world-renowned FBI negotiator and author of Never Split the Difference, is on the show to talk all things negotiation.   We cover the mindset, the skills, and the systems you need to be a better negotiator in your contracting business.    Whether you’re defending your price to a haggling client, driving a hard bargain with a supplier, or negotiating a comp package with a key employee, implementing the tips in this episode will help you get better results.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP178    Get Allan Dib's new book, Lean Marketing, here: https://leanmarketing.com/books/leanmarketing    “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is I don't know which half.”   Ever heard that saying?   That classic quote from John Wanamaker dates back over a hundred years ago. And, sadly, even with all the new technology, tracking mechanisms and data at our fingertips, it’s still kinda true. At least it is for many contractors.   Our guest today is Allan Dib, author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan and, as of this year, a brand new book called Lean Marketing.   The idea is pretty simple. Marketing creates A LOT of waste that provides zero value to you or your customer.   So, today we’re going to talk about Allan’s 9 Lean Marketing principles that will help you get more leads, more profit, with LESS MARKETING.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP177 Get a complimentary SEO audit from Choquer Creative here: https://cal.com/brycechoquer/seo-audit  Did you get your website built because you knew you needed one? Or did you have it thoughtfully designed and optimized to get you leads? The truth is that 9/10 of your competition's websites are poorly designed and under-optimized. And if your website just exists to check a box on your marketing to-do list, yours probably is too. Our guest today, Bryce Choquer, is the founder of Choquer Creative, a web design and SEO Agency that specializes in building websites for trades and construction companies. In this episode, he breaks down the framework he uses to get contractors more leads from their websites.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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/PCEP174   Get your free budget tool here: https://trybta.com/DLEP174   We all know the standard KPIs we need to track the success of a business. Dollars sold. Dollars produced. Gross profit. Net profit.    The only problem with these all-important metrics is that they are LAGGING indicators.   We find out about their performance AFTER the activity that drives them has already happened. They tell us whether we achieved the results we wanted, but say little about how to get those results in the future.   This is where LEADING indicators can be instrumental in helping you lead your team.   If you tell your project managers to raise gross profit next quarter, they won’t know how.   But if you tell them to keep their materials expenses below 15% by following a more efficient ordering and purchasing process.    They actually stand a pretty good chance.   Today, Breakthrough Academy Coach Brayden Russell is on the show to break down how to turn your lagging indicators into leading indicators and orient your team towards success.      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get your free strategic planning tool here: https://trybta.com/DLEP173   To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP173   Buying and selling contracting businesses is no easy feat.   Compared to buying or selling a home, the whole system is needlessly confusing and incredibly dated. It involves pen-and-paper processes, uninformed sellers, and brokerage-owned listing sites that look like they were built in 2004.   Our guest today, Morgan Tate, is on a mission to change this with a new platform called DealBuilder.co that centralizes and expedites the deal-making process for brokers, buyers and sellers. And he’s got a pretty interesting vantage point on how businesses change hands.   In this episode, we cover: The difference between saleability and valuation and  how to optimize for BOTH How to spot solid buying opportunities to help you grow through acquisition And lastly, the 3 most common deal killers - surprisingly obvious little mistakes that can squash a deal right before the finish line   If you’ve ever considered selling your business or acquiring another one, this is a must-listen.   Learn more about DealBuilder here: https://www.dealbuilder.co/      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP172    To learn more about the Think. Do. Say. framework and buy Ron's book, click here: https://thinkdosay.com/    Branding: everyone knows they need to do it, but very few know how to do it. Or at least, how to do it well.   I’m joined today by Ron Tite, bestselling author, speaker, producer and entrepreneur, to talk about his new book: Think. Do. Say. How to Seize Attention and Build Trust in a Busy, Busy World.    According to Ron, branding doesn’t have to be so complicated. You can actually boil it down to three steps: think about what you’re promising as a brand, do things that align with those promises, and say things that communicate your promises in an interesting and relevant way.   Today, Ron walks us through how to use the framework to clarify your brand beliefs, align your team around them, and market yourself to your broader audience without losing authenticity. He even gives specific fill-in-the-blank prompts you can use to start thinking about your brand right now.      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP171    And don't forget to download your FREE Strategic Planning Tool here: https://trybta.com/DLEP171   To learn more about Matt's company, Five Points Roofing, click here: https://fivepointsroofing.com/   We talk a lot on the show about leadership. But today, we’re approaching it a bit differently.   Our guest today is Matt Parks, VP of Business Development at Five Points Roofing and the winner of Breakthrough Academy’s Leader of the Year Award in 2023. He knows a lot about leadership. Not because he wrote a book on it—but because he has worked tirelessly over the years to develop and adopt a holistic, human-centered leadership philosophy. And it paid off.   Matt is known in the Breakthrough Academy community as a strong implementer of systems and processes. In other words, he gets sh*t done. And he gets his team wanting to get sh*t done too.   Listen to the full episode to learn how you can use Matt’s approach to become a leader who is both more effective and more compassionate. You’ll hear about how this approach influenced Five Points’ unconventional sales and marketing strategy, created a united team, and helped Matt overcome personal tragedy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP170   Download our FREE Interview Setup Call tool here: https://trybta.com/DLEP170   We’re back on the AI hype train again. Specifically, how can it help and/or hinder your hiring?   According to today’s guest Jonathan Whistman, AI is completely changing the recruitment game, and not just because ChatGPT can write job descriptions.   Jonathan is the author of The Sales Boss and the founder of WhoHire, a hiring solution for the service trades industry that uses AI prediction to help put the right people in the right roles.   Pretty cool.   But how does that impact the way you’re recruiting and hiring right now? What do you need to be aware of as AI becomes increasingly common in the HR landscape? Is there anything you can learn and apply from the data that’s been collected on job applicants today?   Today, we're covering all that and more.   Get in touch with Jonathan at jon@whohire.com or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanwhistman/       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP169    To learn more about Dave and WCP Building Renewal, click here: https://wcpbuildingrenewal.com/   We talk a lot on the show about residential marketing and sales systems, but the requests from commercial contractors for content they can use are beginning to pile up.   And that tracks. Landing commercial contracts comes with its own set of challenges.    It’s a lot less catchy Facebook ads…    And a lot more strategic relationship building 🤝   So today, we’re diving into business development and we’re lucky to have Dave Notte, Founder of WCP Building Renewal and Shack Shine, on the show today.   Using an incredibly dialed-in customer acquisition strategy, WCP has partnered with countless commercial property groups, residential property management companies, HOAs, and stratas over the past 20 years.    If you want to learn how sophisticated commercial contractors court, land, retain, and build trust with huge clients that continue to work with them for years or even decades, this episode is a must-listen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP168    And be sure to download your FREE Ideal Candidate Profile & Job Posting Tool here: https://trybta.com/DL168    To learn more about Logan and The Dream Clean Team, click here: https://www.thedreamcleanteam.net/    After wasting countless hours trying to hire good people the old fashioned way—vetting applications, interviewing, probing into skills—for cleaning positions with a shorter shelf life, Breakthrough Academy Member Logan Campbell redesigned his entire hiring and onboarding process using automation, thoughtful job descriptions and streamlined interview processes.   An owner of an AirBnB cleaning company, Logan knows the feeling all too well. His business, The Dream Clean Team, requires a HUGE number of people to get a lot done in a very short time window.   In this episode, he outlines how he set up his hiring process: attracting the right type of candidate, weeding out tire kickers, mass interview scheduling, onboarding, and even retaining A-players through gamification and performance pay.   If you hire positions with higher turnover or seasonal workers, this one’s for you.      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.