Contractor Evolution

Get a copy of the episode transcript: https://trybta.com/Transcript298 Get a copy of our Contractor Success Roadmap and see how 13+ contractors scaled to 7-figures (without working more hours): https://trybta.com/DL298 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP298 In 2015, Vancouver-based contractor Brandon Smith was doing about $500K a year. Along with his business partner, he was handling sales, running production and estimating his own jobs.Eleven years later, he runs a $5M company.The road between those two numbers wasn't a straight line. There was a declined debit card at Quiznos, an eight-foot whiteboard that looked like a murder board, and a global pandemic that threw a wrench in the plan.In this episode, Brandon walks through the exact zig-zagging path he took to go from operator of a 6-figure construction business to the CEO of an award-winning company with time and money to give back.He also shares the one piece of advice from Danny he still hasn't forgotten: move faster.If you're stuck at a lower revenue than you want to be at, this episode is for you.Want Brandon's full sales process? Follow him on Instagram @buildwithbsmith and send him a DM that says "breakthrough." You can also catch his podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPo3hHrreDSuz6v4MhikA?si=twW4mktVTxqcH2Nec8AxHA&nd=1&dlsi=71a45319798646cc 00:00-Intro06:01-From Laborer to Business Owner07:48-Early Financial Struggles11:06-Scaling to the $1M Mark17:10-Growing from $1M to $2M23:53-Leadership Growth for Scaling30:49-Business Lessons Learned40:01-What Not to Sacrifice for Business

Book an implementation call and join thousands of contractors like Jason in running a better business while working less: https://trybta.com/DI1026To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP297 Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL297 You promoted your best salesperson to run sales. Now they are in your office three times a day asking what you would do.That is not a hiring mistake. Perry Holley says it is a development gap, and most owners skip right past it without knowing.Perry is an executive coach with Maxwell Leadership, and he has worked with the BTA Community at Winter Summits and retreats for years. He was on the show back in Episode 132 breaking down the 5 Levels of Leadership. He is back to tackle the level that trips up almost everyone: becoming a developer of people.He walks Danny through seven steps that have to happen before anyone is actually empowered. Recruit, position, model, equip, develop, empower, measure. When somebody keeps coming to you for answers, Perry says go back through the first five and find the one you skipped.The step most owners miss is development. Equipping is teaching the job. Developing is teaching someone to lead themselves: time management, priority management, emotional management, resilience. Skills your crew leads were almost certainly never taught.Perry also covers accountability as ownership rather than blame, why the goal rarely changes but the plan usually does, and the question that tells you whether your team trusts you: are they telling you hard things, or only the good stuff?And if your own development has stalled, his answer is irreducible minimums. Fifty words a day. Two pages a day. Small things done daily, consistently, compounding into something you could not have planned.Follow Perry Holley and the Maxwell Leadership Podcast for more on this: https://www.maxwellleadership.com/podcast/ 00:00-Intro02:24-Executor to Leader Transition09:43-7 Steps to Team Empowerment16:01-Developing Self Leadership & Management19:43-Being a Genius Maker26:50-Accountability as Extreme Ownership34:56-Final Takeaway

Get the free templates from this session here: https://trybta.com/DL296Book an implementation call and join thousands of contractors like Jason in running a better business while working less: https://trybta.com/DI1026To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP296 Winter is the season most contractors brace for. These four have stopped bracing.This is the replay of our October Marketing and Sales Roundtable, where Danny sat down with three painting contractors running between $5 and $10 million and the founder of CompanyCam.Joe Kelly went from $3.5 million to $10 million in three years at JK Paint in Portland, and he keeps all ten crews working through December and January. Mason Marquis runs one of the largest residential painting companies in Dallas, and his winter discount season produced a better gross margin than his busy season. Toby Woodiwiss has been building Woodiwiss Painting in California since 2004, holds a net promoter score of 100, and runs at 46% gross profit. Luke Hansen founded CompanyCam after years in roofing.Here is what they talk about:The numbers each of them watches weekly, and why every one of them named booked appointments as the earliest warning signHow to tell the difference between passive and active lead sourcesWhich levers you can actually pull when flow dries up.00:00-Intro04:25-Meet the Panelists17:06-Signs of Broken Sales Process28:34-Winter Playbook & Data Tracking48:18-Off-Season Crew Tactics1:03:07-Turning Leads to Booked Work1:28:22-Final Advice

Book an implementation call and join thousands of contractors like Jason in running a better business while working less: https://trybta.com/DI1026To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP295Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL295There are two levers that move gross profit on a job: labor and materials.Most contractors only pull one.Materials feel fixed. The supplier sends a price, you pay it, and that's the end of it.But what if it wasn't?Prices and terms are negotiable, and your ability to have that conversation shows up in your cash flow and your bottom line.Rhydon Atzenhoffer has been on both sides of the counter. Contractor for many years, supply side now. And host of the HVAC R&D Podcast.Today he walks through how to find the right supplier, how to get the best price, and how to build a relationship that pays off for both of you.Check out the HVAC R&D Podcast here: https://www.hvacrnd.com/00:00-Intro03:35-Distribution Misconceptions 05:29-Choosing the Right Distributor12:03-Securing Lines of Credit18:42-Navigating Price & Value28:29-Streamlining Job Production34:01-Final Advice

Book an implementation call and join thousands of contractors like Jason in running a better business while working less: https://trybta.com/DI1026To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP294Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL294On the surface, a subcontractor model seems like a good idea. That’s what Red Branch Construction business owner Jacob Toler thought. Higher margin, lower overhead.It worked great for him, until it didn’t. His reputation was unremarkable. His margins were thinning out. Lack of accountability almost toppled the business.And so, Jacob made a massive change that took him from negative profit to a healthy 8.5% net profit.He cut the subcontractors, restructured his office team, and hired four crews in just five months.If you’ve ever wondered whether you should switch from subs to employees or vice versa, then today’s episode will give you a great perspective.00:00-Intro02:05-Initial Subcontractor Model06:47-The Warning Signs & Near-Collapse15:28-Transitioning to In-House Employees21:28-Recruiting & Vetting Processes27:59-Subs vs Employees Model Analysis35:28-Checklist for Business Model Evaluation