Sparky Coach

Lemme tell you about my friend Jimmy from Lord Voltemort. Jimmy got a call from a potential excellent client. He almost didn’t answer the call coz he left his AirPods at home and was up a ladder but hey he got there in the end. He was also mad that the phone rang coz he is “so busy right now”. He heads to site that afternoon to meet the client. For all his procedural flaws, Jimmy sure is good with people. They meet and before long are talking like old friends. “We can do this!” ”And this!!” “And some CCTV over there!” “And some lights downstairs on a timer” “New circuit for the big dogs sauna coming up!!” “Maybe I can jump in the sauna with you” “lolololololol” “Did we just become best friends!!” “JOHN STAMOS” Jimmy leaves site super confident that he has the job, and potentially a new groomsmen for his upcoming wedding to Shauna which he should probably get moving on organising soon as they have been engaged for 16 years. However Jimmy slots straight back into “busy work life” and forgets to get any correspondence back to the client. His head is down and his bum is up. Yeh sure he remembers he needs to get back to the client, it’s one of his core company beliefs, but he is seriously “waayyyy too busy” to even consider sending a text message or making a 5 minute call explaining when the quote will be sent over. Flash forward 3 weeks and Jimmy finally prepares the quote at 10pm. He sends the quote over at 12:15am and then heads off to bed. He still thinks he has the job in the bag coz him and the client got along so well. He looks forward to getting this job coz it’s a good one and he needs the work right now. The following morning he calls the client “waaaasssssssssuuuppppppp!!!! I got the quote over, we can do it tomorrow we have space!”The client politely lets Jimmy know that he had the works completed well over 2 weeks ago. Jimmy apologises and looks down at his schedule, there is nothing booked for the next week as he hasn’t been getting back to people recently due to his inherent “busy-ness”. Long story short: Jimmy should have landed the job when he had the chance. Now, let me ask you a question: did you identify with any parts of Jimmy from Lord Voltemort? If so, repent and change your ways or fear the eternal wrath of the electrical gods!! Also, pretty sure Jimmy uses single sided ladders so don’t be like Jimmy. Enjoy the pod xx 

This week we have the honour of having Heath Knight aka “Hspark Electrical” on the lounge. Heath is many things - a devoted husband to Rhi, a loving dad to Airlie, a business owner, a connoisseur for land cruisers + Toyotas, a YouTuber, an influencer, a cage fighter (who may just eat your head off in the ring), a lover of mostly black uniforms, a sparky, plus more! One thing you can always guarantee is that Heath is going to call it how it is, call things how he sees them, and be 100% honest regardless of the consequences. On this pod we discuss Heaths business journey, the importance of authenticity, pricing, branding, instagram, YouTube, business ownership, what he would advise to younger business owners, socialising for networking and much much more. Available across all major streaming platforms. Enjoy the pod xx Chapters00:00 Introduction and Personal Background03:01 Starting H Spark During COVID06:00 Work Ethic and Industry Insights08:53 Current Operations and Team Dynamics11:56 Hiring Indicators and Trade Shortage14:56 Challenges in the Trade Industry17:48 Social Media and Branding20:49 Networking and Community in the Trade23:52 Personal Interests and Hobbies30:13 The Weight of Preparation30:59 Discipline in Sports and Business32:02 Lessons from MMA for Business33:10 Authenticity in Content Creation35:33 The Importance of Communication39:33 Understanding Your Audience42:49 Social Media as a Business Tool48:08 Learning from Misquotes50:46 Resilience in Business Challenges01:01:13 The Role of Family in Business01:03:50 Lessons Learned from Past Experiences01:06:27 Finding Work and Building Relationships01:15:03 Advice for Aspiring Business Owners01:19:49 Understanding the Challenges of Business Ownership01:25:45 The Importance of Leadership and Team Dynamics

As projects get moving, it’s incredibly easy let variations slip through without capturing. This can be due to a number of reasons: rushing, busyness, genuinely unsure of what the current plans are, missed emails, not documenting site conversations, ego, insecurity, lack of established company process, + much much more. So what is the best way to capture them? Is it at certain points of the job? But what about one that comes through half way through rough in?We discuss all this, and more, during the pod. Available now across all major streaming platforms. Enjoy xx Chapters00:00 Introduction and Season Reflection03:08 Upcoming Live Event Announcement06:06 The Importance of Professional Development09:05 Capturing Variations in Projects14:45 Effective Communication and Documentation21:02 The Role of Technology in Project Management27:09 Final Thoughts on Variations and Client Relationships

Have you ever been at a job and the client has asked “oh while you’re here can you just do this too?” Honestly, of course you have!! It’s relatively common isn’t it? Sometimes it’s easy to make the client the problem. But as we are in the service industry, it’s incredibly important that our company excels in providing an excellent service. Remember you don’t have to do it for free, you don’t even have to do it on the spot, you can quote it, do it if you have time, or re book it in for another time that suits down the track. Our ethos is this: treat every client like you are quiet. When you are quiet you are responsive, diligent, can get things done on the spot, can get things done in a reasonable time frame, answer the phone on time, get back to emails on time, send invoices on time and so on. What if the “oh while you’re here” question wasn’t treated as annoying, but it was treated as a compliment? We discuss this, and more, in the pod. Enjoy xx 

This week we have the absolute honour of having Hib on the lounge. Hib runs an awesome crew out of Hobart and specialises in a range of different commercial, residential and solar projects. Cam and Hib discuss what it takes to start a business, maintain a business, find work, run an admin team, build relationships, maintain relationships, the importance ofworking with A players, the importance of diversifying, the importance of knowing your numbers, + much more. To know Hib is to love Hib, he is truly a great human who runs a great business. Enjoy the pod x Chapters00:00 Introduction to Brad Hibberd and Community Involvement02:58 Journey into the Electrical Trade05:45 Experiences in Commercial Projects08:50 Transitioning to Residential Work11:56 Challenges and Rewards in the Electrical Industry14:41 Business Evolution and Key Influences17:56 Diversification and Solar Energy Expansion32:03 Training and Competency in Solar Energy36:06 Building Relationships in the Industry40:49 Diversification and Daily Operations46:30 Understanding Numbers for Business Growth54:23 Memorable Projects and Experiences

A couple of weeks ago we put out a pod called “Forecasting Like Tim Bailey”. It was basically encouraging everyone to sit down and take control of their schedule for the rest of the year. If you have not much work on, this is a good thing to do coz it will help you see what you need to do for the upcoming busy season. If you have lots of work on, this is a good thing to do coz it will help you see what you need to do for the upcoming busy season. But when is enough work actually enough? Is there a limit to what you can say yes to? Do you just raise prices? Do you shut up shop and take on no new jobs? Do you hire a tradie? An apprentice? An admin? A trade assistant? A journeyman? A journey woman? A journey person? Or maybe just someone on a journey somewhere? Do you jump back on the tools? Coz ain’t nobody does it better than you am I right or what!! Or should you just say no? The answer of course, is completely subjective. You may even say there is no answer. Just like the Matrix, where the child says “there is no spoon”. But we all know there is a spoon, and we may just need to deep dive and chat around the “saying yes” subject to help shed some light on the topic. Whatever you’re doing and whatever you’re up to just remember this: the money is made or lost in the office. Office time = money time. Planning time = awesome. Enjoy the pod and get after it x Chapters00:00 Introduction and Context Setting01:05 The Question of 'When is Enough Enough?'03:26 Forecasting and Planning for Workload06:37 Personal and Business Balance09:29 The Importance of Product Quality10:47 Client Relationships and Business Growth13:02 Long-Term Business Strategy16:19 Managing Labour and Resources19:49 Profitability vs. Quality24:50 Final Thoughts and Considerations

Our mantra here at Sparky Coach is quite simple: make money, build wealth. And how do we do that? We do that by buying labour + materials, selling them at a good margin, being kind, then repeating the process. Essentially at its core, the running of a good business is relatively simple. Sometimes though, we can make it a lot harder than it needs to be. One of the ways we can make running a business a lot harder than it needs to be is by making one bad, or multiple bad, decisions in a row. One bad decision can cost you a lot. And don’t underestimate the negative compound effect that multiple bad decisions in a row can have across all aspects of your personal + business life. It might be the wrong client, the wrong tradie, the wrong quote, the wrong apprentice , the wrong advice, the wrong admin, the wrong “insert business decision here” and so on. Bad decisions can make good people end up in average places.So maybe one of the major goals of business can be summed up quite simply: to consistently make good decisions. One good decision can profit you a lot. And don’t underestimate the positive compound effect that multiple good decisions can have across all aspects of your personal + business life. Good decisions can make good people end up in good places And the goal is to not make one good decision, or two, or three; but to make 100 good decisions in a row. The repeat the process. If your next 100 decisions were good ones, imagine where you could end up? Oh, the places you’ll go! To infinity, and beyond. Get after it. Enjoy the pod x Chapters00:00 The Importance of Consistent Decision-Making02:48 Understanding Rates and Job Quoting05:43 Growth and Comfort Zones in Business09:01 Making Informed Decisions Under Pressure11:51 The Role of Data in Decision-Making15:05 Learning from Mistakes and Accountability17:57 The Impact of Bad Decisions20:51 Contextualizing Revenue and Profit23:49 The Ripple Effect of Decisions26:48 Creating Consistency in Good Decisions

Guess who’s back? Back again? Tommy’s back. Tell a friend. Aw yeh you guessed it this week back in the hot seat aka the lounge we have our good friend and fellow coach Tom Ryan from Ryelec Automation. We discuss electrical, home theatres, automation, business automation, SOP’s, staff annual leave, hiring, real estate, getting clients, and much much more. Tommy is a full time weapon. It’s an absolute pleasure getting to chat to him and hear his thoughts on all things business and the current happens across our industry. Enjoy the pod xx Chapters00:00 Introduction and Casual Banter01:23 Upcoming Events and Networking Opportunities03:50 Business Vision and Coaching06:55 Home Automation Insights09:56 Learning and Growth in Business12:34 Understanding Cinema Design15:50 Navigating Client Relationships18:50 Hiring Challenges in the Industry21:45 Focus and Time Management Strategies24:31 The Importance of Standard Operating Procedures27:33 Instagram and Content Strategy30:58 Hiring and Team Development33:58 Future of Automation and Business Growth36:51 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Kind of a touchy / controversial subject here but let’s go with it. I think it’s interesting that any coaching company can say whatever they want from an office (or a boat), BUT it may not be applicable or relevant to your real life business situation.You hear people say “never work on an hourly rate always flat rate pricing!!”. But ask anyone who has accomplished anything of substance in the electrical world and they will always accept a high end residential, commercial or industrial job at cost plus if there is an option for it. If your margins are good on your labour rates and materials (+ other revenue streams), then essentially there’s nothing to worry about. You hear people say “you need to charge $250+ per hour!!”. But sometimes you can price yourself out of the job ands lose good clients this way. Also, sometimes a break even rate that someone else came up with can be wrong. You hear people say “don’t break down the quote”. But sometimes the excellent clients need some transparency. You hear people say “get this much per day per truck or die tryin’!!” But not all company figures are the same. In some cases $100 per hour can be hyper profitable, while in other cases it can be diabolical. Once again, I think the real problem is thinking that there is only one way to see everything when we all know that there are multiple ways to skin the cat. The business method should be relatively simple: buy labour and materials, sell them at a good margin, be kind, repeat. If what you are doing is working, double down and do more of it. If what you are doing isn’t working, then either change it or stop doing it. My gut feel is that we all need to take a step back from talking in “hourly rates”, and we need to start talking in “gross profit” and “net profit”. Do yourself a favour and have a scroll through our insta where you can see some of our members recent results. Look after yourselves out there. And remember, everything is easy to say from a boat (insert wink face here). Lol. Enjoy the pod xx Chapters00:00 Understanding Profitability at $120 an Hour03:09 The Importance of Break-Even Analysis05:56 Labour Efficiency and Its Impact on Profit08:48 The Role of Apprentices in Business Profitability12:03 Navigating Market Rates and Client Expectations14:55 The Complexity of Pricing Strategies18:09 Long-Term Sustainability in Business21:02 The Interplay of Net Profit and Labor Efficiency23:58 Finding the Right Balance in Pricing26:48 Conclusion: Know Your Numbers and Market Value

While only SOME of you may get the obscure emo reference from the mid to late 2000’s, my guess is that ALL of you will understand what it means to lose control of your schedule. Growing up in a pentacostal church the classic line from the pulpit was always “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. While I am not debating that at any length, the business comparison may be “show me your work calendar, and I’ll show you your business future”.As business owners, it’s very easy to do anything and everything without giving it too much thought. But it’s time to repent and let go of your old ways. It’s time to change that. Let’s flip the script. You get to decide what you do. You are in charge. You are the big dog. You are the boss of your time. Taking back Sunday? Nah my sparky lords, it’s time to take back control of your schedule. Enjoy the pod! Ps this is a three part series x 

Today on the lounge we speak to Simon Thorn from PKF who specialises in small business restructuring. Simon walks us through what a “small business restructure” is, when to reach out for help, and the option/s that may be available to a director who is under serious financial stress. If you’ve ever found yourself under financial stress, it’s very important that you hear this: you’re not alone, there is help, it’s going to be ok, don’t be scared to put your hand up and ask for help. Obvs it’s very important that you reach out as early as possible and you take advice from the right people, but yeh it’s super important for us all take the stigma out of suffering alone. No one should suffer / walk alone in this. If for whatever reason you haven’t reached out for help yet, and you are still breathing, read this: IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO ASK FOR HELP. Most successful people have been either bankrupt or on the verge of it at some point in their life. That’s not to honour or make light of the matter, it’s just explains the serious risk that business owners walk around with every day of their journey. Enjoy the pod xx 

While only SOME of you may get the obscure emo reference from the mid to late 2000’s, my guess is that ALL of you will understand what it means to lose control of your schedule. Growing up in a pentacostal church the classic line from the pulpit was always “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. While I am not debating that at any length, the business comparison may be “show me your work calendar, and I’ll show you your business future”.As business owners, it’s very easy to do anything and everything without giving it too much thought. But it’s time to repent and let go of your old ways. It’s time to change that. Let’s flip the script. You get to decide what you do. You are in charge. You are the big dog. You are the boss of your time. Taking back Sunday? Nah my sparky lords, it’s time to take back control of your schedule. Enjoy the pod! Ps this is a three part series x 

While only SOME of you may get the obscure emo reference from the mid to late 2000’s, my guess is that ALL of you will understand what it means to lose control of your schedule. Growing up in a pentacostal church the classic line from the pulpit was always “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”. While I am not debating that at any length, the business comparison may be “show me your work calendar, and I’ll show you your business future”.As business owners, it’s very easy to do anything and everything without giving it too much thought. But it’s time to repent and let go of your old ways. It’s time to change that. Let’s flip the script. You get to decide what you do. You are in charge. You are the big dog. You are the boss of your time. Taking back Sunday? Nah my sparky lords, it’s time to take back control of your schedule. Enjoy the pod! Ps this is a three part series x Chapters 00:00 Understanding Time Management03:04 Identifying Productivity vs. Busyness05:50 The Importance of Time Audits09:09 Taking Control of Your Time11:52 Drafting Your Ideal Week15:01 Accountability and Ownership17:55 Creating a Sustainable Work-Life Balance

Oh yeh back on the lounge we have Joe Pratt aka Joey from Benchmark Electrical Co based out of northern NSW. Joey has just started doing a day a week here at Sparky Coach. He runs our Wednesday help desks where he specialises in Service M8, Simpro, finding work, workbook training, profit + much much more. On this episode Cam + Joe talk through a whole bunch of on site + off site items that will no doubt bless you into maximum enlightenment. It’s always a pleasure taking the time to chat with Joe and we hope you enjoy the pod xx Chapters00:00 Introduction to Tools in the Electrical Trade03:09 Essential Tools for Electricians05:48 The Importance of Quality Tool Belts08:50 Battery Tools and Brand Preferences11:43 Accessories and Additional Tools14:49Final Thoughts on Tool Selection24:21 Tool Selection and Control26:53 Time-Saving Tricks on Site38:08 Labeling and Organization Techniques42:09 DIY Disasters and Lessons Learned

Ok so close your eyes for a second and imagine that you could plan out your dream work week. What would be in it? What wouldn’t be in it? What outcomes would you be expecting of yourself? In what role/s do you think that you best placed? What do you actually enjoy doing? And so on with the questions. Now open your eyes and realise that your calendar is 100% in your control. Show me your calendar, and I’ll show you your priorities. So ask yourself these questions...What does your dream week look like? What does your current week look like? What is in the way of your current week becoming your dream week? And finally, what are you going to do about it? Take back control of your time and get after your dream week x 

If you grew up watching Tim Bailey forecasting the weather then count yourself very lucky. Today we talk about forecasting your business with (hopefully) the same amount of enthusiasm as the demigod Tim. While no forecast can be 100% correct, it’s incredibly important to reference where the current workload sits, where it needs to be, where the workload needs to expand and diversify to, how the staff are travelling, if you need to hire, if so what hire do you need (ie admin, apprentice, tradie), how your current service is, and so on and so on. So get your whiteboard, iPad, blackboard or magna doodle out coz it’s time to predict the future.Enjoy the pod! xx  Chapters00:00 Introduction to Forecasting for the Year Ahead02:48 Understanding Workload and Hiring Needs06:05 The Importance of Billable Hours and Resource Management08:53 Proactive Communication with Clients11:53 Managing Expectations and Flexibility in Scheduling14:46 The Role of Service Quality in Client Retention18:02 Controlling the Controllables in Business20:56 Conclusion: The Path to Successful Forecasting

This week on the lounge we have the unofficial major of Adelaide Michael Centofanti. Join Cam and Michael as they chat through business ownership, blowing up PlayStations (lol), finding work, family, retaining work, virtual assistants, releasing admin, key learnings, growing too soon and so so much more. Michael is an absolute lord and he will be joining us on the coaching staff here at Sparky Coach in the very near future. Hope you enjoy the pod xx 

In a world full of noisy and noble tasks there is essentially one big question: is everything that NEEDS to get done in your business currently getting done? There are certain tasks that are nice to do aka noble, and they will move the needle forward. Thee are certain tasks that are noisy, and nothing will really be moved forward or backward (maybe sideways though?) if you engage in them. But then there are the non negotiable tasks. Tasks like closing the week, closing the month, profitability, invoicing, quoting, scheduling, taking phone calls, returning phone calls, hiring, and so on. Put really simply, if these tasks don’t happen, then the business has only so long before it will fail. So if the good, noble and noisy tasks are getting accomplished BEFORE the non negotiable tasks, then there is a serious problem that needs to be fixed asap. So what can you do about it? Write out the non negotiables, write out who is doing them now, write out who will be doing them in the future, and then make sure they get done. As 50 cent so eloquently puts it, get non negotiable or die tryin’. Enjoy the pod xx 

One thing we see heaps of is kind and nice business owners holding onto average staff members for too long.Usually this is because they feel bad, are too nice, are too insecure to have a big conversation, are too worried about short term ramifications, are hoping things will change, are too busy to confront big topics, and so on (insert individual issue here pretty much). It’s a tale as old as time itself. While we are all for people being kind and nice, too often the “being kind”part is at the expense of running a profitable, stable and successful business. The best way forward is to see yourself as the Operations Manager of your business. Would you still make these decisions if you were accountable to the business owner? With hiring a training apprentices, we need to choose well and there needs to be some clear checkpoints along the way to ensure they are on the right path and it is working out for both parties.  You don’t get too many chances to produce tradies along your own production line, so make sure that the apprentice/s you have are the right fit. In a world where hiring a great tradie is extremely hard, don’t miss your opportunity to create your ideal one. Enjoy the pod xx Chapters00:00 Introduction and Merch Talk01:21 The True Cost of Apprenticeships02:33 Investing in Future Talent05:04 Expectations and Realities of Apprenticeships08:23 Identifying Good Apprentices11:06The Importance of Attitude and Curiosity16:38 Cultural Fit and Team Dynamics19:51 The Impact of Company Size and Work Type22:05 Consequences of Failing TAFE23:27 Final Thoughts on Hiring and Retaining Talent

This week on the pod we have the OG sparky core lord + insta phenomenon Dave Willman. Don’t let the beard fool you and don’t be distracted by his notorious meat cooking ability, this man is one calculated cat. We chat through starting out, favourite tools, apprentices, finding work, choosing your clients and staff wisely, instagram, business growth, content creation, family, fostering a supportive learning environment + much more. In summary, Dave is such a legend and we are so honoured to have him on the pod. Enjoy xx