Tradesman Confidential

Last week we talked about bidding, but this week we're diving further into the slippery slope we find ourselves on in a low-bidding world. We know that you shouldn't underbid your projects, but let's also make sure we're providing top-notch service in our industries so that we are valued by our communities and can put food on the table every week.

We touch on a topic again that will continue to lead the trades down the drain (that one's for you, plumbers): bidding. There's more to bidding than just throwing a number, but do with that what you will.

We know you love to talk about it just as much a Greg does, but it must be done. We'll walk you through important characteristics of contracts and insurance while we fight through our own distaste for them both.

"I can't afford an apprentice." No, you can't afford to NOT have an apprentice. These people are the future of our trades, don't you want to be a part of that? Apprentices can be a valuable part of your company if you take the time to train them right. Have we not convinced you yet? We will by the end of this episode.

Generation Z, we love to hate them. Maybe your opinions of them will change after listening to this podcast? Eh, probably not. But it's worth a listen. Our resident Gen Z-er Jordan Linden heads this podcast as we discuss the differences between our generations, things we have in common and work through "misconceptions" of the snowflake generation. 

It is a primal instinct to defend yourself when someone comes armed to take down your company. From nasty Google reviews to angry phone calls, you will always have to deal with clients who did not get there way. We know that we make mistakes and we know that some customers are just harder to deal with. Either way, we have some tactics for you to use next time you find yourself in a situation that...

From two guys who have spent hours upon hours on construction sites, we see how you get away with good and bad practices. A headline titled "Boston Construction Sites Still Have Very Few Black Workers" leads Josh and Greg into a conversation all about the people and procedures behind these major projects. 

Everyone thinks they are the greatest boss. But then they leave their team to go golfing every Friday, blow their money on fancy stuff and can't even remember their employees dog's name. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what you could do better? Today, we discuss things you may be doing wrong and ways to improve (including generational barriers, what your employees actually want and real life...

The long lived debate of whether colleges are actually worth it continues on Tradesmen Confidential. What are the statistics? What is the value? Where should we be putting our time, energy and money as we progress? You'll find out all this and more on today's episode.

The more you know... today we dive deep into the topic of what your clients are looking for when they hire you for a job. From the obvious to the abstract, we'll talk about common mistakes you might be making and introduce easy ways to be a better contractor for your clients. 

Believe it or not, your health (or lack of it) will take a toll on your business if you don't get it under control ASAP. In a field where mental strength is just as important as physical strength, it's about time you take it all seriously.

Brendan Roy of Dads Worldwide joins Josh and Greg as these three dads of the trades walk you through how they have struggled with and conquered the work-life balance. 

Low bid is a race to the bottom, but how can you combat this issue with your clients? The guys review ways to communicate then elevate your game to provide the added value that's needed to be successful.

Special Guest TruPros Marketing Guru Jordan Linden joins the show to help educate and insult our Social Media skills like any true millennial should. No honestly, your business can't afford to sit on the sidelines when social media, websites, etc. continue to reign supreme.

A problem as old as time, how do you deal with working with/for friends and family in your contracting business. The muddy waters are exactly that. Let's wade in them suckers together.

The guys get into some of the finer details of running a healthy business and what to look for to not only steer the ship but maybe be more creative on how you go about operating in your business to help.

 Josh and Greg reminisce about some past mistakes and common issues that most have when chasing a business and/ or career, but more importantly they share the lessons they learned along the way so you can try not to repeat them.

 The guys discuss changing your mindset and standards to improve yourself and your product/brand as a craftsman. The "just good enough" mindset is always going to backfire on you and your business somewhere.

We have all done it. You work for "the man" at your day job then after work or on the weekends you're working for your buddies, families, or side gigs slinging wire so you can make some extra cash. You do it for cheap, usually with no insurance, and probably for cash. Although we understand the thought process to why and how, we can't help but question the long term effects and overall how it hurt...

Have you ever had a craft beer where two or more local breweries "collaborated" to make a new beer? How can competitors be doing that? don't they hate each other? Isn't it odd to think how people in the same industry who technically compete for the same gullets absorbing their beer can work together and have mutual benefits?  What if the same utopia could be applied to contracting? What if we...

William Wallace said our enemies can take our lives but they'll never take our freedom!!… OK so this isn't the freedom we are chatting about today, although near and dear to our hearts especially in the new world order we live under, but I digress. Today we talk about how contractors can get their Freedom Back. What that Freedom you crave is; well is entirely up to you. Is it time to go fishing, r...

What is a Professional.... Lawyers, Doctors, CEO's all get to call themselves professionals. We used to call tradespeople "Craftsman" and "Vocational Artists", Where did we lose that? The Trades of the last two decades are seldom viewed as Pro's ... Typically society portrays them as dumb, slow, overweight, and not capable of being a good buisness owner thats adept enough to be a Professional in t...

Is a deeper dive into the main issues plaguing the overall construction industry today. We discuss the social, economical, and personal reasons behind the problem and start to discuss where the world is heading as a whole and how it can be addressed.

Josh Brandt and Greg Giroux are two construction industry professionals who have joined together to tackle issues plaguing the construction industry. Inspired by Mike Rowe and many others bringing to light the causes and effects of the most passive aggressive comment in our industry... "Living the dream". We introduce ourselves and explain "our Why" by giving you a window into why we are doing thi...

After years and years of bitching and complaining about all things wrong with the construction industry we devised a new business model to help address the needs of not only the tradespeople we set out to serve, but also the homeowners and clients. The end result was a company called TruPros. This episode is an introduction to what the company is and does as it will be mentioned and referenced thr...