Sparky Coach

Crack a cold one and get ready for a laugh with this one as the boys go slightly off topic with a plethora of stories. They do go over some seriously good tips on scheduling and how to “control the uncontrollable”.  In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... How to schedule and what makes it easier.  More options will increase your ability to schedule.  Burleigh is in fact on the Gold Coast.  Even if...

At the end of the day business is a numbers game, and if you get them right you’ll be able to grow and move in any direction you want. It’s important to know where they come from, what they are for and that they’re correct - and if you aren’t sure, get help, because numbers are something you need to be on top of all the time. In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... Price er point v hourly? How to w...

When we say Van Talks we mean those all important chats you used to have with your boss or colleague that taught you so much more than just the job at hand. Those mornings on the way to site, back home or even on smoko. It’s about creating a team, a chance for people to chat and know each other and learning from them. In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... Communication between staff members. You...

We all know it’s hard to find a tradie these days and you may not have the time to hire an apprentice and get their skills and approach in sign with what you need right now, but beware of the fast-hire trap. Hiring the first person that’s in front of you because you’re desperate won’t solve your existing problems and it will raise a whole lot of new ones.  In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... Ho...

A hard conversation only gets harder the more time passes. IT can be a performance review where you know your feedback will be more negative than positive, it can be an accident that occurred or somethings gone wrong and you need to tell your client or it might be something personal. We all have hard conversations that others have had with us and as a boss you’ll be the one doing the tough talks. ...

Losing your temper can definitely happen but as you start and grow your electrical business that simply isn’t an option - even when you’re frustrated beyond belief. Sometimes we lose our temper anyway, and that’s when you need to recognise it, go back and fix the damage you’ve now caused or situation you let get out of hand.  In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... When you see others lose their te...

Peak movie time, Leos law and more references you may or may not get. So how does Wedding Crashers relate to your electrical business. This is part two of the importance of sweat equity, previously Cam and Crowie discussed the importance of you putting in the time and effort to start and grow your business but there comes a point where you need to switch over to working smarted not harder or more....

This week it's all about job notes. Why you need them, how to do them and how to make them a part of your automatic process. Aside from the physical doing of the job, the notes of what you did, when and with what are so important particularly for client communication and invoicing. PLUS you may go back to that client or site in the future and you'll have these to refer back to. In this epi...

The boys are enjoying a great beer and discuss customers, in this case - bad customers. Every electrician will have an experience with a non-ideal customer where, for one reason or another, things simply don’t go to plan.  In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... 99% of dealings are great, but inevitable you’ll have experience with a bad apple. How to identify a customer that isn’t ideal for your bu...

Have you every had a long night but left a glass of water on the bed side table (maybe even a Baroca ready to go on the side!) and woken up to it, thinking “Yes! Thank you past me!!!”. The little things we do right now can make such a difference in the future.  In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... Working hard and ending up out of work. Breaststroke, Shannon Knoll and Vanilla Ice Stop, collabora...

You gotta grip it to rip it! So when you're starting your electrical business you'll be putting in long hours, doing most or all the tasks involved in running your business and more than likely putting your business before everything else. That is sweat equity and every business owners - definitely the successful ones - know about it, because they've been there. That begs the question,...

It's always an afterthought! "The thing" you'll get to when you get to it. A day passes, a week, suddenly you forgot altogether. Clients are even chasing you for the invoice - and you can barely remember what you did. This has happened to everyone! In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... My first invoice! What their invoicing process was vs how it is today. Tradify, Xero and MYOB...

You can have the ultimate skills as an electrician and know it's time to start your own electrical company, but there's a bit more to it that having the tools. It's also about talking the talk, and walking the walk. What do we mean? Professionalism is critical, how you present yourself and your company. In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... What does professional look like? sound like...

You've worked 80 hours this week, you have a big project coming up and you have no staff and can't find any? Did you wait too long? Maybe you find someone but the job starts tomorrow and they don't know what to do and how you work! Unfortunately there is no depot for amazing staff that you can rent our on a project basis so you need a process! In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... Key...

We don't want to get preachy or ask you to dig deep and manifest positivity at every step of your day here BUT based on our own experience we know how much easier it is to go about your day only noticing things that went pear shaped and not stopping whenever something goes well. We also aren't saying you need to bring out the confetti each time a light switch gets installed without any iss...

Variations are going to happen on any job. That's for project work with builders on a construction site or renovations and on service jobs. Things come up. Things change. In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... Variations, what are they and what does that mean? Preparing for variations on an electrical job! A process for variations quote to invoice. How a walk through can make the difference! I...

COACHING & INFORMATION FOR ELECTRICAL BUSINESS OWNERS:  ⁠WWW.SPARKYCOACH.COM.AU ⁠ How many bad hires have you made?  Now we are in a labour shortage, it hasn’t been like this since WW2 so more than ever you need a solid process. Also now “networking (we hate that word) - someone on your team may know someone they work well with. Don’t just be liven on a prayer.  In this episode Cam and Crowie...

COACHING & INFORMATION FOR ELECTRICAL BUSINESS OWNERS: ⁠WWW.SPARKYCOACH.COM.AU ⁠ How often and overlooked is the path of least resistance? Position yourself where the work comes in, minimum effort and max return.  In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... How staying involved in your community can be the next step in growing your business. #callmeplease (not maybe!) What’s in front of you? Who do...

COACHING & INFORMATION FOR ELECTRICAL BUSINESS OWNERS: WWW.SPARKYCOACH.COM.AU Are you the number 1 point of contact for clients, employees, suppliers and every person and situation in your electrical business? Can you do everything best? Probably! BUT is that beneficial for the company? Is it beneficial to create that bottleneck of work? You need to make someone else the hero! Let them take th...

COACHING & INFORMATION FOR ELECTRICAL BUSINESS OWNERS: ⁠WWW.SPARKYCOACH.COM.AU ⁠ Electrical wholesalers are where you go when you need products for clients, parts for electrical repairs and equipment to make your sparky business work. Is that all they do for you? We have stories of wholesalers helping out electrical companies in tough times, to recommend new staff and so much more. They are th...

COACHING & INFORMATION FOR ELECTRICAL BUSINESS OWNERS: ⁠WWW.SPARKYCOACH.COM.AU ⁠ What are you looking for as an individual? What does it look like, feel like… we all have different visions of success! We say "the mission is fixed, but the method is flexible". In this episode Cam and Crowie talk... How can “I do the work” be a pro and a con? Is the sweet spot when you're small eno...

COACHING & INFORMATION FOR ELECTRICAL BUSINESS OWNERS: ⁠WWW.SPARKYCOACH.COM.AU ⁠ Did you ever think you had a great financial year, got to the end and the numbers aren’t what you expected, there just isn't enough money in your account? So you go even harder the following year - but you’re doing the same thing! As electricians and business owners ourselves we know how hard you work. We know...