The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber

Like the animals on Darwin's Galapagos Islands, those who could change and adapt were the ones who survived. The same is true for contractors – they must change and adapt or risk getting left behind by their competitors.   Steve explains the importance of change for both business success and personal growth. He tells that the only constant in life is change. You must decide if you will change or s...

Finding your 'why' helps you stay positive even if the issues are outside your control! Tim discovered this when he took his large family on a vacation. From delays to disagreements during the trip, it was easy to get stressed. But Tim was able to make beautiful memories amid all this because he embraced the chaos and focused on what really matters – his 'why.'   The guys want you to do the same w...

Today, Tom's guest is Matt Warner, founder + CEO of Empire Netting and Fence. Matt talked about the "Building a Culture of Excellence" video on his website — a video of one of Matt's Monday morning meetings. He shares why he started the Monday morning meetings, how he built the company's culture through the meeting, and what financial impact it has created.   Episode Highlights: [00:00] - Intro [0...

Cherry picking jobs that are easier, more profitable and suits well with your team's skill and experience sets everyone up for success and keeps your team happy and productive. Today Tim and Derek discuss the importance of being selective about the jobs you take on and how it benefits you and your team.   In this episode, they discuss: Lessons from Derek’s past experience where he took on a diffic...

Many contractors think their breakeven point is simply their monthly overhead amount, but that is incorrect. Continuing the basics of the contractor business math series, Tom discusses how to correctly calculate your breakeven point as a contractor to avoid financial struggles.    In this episode, Tom discusses: How to calculate the breakeven point Difference between breakeven point and overhead c...

Your sales posture is the confident way you carry yourself in front of the clients. It can make or break your ability to land big deals. In this episode, the guys talk about Derek’s recent experience with a difficult client to show the importance of developing and mastering a strong sales posture.   In this episode, they discuss: The story of how Derek dealt with a difficult client Having a solid...

It is important to understand your overhead if you want success in your business. Pricing jobs correctly, setting sales and lead generation goals, or hitting profit targets become impossible when you do not know your real overheads. In this quick episode, Tom breaks down what overhead really means for your contracting business.    Episode Highlights: [00:00] - Intro [00:48] - What is overhead [02:...

When giving proposals to clients, what do you write your estimates with? Do you use a pen or a pencil? Using a pencil makes it look like you are unsure of your numbers or open to negotiation. But using a pen shows confidence in your numbers and lowers the chance of negotiations.   Tim and Derek want you to have confidence in your numbers and not feel the need to lower estimates during negotiations...

Today, Tom is taking it back to the fundamentals of running a successful contracting business. Join him as he offers a crash course on basic contractor business, explaining the key terms of the business world in simple language to help contractors understand the numbers behind their business.    Conversation Highlights: [00:00] - Intro [01:50] - Revenue [02:15] - Sales [03:14] - Cost of goods sold...

Derek Johnson and Tim Cutroni, talk about the shift from simply consuming business knowledge to actively implementing it. They draw from their experiences in landscaping and construction to explain how excessive information consumption can lead to analysis paralysis. They highlight the significance of being adaptable and flexible in the face of change, discussing the idea of impermanence and how i...

Tom continues his discussion on gross profit — often misunderstood but a key component of running a profitable business in the contracting world. The better the gross profit, the better experiences you can provide to your clients, employees, and your families. He also shares why contractors need to be aiming for 50% gross profit — anything less makes it challenging to do business in the long term....

The big rock theory says: If you have to fill a jar with rocks of different sizes, you will start with the big rocks that represent your main priorities in life and business. Then, you would add smaller rocks for secondary tasks. But what exactly are the real big rocks that should be at the top of your priority list? In this episode, Steve shares with you the real big rocks of life – the most impo...

Having a clear vision and implementing a plan to achieve it are two of the most powerful success factors! Tim and Derek are back here and share their experience at the Denver event. The two share the biggest takeaways from the event — having a clear vision and the power of implementation.    They tell you why having a clear vision, along with daily implementation, can make all the difference and w...

There’s a lot of confusion out there in the contracting world about gross profit. Today Tom is clearing up this confusion and sharing his gross profit secrets. Tom also has some candid advice on the importance of focusing on gross profit over net profit when starting out and he addresses the most common questions contractors ask regarding gross profit.   Episode Highlights: [00:00] - Intro [00:39]...

Today, Steve shares his top strategies that will ignite a fire within your team members and unleash their full potential. By implementing these three strategies, you will find motivation soaring naturally among the team members. And employees will compete to be top sellers in a friendly way, and profits will follow suit.   In this episode, Steve talks about: Three simple ways to motivate your team...

Setting clear expectations and standards is essential if you want to grow your business and team. But sometimes, standards and expectations are too high and cannot be met. That sets an expectation for the customer to receive something that your team may not be able to deliver.    In this episode, the guys talk about setting realistic standards & expectations with clients and employees and how unre...

How do you handle arguments, whether it’s with your employees or clients? Do you react? Or do you respond? The difference between the two may seem subtle but it could be the difference between success and failure in business and in life. Steve discusses the difference between reacting and responding when faced with difficult situations and how learning to respond instead of react can give you more...

How do you create the path for growth and opportunity for your employees? Today, Tim and Derek share the system they created for promoting their employees. The guys discuss the mastery ladder they created that their employees follow to get a raise and promotion.    A mastery ladder is a clear set of steps that shows the skills needed to get a raise or promotion. This ladder helps employees to know...

The greatest investor of all time, Warren Buffet, once said – If you can choose and focus on the most important 20% of your tasks, you'll actually get about 80% of the benefits from those tasks. In other words, by prioritizing the right tasks, you can achieve a lot of success.    Today, Steve talks about prioritizing the right tasks and how focusing on the top 20% of tasks can reap 80% of the bene...

There are two types of life contractors live — contractors who work tirelessly without a clear direction, believing hard work alone can solve their problems, and contractors who have a purpose, goal, and focus for their work, and their workload is organized chaos rather than just chaos. Which life of a contractor do you relate to?    Today, Tim and Derek discuss the importance of having a clear vi...

In this episode, Tom takes a sarcastic approach to tell you how NOT to create a moneymaking business. He shares five valuable pieces of advice in a humorous way that will entertain and educate you about the common mistakes and pitfalls that you should avoid in your contracting business. He wants you to do the opposite of these five anti-business behaviors to build a successful and profitable busin...

Contractors are busy running their businesses day-to-day, but taking the time to track key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential for long-term success. In this episode, Tom welcomes Tom Droste, the founder and CEO of Estimate Rocket. They discuss the importance of tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and the top 3 KPIs that every contractor should be monitoring on a regular basis.   In...

Today, Steve talks about one of the most important aspects of running a successful business — how you treat people. He discusses the importance of treating all people well around you, from customers and employees to suppliers and even trash collectors. By sharing the examples from his own contracting business he proves that people are the most important aspect of any successful business.   In this...

Today, Tom warns you against getting too comfortable with success. He shares a story of a contractor who lost his way after finding success. Having applied strategies from “The Fight,” this contractor saw his business and finances grow substantially. However, he began taking his foot off the gas, feeling like he had “arrived.” This led him into trouble. Tom emphasizes that hunger and desire are wh...

Today, Tim and Derek discuss the origins of the Shinfu sales methodology, created by Steve Shinholser, and why qualifying leads properly is so important for any contractor business. They also share strategies for pre-qualifying customers, removing the consultation fee, and saving time by focusing on higher-value clients.    In this episode, they discuss: Origin story of Shinfu sales methodology Th...