The Profit Roadmap

Jeff Harkness gives service business owners advice on growing their business the smart way. He started (and still runs) his own business - Three Point Group. He explains why many service businesses fail… and why less succeed. He’ll tell you everything you need to know about being a wise entrepreneur. If you’d like one-on-one financial advice from Three Point Group, please check them out. "Summon t...

Ted didn't send a woman to prison! He talks about why he dropped his biggest client (that was bringing in 6-figures) and an update on that story from last year. He dropped them because he saw the bigger picture. Plus, he shares his story about an embezzlement issue within his lawn care company... and why Ted chose not to send a woman to prison. "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com...

Mini-episode with Bo and Brady Burke recorded at SA5 last fall. After meeting Bear in 2017, Bo and Brady Burke describe their experience with Service Autopilot and why they've recommended it many times. They explain how Automations have been a total game-changer for their lawn care business and has jumpstarted their growth. The mobile app, forms and estimates have benefited them so well that...

Former Biggest Badass winner, Marvin Salcido, talks with Cody and Bear about remaining profitable while adding services to your business. He talks specifically about how fertilization and weed control was a total game-changer for his Tyler, Texas lawn care business. Resources: Marvin's other appearance on the show Starting a Lawn Care Business (Marvin contributed to this piece) "Summon the Rawk" b...

We talk with Kirk Slack - right BEFORE he won the Biggest Badass Award at SA5 . You can check out Kirk's winning submission over on the Lawn Care Millionaire YouTube channel . Kirk talked to us about growing in patience and the necessity of effective communication with your team - a winning badass strategy if we ever heard one! "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under...

Michelle Myers of PinkCallers chats with The Profit Roadmap about why you might need a virtual assistant and that PinkCallers is the VA of choice for Service Autopilot members. "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post Should I Hire a Virtual Assistant? appeared first on Service Autopilot .

Taylor Hansen, long-time SA user, chats with Cody and Bear at SA5 about joining SA Academy BEFORE he started his business and the overwhelming value of being in a mastermind group as he went through the startup process at his business. "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post "I Joined a Mastermind Group BEFORE I start...

Bear recounts two failed attempts to save his gym membership. One got his money but wasn't honest. The other didn't even pretend to care about making the sale. "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post How to Save Missed Sales Opportunities appeared first on Service Autopilot .

Jonathan, Cody, and Bear chat about dealing with problem clients. Should you: Bend over backward to accommodate every request? Refuse to yield a single inch? Fire them? It's a great reminder that service business owners are professional problem-solvers - but they have to keep that inside the scope of their business. "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Com...

Cody and Bear are back in the studio from GIE. They're talking about their time at the show AND the excitement of meeting listeners in person. After interacting with a bunch of SA users in Kentucky, we wanted to reflect on the importance of attracting and creating brand ambassadors. "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post...

Chris Volpe returns to talk about putting employees through "boot camp." Resources: Tony Romo: A Football Life The Pareto Principle is an Italian Cheese "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post One Big Venn Diagram of Awesome-ness appeared first on Service Autopilot .

Bear opens up with a personal story that marries confidence and arrogance - a contradiction on the surface, but one you'll find very useful in your business. Here's the clip Bear referenced: "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post Be Humbly Arrogant appeared first on Service Autopilot .

Jess Winsett, our HR guru, talks to us about the power of employee referral programs. Resources: Martha Woodward - Employee Incentives "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post Do Employee Referral Programs even work? appeared first on Service Autopilot .

Jonathan explains time management, delegation, and "wall-building" to avoid distractions so you can push your business forward. Resources: No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs (by Dan Kennedy) "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post Why You Should Build Walls Around Yourself appeared first on Service Autopilot .

Cody convinces Bear that marketers should exist... and that every small business is marketing, whether they believe it or not. Resources: Starting out Facebook Advertising  (Lawn Care) Facebook Ads for Cleaners How to Market Your Lawn Care Business (9-Arounds) "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post "Why Do I Need Mar...

Bear draws on his many years of sales experience to teach Cody how to close deals over the phone. This is the best way to make sales in your service industry business... but it can be intimidating to people who are really comfortable making sales happen in-person. Resources: Spin Selling by Neil Rackham Jim Evans' Philosophy of Sales Is the Hard Sell Ever Appropriate? The #1 Reason Most Lawn Care...

Marvin Salcido was crowned (literally) at SA4 as the "Biggest Badass" of the year. This week on The Profit Roadmap you can hear his journey from hungry college student to owning a large and profitable lawn care business. Resources We Mentioned: Pricing Calculator Wrapping Your Truck in 2018 Get Your Tickets to SA5 "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commo...

Mike Michalowicz talks about the business hierarchy of needs and his brand new book ( Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself ). We learn about the two points your business could be stuck between. Resources we mentioned: Pre-order  Clockwork  today Read  Profit First   to get your finances in order Mike spoke at our annual conference a couple of years ago... it was a big hit. You can at...

Jess Winsett, our HR guru, talks to Cody and Bear about getting rid of bad culture fits (and all-around terrible employees). She keeps an eye toward "gotcha" moments to avoid problems down the road AND helps you consider alternatives to letting go that squeaky-wheel employee. "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The post Cody an...

Martha Woodward owns Dusting Divas and is the co-founder of Quality Driven Software. She talks to us about being afraid of customer feedback, how to get over that fear and embrace the opportunity to improve your business. Resources: Martha's last time on the show at SA4 Quality Driven Software This year's conference, SA5 "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creativ...

Jim Evans tells us when he thinks you should use "hard sell" tactics to close the deal with a lead. We give examples of hard selling from our own experience and encourage you to look at the sales process as a fellow consumer first and as an owner second. Resources: Jim's last episode The Dip by Seth Godin (Cody's recommended read) "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed und...

Rodney Smith of Raising Men Lawn Care is mowing 50 lawns, at least one in each of the 50 states. Cody talks with Rodney about his mission and how you can use community outreach to build a great reputation. Resources: Raising Men Lawn Care Rodney's Instagram Community Outreach Blog Post "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 The po...

Chad Cranston and Garrett Matthews are very different people. Chad is a former IT/tech guy. Garrett is a former firefighter. They live hundreds of miles apart. One's in the desert (Chad), the other's in the swamp (Garrett). They talk at least twice a day... and they credit those talks with saving their businesses and plugging huge profit leaks. They rely on each other (and friends of the pod Mike...

Conferences and events are a dime a dozen. Jason Cupp and Bear talk about how to know if an event is right for you and how to justify the cost of attending. Get more info on SA5 (or buy your tickets today)! Resources Mentioned: Jason's Consulting Site Check out SA5 (this year's conference) "Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Th...

Lisa Marino knows marketing. And she's ready for you to step up your game. It's not enough to run an occasional Facebook ad, you need to take your brand message to many more channels. Cody, Bear and Lisa present other marketing channels, ones we've neglected previously on The Profit Roadmap. Other marketing channels every service business should consider: Uniforms and Yard Signs Google AdWords Ret...