The Profitable Tradie Podcast

Are you worried about the gaps coming up in your calendar?  It’s bloody stressful when you’re about to run out of work.  You don’t want your guys standing around doing nothing, so you find something for them to do.  But it doesn't make you money.  Another problem with holes in your schedule is cash flow.  When it’s off, you're in for a whole world of pain.  You lose s...

We’ve all had those shitty phone calls, right Name? When they hang up, you feel bloody awful.   The customer called, unhappy with the job.   Your stomach sinks as you process what just happened.   They said it’s not up to standard...   Not what they were promised...   They’re disappointed and angry, and it’s all your fault.   They want you to fix it.    Now....

Do you pay yourself a salary?   How about a fair market salary?  Maybe you’re not quite sure what that is?   Many trades and contracting business owners don’t know either.  They just make up a number that seems right.  And continue working 60+ hour weeks, effectively getting paid below minimum wage...   Others pay themselves whatever’s left over at the end o...

In 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in under 4 minutes.  Before him, nobody thought that was possible.  Today, more than a thousand runners have done it.  Bannister showed how far the bar could be raised, inspiring his peers to reach further.  Do your friends inspire you to take your business to new heights? Do they stretch you?   Seeing their achievements inspires you to...

Builders & General Contractors are tricky, right?     They can be super unorganized, which can mess you around and kill your profits.      If you’re not careful, they can also use you like a bank...      On the other hand, they can bring in a lot of work opportunities.      So, how can we work with Builders and General...

Do you ever get to the end of a long week and think to yourself... “What’s the point of it all?”  Despite working 50+ hours, you’re still left...  Scrambling to meet unreasonable demands from your customers.  Fixing team mistakes and answering the constant barrage of questions.  Stressed about getting paid and how you’re going to keep the team busy.  And for all of that, y...

"I need to hire an [INSERT TITLE HERE] , let me promote [INSERT EMPLOYEE NAME HERE] Because he’s my best worker”  Here’s the critical mistake.  A move from a tradesman to operation manager or similar role is not a promotion.  It’s a career change.  You should absolutely reward your best worker in any way you can  But it’s important to understand the different skills requir...

Family & Friend Discounts.  There’s something about it that makes us feel good.   Especially when we use the skills our business offers to give them a valuable service.  There are so many business owners who sacrifice a little bit of monthly profit to help their family and friends out.  I just wish more of them knew the real cost...  Because it’s not just the job...

Do you have issues in your business but just haven’t had the time to fix them?  Let's say your system for tracking your numbers.  You know if you get it sorted, your profit will improve.  You might even have a plan about how you’re going to do it  But to this day the issue is still there...  It's probably because you just don’t have the time to make these changes to your b...

If there’s one thing I miss from my days as an employee, it's the certainty.   Getting home at the same time every day and being able to enjoy time with friends & family.  Don't get me wrong, being a business owner is much better than being an employee...  But having a guaranteed income does have its advantages.  That's why landing large jobs is appealing.  They g...

How much should you pay your employees?  It’s not actually all that complicated.  But let’s get one thing clear.  There is no golden number.  For example, I could say that you should pay a new employee $41 per hour.   But that number is one I made up and more than likely isn’t the right figure for you.  But here’s the good news.   It’s not rocket scienc...

Is your work flow up and down?  One month it feels like you’re two employees short and the next it feels like you have too many.  Phil & I have noticed more and more businesses suffering from this setback.  So we recorded a training on what it is and how to avoid it.  WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST:   The tools to achieve consistent workflow from mo...

After a 10 hour shift on the tools you come home for some quality family time.  For about 90 minutes...  You then head to the desktop to finish up some estimates, quotes & payroll.  Bedtime rolls around sometime after 11 when you find your partner is already out.  Unlike her though you toss and turn.  It’s hard to sleep with all the stress you’re carrying from owning y...

Do you HATE when employees make avoidable mistakes?  Nobody’s perfect but employees can take a profitable job and screw it up big time.  Mistakes in business can be a death sentence.  But business owners like you and I can also make mistakes.  The difference is our mistakes tend to be a lot more expensive.  An apprentice might do a poor job which costs $500 to fix.  B...

You’ve just finished an excruciating 12-hour day on the tools.   It seems that every day for the last year or so has been like this.  And you’re not sure when this will end and when life will get better.  You get back home and your wife asks, “hey honey, how was your day?”  And you say the same thing you say everyday:  “It was good... How was yours?”  Curtis Hanc...

Have you ever heard the phrase, “trim the sails”?  It’s one of the most important phrases in business.  It originates from sailing, where reducing weight and drag creates more speed.  In business it relates to trimming the fat off a business which has become too bloated to grow.  It’s too easy to grow quickly only to find yourself with a business which lacks systems.  Or o...

“I’m scared of losing my business”.   That’s something we hear from business owners TOO OFTEN.   And it’s often because of a fear that the work is going to dry up.  One day you’re moving into a nice new house and the next you can’t afford the mortgage.   But what if we told you this sort of thing doesn’t just come out of nowhere.  If you know what you’re looking...

NO.  Not the word you want to hear when tendering for a job.   We’re not all silky salesmen.  So we all know that hearing the N word is part of business ownership.  But as you’ve probably heard about negotiation, no doesn’t mean no.  Whether someone has outright rejected your quote or is bartering with you to get a better deal...  There are certain things you can...

The money side of business is hard.  For many it’s downright confusing.  Way too many trades business owners stare at their numbers without having a clue what they really mean.  Too many business owners aren’t taught about things like pricing, cashflow and profit maximizing until after they’ve already started the business.  So they only really pick it up as they go.  And t...

Business has been uncertain over the last few years.  2020: Covid  2021: Lockdowns  2022: Inflation  2023: Interest Rate Spikes  And now in 2024 the forecast is for depression and a decline in the construction industry.  If you think that things are going to get any better soon, you’re sadly mistaken.   We’re in a time where businesses die.   And i...

Here’s one thing that all trades businesses have in common.  If they lost their biggest client they would struggle to keep the employees busy.  It’s more important than ever to be on your clients’ backs about giving you more work.  Because the research shows that when you stop communicating with your clients...  They start dishing out work to your competitors that would usually...

Have you ever put your mind to something but not achieved it?  Most of us have.  But you’d be surprised the amount of business owners who didn’t achieve their goals because they simply gave up.  And the reason is because change is hard.  Us humans like to keep things within our comfort zone.  But you left your comfort zone to start your business.  So you have the abil...

You and your team have knocked off for the week.   They’re off to the pub to have a few hard-earned ice-cold beers.   Whereas you trudge home to slug away at piles of paperwork and get a head-start on next week already.   That work spills over into Saturday and you feel you don’t have the time to watch your kids play sport.   And once in a while you’re putti...

It can be frustrating when employees make simple mistakes that eat into your profit margins.   You’ve likely wanted to scream at them, but at the back of your mind you’re worried they will leave.  So the boys sat down to record a training on what you can do to minimize team mistakes.  (Without them getting upset and quitting)    WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM TODAY’S PODCAST:...

Do you enjoy paying your bills late?  I’m guessing probably not.   In fact, I'm willing to bet you value your reputation as somebody who pays their bills on time.   So why is it that others seem to do everything they can to avoid them?  And after all, it’s these slow payers that stop you from getting money to suppliers.  Knowing how to deal with slow payers is cr...