The Trade Traction Podcast with Dennis The Apprentice

Send us Fan Mail 👇 Take the Trade Traction Score Assessment and discover what to focus on next in your business:  https://tradetraction.scoreapp.com A customer tells you you're too expensive and you flinch. You knock a few hundred off, maybe throw in something free, and drive home wondering why there's nothing left at the end of the month. Dennis says that reaction is based on a lie, an...

Send us Fan Mail 👇 Take the Trade Traction Score Assessment and discover what to focus on next in your business:  https://tradetraction.scoreapp.com Every coach tells you to raise your prices. Almost none of them show you what actually happens when you do. Dennis tripled his prices, then raised them again over several years, and the thing he was most afraid of, losing every customer, almost never...

Send us Fan Mail 👇 Take the Trade Traction Score Assessment and discover what to focus on next in your business:   https://tradetraction.scoreapp.com What separates tradespeople who build wealth from those who stay stuck chasing the next paycheck? In this episode of Trade Traction, recorded live at the SkillsUSA National Championships, we sit down with Jake Chesney to discuss the financial habits...

Send us Fan Mail 👇 Take the Trade Traction Score Assessment and discover what to focus on next in your business:  https://tradetraction.scoreapp.com You finished your trade apprenticeship. Someone showed you the tools, the work, what to do and what not to do. Then you filed an LLC and woke up the next morning with nobody teaching you anything. Dennis says there's a second apprenticeship most...

Send us Fan Mail 👇 Take the Trade Traction Score Assessment and discover what to focus on next in your business:  https://tradetraction.scoreapp.com Every plumber starting out pictures the same thing. Big shop, double doors, wrapped trucks, the whole setup. Dennis spent 25 years building a $12 million plumbing company and says that vision is exactly what holds most trades owners back. The shop sh...

Send us Fan Mail 👇 Take the Trade Traction Score Assessment and discover what to focus on next in your business:  https://tradetraction.scoreapp.com Most plumbing companies think they have a marketing problem when they actually have a branding problem. In this video, Gene Johnson breaks down why the best plumbing company doesn't always win—the best marketer does. You'll learn how succes...

Send us Fan Mail 👉 Take the contractor assessment and learn what your business should focus on next:  https://tradetraction.scoreapp.com Are you struggling to grow your plumbing business, retain plumbers, or build a profitable plumbing company? In this episode, Dennis the Apprentice reveals one of the most important lessons every plumbing business owner must learn: your primary customer is not th...

Send us Fan Mail Most plumbing business owners don’t fail because they’re bad at plumbing… they fail because nobody taught them how money actually works in business. In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis sits down with Electra to break down the money mistakes keeping contractors stuck — from underpricing and cash flow chaos to why most owners are terrified to raise prices. They dive deep into...

Send us Fan Mail Most contractors think the hiring problem starts with finding apprentices. But according to HVAC education leader Clifton Beck, the real issue is what happens after they get hired. In this episode of ESCO Institute and Trade Traction, we break down why so many young techs leave the trades early, how contractors are failing the next generation, and what companies must do to actuall...

Send us Fan Mail 🚨 Slow Season in Your Plumbing Business? Here’s Exactly What To Do. In this episode, we break down practical plumbing marketing strategies to keep your phones ringing, your technicians busy, and your business growing — even during slow periods. From direct mail campaigns and email marketing to branding, social media, partnerships, and neighborhood marketing, this is a complete pl...

Send us Fan Mail If you're tired of hiring people who say they know the trade… but then you realize they only know one small part of the job, this episode is for you. Most contractors aren’t struggling because of lack of work… they’re struggling because of bad hires, weak training, and no real pipeline of skilled labor. In this episode, you’ll learn how top contractors are fixing that, by act...

Send us Fan Mail If you own a plumbing business and feel like you're working hard but still not making money, this episode explains why most plumbing companies get stuck before reaching real profit. In this Trade Traction episode, plumbing contractors will learn the 4 stages of plumbing business growth and why many plumbing business owners look successful while still struggling financially. M...

Send us Fan Mail If you're a plumbing contractor staying busy every day but still wondering why there’s no money left at the end of the month, this episode of Trade Traction breaks down exactly why busy does not always mean profitable. In this episode, we cover the 3 biggest profit mistakes plumbing companies make that keep contractors stuck working hard without building real financial freedo...

Send us Fan Mail If you're a plumbing contractor working hard every day but still wondering where the money went, this episode of Trade Traction is for you. In this episode, we break down five practical moves that can help turn a busy plumbing company into a profitable plumbing business—without gimmicks, without complicated systems, and without losing your integrity. Too many plumbing contrac...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis sits down with Jason, incoming PCCC National President, to talk about leadership, contractor relationships, trade shows, and what it really takes to grow in the plumbing, heating, and cooling industry. If you’re a plumbing, HVAC, or mechanical contractor tired of working hard without seeing real profit, this conversation is packed with pra...

Send us Fan Mail Are you a plumbing contractor tired of working for free? Welcome to Trade Traction — the podcast dedicated to helping plumbing contractors finally turn a profit and build the company they once dreamed of. In this episode, we break down one of the biggest mistakes in the plumbing business: confusing revenue with profit . Just because you wrote an invoice doesn’t mean you made money...

Send us Fan Mail You didn’t get into the trades to work nonstop and still feel broke. In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis sits down with Ken Smith, Incoming National President of MSI, to talk about what actually creates long-term traction in the trades — beyond just staying busy. Ken shares decades of experience, from starting as a technician to leading large multi-state operations, and expl...

Send us Fan Mail f you’re a plumbing, HVAC, or drain cleaning contractor working nonstop but still barely making money, this episode will hit close to home. Dennis sits down with Kimberly Keane, former co-owner of a $12M plumbing & heating company, to break down the 3 numbers that decide whether your business is profitable or quietly bleeding cash. This isn’t about getting more jobs. It’s abou...

Send us Fan Mail Why is it getting harder every year to find good people in the trades? In this podcast, Brian breaks down the real issues behind the skilled labor shortage — from why fewer young people are entering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work to how contractors are being forced to rethink hiring, training, and retention. This conversation goes beyond headlines and gets into what’s actuall...

Send us Fan Mail Plumbing and HVAC contractors are working longer hours — yet margins aren’t improving. In this episode, Dennis breaks down why. On the Trade Traction Podcast, Dennis sits down with Susan, CEO of Rapid Locking Systems (RLS), to expose one of the biggest hidden profit killers in the trades: slow installs and outdated methods. They discuss how press technology is helping contractors...

Send us Fan Mail Contractors say they can’t afford to hire apprentices. What if the money was already there, and you just didn’t know about it? In this episode of the Trade Traction Podcast, Dennis sits down with John Zink, who runs the PHCC Educational Foundation Scholarship Program, a program that awarded $152,000 to 66 apprentices and trade students this year alone. This isn’t theory. This is r...

Send us Fan Mail Contractors aren’t losing money because they’re bad at business. They’re losing money because they’re alone. Every year, new rules, codes, and regulations quietly cut into your margins, and most contractors just absorb the cost. Not because they agree with it. But because they weren’t in the room when the rules were written. In this episode of the Trade Traction Roadshow, Dennis s...

Send us Fan Mail Too many plumbing contractors are busy, stressed, and broke — working harder every year but still not turning a profit. In this episode of the Trade Traction Podcast , Dennis shares the hard-earned truth he wishes someone had told him 15 years earlier : 👉 Trying to figure out your business alone will cost you years , burnout, and money. Dennis breaks down: Why DIY-ing your busine...

Send us Fan Mail Are you a contractor, business owner, or trades professional looking to turn chaos into clarity and boost your bottom line? In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis Hamon reveals the single most powerful discipline that championship teams use—and most struggling businesses ignore: the weekly meeting. Through football analogies, real-life stories, and actionable advice, Dennis sha...

Send us Fan Mail Dan Callies thought every contractor was his competition - until one shop visit flipped his entire career. In this episode, he breaks down the moment everything changed, how PHCC became his family, and why the future of the trades is exploding faster than anyone realizes. If you’ve ever felt stuck, isolated, or unsure what’s next for your shop… this conversation will light a fire...