The Trade Traction Podcast with Dennis The Apprentice

Send us Fan Mail 🔥 If you’re tired of working for free, this episode will finally give you clarity — and a path to real profit. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:22 Why payroll always feels like a crisis 03:40 The 3-Prong Profit Problem 06:20 Expense cuts that actually move the needle 10:55 The pricing mistake everyone makes 14:10 The sales skill contractors MUST learn 18:22 How Dennis fixed this and scal...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is all about being profitable.  And that means from your very first paycheck!  If you save just 10%, technically you are a double digit profit machine!  And really that same principle applies when you are in business.  You need to figure out to cut cost and increase sales until you are profitable so that you can build a business your employees as well as your family c...

Send us Fan Mail From the SkillsUSA National Conference in Atlanta, Dennis sits down with Karman Warner, Executive Director of SkillsUSA Washington, who’s changing the way schools view success. She’s helping students letter in the trades instead of sports, giving them real recognition, and real futures. They talk about the growing movement across Washington, the first youth apprenticeship program...

Send us Fan Mail At the PHCC Connect Show in Birmingham, Dennis interviews Tyler — a third-generation master plumber and National PHCC Secretary — about winning the national apprenticeship competition, building leadership in the trades, and why young people should see plumbing as a first-choice career. They discuss how PHCC empowers contractors through education, advocacy, and connection. Timestam...

Send us Fan Mail From high school student to state director, Robyn Rowling’s entire career started with one program: SkillsUSA. In this episode, Dennis sits down with Robyn to uncover how SkillsUSA transforms students into leaders, how CareerSafe is helping keep young workers safe on the job, and why the trades are proving to be the real higher education. If you’ve ever wondered how career educati...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dennis sits down with Collin at SkillsUSA 2025 in Atlanta to talk about how he turned a love for Legos into a thriving career — and how he’s stacking cash, investing 40% of his income, and planning to retire young through the trades. This one’s a masterclass in discipline, money, and motivation for anyone in the skilled trades. Timestamps (Main Highlights) 00:00 –...

Send us Fan Mail Description: From the SkillsUSA National Conference in Atlanta — Dennis sits down with Brian South from McWane Plumbing Group to break down everything you didn’t know about cast iron plumbing. Why it lasts longer, stays quieter, and can literally outlive your building. They also dive into how the next generation of tradespeople are changing the game and why taking risks in life pa...

Send us Fan Mail First female president of Georgia PHCC reveals the TRUTH about why parents hate the trades and how one company's "signing day" idea is changing everything. Karen Hill drops wisdom bombs about the trades crisis nobody's talking about: Parents comparing their kids like trophies while plumbers make $100K+ debt-free. TIMESTAMPS: 00:02:28 - First female PHCC preside...

Send us Fan Mail CHAPTERS: 00:00 The career-ending mistake hiding in plain sight 00:56 Why 1 in 5 plumbers will get fired THIS YEAR 02:42 Your 22-year-old apprentice just became uninsurable 03:43 One speeding ticket = $3,600 insurance nightmare 04:33 Even good plumbers make this fatal mistake 04:48 25 in a 20 zone destroyed my driving record 06:31 How smart plumbers keep their jobs (attorney secre...

Send us Fan Mail John Zink from PHCC reveals the $1.2 MILLION secret fund that's paying people to learn trades.  From an Indiana apprentice winning $10,000 to 40-year-olds getting second chances - this changes everything about paying for trade school.  The Trade Traction Podcast | PHCC Connect Show Birmingham Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:44 - What is the PHCC Educational Foundation? 05...

Send us Fan Mail Chapters- 00:00 - Introduction to PHCC Connect Show 02:00 - Danny's First Trade Show Experience  04:18 - Why Contractors Need Trade Shows  07:00 - Tax Write-Offs & Business Growth  09:45 - Meet LMH Agency: Marketing for Contractors  12:40 - Using AI to Respond to Google Reviews  15:49 - AI CSRs: Answering Customer Calls  18:00 - Analytics & Lead Tracking Strategies  2...

Send us Fan Mail Roger joins Dennis at the PHCC Future Leadership Summit to reveal why 97% of contractors don't know about the industry's most valuable resources. After 17 years in plumbing without knowing PHCC existed, Roger shares how his father-in-law's heart attack forced him into running a business with zero preparation. He exposes the shocking truth about parents blocking thei...

Send us Fan Mail Tony sits down with Dennis at the PHCC Future Leadership Summit in Virginia to discuss why skilled tradespeople struggle financially despite earning good wages. He reveals the critical education gap in vocational schools that focus only on technical skills while ignoring personal finance, communication, and business fundamentals. Tony shares a memorable story about an apprentice w...

Send us Fan Mail Todd Allred and Dennis The Apprentice of PHCC of Washington talk about the importance of culture in our Plumbing, Heating and Cooling businesses and the importance of quitting the right way so you become allies with your former boss instead of enemies. After doing full days in college and still needing to work in the trades just to stay afloat, Todd Allred realized something power...

Send us Fan Mail My son Tyson joined me on the podcast for the first time.  It was so interesting to here his perspective on his first time being at a trade show, especially being at SkillsUSA National Competition where over 15,000 students, who had won their State Competitions gathered to compete for National recognition.  It was very impressive to see how so much industry came together and displ...

Send us Fan Mail James discusses his long career in plumbing, how he found the trade, and why he's still at it today The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.face...

Send us Fan Mail Dave speaks to why apprentice training is vital to the future of the trades, and what a great program looks like The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://...

Send us Fan Mail Danny shares how he found a niche in the trades The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064205912242 Tiktok:https://ww...

Send us Fan Mail Alex shares about the variety of careers in the trades, why having the best tool for the job is so valuable, and what RIGID has coming down the pipeline The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...

Send us Fan Mail Richard shares his philosophy for running a successful company plumbers actually want to work for The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.co...

Send us Fan Mail Uriah shares how he found and built a profitable career in the trades, and how he's starting his own business  The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https...

Send us Fan Mail Mason shares his experience as Danny G's apprentice, and how he decided to pursue plumbing The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...

Send us Fan Mail Vince of American Plumber Stories on inspiring the next generation of plumbers and changing the perception of the trades The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook:...

Send us Fan Mail Steve speaks to the value of trade journals, and how apprentices can fast track their learning The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p...

Send us Fan Mail Melissa shares her experience as a woman in the trades The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit.  Connect with Dennis: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/dennis-hamon/?skipRedirect=true Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064205912242 Tiktok:htt...