Contractor Evolution

Breakthrough Academy
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Contractor Evolution

Breakthrough Academy presents Contractor Evolution. In this show we unpack the systems, tactics, and skills you need to take your fast-growing contracting business to the next level. If you’re here to learn what it takes to scale up, work less, and increase profitability, you’ve come to the right place. Stay tuned to learn what separates the new breed of contractor from the old school, and welcome to your ultimate guide to the business of contracting.

  1. 7 HR AGO

    188. Does Time-Tracking Really Boost Staff Productivity? - Isaac Barlow

    On Dec. 10th, we're hosting a FREE web class with LMN to teach you how to create a strong performance culture in your landscaping business. Spaces are limited, so save your spot now: https://trybta.com/Performance-LMN   Connect time tracking to your job costing with this free white paper from busybusy: https://trybta.com/DLEP188    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here:  https://trybta.com/PCEP188    Have you ever wondered whether getting your field staff to track their time is worthwhile?   Sure, it’d be great to hold them accountable. But you can already hear their grumbles and groans about having to add another thing to their to-do list.   The thing is, in other businesses (think accounting, law, marketing agencies), time tracking is standard practice. The whole goal in those industries is to make as much time billable to the client as possible. So why is it different in the trades?   Our guest on the show today is Isaac Barlow. He’s the Founder of busybusy. The industry-leading time-tracking app for construction and trades.    Today’s conversation is about leveraging time-tracking technology to increase productivity and profitability without hurting your company culture.   Episode highlights: Learn how time tracking can be used to create a performance culture built on business intelligence. Understand why field staff often resist adopting modern tech and how to change their attitudes and get them on board with time tracking. Find out how to create a modern data-obsessed organization in an old school industry.   00:00-Intro01:48-The story behind busybusy08:42-Why contractors need to be more time obsessed16:42-The benefits of busybusy and other time tracking apps22:08-How to deal with pushback from the team28:56-Business Intelligence: helpful or hurtful to culture?31:57-Gamification: does it work?34:04-3 tips to get your team thinking more like owners38:19-Downloadable handout and busybusy promotion39:08-Business intelligence: what is it and how do you use it?44:46-Too much data vs. too little data: what is the balance?46:36-How to become data-obsessed (even if you're not wired that way)49:13-Connect with Isaac and learn more about busybusy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    51 min

  2. 20 NOV

    187. How to Be a Profit First Contractor - Shawn Van Dyke

    On Dec. 10th, we're hosting a FREE web class with LMN to teach you how to create a strong performance culture in your landscaping business. Spaces are limited, so save your spot now: https://trybta.com/Performance-LMN   To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP187   Get a copy of Profit First for Contractors here: https://www.amazon.ca/Profit-First-Contractors-Construction-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B07L38J49P   Did you know that the vast majority of construction and trades businesses net less than 5% profit a year?   In case you were wondering—that’s not good.   Our guest on the show today is Shawn Van Dyke, author of Profit First for Contractors and The Paperwork Punch List.   In this episode, we break down the Profit First for Contractors (or PFC) cash management model, including a prescribed framework for implementing PFC in your business right away.   If you change the way you manage your finances, you’ll also change the way you think about money flowing in and out of your accounts. And in turn, you’ll make better decisions that benefit you and your business.   Episode highlights: Unpack how the profit-first approach Shawn Van Dyke outlines in Profit First for Contractors produces a powerful and positive psychological change to the way you see money flowing into and out of your business. Learn the four most common profit-destroying mistakes that Shawn sees owners make all too often. Find out which five bank accounts you need to set up right away.   00:00-Intro 01:35-About Profit First for Contractors 10:31-Why is minimal profitability so common in construction and trades? 15:49-Brief synopsis of the PFC Model 21:05-Five bank accounts you need to set up 31:36-What's the value of the five bank accounts? 47:07-4 mistakes that kill profitability 01:05:08-Connect with Shawn   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 7m

  3. 13 NOV

    186. Steal These Prioritization Methods to Get More Done - Harry Max and Wes Bright

    On Dec. 10th, we're hosting a FREE web class with LMN to teach you how to create a strong performance culture in your landscaping business. Spaces are limited, so save your spot now: https://trybta.com/Performance-LMN   Grab your free copy of the Max Priorities Pyramid and start sorting your priorities today: https://trybta.com/DLEP186   To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP186   How good are you at prioritization in your business?   It’s ok. You can be honest.   The truth is that prioritization seems straightforward, but in reality it’s much more complex than it appears, especially in the context of a business like yours - which is inherently dynamic, ever-changing, and unpredictable.    Issues come out of nowhere. Circumstances change. People quit. Clients cancel. Unexpected weather roles through.   How are you supposed to get anything done when you’re constantly putting out fires?   Our guests today have some practical strategies that can help.   Harry Max is the author of Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions. And Wes Bright is his partner at Peak Priorities. They consult with some of the biggest companies in tech, and today, they're going to level up our priority management toolbox in a major way.   Episode highlights: - Learn what makes prioritization so hard and what systems and tools you can use to get better at it.- Understand the frameworks Harry Max recommends in his book, Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions.- Get practical prioritization tips from two consultants who work with the biggest companies in tech including Apple, Google and Microsoft.   00:00-Intro 01:48-About the book - Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions 03:56-Why "prioritize" is the most important verb 09:32 - Why we all suck at prioritizing 14:22-About the "false sense of urgency" 22:58-The impact of a clear vision on prioritization 31:24-The DEGAP Framework 42:40-Sorting methods for prioritization 47:45-Ideal rhythms for reviewing goals and progress 52:27-What to delegate vs. what to keep 58:54-Evolving our prioritization systems as we grow 01:03:22-Where can people connect with you?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 5m

  4. 6 NOV

    185. Is Your Sales to Production Handoff Killing You? - Charlie Bethell

    On Dec. 10th, we're hosting a FREE web class with LMN to teach you how to create a strong performance culture in your landscaping business. Spaces are limited, so save your spot now: https://trybta.com/Performance-LMN   To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP185     How did Plus Construction owner and Breakthrough Academy Member Charlie Bethell go from endless callbacks, cash crunches and frustration to selling and building 500 decks a year?   Systemizing and optimizing. And a lot of it.   Today, Charlie’s on the show to talk about his digital marketing strategies, which bring in 60% of the businesses annual leads, and the massive changes he made to his sales-to-production handoff.   In other words, we’re diving into the secrets of a high-volume contractor.   Episode highlights:- Learn the strategies and tactics Charlie Bethell uses to get 60% of his leads from digital marketing initiatives.- Find out which implementation items Charlie used to vastly improve his sales-to-production handoff, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, better team morale and more profitable jobs.- Hear how Charlie hit his BHAG five years early and what he learned in the process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min

  5. 30 OCT

    184. The Profitability Mindset of Wealthy Contractors - Brian Kaskavalciyan

    On Dec. 10th, we're hosting a FREE web class with LMN to teach you how to create a strong performance culture in your landscaping business. Spaces are limited, so save your spot now: https://trybta.com/Performance-LMN   Grab your free copy of the Four Numbers Exercise to help you 10x your wealth attraction: https://trybta.com/DLEP184    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP184    Learn more about Brian here: https://www.thewealthycontractor.com/    Running a highly profitable contracting business has two sides of the coin.   You need the profitability skill sets: budgeting, job costing, pricing strategies, accounting best practices, and so on.   We’ve discussed these plenty on the show.   The other thing you need is the “profitability mindset.”    This has very little to do with spreadsheets and bookkeeping and everything to do with your attitude towards money, your belief and self-worth, and your ability to practice what our guest on the show today calls wealth attraction.   Brian Kaskavalciyan, aka The Wealthy Contractor, is back on the show for the second time to talk about how to clarify your why, get control of your mind and develop the sense of deserving that so many contractors are missing.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    56 min

  6. 23 OCT

    183. Turn Your Field Staff Into Customer Service Pros - Mark Matteson

    On Dec. 10th, we're hosting a FREE web class with LMN to teach you how to create a strong performance culture in your landscaping business. Spaces are limited, so save your spot now: https://trybta.com/Performance-LMN   To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP183    To get the your copy of the Freedom From Fear eBook, click here: https://sparkingsuccess.net/fgfff/     Here’s a question you’ve probably pondered before.   Do your technicians, laborers, and field staff excel at customer service?   Do they know how to build rapport? De-escalate an angry customer? Can they upsell and bring in more revenue for the company?   The fact is, whether you like it or not, your reputation, and the success of your business, depends on the people you have out on the front lines.   Our guest on the show today is Mark Matteson. He’s a personal development speaker and author of 6 books, including his best-seller Freedom From Fear.   Before the big stages, though, Mark spent the first half of his career in the field as an HVAC tech and salesperson. He translated those formative years into a customer service excellence curriculum he teaches to many of the biggest HVAC companies on the continent.    And today he’s going to teach us how to get our whole team aligned around providing exceptional customer service at every stage of the buyer journey. Episode Highlights: Hear from Mark Matteson, HVAC tech and sales rep turned personal development speaker and best-selling author of Freedom From Fear, about the importance of embedding customer service excellence into every part of your business. Get a walkthrough of the customer service excellence curriculum Mark teaches to many of the biggest HVAC companies in North America. Learn how to recognize and let go of the fears holding you back in business and in life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 8m

  7. 16 OCT

    182. Matt Risinger’s Secrets to Team Building - Matt Risinger

    Get a downloadable copy of Matt Risinger's Team Building Tactics here: https://trybta.com/DLEP182    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP182    Ever wonder how an industry titan recruits and retains top talent?   Before creating his 1.1 million subscriber YouTube channel dedicated to building science, Matt Risinger worked as a recruiter for a national builder, where he learned the tactics and skills he would use to assemble his incredible teams at both Risingerbuild and The Build Show.    And today, he’s back on the show to teach you how to do it, too.    We talk about how to get great applicants in the door, tips for behavioral interviewing, the right questions to ask (and which ones to NOT), how to retain talent for the long haul, and how to know when and why to let someone go.   This is a Masterclass in human resources for construction and trades with one of the most trusted names in the industry.   Episode Highlights:- Learn the tactics and skills Matt Risinger used to build the exceptional teams that allowed RisingerBuild and The Build Show to grow into the industry titans they are today.- Hear about Matt’s experience working as a recruiter for a national builder earlier in his career and how the experience shaped his current recruitment practices.- Get Matt’s take on how to know when it’s time to let someone go, and how to approach the conversation professionally.         See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 9m

  8. 9 OCT

    181. Marketing Through a Downturn - John Jantsch

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP181    To learn more about Duct Tape Marketing, click here: https://ducttapemarketing.com/   If you’ve ever cut your marketing budget when times were tough, this one’s for you.   When you find yourself in the middle of a downturn, leadflow turning to a trickle, customer decision-making slowing to a crawl…something's gotta give.    And if your marketing budget is just an expense you pay because you think you should, it’s a pretty easy decision. Cut the deadweight.   But according to today’s guest John Jantsch, that might be the wrong approach.   John is the author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Ultimate Marketing Machine, The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur, and more.   And today, we’re talking about how to adapt your marketing strategy for economic headwinds. The market around you may be slowing down, but that doesn’t mean your business—or your marketing—has to. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    51 min
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About

Breakthrough Academy presents Contractor Evolution. In this show we unpack the systems, tactics, and skills you need to take your fast-growing contracting business to the next level. If you’re here to learn what it takes to scale up, work less, and increase profitability, you’ve come to the right place. Stay tuned to learn what separates the new breed of contractor from the old school, and welcome to your ultimate guide to the business of contracting.

Information

  • Creator
    Breakthrough Academy
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    188
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Contractor Evolution

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