Contractor Evolution

Breakthrough Academy
  • 4.7 (51)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

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. 9h ago

    286. $7M Playbook: Build A Profitable Landscaping Company - Riley Rivers

    To learn more about becoming a Member, click here: https://trybta.com/EP286  Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL286 At just 30 years old, Riley Rivers owns a $7M dollar landscaping business, pulling in $120K in profit every month. Multiple divisions. Massive contracts. Complex operations. And he does it all in less than 40 hours a week. In this episode, I'm talking to Riley to find out how he built his company, including the key decisions he made as he scaled. If you're ready to step out of the day-to-day and become a real CEO, Riley's story is a must listen. — Riley is a Breakthrough Academy Member who has worked with his coach and contractor community to build a business he loves running. To learn more about becoming a Member, click here: https://trybta.com/EP286  Learn more about Rivers Landscaping: https://www.riverslandscapingmt.com/ Episode highlights: Learn which systems enabled Riley to more than double his revenue without sacrificing profitability.Get insight into Riley’s hiring strategies when it comes to adding high-impact leaders into his organization.Discover how Riley built his team culture… by letting his team build his culture. Find out how he stepped back and let his people establish the company’s core values and the tactics used to live them out. 00:00-Intro 01:55-Journey to $3 Million  07:12-Evolution of Roles  09:41-Strategy for Growth  11:49-Identifying Core Gaps  21:01-Org Structure Strategy  30:18-Cultivating Company Culture  40:22-Leadership and Management

  2. Aug 12

    285. The Formula For Consistent Cash Flow In 7-Figure Contracting Businesses - Bob Gauvreau

    Grab a copy of Bob's Top 10 Tax Tips For Self-Employed Contractors: https://trybta.com/DL285 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP285  Ever run out of money despite making millions of dollars? This is the situation Bob Gauvreau has seen hundreds of contractors fall into. Revenue is up, profit may even be up. But they run out of cash unexpectedly and when they get hit with an unexpected bill or expense… …they crumple.  In today’s episode, Bob walks us through a foolproof system for managing your cash flow so financial stress becomes a thing of the past. Episode Highlights: Learn why your P&L might be lying to you, and which metrics actually matter when it comes to the health of your businessUnderstand where cash gets “stuck” and how to avoid accidentally spending the cash you need to pay the bills.Discover the foolproof system for managing your cash flow and forecasting potential issues 90 days in advance (no more being jump-scared by your bank balance) Get in touch with Bob: https://gauvreaucpa.ca/ 00:00-Intro 02:18-Cash Flow vs Profit  08:32-Tight Cash Impact  15:36-Optimizing Cash Inflows  23:04-Accounts Receivable Systems  29:38-Managing Cash Outflows  43:57-Owner Compensation Rhythm  47:24-Financial Process Organization

  3. Aug 5

    284. How Hiring ONE PERSON Doubled This Contractor's Business - Joel Retherford

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP284 Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL284 Joel Retherford made an extra $1.6 MILLION in the first four months of this year.  How? By hiring for one simple role.  In today’s episode, I’m talking to Joel to understand: How hiring a project manager helped him produce an entire year’s worth of revenue, in 4 monthsThe hiring process he used to find a rockstar capable of driving all that valueAnd why so many contractors completely botch their project management, and how to stop killing your profit as you grow. If you’re struggling to scale and want to stop bottlenecking your operations, this episode is for you. 00:00-Intro 01:25-Overcoming Personal Operational Bottlenecks  09:20-Hiring An External Candidate  12:19-Managing Internal Staff Friction  21:02-Presenting A United Front  26:44-Unlocking Strategic Owner Advantages  31:19-Timing The Project Manager  36:41-Structuring Tangible ROI Goals

  4. Jul 29

    283. How This Contractor Made $200K From Change Orders - Eric Olson

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP283 Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL283 Eric Olson found a way to squeeze an extra 200 thousand dollars of profit out of work he was already doing. His secret weapon? Change orders. In today’s episode, Eric is going to talk us through: - The exact strategy he used to 4X his profits on all change orders - Why getting this wrong can leave you with angry clients, a frustrated team and zero dollars in the bank - And how to get your team stoked about maximizing profit at all levels of the organization. Eric Olson is a Breakthrough Academy Member and Owner of Olson Defendorf Custom Homes in Texas. He has worked Breakthrough Academy coaches and community members over the years to create bulletproof systems in his business that have significantly improved his profit, cash flow and personal life. Learn more about Olson Defendorf Custom Homes: https://www.odcustomhomes.com/ 00:00-Intro 06:17-Incentivizing Project Managers 12:18-Pricing Logic 16:55-Profit Sharing Expansion 24:06-Collection Process Timing 28:48-Tracking Change Orders 34:14-Schedule Management Updates 40:58-Systems Optimization Change

  5. Jul 22

    282. She Sold 600 Homes In A Year. Here's How $100M Contractors Scale. - Charlene Barrett

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP282 Ready to build smarter? Meet Breakthrough Academy at Build Show Live in San Antonio, Sept 10–12. Use code BTA26 for 25% off. Click the link to register: https://www.buildshowlive.com/ Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL282 Most contractors struggle to build four to ten homes a year. Today’s guest, Charlene Barrett sold six hundred. That's hundreds of millions in sales. Today we're going to go through: - What contractors get wrong about scaling from 1 to 10 million, - How to use referrals and reviews to supercharge sales, - And how to deliver world-class services that customers love, at scale. Charlene is a Breakthrough Academy coach and former Director of Sales and Marketing for a top North American builder, where she worked for over 12 years. She is a true expert in customer experience and sales, so don’t miss this episode if this is something you’re interested in improving. 00:00-Intro 04:59-Service vs experience 06:25-Creating wow moments 11:57-Negative customer experiences 15:00-Systemizing customer experience 23:02-Driving five-star reviews 32:55-Generating customer referrals 40:37-Insights on coaching

  6. Jul 15

    281. Systems (Literally) Saved This 8-Figure Spray Foam Business - Curt Janzen & Kevin Boschee

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP281 Ready to build smarter? Meet Breakthrough Academy at Build Show Live in San Antonio, Sept 10–12. Use code BTA26 for 25% off. Click the link to register: https://www.buildshowlive.com/ Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL281 When most contractors think about disaster planning, they picture insurance policies, backup equipment, and emergency contacts. But what if the real question is this: Would your team know what to do if you weren't there? BTA Members Curt Janzen and Kevin Boschee from Beyond Foam got an answer to that question when they found themselves in the worst case scenario: Their shop burned down. While they were on a business trip. Hundreds of miles away. In a matter of hours, their team had to make decisions, communicate with customers, protect equipment, coordinate next steps, and keep the business moving forward—all without waiting for the owners to swoop in and save the day. The result wasn't luck. It was the outcome of years spent building a business that didn't depend on them for every decision. 00:00-Intro 02:03-Operational Impact of a Fire 09:27-Initial Team Response 13:08-Enabling Structural Systems 18:45-Supporting Team Emotionally 24:21-Insurance Process Lessons 30:08-Overall Key Takeaways

  7. Jul 8

    280. Why Your Leadership Skills Are Killing Your Growth (And What to Do Instead) - Dr. J.J. Peterson

    Ready to build smarter? Meet Breakthrough Academy at Build Show Live in San Antonio, Sept 10–12. Use code BTA26 for 25% off. Click the link to register: https://www.buildshowlive.com/ To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP280  Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL280 Most contractors become leaders by accident. You start a business because you're great at your trade. Then suddenly you're managing crews, handling conflict, giving feedback, and trying to keep good people from walking out the door. And if you're like most owners, nobody ever taught you how to do any of it. That's why this week's Contractor Evolution episode with leadership expert and former Head of Storybrand Dr. J.J. Peterson is worth your time. In this conversation, Dr. J.J. breaks down a simple approach to leadership that helps you: - Keep your best people longer - Reduce costly mistakes and miscommunication - Build a team you can actually trust - Create a culture people want to be part of The best part? You don't need to become some hard-nosed manager or abandon the "nice guy" you've always been. Strong leadership isn't about being tougher. It's about creating clarity, accountability, and trust. 00:00-Intro 04:41-Guide Versus Hero 11:28-Formulaic Collective Communication 22:20-Badass Softy Philosophy 30:45-Empathy and Authority 40:45-Three Leadership Pillars 49:53-Modern Leadership Era

  8. Jul 1

    279. The Only AI Guide You'll Ever Need As A Contractor - Rob Cupello

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP279 Download Rob’s AI Opportunity Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL279 AI is exposing everything that's broken in your contracting business… …before it fixes anything. Everyone's racing to adopt AI right now. But here's what nobody's saying: if your workflows are messy, AI doesn't clean them up. It accelerates the chaos. This episode is your filter; a practical, no-hype walkthrough of where AI for contractors actually fits, where it makes things worse, and how to know if your business is even ready. If you're running a contracting company and feeling the pressure to "do something with AI" before you fall behind, this is the episode to listen to first. In This Episode: 🤖 The AI Trap: What contractors are believing about AI that's dead wrong, and why owners are wasting money on tools they don't need🔍 The Real Problem: Why AI exposes hidden workflow chaos before it saves you a minute, and where contractors have the most mess✅ The AI Readiness Test: The 3 things that need to be clear before you even look at a tool, and the signs your company isn't ready🎯 The Opportunity Filter:  A simple scorecard for evaluating AI ideas (so you stop confusing "cool" with "valuable")🏗️ Where AI Actually Fits: Sales follow-up, SOPs, job handoffs, client communication — and where it should stay far away👤 Human Review: What AI should never decide by itself and how to stop your team from treating AI like the final answer👥 Team Adoption: Why your crew will ignore new tools (it's not the tech — it's the conversation you haven't had)🛠️ Build Your First AI Workflow: If you're a $3M contracting business, here's exactly where to start this week 00:00-Intro 05:06-Decision-Making Hierarchy 08:26-Effective Workflow Documentation 14:59-Privacy and Security 20:13-Custom Business Models 25:16-High-Impact Contractor Cases 35:31-Internal Team Adoption 43:01-Future Contracting Trends 54:51-Starting with Friction

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4.7
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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 - 2026
  • Episodes
    286
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025
  • Show Website
    Contractor Evolution