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. 4D AGO

    208. How to Attract Reliable Staff in a Labor Shortage - Danny Kerr

    Grab your FREE hiring resource bundle here: https://trybta.com/DL208 On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP208 In 2025, there is one issue contractors talk to me about more than any other: Hiring. Getting good people to agree to—and show up to—an interview suddenly seems impossible. You book five interviews and three no-show, one thinks they’re applying to be CEO and the other shows up drunk. After conducting over 2,400 interviews for trades positions myself, I know the struggle. That’s why I hosted a web class last month where I taught hundreds of contractors my system for attracting A-players and replacing time-wasters during the recruitment process. We decided to release it on the podcast as a BONUS episode so more contractors can benefit. Enjoy. Episode Highlights: Learn why creating a hiring funnel is just as important as creating a sales funnel.Understand how to write job ads that actually attract the people you WANT.Get the winning interview strategy Danny refined while interviewing over 2,400 people for trades positions. 00:00-Intro 08:15-What part of hiring frustrates you the most? 09:28-Unpacking the hiring crisis 15:00-The lost opportunity cost of not having a solid hiring system 17:06-What a good hiring funnel looks like 19:26-Hiring tool 1: Ideal Candidate Profile 25:26-Hiring tool 2: Job Postings and Applicant Generation 34:08-Hiring tool 3: Interview Setup Call 42:52-Hiring tool 4: Behavioral Interviewing 47:44-Recap 50:57-Get more help systemizing your business 59:37-Q&A

    1h 22m

  2. 6D AGO

    207. How to Systemize Your Contracting Business - David Jenyns

    On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP207 To learn more about David, check out https://www.systemology.com/ If you know me, you know I strongly believe that business systems = owner freedom. That’s why it made sense to get today’s guest David Jenyns on the show. David is the author of SYSTEMology: Create Time, Reduce Errors and Scale Your Profits with Proven Business Systems. It’s literally a system for building systems.  I took this opportunity to ask David for his perspective on systemizing a blue-collar business in a predictable, repeatable way. We talk about the stages of business systemization (and how to know which one you’re in), how to prioritize which systems to build first and how to involve your team in the systemization of your business. This conversation offers a great, high-level perspective on systemizing a contracting business. Episode Highlights: Get a breakdown of the “system for building systems” David Jenyns outlines in his book, SYSTEMology: Create Time, Reduce Errors and Scale Your Profits with Proven Business Systems.Learn how to prioritize which systems you build, in what order.Gain insights into how to involve your team in business systemization, including the idea of designating a “systems champion” to help with adoption and implementation. 00:00-Intro 02:04-What is a system? 02:47-The vast majority of businesses we look at are dramatically undersystemized. Why? 04:29-3 common excuses for not systemizing 07:42-Is being a good systemizer god given or learned? 12:57-What's more important: Vision or Systems? 17:24-4 stages of business systemization 25:03-How should business owners decide what systems to build first? 33:03-System Building 48:11-Fostering adoption 55:30-Unexpected Benefits/Pleasant Surprises 57:15-Where can people connect with you?

    59 min

  3. MAR 28

    206. Evolution Rewind: Strategic Planning To Pull You Out Of The Daily Grind - Danny Kerr, Igor Trninic & James Dale

    On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP206 Grab your free strategic planning template here: https://trybta.com/DL206 You may be thinking: Is this an episode of Contractor Evolution… …on a FRIDAY? Yup. After over 200 episodes, we thought it was time to introduce a new face—our co-founder and visionary Danny Kerr. And what better way to do that than by bringing you some BONUS content you can enjoy alongside our regular releases? Starting with a bit of a throwback. Today, we’re re-releasing an episode we made back in 2021, hosted by Danny and his fellow co-founders Igor and James, covering all things strategic planning. Oddly enough, it has become one of our most popular episodes. If you’ve never given it a listen, now’s your chance. Episode Highlights: In this BONUS episode, take it back to 2021 with us and delve in to strategic planning with Danny, Igor and James.Understand why you SHOULDN’T be planning in a boardroom with whiteboards and laptops - and where to go insteadLearn the 3 things you should come away with once you’ve completed your Annual Strategic Plan 00:00-Intro 01:56-Why is Strategic Planning important? 15:02-What are you trying to achieve with your strategic planning? 17:27-What is the step-by-step process for annual strategic planning? 42:36-What do you do after you've got a strategic plan? 45:13-Sharing your plan with your team 53:56-Purpose of quarterly reviews 58:05-Wrap up

    1h 1m

  4. MAR 26

    205. The Alter Ego Effect: Perform Better Any Time, Anywhere - Todd Herman

    On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP205 To learn more about Todd, check out https://toddherman.me/ Whether we realize it or not, we all play characters in our lives. The idea that we should unashamedly show up as the “best” version of ourselves in all settings sounds good, but in reality, it is a gross oversimplification of the truth. Think about it…. There’s: You the CEOYou the friendYou the salespersonYou the mum or you the dadThere’s you the amateur train collector or video game enthusiast We have different versions of ourselves. Does that make you disingenuous or inauthentic? Not at all. We’re all multifaceted beings, and if you can’t see that, you’re not paying attention. Our guest today is Todd Herman. His book The Alter Ego Effect explains WHY understanding and investing in these different archetypes of the self is one of the most powerful performance cheat codes available to us. Today’s conversation is about how to harness it. Episode Highlights: Understand the Alter Ego Effect and how it can be used to exponentially improve your performance in every aspect of your life.Learn how to identify the different versions of you, their strengths, and how to harness them at the right time to achieve the right results.Get tips from Todd Herman, performance coach to billionaires and elite athletes, on creating your own alter ego, designed to help you succeed in whichever area of your life is lacking. 00:00-Intro 01:48-Clark Kent vs. Superman: Understanding the Alter Ego 05:14-Where does the term "Alter Ego" come from? 07:40-Using the Alter Ego to improve performance 10:19-Why everything is a performance 19:42-How to create an Alter Ego 30:36-Alter Ego examples 34:15-How to get started on your Alter Ego(s) 41:17-Activating your Alter Ego 47:18-What business people can learn from athletes 51:42-Connect with Todd

    54 min

  5. MAR 19

    204. Open Book Management: The Employee Perspective - Ryan Markewich, Jacob Markewich, Rik Van Espen & Zac Neufield

    On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP204  Openness and transparency are values MANY of us espouse. But how open and honest are you really? Does your crew understand budget hours vs. actual hours? How about the projected gross profit on the project they just started? How about last year's net profit? In today’s episode, we’re talking to Creative Roots Landscaping founder Ryan Markewich along with three of his team members: Jacob Markewich, Rik Van Espen and Zac Neufeld. They run their landscaping business, Creative Roots, completely open book. Every person on the team is taught and shown every metric the business tracks and knows how every dollar is made. This conversation is all about the employee perspective on open book management. What it does for the culture they work in, their feelings about work and its effect on performance. Episode Highlights: Learn how open book management works in practice, using friend of the show Ryan Markewich’s highly successful Creative Roots Landscaping as a case study.Get the perspective of three team members—what openness and transparency does for their culture, sense of purpose and performance.Hear how Ryan’s strategy has resulted in high retention rates, exceptional talent, and a work environment that has people lining up at the door to be a part of. 00:00-Intro 01:36-About Open Book in Creative Roots 05:57-What drew the team to Creative Roots? 09:03-What impact does open book management have on the culture? 19:48-Best part of open book management 37:13-Is it true that young people don't wanna work in the trades? 45:56-Advice to business owner wanting to try open book management

    48 min

  6. MAR 12

    203. Can Contractors Work With Offshore Talent? - Rob Levin

    On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP203 Learn more about WorkBetterNow here: https://www.workbetternow.com/ Are you using Virtual Assistants and other forms of offshore talent yet? Because you probably should be. Many of the roles in your business can’t be done remotely, sure.  But could your office manager effectively administrate from Mexico City? Could you delegate all the lower-level stuff to an executive assistant based in Medellin? The answer is: maybe. Our guest on the show today is Rob Levin. He is the co-founder of Work Better Now and the author of the forthcoming book: The New Talent Playbook. Today’s conversation is a pragmatic road map to how you might install super-talented offshore hires into your company. At the end of the day, what's right for your business is up to you, but we want you to fully understand the scale of talent options that are out there. Episode Highlights: Learn about the breadth of options available to you when it comes to offshore and nearshore talent.Hear Work Better Now co-founder Rob Levin’s take on some of the most common arguments AGAINST offshore talent.Get ideas for which of the roles on your org chart make good candidates for offshore hiring (hint: there are more than you think). 00:00-Intro 01:41-About The New Talent Playbook 03:41-What is up with the current labor market? 09:00-Where is the labor market headed? 11:33-In the blue-collar context: what roles can be done offshore/nearshore? 23:35-Strengths and weaknesses of offshore talent 24:58-Common concerns about offshore talent: #1: Missing context 28:07-Common concern #2: Language barriers 34:22-Common concern #3: Cybersecurity 36:26-Cost of offshore vs. local 39:27-Idea of divisional assistants 44:02 - How AI empowers VAs and offshore talent 49:48-Recap 52:04-Connect with Rob

    54 min
  7. 202. How Much Should Contractors Charge? - Ellen Rohr

    MAR 5

    202. How Much Should Contractors Charge? - Ellen Rohr

    On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 Grab a copy of Ellen's pricing tool here: https://trybta.com/DL202  To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP202  Today, we’re welcoming industry legend Ellen Rohr to the show. We couldn’t be more excited. She’s built and sold two companies. Written a slew of unbelievably helpful books including Where Did the Money Go? and How Much Should I Charge? She’s the founder and owner of Zoom Drain which now has over 50 locations. This episode is all about pricing. AKA how much you should charge and why.  Episode Highlights: 00:00-Intro 01:57-About the 2011 book: How Much Should I Charge? 08:45-Why pricing as a passion? 12:36-How most contractors decide what to charge 17:21-The importance of value 21:34-How to figure out what you should charge 29:05-Importance of billable hours 34:22-The best position to be in the market 39:19-How to know when your price is too high 44:27-How to train your sales team to "own their price" 53:39-Pricing analysis and updates in an inflationary environment. 58:01-Fun Hypothetical Question See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 2m
  8. 201 - Be Coachable: Advice For New Breakthrough Academy Members

    FEB 26

    201 - Be Coachable: Advice For New Breakthrough Academy Members

    On April 8, we're hosting a free web class with Matt Risinger to teach you how to manage your finances like a 7-figure contractor. Register here: https://trybta.com/CE-FIN2025 Get your free guide to being COACHABLE here: https://trybta.com/DL201  To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP201 Today’s episode has a very specific purpose. We’ve gathered four of our world-class business coaches to give advice to contractors who are just beginning to systemize their business with Breakthrough Academy. If you chose this episode, you are either: Through conversations with Coach Harold, Coach Ashley, Coach Brayden and Coach Shane, you’ll learn: Episode Highlights: 00:00-Intro02:16-Why do most people start BTA?04:16-Successful Members vs. those who struggle07:53-New Member red flags09:59-The first six months: what to expect11:36-Mindset tips for faster results12:36-How to implement faster and be more coachable14:45-Importance of the BTA community19:50-How coaches help struggling Members21:23-How to become data-driven23:50-Coaching pet peeves26:01-The first year: what to expect29:22-Best part of being a BTA coach See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    37 min
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    4.7
    out of 5
    48 Ratings

    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 - 2025
    • Episodes
      208
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © Copyright 2025
    • Show Website
      Contractor Evolution

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