The Profitable Tradie Podcast

You’ve just finished an excruciating 12-hour day on the tools. It seems that every day for the last year or so has been like this. And you’re not sure when this will end and when life will get better. You get back home and your wife asks, “hey honey, how was your day?” And you say the same thing you say everyday: “It was good... How was yours?” Curtis Hancock felt like that for 20 years. Eventually it was time to make a change. And what a change he made... He improved his pricing & systems which meant that every job had a higher profit margin. And with increasing his revenue by 51% last year, that means he’s taking home a heap more money. He improved the sales & marketing process. Working IN the business is now a thing of the past. This year he’s planning trips to Jamaica, Wyoming, Montana & Hawaii. Time off like that would’ve tanked his business a few years ago. And finally, he has his sons working in the business now. Meaning he has his options open when it comes to selling vs succession. I had to ask Curtis how he manage to turn his fortunes around. So I invited him as a special guest on my podcast. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Have you ever heard the phrase, “trim the sails”? It’s one of the most important phrases in business. It originates from sailing, where reducing weight and drag creates more speed. In business it relates to trimming the fat off a business which has become too bloated to grow. It’s too easy to grow quickly only to find yourself with a business which lacks systems. Or one which has too many overheads. Growing without “trimming the sails” is unsustainable. It makes every extra dollar you earn exponentially harder to come by. And puts you in a dangerous money situation. So how do you trim the sails? Well you need to know what you’re doing. If you start chopping away at overheads, resources, staff etc. willy nilly you’re inevitably going to sink your ship. What’s really required is the know-how on what areas are preventing you from growing further. Phil & I have noticed more business owners wanting to learn how to trim the sails of their own business without making a hash of things. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

“I’m scared of losing my business”. That’s something we hear from business owners TOO OFTEN. And it’s often because of a fear that the work is going to dry up. One day you’re moving into a nice new house and the next you can’t afford the mortgage. But what if we told you this sort of thing doesn’t just come out of nowhere. If you know what you’re looking for there’s signs that your business is in trouble. And things you can do to prevent it. So Tony & Phil recorded a training on the subject. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

NO. Not the word you want to hear when tendering for a job. We’re not all silky salesmen. So we all know that hearing the N word is part of business ownership. But as you’ve probably heard about negotiation, no doesn’t mean no. Whether someone has outright rejected your quote or is bartering with you to get a better deal... There are certain things you can say to put the ball in your court. Like a lot of business owners, I’m not interested in the airy details. I’m interested in knowing Exactly how to respond when someone objects one of my quotes. So the guys sat down to record a training session on exactly what to say. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

The money side of business is hard. For many it’s downright confusing. Way too many trades business owners stare at their numbers without having a clue what they really mean. Too many business owners aren’t taught about things like pricing, cashflow and profit maximizing until after they’ve already started the business. So they only really pick it up as they go. And the only people there to teach them are the accountants who haven't got a clue what it’s like to actually own a trades business. More trades business owners need to learn from an actual expert. Which is why I invited Jeff Turner onto my podcast. Jeff is our financials coach who specializes exclusively with tradies. You need to listen to him if you struggle with the numbers. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Business has been uncertain over the last few years. 2020: Covid 2021: Lockdowns 2022: Inflation 2023: Interest Rate Spikes And now in 2024 the forecast is for depression and a decline in the construction industry. If you think that things are going to get any better soon, you’re sadly mistaken. We’re in a time where businesses die. And it’s only the best ones which will come out the other side. So here’s a thought experiment. Is your business in the position to survive when things keep getting worse? If you’ve struggled to get through the last few years, survival might be a bridge too far. But you don’t have to accept that reality. The businesses which do the right things will not only survive but thrive once the downturn is over. Nobody wants to go out of business or leave money on the table. So for that reason, the guys recorded a Free Training on “How To Navigate 2024” WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Here’s one thing that all trades businesses have in common. If they lost their biggest client they would struggle to keep the employees busy. It’s more important than ever to be on your clients’ backs about giving you more work. Because the research shows that when you stop communicating with your clients... They start dishing out work to your competitors that would usually be given to you. But asking for work all the time can feel too much for some business owners. And that’s true. There’s a right and a wrong way to maintain relationships with clients. And to set the record straight, the guys sat down to record an episode on it. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Have you ever put your mind to something but not achieved it? Most of us have. But you’d be surprised the amount of business owners who didn’t achieve their goals because they simply gave up. And the reason is because change is hard. Us humans like to keep things within our comfort zone. But you left your comfort zone to start your business. So you have the ability to make changes more than the average Joe. So the guys sat down & recorded a training on Why Making Change is Hard and How To Fix It WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

You and your team have knocked off for the week. They’re off to the pub to have a few hard-earned ice-cold beers. Whereas you trudge home to slug away at piles of paperwork and get a head-start on next week already. That work spills over into Saturday and you feel you don’t have the time to watch your kids play sport. And once in a while you’re putting in a shift in the office on a Sunday. The alarm goes off on Monday morning and you’re shattered. Last week (and just about every week before that) you spent between 60-70 hours working. But you honestly ask yourself, where does my time go? And to that question you somehow don’t have an answer. Not having time is one of the biggest issues facing trades business owners. It makes the businesses they run hopelessly inefficient. So what do you do to win back time and do the things that matter? Phil and I sat down to talk about how you can achieve exactly that. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

It can be frustrating when employees make simple mistakes that eat into your profit margins. You’ve likely wanted to scream at them, but at the back of your mind you’re worried they will leave. So the boys sat down to record a training on what you can do to minimize team mistakes. (Without them getting upset and quitting) WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Do you enjoy paying your bills late? I’m guessing probably not. In fact, I'm willing to bet you value your reputation as somebody who pays their bills on time. So why is it that others seem to do everything they can to avoid them? And after all, it’s these slow payers that stop you from getting money to suppliers. Knowing how to deal with slow payers is crucial in business. So, Phil & Tony sat down and recorded an episode on it. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

“Maybe I should lower my prices to get more work” “If prices were lower, vendors would accept more of my bids and I’d be making more money.” It’s a natural thought. The problem is you’d be slashing your profit margins. And asking to go broke. There are plenty of other things you can do to book out jobs which don’t involve cutting your pay. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

“The stress of facing financial disaster is crippling” The man who told me this had a good business from the outside. 1.5 million in revenue and 8 staff members. But behind closed doors the business was losing money hand over fist. And the owner, Luke, didn’t know what to do. But he was different. 18 months on, his business has doubled its revenue and now has a net profit of 25%. I sat down with Luke to uncover the secrets of how he turned everything around with no experience. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Have you ever had a crack at marketing and not seen a penny back? Maybe you’ve tried and given up? Preferring to focus on word of mouth, the quality of work and relationships with other contractors. Now these are crucial, don’t get me wrong. But the downside is, if you’re short of work you can’t ‘increase’ your word of mouth. Which can leave you in a tight spot. That’s when it’s important to have a bunch of marketing tools in your back pocket you can use when you’re short on work. I’ve recorded a session on what’s the best type of marketing for a trades business in 2024. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

There are so many marketing agencies around that it feels natural to hand control off control to them and forget about it. But that is a huge mistake. Marketing is the heartbeat of your business. And if you put the wrong person in charge, your cash flow will suffer. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic agencies out there. But too often you’ll get stung. So if you want to get the marketing off your plate but make sure the quality is still there WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Only you can destroy your business. Until you take on a business partner. Now the fact you read my emails leads me to suggest that you’re pretty good at NOT destroying your business. So, let’s focus on how you can make sure somebody else doesn’t ruin it fopr you. Now there are a bunch of reasons why you might bring on a business partner. But all of them have one thing in common. You NEED TO KNOW what you’re getting yourself into. I’m not saying things will go south. Especially not if you both do your due diligence. But I see too many successful businesses fall apart because the business owner and partner are on different planets. Transferring ownership is one of the things that you need to know. Even if you’re not looking into it right now. But the reason so many mergers end up going south is because few people know the risks involved. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

I want to die with $0 to my name. And so should you. Think about your bank account and imagine how difficult your life would be if that was all you had until the day you died. You’d probably be very shrewd with your spending. So why don’t we do that with our time? Right now, we have a bank account with a limited amount of time. It’s great that we use some of that time to get more money. But what is the point of using our valuable time to earn money that we’ll never live to use. Now why am I telling you this? After all, business is about making money. But it’s also about freedom and living a better life. And you can’t do that if your life is consumed by your business. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM IMPLEMENTING TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

He did in 3 years what some business owners never do... Built a sizeable business which can run on autopilot. Now, it might not be your goal right now. But it’s definitely a good goal to have because having a business that doesn’t rely on you is a top feeling. Gaining freedom and a stress-free business was key for Duncan. And the impressive part is that he started his business from scratch in 2021. When Duncan joined our program, growth felt like an uphill battle. Margins were tight, and the work was exhausting. Duncan was nearly burned out and he had only been in business for 8 months. His drive for success has paid off in no time and now he owns a business that rakes in $200k per month with a minimum profit margin of 40%. He hasn’t just grown quickly but sustainably. And because of that he doesn’t have that fear the business will explode if he’s not involved. So I sat down with him so he could share the secrets to his success. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Most business owners undervalue their work and many do it chronically. When you don’t value the work you do, it leads to charging less than you could and should for the services you provide. And not charging enough creates profitability and cash flow issues for your business. Well, here’s the issue that too many trades buisness owners make. They feel awkward about charging enough or even asking for money. As a result, they get pinched for profit and cash flow gets tight. And there’s not enough money going around to invest back into your business – systems and team. Let alone enough profit to enjoy. WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Want to know how to price so you win the job AND make profit? It’s a very fine line. It feels impossible to win jobs unless you eat into your margins. Which is a deadly cash flow sin. As we come to the end of the year, it’s obvious that pricing has been a big issue of 2023. And it’s looking like it’ll be a business killer in 2024 as well. Phil and I shot a training on how much you should charge earlier this year and it went off! So, because it’s so important that trades business owners know this information. We’re bringing it back! WHAT YOU’LL GAIN FROM LISTENING TO TODAY’S PODCAST: LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Book a FREE 15-minute callJoin our FREE private community of trades business owners in our Facebook groupSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelGet a copy of the Profitable Tradie book Thanks for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to The Profitable Tradie Podcast? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us and leave us a review with a 5-star rating. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy