• 190. Never Lose an Employee Again - Joey Coleman
    Dec 11 2024

    Grab a free summary of Joey's book, Never Lose an Employee Again, here: https://trybta.com/DLEP190

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP190

    Learn more about Joey and his work here: https://joeycoleman.com/

    It sucks to lose good people.

    Especially when it feels like you did everything you could to keep them, short of a 7-figure salary and 6 months vacation. 🤦

    But, according to my guest today, world-renowned speaker, consultant, and bestselling author of Never Lose an Employee Again Joey Coleman, there’s probably a lot of crucial onboarding steps you’re missing with your new team members.

    Today’s conversation is about more than employee retention. We’re diving into the world of employee experience, and how getting it right can save you tons of time, money and headaches by lowering turnover and building a killer culture.

    Episode highlights:
    - Get an inside look at Joey Coleman’s framework for building killer employee experiences, as outlined in his bestselling book Never Lose an Employee Again.
    - Learn about the importance of the first 100 days of an employee’s time with your company, and how to optimize their experience for long-term retention.
    - Get tips on designing organizations that allow high performers to grow into careers, rather than feel like they’re in a “dead end job.”

    00:00-Intro
    01:29-The true cost of turnover
    04:45-Why people quit after just a few months
    13:51-Why proper onboarding is essential (even though it's a lot of work)
    21:25-The goal of an onboarding system: The 4 R's
    32:57-How to optimize the first day on the job
    43:24-The importance of the First 100 Days
    47:23-How to create career paths that keep A-players around
    58:42-Connect with Joey

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 189. Turn Your Ideas Into Fully Implemented Systems - Benji Carlson
    Dec 4 2024

    Grab your copy of our IMPLEMENT framework here: https://trybta.com/DLEP189

    To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/PCEP189

    The end of the year is approaching, and that means it’s “hope season” for a lot of contractors.

    Your implementation goals are big. You’ve got tech stack upgrades, brand refreshes, and shiny new internal processes on the brain.

    But, let’s be real:

    If you look back at past years—and all the projects you had planned—how many of them did you actually get across the finish line?

    The graveyard of good ideas not implemented for most entrepreneurs is vast.

    So how do you break the cycle and actually get sh*t done in 2025?

    This episode is a 9-part roadmap that will help you sharpen your implementation skills and turn your great ideas into fully implemented systems.

    Episode highlights:
    - Learn Benji’s nine part framework for successfully implementing projects—from tech stack upgrades to business systems to SOPs.
    - Understand why implementation is so difficult, and how to sharpen your skills as a business owner to get more done in 2025.
    - Get fired up and ready to crush your implementation goals next year.

    00:00-Intro
    02:15-Pick The Right Things To Implement
    04:33-Define Your Outcomes
    06:34-Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
    07:34-Make Foolproof Project Plans
    09:04-Delegate, Don’t Dump
    12:29-Find Your Milestones and Celebrate Them
    13:29-Don't Forget the Change Management Part
    15:57-Audit (is what we implemented working?)
    17:12-Give People Breaks

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    19 mins
  • 188. Does Time-Tracking Really Boost Staff Productivity? - Isaac Barlow
    Nov 27 2024

    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-Intro
    01:48-The story behind busybusy
    08:42-Why contractors need to be more time obsessed
    16:42-The benefits of busybusy and other time tracking apps
    22:08-How to deal with pushback from the team
    28:56-Business Intelligence: helpful or hurtful to culture?
    31:57-Gamification: does it work?
    34:04-3 tips to get your team thinking more like owners
    38:19-Downloadable handout and busybusy promotion
    39:08-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.

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    51 mins
  • 187. How to Be a Profit First Contractor - Shawn Van Dyke
    Nov 20 2024

    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.

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 186. Steal These Prioritization Methods to Get More Done - Harry Max and Wes Bright
    Nov 13 2024

    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.

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 185. Is Your Sales to Production Handoff Killing You? - Charlie Bethell
    Nov 6 2024

    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.

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    49 mins
  • 184. The Profitability Mindset of Wealthy Contractors - Brian Kaskavalciyan
    Oct 30 2024

    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.

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    56 mins
  • 183. Turn Your Field Staff Into Customer Service Pros - Mark Matteson
    Oct 23 2024

    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.

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    1 hr and 7 mins