This is Contractor Evolution. Where 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 on the business of contracting.
As you’ve grown your business you may have noticed that certain sizes or stages feel worse than others. There are times when the scale of your business seems to be in a “Sweet Spot”, and then there are other times when you feel stuck in purgatory.
If you’ve grown your team, and your top line, b...
The term “values” comes up a lot these days, but I’m pretty dissatisfied with how surface-level the conversations are around it.
“Hire for values train for skill”
“Core Values are the foundation of a strong culture”
“They didn’t align with our values”
You get the gist.
Now we can all agre...
This episode of Contractor Evolution is with Brian Kaskavalciyan, Author of The 7 Secrets to becoming a Wealthy Contractor, Host of the Wealthy Contractor Podcast, and Co-Founder of gFour Marketing Group: A relationship marketing firm that helps contractors unleash the power of their customers b...
If you’re wondering like I am.
What effect will inflation and climbing interest rates have on employees and employers alike?
How does a recession change the landscape of the labor market?
What emerging trends should business owners stay in front of moving into 2023?
How do you capitalize on h...
Our guest on the show for this episode is Lydia Crowder (aka Drywall Shorty). Lydia puts out the best content for the drywall trade on all of the interwebs.
She’s been a drywall finisher for 20 years and owns Trinity Drywall in Bozeman Montana. She started to make educational videos about 3 ye...
We did a Strategic Planning Roundtable with some Breakthrough Academy Members a couple of weeks back. We had over 300 live attendees and tons of positive feedback so we thought we’d release it as a Contractor Evolution episode.
Given that you are probably doing some much-needed year-end reflec...
Have you ever wondered why the bookkeeping and accounting for your contracting or trades business are so challenging? Well, there is a very real reason, and no it's not because you hated math in high school.
A lot of it has to do with the fact that your project lifecycles and the cash inflows an...
Our 500+ members are all reflecting on the year that was 2022 - the highs, the lows, the lessons…and they're using all of that to inform their visions for 2023. You should be too.
Strategy is another one of these terms that gets tossed around so much it loses some meaning.
Most entrepreneurs...
This episode is Part 2 of a 2-part conversation with Mark C. Winters, co-author of Rocket Fuel and the foremost expert and Visionary/Integrator relationship. If you haven’t listened to part 1 of this episode, go do that now.
In part 1 of this 2-part conversation, Mark and I focused on the dyna...
The Visionary/Integrator relationship is one I hear a lot of business owners wrestling with.
Here is why - A lot of you likely fall on the visionary end of the spectrum.
You have a head full of ideas and a heart full of passion. You took the entrepreneurial leap and gave birth to what would b...
Let’s say that I give you a challenge.
I tell you that you need to triple revenue in your business in 1 year…and if you can’t, I get to take it from you.
You’re probably already thinking, “How do I ramp up EVERYTHING by 3X? It’s TOO MUCH.”
Yeah…maybe you could pull it off, but it wouldn’t be e...
If you’re ambitious and always looking for an opportunity, you might have thought about building a software product to ‘fill a gap in your business.
You hear this story on podcasts or youtube videos…maybe from a friend. Some contractors out there got frustrated with a lack of software in their b...
Cybersecurity is something for tech companies, banks, and nerds to worry about right?
Yeah, in 2010 maybe, but not anymore.
There has been a STEEP rise in the number of attacks on small businesses in the last few years and contractors are a prime target for hackers.
Why? Because in the trade...
A couple of months ago we did a Project Management Roundtable with some of our highest-performing members in the construction space.
It was so popular and well-received that we thought we would release it as a Contractor Evolution episode.
As you no doubt have experienced, most (but not all) ...
If you don’t have clear SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) for all the things you do in your business you’re in trouble.
Here’s why:
- You won’t be able to scale
- You can’t take a vacation
- You can’t promote anyone on your team
- It takes FOREVER to train new staff
- You field a mill...
Do you have a leadership team? Do you let them lead?
I’m sure you’ve probably heard that you need to hire a leadership team who will allow you to take a step back from the grind. But rarely do you hear HOW to nurture that leadership team to a point where you feel comfortable letting them take ov...
'You ever heard that quote about the bumblebee flying? The one that goes, “Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it flies anyway.”
I feel like Tommy Mello didn’t get the memo that a garage door company traditionally caps around 10 Million...
Have you ever run a project and gotten so fed up with the people doing the job that you wished you could swap them out with robots?
Yeah, so did Garrett Moore and then he built the robots.
While on deployment, this former Navy SEAL was getting so fed up with the sub-trades building his house th...
When selling to your prospects and customers, do you ever get tired of answering the same exact questions over and over again?
Are you ever bored by the sound of your voice, endlessly running through the same talking points, addressing the same concerns, and constantly explaining the same proc...
If you’ve ever felt like your profit should be increasing with your revenue, you’re not alone.
If revenue goes up…profit goes up. Right? It’s simple math. It should work like that.
You think if you just work a little harder, push a little more…POOF… you’ll magically crest revenue hill. Economie...
As a millennial myself, I take a small amount of personal offense whenever I hear frustrated contractors verbally bash my entire generation (or young people broadly speaking) for their supposed lack of work ethic, chronic ADD, and apparent disinterest in construction and trades.
I admittedly r...
Nothing in the world of contracting sucks the life out of you or your team like a miserable client. A sorry SOB whose apparent mission in life is to ruin yours. It almost seems they take pleasure in the process.
What I’m saying is I think we can all agree that avoiding the crazies is in your be...
If you roll into a multi-day hike with tons of vertical and a 50-pound pack after 6 months on the couch eating Doritos, chances are you’re probably not going to have the best time.
But what about if you're asking a lot of your mind?
How many stressful situations do you encounter in your busin...
In this episode of Contractor Evolution, we’ve brought in Anthony Langdon of Asset Roofing in Seattle, WA. It wasn’t too long ago that Anthony’s business hit a ceiling because he was always stuck on the roof. No pun intended.
In 2018 his business was doing 400k a year in revenue while he wor...