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.
If you're running a successful contracting business, then why are you working 70-hours a week?
Contracting entrepreneur Ryan Steward was working 70 hours a week, seven days a week. He was stretched so thin that he had little to no time left over for his wife and kids. Fast forward five years and...
With a diverse workforce ranging from field workers to office staff, is it possible to have a company culture in contracting where your entire team is on the same page?
Nestor Tarango runs a multi-million-dollar solar energy company. He has successfully onboarded more than 150 people over the pa...
Is your contracting business partner pissing you off? With 50% of business partnerships failing in the first 2-3 years, how do you ensure you don't become another statistic (or punch their lights out)?
Early on 505-Junk founders Scott Foran and Barry Hartman had a MAJOR blowout and realized that...
Graeme Bouvier is a 27-year-old drywall entrepreneur who runs a $7-million business and takes 24 weeks off a year. He is living every contractors’ dream. His journey to get here wasn’t easy, however.
Can you run a multi-million dollar contracting business and take six months off a year? That's c...
When it comes to recruiting, how do you avoid hiring a dud?
Every contracting leader has a story about the time they recruited someone who turned out to be a waste of space (and money); no one has time for that, especially in the fast-paced world of contracting.
In this episode of Contractor Ev...
From hiring newbie to onboarding master, how to achieve overnight success with contracting entrepreneur Curt Janzen
Curt Janzen, director of Beyond Foam Insulation, reveals his secrets to building an onboarding system that guarantees success.
This contracting entrepreneur not only smashed the b...
How do you turn a one-man mowing business into a $1.5 million landscaping company? Just ask Jason Hoke, owner of A Cut Above Landscape in Colorado.
When he took over the business, he was sleeping on a friend's sofa to make ends meet and spending 24/7 onsite or in the office. “I was more like an ...
These two contracting entrepreneurs had a hard time letting go of sales, but when they finally took the leap of faith, their businesses went through the roof!
Does the perfect high-performing sales team really exist? C'mon?!
According to Mason Marquis, owner of Spray-Tex and Jesse Kreisman, owne...
When Will Brown took over Brown Boys Roofing of Bentonville, Arkansas from his father four years ago, it was micromanaged to within an inch of its life. Will's father could never escape the business...no bathroom break for you!
Fast forward to 2021 and by making one small yet significant change ...
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."
Toby Woodiwiss, painting contractor extraordinaire, is a firm believer in this philosophy; and the results, well, they speak for themselves.
His business runs like a well-oiled machine thanks to a carefully selected team and ...
Team huddles: What are they and why are they absolutely essential to long-term business success?
You probably know them as team meetings, or perhaps the “bitch and moan fest.” It’s that one hour in the week/month/quarter when you gather your team to talk strategy, goals, and updates....and it tu...
Sales is and always will be the lifeblood of your business. But if you're a business leader doing the lion's share of the selling and your team's closing rate is piss-poor (or even if it's, well, meh), you could be heading for a business blood clot.
It's time for a sales blood transfusion! Other...
Have you ever wondered what makes an elite contractor in your space ‘elite’? Or, to put it differently, have you ever wondered what keeps the chuck in the trucks stuck?
Why, when two business leaders, with similar companies, in a similar space, with amazing services, does one succeed and the oth...
Financials – the one word that can have even the most seasoned contracting leader running for the hills.
But, sorry to break this to you, mastering a budget is such a bedrock skill for your entire career as a business owner.
Business owners who have a solid financial plan (and a well-thought-th...
Every business owner deals with a number of pain points on their journey to success. Whether that's recruitment challenges, stress and time management, or revenue and sales (to name just a few). Learning to navigate them alone can be tough (if not impossible).
Being able to reach out to others i...
How are you managing personalities on your team? Or are you?
We’ve invited Dr. Ken Keis onto the show to discuss his methods for assessing personality, and how you can leverage your team’s innate ability to thrive by leveraging their personality styles in a scientific way.
Dr. Ken Keis is the C...
How do you build loyalty in high performers? It’s not pizza night, go-karting, or laser tag.
Another myth is that you need to pay them more.
While those things help, they aren’t keeping ambitious, driven, and hardworking people on your team.
By nature, the best performers are those that have b...
When it comes to taxes you’re going to have to pay them whether you want to or not. However, spending the time up front to establish a solid tax strategy could save you up to 40% AND lead to a much bigger investment portfolio long term. It’s key to know your strategy BEFORE you even start your fi...
Have you ever been frustrated by the fact that your team JUST DOESN’T GET IT?
It’s so clear to you what needs to happen within your organization - what problems need to be solved, what priorities should be front of mind, where the effort of your organization needs to be, but most if not all of t...
Here’s a common scenario: Two contractors have worked equally hard over 20 years in their businesses.
At the end of the 20 years, one sells off their assets for $200K, while the other sells their business for $10M.
What’s the difference?
Planning.
If you want to build a business of tremendou...
In trades, the terms ‘project management’ and ‘project manager’ have become somewhat watered-down. The unfortunate truth is that in our industry most project managers are actually just professional firefighters.
That isn’t to say our PMs are doing their absolute best, but what they're missing ar...
As your contracting business grows you’re going to encounter an interesting and complex scenario (and you may have already) that you are recruiting for, and hiring, a role that you know very little about.
Here's a classic example - you’ve expanded to the point where you're hiring for a dedicated...
Branding has never mattered more than it does right now. People, the public, your customers, are busier than ever.
Not only that, but the competition for their eyeballs, their attention, has never been fiercer. Between social media algorithms, shrinking attention spans, and an ever-expanding ma...
You’ve heard the expression “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”?
Sorry for the graphic intro, but the point is there is always more than one way to get a job done.
The same holds true for scaling your business. While the growth path for most trades and construction companies follows a si...