Contractor Cents

Imagine leaving your field people alone feeling confident that you don’t have to micromanage them – you’re confident that when you check up on the job you know it will be right. How do you make this happen? My guest today, Traci Austin, is the owner of Elevated Talent Consulting. Traci has a proven track record teaching contractors how to inspire their crews to work harder without micromanaging. To schedule time with Traci: h...

How many of you REALLY like your answering service? If you do, I’d love an introduction. In my experience, most contractors put up with bad answering services because they can’t find a good one. What if AI could take over your after hours calls? And, where do you find this AI after hours agent? My guest, Stephen Price, the owner of Price Telecom, gives you the answers and how to do this. In terms of full disclosure, Stephen i...

Happy Labor Day! This two part series revolves around your labor force which generates your billable hours. Today I discuss billable hours and the productivity ratio. Email me (rking@ontheribbon.com) if you would like a copy of my billable hours template.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

Are you looking at your business as an income source or an asset? Hopefully you said an asset. And, what if you could identify and predictably reduce taxes? Sound impossible? My guest, Justin D. Maxwell will tell you how to make this a reality. He’ll also give you the 5D’s that can kill your business. Justin is a partner at Big Life Financial who transforms high-performing business owners into true owner-investors, guiding th...

Do you know other tradespeople outside your trade? And, why is this important? Referrals, of course! My guest, Ted Speers, is the President of The Patch Boys. He’ll explain why it is good for plumbers, HVAC technicians, drywall personnel, electricians, and more. And, how to build your referral base.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

Productivity. What if you could reinvent productivity in your contracting business? The top line may not increase…then again it might. Improving productivity, or reinventing productivity will definitely improve your bottom line. How do you do it? My guest, James Hatfield, answers this question. James started out as the owner of a painting and power washing company and became passionate about helping contracting professionals ...

This is the last of three episodes that demystifies your CSR, dispatch, and inside sales roles. My guests are Lynn Wise, CEO of Contractor in Charge, and Danielle Bartus who leads sales and marketing for Contractor in Charge. In this episode, Lynn and Danielle discuss the inside sales role.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

This is the second of three episodes that demystifies your CSR, dispatch, and inside sales roles. My guests are Lynn Wise, CEO of Contractor in Charge, and Danielle Bartus who leads sales and marketing for Contractor in Charge. In this episode, Lynn and Danielle discuss the dispatch role – and how AI can play a role in dispatch.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

This is the first of three episodes that demystifies your CSR, dispatch, and inside sales roles. My guests are Lynn Wise, CEO of Contractor in Charge, and Danielle Bartus who leads sales and marketing for Contractor in Charge. In this episode, Lynn and Danielle discuss the true CSR roles (there are more than one) and how AI can play a CSR role.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

So you think you want to sell your business? And no, the likelihood of you deciding to sell and actually closing on the sale in a month is unrealistic. What should you prepare for? What should you expect? When should you begin? Join Ruth Mannschrek, who was shocked by the entire sales process, who gives you the answers to these questions and more…so you don’t have the same misconceptions and make the mistakes she did.

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July 1st is Canadian independence day…so those of you in Canada, Happy July 1st . For those of us in the United States, a few days later we will celebrate our independence day, July 4th . My wishes for happy independence days.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

Consumers are shopping online more than ever. According to data by SellersCommerce, there are 2.71 billion online shoppers globally as of 2024. What technology do we need to attract more online shoppers? How can we provide quotes, or should we provide quotes online? What else should we be doing? Join Josh Koplin, the co-founder of EDEN, a company that helps HVAC businesses by onboarding an Instant Quote tool for potential cus...

What if you had an automatic follow up sequence to close jobs and do referral marketing? One of my clients has increased their closing rate by more than 50% doing this automatically. How? my guest, Kirk King, the creator of Contractor Halo, will tell you how he did it for one of my clients and other contractors. And no, we are not related…we only share a last name.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

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What does it take to be a super salesperson? One who is laser focused on your company’s moose –So, you ask, “what’s a moose?” And, how do you train the super sales person…or does the super salesperson even need training? Join Kay Miller and me. Kay, will explain who your sales peoples’ moose are…and how to make them uncopiable and highly effective salespeople.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6w...

Financing. Whether it is a water heater, a generator, or a new HVAC system, financing is a way of life now. With the average homeowner having less than $5,000 in savings, according to a US banking study, when a major repair happens, the only option is financing. So, how do you choose a financing company? What should you look for? What should you avoid? My guest Erica Leonor, is the Director of Business Development for Goodle...

Do You Know What Your Business Assets Are? Before you say, “that’s a stupid question, of course I know what they are.” They might NOT be what you think they are. Find out the true meaning of business assets as they relate to our industry. Aaron Salow, CEO of XOi, and Ryan Martineau, co-founder and CEO of Specifix, tell you what your true assets are and why.

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You’ll recognize yourself in some of Matt Michel’s contractor stories. Matt has worked with contractors for years and is the founder of Service Nation which operates the Service Roundtable, Service Nation Alliance, and more. Matt gives you the “story behind the stories” in this book that every contractor should read.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

How do you scale your business? And, how do you get it to the point where it is not totally dependent on you? John Nieuwenburg, founder of W5 Coaching, gives you the steps to go from 3 to 10 employees, from 10 to 30 employees, and beyond.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King