If you hire without discipline, you’ll regret it
‘How to hire well’ I’m going to show you the wrong way and the right way. This is the wrong way. Thank f$*&. You seem great. You’re hired. And I’ve written a little bit like this: “You seem great. I really need a carpenter. Are you a carpenter? Happy days!” “How much do you need […]
Learn my Framework for Growing your Trade Business
If you want to grow your trades business into more than a job, if you want to grow it into something that can survive without you and make you money while you’re not there, if you want to get that magic thing called “leverage” which is when you can earn enormous amounts more than you […]
The Difference Between a Tradesman and an Amateur
Hi there! It’s Jon here again from Small Fish. I want to talk about the difference between a tradesman and a gifted amateur. Okay, I’ve been thinking about this for a little while, I’ve got a friend who’s a gifted amateur. He’s a DIY, he’s quite experienced, he has built houses himself and done work […]
Value Engineering? WTF is it?
Value engineering What a great term! It also means that you can’t have a discount I think and I want to talk to you about it. So I’m Jon as you know from Small Fish Business Coaching. I run the Tradies Toolbox Coaching Program and it’s for trade business owners who want to grow and […]
A New Way to Buy Materials
A new way to buy materials. Margins are important and I often talk about how to increase your margins. Your business runs on margins if you don’t make enough margin you can find yourself running around in stupid circles like that hamster on a wheel, working and making no money which is no fun. You […]
Your Customers Want Certainty – Part 2: Price Certainty
Certainty # 2: Pricing Certainty. I said before, customers like certainty, it makes making a decision for them easier and less risky and we don’t like risk particularly when we’re making decisions. So the less risk there is in a decision, the easier it is. You need to give certainty in your marketing and in […]
Your Customers want Certainty – You should Give it to Them
People like certainty. It makes decisions easier and a guarantee gives it. Are you giving your customers and your prospects any certainty? (And I really mean in your marketing.) I’m Jon from Small Fish Business Coaching. I run the “Tradies Toolbox” Coaching Program, it’s for trades business owners who want to grow and scale, part […]
Your Customers are Scared to Hire you – Prove you’re not a risk for them
Hey it’s Jon here. I saw a piece of news that came up on Facebook last night. It a current affair about a builder called Kitchener Crispin. I don’t know if you saw it but, it was a terrible sorry tale of a builder who fell out with his clients. They sought legal advice, and […]
Watch out for Magpie Syndrome – stay focused on your plan
‘Magpie Syndrome’ – have you got it? Now Magpie Syndrome, (there’s a magpie, look) is a very dangerous temptation to see something new and shiny and kind of go and chase after it instead of sticking to what you do. It’s dangerous because much of our success in business comes from exactly the opposite. It […]
Cloud Services to make running your business easier
Hey it’s Jon! I want to talk today about Cloud-based Systems and how they can help you outsource work. What I really mean is, have people working for you who aren’t sitting in your office, who aren’t restricted to being in your office nearby. I’m Jon from Small Fish Business Coaching. I run the ‘Tradies […]
True Cost of Employment (For Trades Business)
It’s really easy to not properly understand what your employees really cost you or your contractors. And that becomes a problem when you don’t charge enough for them. So what I’m going to try and do today is help you understand and get some clarity on how much they actually cost and how much they […]
Marketing is like Vegemite – you can only spread yours so far
Hello! Marketing is like Vegemite. If you spread it too thinly, it tastes rubbish. I’m Jon, I’m from Small Fish Business Coaching. I’m clearly enjoying this one. I have a coaching program called the ‘Tradies Toolbox’ Coaching Program. It’s for tradies who want to grow and scale their businesses and part of that, is doing […]