Your Money Mindset (Part 3)
How do you feel about money? As with your mindsets around price and business and success, your mindsets around money could be holding you back. My clients set targets for revenue (the size of their businesses, if you like) with a wage PLUS a net profit margin of 10%....
Your Pricing Mindset (Part 2)
You're a tradie, price is a big deal. You face constant everyday pressure on your thoughts about price. Always downward pressure unless you're talking to me. You're afraid of being too expensive when you explain your sales and margins or when you quote a job. You're...
Why Your Mindset Is Important (Part 1)
Your mindset is an attitude to the world or something in your world. You've got thousands of them. You mostly learnt them whilst growing up, from the people around you (like your parents). But you continually develop and change mindsets throughout your life...
What Do They Mean When They Say ‘You’re Expensive’
People say it all the time, don't they? It's a very common thing for a customer to say to a tradie or a builder. A homeowner might say it to a builder. A builder might say it to a subcontractor. A property manager might say it to a business. There are a few things...
Too Many Hats
Let's pretend I run a trade business for a minute. I have these different kinds of hats Tradie – I'm on the tools, doing work sometimes Salesperson – I'm doing sales Estimator – I'm doing the quotes, too Marketing person – (small hat - don't do much) Project Manager...
Why Putting Your Head Down And Churning Through Work Is A Pretty S#!tty Strategy (Actually)
Put your hand up if you do that. Obviously, don't really. It's something a lot of people do. It's a bit of a male tendency and it seems to be a bit of a tradie tendency. When faced with lots to do, it's common for people to just get stuck in. I'm sure you prioritise,...
Who Are You Accountable To?
It's easy to be a bit glib about this. I'm imagining posting it on Facebook and getting responses from people with things like: "Only the Lord will judge me or my wife and family or even Myself!" So, for clarity, that's not what I mean. When you're the boss, you're...
Unicorns & Normals – There’s Hope For Us
Do you know what I mean by a unicorn? Something very rare. In this case, I mean a business that skyrockets – grows very quickly indeed and makes someone or some people very wealthy. Or quite wealthy. Life-changing money, not necessarily. Elon Musk's money. There are...
Business Is Primarily About Emotions – Even A Trade Business
It’s worth remembering this. Your business exists because of the way it (and you) make people feel. It doesn’t exist and it doesn’t make money because it and you do good work and build or repair beautiful things or safe things, or well-built things. It exists and...
Opportunity Cost Or What Else Could You Be Doing?
The title explains itself, I think. Opportunity cost is a concept people use to make you think about the cost of taking a course of action. It’s important because, as you grow your business, you have a tendency to resist change and stay in your comfort zone,...
How To Manage Your Customers Better
Hands up if you’ve had a miscommunication with a customer that’s ended up costing you money! Is there anybody out there without their hand up? Just a few liars, right? It happens all the time and tradies are notorious for it. I had a very minor incident of it on...
Let’s Talk Guarantees and Warranties
Do you give one? You have to for some things. Consumer law says, "What you sell has to be fit for purpose, and do what it's meant to do, and be free of defects". Guarantee and warranty are not the same. So you have to warranty that by law. In New South Wales, building...