Hi there Tradesman, Jon here again, from Small Fish. Definitely a business coach and not a tradesman. Obviously.

I think I’ve done quoting to death for the moment so let’s talk about stress.

One thing that is very clear about running a trade business is that it is very stressful.

• Soooo many balls to keep in the air.
• So many customers wanting their project looked after (punters, builders, project managers – you name ’em).
• So many sub-contractors not meeting their deadlines and stuffing up an entire afternoon.
• Idiot tradesmen failing to do the job you asked them to do.

I’ve heard it many times.

And on top of that, you run around like a blue-arsed fly trying to keep your boys busy (you’re paying them after all) – picking up materials, ordering materials, ordering tools and machinery etc etc

And then there’s the quoting of course. Very time-consuming, remember.

One of my clients, Dallas from Eastcoast Kitchens, was working an 80-hour week when I met him.

In fairness, he’s still working pretty hard – every time we find a way to help him get control of the busyness, his business grows and he works harder again. But, we’ve started the process of getting control. He feels better, when it’s not the Christmas rush and he’s making a lot more money than he was when we first met, which he’s happy about.

Stress and busyness are a funny thing. It’s a known fact that you’ll never have all the work done.

You’ll never feel like everything is under control. Ever.

The work will expand to fill the time you give it – if you work 80 hours a week, you’ll do 80 hours worth of work and if you do 40 you’ll feel about the same

You might disappoint more people, if you do 40 and you might not.

You might disappoint more people but not the ones who matter to your business.

And not everyone does.

Some concepts:

• Saying NO is often a good idea – if you say yes all the time, you are the proverbial blue-arsed fly, running around in circles going nowhere

If you always say yes, you are allowing yourself to be ruled by the desires and demands of other people – you aren’t in charge, they are.

• If you start your day by checking your emails and attending to what’s in there, you are not driving are you? You’re being driven. I heard recently that emails are just all the stuff other people want and it’s true.

So start by taking charge – have a think about what your priorities are and do some things to get them done. Do these first before you check your emails.

• Or plan your day before your boys all come in needing to be told what to do – even do it at the end of the day ready for the morning.

When you’ve decided the three or so things you want to accomplish today, try to make sure you do – do them first or set time aside to do them.

Fuck it – it’s your business, make it do what you want instead of what other people want from you.

 

And say NO – don’t do shit jobs, stick to profitable ones.

In the coaching program – Tradies Toolbox – I’ll show you how to do these things properly, implement them into your business and I’ll help you work through actually making sure you make the changes that will give you some of your life back.

Adios Amigo

Jon
Small Fish Business Coaching
Tradies Toolbox

P.S. Book a ten minute call with Jon to talk about quoting in your business.

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