Have you ever wondered whether getting your field staff to track their time is worthwhile?
Sure, it’d be great to hold them accountable. But you can already hear their grumbles and groans about having to add another thing to their to-do list.
The thing is, in other businesses (think accounting, law, marketing agencies), time tracking is standard practice. The whole goal in those industries is to make as much time billable to the client as possible. So why is it different in the trades?
My guest on the show today is Isaac Barlow. He’s the Founder of busybusy. The industry-leading time-tracking app for construction and trades.
Today’s conversation is about leveraging time-tracking technology to increase productivity and profitability without hurting your company culture.
To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/BSN188
Episode 75
The time has come for Benji to officially pass the mic off to our new host, Danny. In his final episode, Benji reflects on the past four years, what he’s learned from working on the podcast, and what advice he’d give to contractors trying to start their own content engine.
Episode 74
What’s more important - getting your way or getting aligned? Take a word of advice from Surrounded By Idiots author Thomas Erikson: in a conflict, people won’t remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.
Episode 73
At BTA, we use a six part framework to systemize contracting businesses. But which part should you start with? Here’s Coach Ian’s take: figure out your strategy, learn how to set goals, and get obsessed with time management. The rest will come way easier.
Episode 72
If running your business feels like a never ending game of whack-a-mole, you’re probably missing the same thing as most small business owners: Repeatable, reliable, documented processes. Otherwise known as business systems.
Episode 70
Studies show that your team likely thinks your business makes way more than it actually does. If you don’t share your numbers with your staff, they will make their own assumptions about what the numbers are. And that can be catastrophic for your culture. Have you ever considered open book management?
Episode 69
There’s no denying the labor market has shifted immensely in the last 15 years, and not in your favor. With fewer people looking for jobs than employers looking for people, more and more contractors are getting creative with their recruitment. According to Rob Levin, that could mean looking at offshore or nearshore talent. What do you think? Would you hire someone out of the country?
Episode 68
What’s the difference between a high-priced contractor and a low-priced contractor? According to industry legend Ellen Rohr—it’s all about what you give your people. How well do you pay? How nice are your uniforms and vehicles? What benefits do you provide? And when you treat your people well, they treat their customers well. And customers will pay more to be treated well, trust us.
Episode 66
Today, Contractor Evolution celebrates its 200th episode. We are so humbled by all the incredible guests who have taken time to be on the show and the listeners who tune in week after week to learn how to scale their businesses. So, to all our friends of the pod—listeners, guests, and the Breakthrough Academy team—thank you. Here’s to the next 200 🎉
Episode 65
Does it actually matter if your staff feel underappreciated? According to Dr. Paul White, coauthor of The 5 Appreciation Languages in the Workplace, this kind of culture can have a major impact on turnover, employee engagement and even your own happiness as a leader. Have you ever thought about how the concept of the five love languages could apply to your team?
Episode 63
When times get tough, tragedy strikes or things take a turn for the worst, how do you keep faith that everything will turn out ok? On August 29th, 2008 on their way to a wedding, BTA Coach Ian, his mum and his dad were T-boned by a car going 70 miles an hour. Today, he’s generously opening up about his accident, miraculous recovery and the life lessons he learned from the tragic experience.