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It is important to know if you’re losing money between quoting jobs and getting paid.If you quote with a 30% gross margin but you don't see 30% in your P&L, something's wrong and you should fix it.You should set up systems so you do it for every job (yes you should)If you can’t do that yet, do some spot checks.It’s not hard (just takes work) - compare your quote and the predicted input costs to the actual input costs; if the gross profit is less in real life than in your quote, find out why and go from there.--------------------------------------Get the JOB PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/job-profitability-analysis-dlIf you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

You should measure profitability on jobs after they’ve finished.  And you should compare it to what you thought it would be when you quoted it.The point, of course, is to check if the job made as much as it was supposed to and if it didn't, it’s for you to figure out why.Specifically, for you to spot things that keep going wrong and affecting your profits and fix them so they stop doing that, and your business makes more money.--------------------------------------Get the JOB PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/job-profitability-analysis-dlIf you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

I taught this workshop in my recent client Intensive - how to measure job profitability. It’s part of my program - they paid to get it. You’re getting it here for free.Most people don’t measure job profitability. It feels like an admin burden that gets in the way of doing work you get paid for, it’s hard to do well (or, at least, it takes effort and attention) so people put it to one side and focus on other things.I understand that - you have lots of demands on your time and this has to compete with them.It’s also probably costing you a lot of money. You quote a job, win it and someone in your business does it. When you quote it, you quote it with a margin in mind - say 30% gross margin.There are many ways that margin can be eaten away between the quote and the finish. You can estimate it wrong, get your costs wrong, give a discount. Your team can take too long, use too much stuff, make mistakes that need correcting; you can fail to charge for variations, get the scope wrong and not get paid for the whole thing …..and on we go.I’m sure you’re aware of the ways things can go wrong - nobody ever listens to me say this stuff and says “that never happens, Jon”.The point is that you need to know which of these is happening in your business so you can stop it happening and stop that money (profit) leaking out of your business.Which brings me back to measuring profitability on jobs.If you do a quote and win the job and do the work and invoice it and move on to the next thing, you leave this to chance. You might have made money on it and you might not have. You don’t know.You might be doing the same thing on every job - or your business might be suffering from the same issue on every job.You won’t necessarily know until your accountant says “No tax bill this year - you didn’t make any profit”There’s a solution. Of course there is. It involves doing the boring and difficult job of setting up systems to measure the inputs into your job costings - labour and materials and all the other things you include in your quote - so you measure them and calculate the gross profit you make - and compare it to what you hoped to make when you quoted.If it’s less, you can go and find out why.If you compare multiple jobs and see you make the same mistake over and over - you can fix that problem and you’ll make a big difference to your bottom line.You really should do this.The reason I have a business (as a business coach) is that nobody wants to do this stuff. It’s boring, it feels like not real work, when you should be on the tools or doing something else important.But it’s part of building the systems and structure that will give you a proper, profitable business and if you work with me, I’ll be persistent about the need to do it so you make more money.So do it or talk to me about getting coached so I can push you to do it.--------------------------------------Get the JOB PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/job-profitability-analysis-dlIf you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

If you want to do the work that will grow your business - the businessperson work that moves the needle and makes you more money - BUT you’re too busy doing the other shit to do that, then you have a problem, don’t you?You’re caught in the busy trap where you’re too busy doing work to do the work that will actually give you the business you want.This week’s video is an extract from my recent Client Intensive where I talked about your next hire and who it should be.Your next hire could be a tradesperson so you can be more off the tools and it could be someone in the office to do some of the non-tools work that takes up your time.What should YOUR next hire be?Watch the video and think about it.--------------------------------------Get the PROPER TRADIES HIRING PROCESS GUIDE here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/the-hiring-process-dlIf you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility), Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

If you don’t, guess whose fault it is?   Yes, it’s yours - it’s always yours – you’re the boss, who else is there?   You could blame the economy …   Albo … Trump … Putin   Customers and their unreasonable demands around pricing   Competitors and their stupid race to the bottom   Or you could look at yourself and ask, “Do I do enough of the stuff that drives profit?”   “(Do I act like a businessperson enough?)”   Or, “Do I focus too much on the small stuff - the jobs, the day-to-day and neglect the business stuff?”   “(Do I act too much like a tradie – not enough like a businessperson?)”   Grab the Guide 'How to be more of a businessperson - less of a tradie' and find out the answers. -------------------------------------- Get the "HOW TO BE MORE OF A BUSINESSPERSON AND LESS OF A TRADIE" for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/how-to-be-more-of-a-businessperson-and-less-of-a-tradie If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/ FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Hi Tradies, memory isn’t that great. You can’t rely on it.If you want a successful business that gives you more money, time and freedom, you need to act more like a businessperson and less like a tradie.And that means not relying on fallible memory — yours, and everyone else’s: customers, staff, suppliers and partners.I see a lot of things done on handshakes and verbal agreements. Instructions, arrangements, agreements. This creates problems, of course - different recollections of what was said or agreed: forgetting to do things or not doing them properly.The answer, as usual, is systems and writing things down.I’ll tell you a quick story. I once shared a memory about a friend, Ted, who I thought had done a week in jail over a dispute with a client. His wife later told me it wasn’t true. He got in trouble, but he didn’t do time. My memory was close — but wrong.That’s how memory works. Yours is the same. So is everyone else’s.Here’s where your memory can cause problems in your business.1 Your Tasks. Many of you don’t write things down. You trust yourself to remember. You need a system — a diary, phone notes, Outlook, Gmail, and voice notes to your admin. Pick one and use it.Your Appointments. Too many people don’t put everything in their calendar or don’t check it properly. All meetings and jobs should be in one synced calendar. Have a system to get “See you Thursday at 2” into your calendar straight away and another to remind you to check it.Agreements with Customers. Quotes, variations, dates, access, rules, changes — if it matters, write it down. Send a confirmation email: “Confirming we agreed…” This is important because if they don’t remember it the same way you find out now and if they don’t disagree now, that’s now the truth. Attach it to the job.Job Instructions to Your Team. Too often it’s a quick verbal briefing and everyone’s expected to remember it. They won’t. We all forget, misunderstand, and mix things up. Every job needs written instructions, job cards, plans, drawings, and site diaries where needed. These belong in your job management system.Agreements with staff. Contracts, pay, reviews, warnings, leave — keep proper records (and send email confirmations). Use HR software if you can.Agreements with suppliers. Same as with clients. Record what you verbally agree - prices, discounts, delivery, terms — confirm in writing and attach to your job management system.The Other S#*t. Phone calls, site conversations, ideas, things that occur to you. If it’s written down, it’s what happened. Put it in your diary or send it to your admin.This is part of becoming a businessperson instead of just a tradie. It stops you forgetting things, saves you time, and prevents f#*k-ups.It’s a game-changer. If you don’t have this in place — for you and your team — get onto it.--------------------------------------Get the Written Confirmation Worksheet for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/business-for-trades-written-confirmation-worksheetIf you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

If you’re keen to build a business that gives you more money, time and freedom, it’s likely that holidays factor in there somewhere.Money - pay for holidaysTime off - go on holidaysFreedom - nobody bothers you on holidaysI might be projecting a bit but who doesn't want that!One way to have more holidays is to book them and go.It beats getting to September and wondering why you’re grumpy.I’ve committed myself to the Bali Trade Conference which is me presenting for 2 x 2hr days of training tradies like you on business and numbers. I’m going for 2 weeks. No point wasting it 😁--------------------------------------Register here: https://balitradeconference.com/If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

If you want a better business — more money, more time off, and more freedom — you’re going to have to work on the business, not just in it.That’s the shift: more businessperson, less tradie.Jobs still need to go well. Customers still matter.But they need to go well for your business, otherwise you end up busy… and broke.Running a good business means:Getting more of the right jobs (marketing)Winning them at decent margins (sales)Running work with less chaos and more profitKnowing your numbers and pricing with confidenceHiring good people and letting goSaying no when you need toBuilding a business is its own job — and you need to make time to do it.The good news? It’s learnable.Business, marketing, sales, numbers — none of it is magic.But you do need to change how you run yourself and where you spend your time.That’s what I help with: business coaching that turns the business part into something you actually do — and stick with.If that’s what you want, you know where to find me.--------------------------------------If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Hi Tradie, how's business? That's a pretty open question, isn’t it?Usually, the answer to that is pretty basic, isn’t it?"Not great""Pretty good""Good, we're booked out till Easter"But they're just conversational responses, aren't they? They're not real answers to the question.I'm a business coach, obviously, so I am interested in a real answer to the question, which will be longer and more complicated.It might involve a general statement like those ones but then some further clarifications.If we're having a Strategy Session and you're considering buying my program, we start here and I probe for specific answers.I want to know how are money, time, and freedoom -the 3 things everybody wants.We're interested in how profitable your business is—how much you get from it as wages and profits compared to how much you want to be getting and compared to the industry benchmark.We're interested in how hard you're working—how much time you put into your business and how much is left for you.And we're interested in how much you get to enjoy that time without worrying about stuff or being called by people or having to have your phone or laptop with you to check in. How much freedom from your business you have.They're the personal things you want as the owner and boss, aren't they?And they're all influenced by the things that are going on in your business:Have you got enough work on?Is it profitable work?Is it organised & efficient?Are people paying?Are your people performing well?And a million other things.So, how's business and what are you doing about making your business better?It's a good question, isn't it?Obviously, I'd like you to buy my thing, which is business coaching for tradies and builders. But, if you're not ready for that, here is a thing I've made that's free and no sales call required so you can make a start. It’s usually exclusively for my clients.It's the Business Assessment and Re-Set for Tradies.It's a 4 video training sequence, with worksheets for you to take yourself through.You'll assess your business for how it's going and then you'll assess yourself for how you're operating as a business person and as a tradie, you’ll set some realistic goals for your next few months and make a specific project plan for each one to help you hit those goals.Have fun.--------------------------------------Get the Business Assessment and Re-set for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/business-assessment-reset-dlIf you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Make a Plan to Hit Your Goals Why make a plan? To hit your goals, it's in the title of this video.If you've been following this series, you’ll have made some goals, so now you have to decide how you're going to make them happen. And that’s where the impact filter comes in. It’s a simple tool to use to help you plan projects and get them off the ground. Grab the Impact Filter worksheet and start making those goals happen. -------------------------------------- Get the "YOUR BUSINESS ASSESSMENT AND RE-SET" for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/business-assessment-reset-make-a-plan-dl If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/ FOLLOW US AT: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Are you goal setting, tradie? Many tradies and builders start their businesses without clear goals, focusing initially on just surviving. Without direction, businesses can become overwhelming, with more work, stress, and insufficient financial reward. No one starts a business to be overworked and stressed, but without goals, you might end up there. The good news: it's not too late to change this. You can set goals - start with these two: 1. A 3-year business vision 2. Short-term goals for the next 4–6 months Use the Trade Business Lifestyle Ladder as a guide, focusing on money, time, and freedom. Identify specific steps to move up from your current position and tackle urgent problems first. Aim for realistic goals to ensure progress. So get the Goal Setting worksheet and get started. -------------------------------------- Get the "YOUR BUSINESS ASSESSMENT AND RE-SET." for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/business-assessment-reset-setting-goals-dl If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/ FOLLOW US AT: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Are you behaving like a Tradie or a Businessperson? I’m talking specifically about becoming more conscious of your behaviour - how you act at work, as the trade business owner. You should be aware that you need to act like a businessperson if you want your business to be better: more money, more time and more freedom. How do you do this, though? First, assess yourself, download the Tradie VS Businessperson worksheet. -------------------------------------- Get the "YOUR BUSINESS ASSESSMENT AND RE-SET." for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/business-assessment-reset-tradie-vs-businessperson-dl If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/ FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Is Your Business Giving You What You Want? Most tradies want the same three things: More Money, More Time, More Freedom. That’s exactly what the Trade Business Lifestyle Ladder measures. It helps you assess how well your business is serving you across Money, Time and Freedom. There are eight levels — from Problem Business at the bottom to Beautiful Business at the top — and they’re realistic: a few million a year, a four-day week, eight weeks' holiday, and a business that doesn’t need you every day. What business do you want? Lots of tradies work hard for everyone else and don’t get the reward they could. The answer is to put more focus on your business, not just your trade. If your business isn’t giving you what you want, it’s time to do something about it. Start by grabbing the Trade Business Lifestyle Ladder and assessing yourself. -------------------------------------- Get the "YOUR BUSINESS ASSESSMENT AND RE-SET." for Trades and Builders here: https://pages.smallfish.com.au/business-assessment-reset-dl If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility) Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/ FOLLOW US AT: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Every year at this time, the same pressures show up:“Needs to be finished by Christmas…”“We need to hit lock-up before the break…”“We’re behind — can you catch us up?”It’s all pressure to cram work in before the holidays. It helps them, and it usually costs you — overtime that trashes your margins, a wrecked schedule, inefficiencies, and lost opportunities. And often it’s not even fair; they want you to fix their problem.Here’s the pitfall: if you cave to the pressure, you compromise your profitability.In the old days, behaving like a tradie, you might’ve copped it and taken the hit. But now, as a businessperson, you know better.Your job is to ensure every job stays profitable. Any scope change — including schedule changes and hurry-ups — changes the cost.So you either raise a variation and get it approved in writing… or you say, “No, not happening.”It’s a scary one. Then you get used to it.This is what good coaching is about — helping you resist other people’s b******t because you know your numbers and the impact of rolling over.And if you want help with that, come find me.--------------------------------------If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility), Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau

Tradie, are you ready for Christmas? (Do this now while there is still time!) Get the Quick Christmas Cash PlanYou need to be ready for the shutdown period - don't get caught out - get the template and get organised.--------------------------------------Get the Quick Christmas Cash Plan for Trades and Builders here: https://www.smallfish.com.au/tradies/christmas-cash-plan/If you want more money (profit), more time (off work), and more freedom (from work, stress, responsibility), Book a Money Call: smallfish.com.au/tradies/money-call/FOLLOW US AT:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallfishcoach/Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallfishcoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallfishbusinesscoach/YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smallfishau