Feeling Stuck in the Busy-But-Broke Zone – How Did You Break Through?
Hey folks, I’m hoping to get some insight from those of you who’ve already muscled through this phase of business. I’m currently in that painful zone where the jobs are coming in steady—so much so that I’m completely maxed out—but the numbers aren’t quite adding up to confidently bring someone else on board. I’ve got the workflow, the drive, and the service quality dialed in, but when it comes to scaling by hiring help, I feel like I’m staring at a wall I can’t quite climb. The catch-22 is real: can’t afford help without more time, and can’t get more time without help. For those of you who made it past this threshold: - What did you do to shift the equation? - How did you find the confidence (or capital) to invest in that first team member? - Any creative pricing or scheduling tactics that helped balance the load in the meantime? Appreciate any stories, hard-learned lessons, or nuggets of advice. Trying to work smarter, not just harder.Do You Train Your Team to Think or Just Work?
Every Monday, we hold a short training session with our team. We train on communication. leadership. & mindset. The reason being most tradespeople aren’t struggling because they can’t do the work. They’re struggling because they were never taught how to: Speak with clarity Handle conflict Lead a crew Represent the business professionally These tend to be the issues I see bottling up, either from our exit interviews or customer feed back or when things are misunderstood. Thats why I'm curious: Do you train soft skills with your crew?We Hired for Skill & We Got Burnt.
When I first started hiring, I focused on work ethic and skills. We all look for the 3-5 year guy in the field. That’s how I saw every other electrician hire. Until we’ve trained side-by-side with leaders from the Ritz Carlton, studied what world-class hiring really looks like, and built our own system to bring it into the trades. But after years in the field, and now in my own electrical contracting company, I’ve learned that’s not enough. The trades have a people problem because we skip the part that matters: Character. Trust. Vision. And it’s how we filter now. What do you all think?Everyone Wants to HIRE the “3–5 Year Guy” — But Why?
Once again, contractors are falling into the same pattern. I keep seeing posts on Instagram that say: “Must have 3–5 years experience.”What do you guys think about this? Here’s my take: It’s because most people want someone they can toss straight into the field. No training. No culture building. Just go-go-go. But that’s how we end up with more bad hires than good ones. Here’s the truth: Hiring talent doesn’t fix broken systems. If you don’t know what problem you’re solving — even the “perfect” hire won’t help. So I made this visual graphic to help. This is how I think through hiring when I know I’m ready to grow. What are your thoughts?You Don’t Need More Hours — You Need the Right People
Everyone says they want to grow — but few are willing to let go. The inbox, the content, the sales follow-ups, the backend bugs — they hang onto it all, thinking it’s the only way to keep control. I get it. I used to do the same. But over the last 9+ years, I’ve built and scaled businesses by doing the opposite: building a remote team I trust, and getting out of their way. Not just “virtual assistants” — real professionals. People who run content, sales outreach, client communication, systems, software, and everything in between. They don’t just lighten the load. They raise the bar. This approach has been a game changer — not just for saving time, but for building momentum that actually lasts. It’s what I’ve been doing successfully for nearly a decade. If you’re wondering where to find this kind of talent, how to train them, or how to make it actually work long-term — drop your questions. Lets talk!
System to handle subcontractors payments
Hi I’m trying to implement a solution to paying our subcontractors as efficiently as possible. We send out their contracts for signatures and get them on the schedule. We pay each of them 3 draws. The first is on the day they start the second is the day everything is installed (when all the tile have been installed or all the drywall is up and mudded) and the final payment is when it’s completed and inspected for approval. I’m manually uploading the signed contracts, pictures and payment expenses into jobber which takes a lot of time that could be utilized in other areas of growing our company. Currently they are sending pictures through texts and asking for payments which has become a nightmare to keep up with. Im looking for a solution to streamline the process for the subs and for us while being user friendly and easy to navigate for someone that may not be familiar with tech. Does anyone have any ideas? as an add on I would love to incorporate a bonus structure for incentive to complete jobs accurately and in a timely manner
