Contractor Cents

Death by 1,000 cuts is how the ancient Chinese tortured people. No single cut killed them. However, it was the accumulation of 1,000 cuts that eventually killed the person. I explain what this has to do with your business. It’s the little things that could add up and kill your business. This podcast discusses the first cut: Running your business on cash and/or not paying attention to cash trends.

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Safety training is crucial. You never know when it will pay for itself. My guest, Eric Wik, founder of Safety Team Technologies, tells you why safety meetings fail and what you can do about it. He’ll also give you some of the horror stories of what happens when you don’t comply with the safety training laws.

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Ruth King

Is training really worth it? What are the short term and long term tangible benefits for you, the employer? My guest today, Spencer Pope, the Manager of Technical Support and Training for Bradford White, gives you examples of how continuing education in the trades directly impacts contractor success – whether that training is in the classroom, on line, distance learning, or a combination of them.

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Let’s face it. The recruiting process is broken. Everyone complains about not finding good employees and many of you “just settle” which can turn into a disaster. My guest today, Ryan Hogan, has been in the trenches…he’s lived the real world challenges contractors face as he grew his company to $50 million in revenues. The wrong cultural fit was one of his biggest mistakes. Ryan gives you ways to fix the broken recruiting sys...

Grow by designing marketing campaigns where every piece amplifies the others – a philosophy that is called 2 + 2 = 5 by my guest, Crystal Williams, the founder and CEO of Lemon Seed Marketing. Crystal gives you questions you should answer and the marketing percentages that you can implement for a successful marketing program in 2026.

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https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

Are you sitting on a pile of expensive, underused software that is supposed to make business easier but it doesn’t. Pam Duffy, COO and co-founder of Powerhouse Consulting Group helps you take stock of all of the technology platforms you are using and the one simple question you must ask of each platform.

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https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

In this two part series Roger Daviston gives you the background for a successful maintenance process and the three areas that technicians need to focus on. In this second podcast Roger discusses the final two areas for a successful maintenance process.

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https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

In this two part series Roger Daviston gives you the background for a successful maintenance process and the three areas that technicians need to focus on. In this first podcast Roger discusses the responsibilities of the owner or service manager as well as the first area for a successful maintenance process.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

The 5 D’s of business that you need to be aware of and protect yourself from. A few podcasts ago, Justin Maxwell gave us the ways to identify and predictably reduce taxes. He mentioned the 5 D’s and we didn’t have time to cover them. This episode covers the 5 D’s: Death, Divorce, Disability, Disruption, and Disagreements.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

Without good books you never know if you are earning a profit and you have a great chance of sleepless nights worrying about cash.  Join Erin Andrews, owner of Level Accounting, as she explains why your bookkeeping is the roadmap of your business – not just a deduction tracker or afterthought.  She’ll break down why hiring the wrong person to do your books is like hiring a Walmart greeter to draft your contracts…and ye...

How do you know your marketing and advertising is paying for itself? Or are you throwing money down a black hole and not seeing any returns? Parker Ruiz, the CEO of Signature Media, gives you ways you can discover whether your marketing and advertising is producing the returns you want…and what to do if it isn’t.

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https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

Imagine leaving your field people alone feeling confident that you don’t have to micromanage them – you’re confident that when you check up on the job you know it will be right. How do you make this happen? My guest today, Traci Austin, is the owner of Elevated Talent Consulting. Traci has a proven track record teaching contractors how to inspire their crews to work harder without micromanaging. To schedule time with Traci: h...

How many of you REALLY like your answering service? If you do, I’d love an introduction. In my experience, most contractors put up with bad answering services because they can’t find a good one. What if AI could take over your after hours calls? And, where do you find this AI after hours agent? My guest, Stephen Price, the owner of Price Telecom, gives you the answers and how to do this. In terms of full disclosure, Stephen i...

Happy Labor Day! This two part series revolves around your labor force which generates your billable hours. Today I discuss billable hours and the productivity ratio. Email me (rking@ontheribbon.com) if you would like a copy of my billable hours template.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King

Are you looking at your business as an income source or an asset? Hopefully you said an asset. And, what if you could identify and predictably reduce taxes? Sound impossible? My guest, Justin D. Maxwell will tell you how to make this a reality. He’ll also give you the 5D’s that can kill your business. Justin is a partner at Big Life Financial who transforms high-performing business owners into true owner-investors, guiding th...

Do you know other tradespeople outside your trade? And, why is this important? Referrals, of course! My guest, Ted Speers, is the President of The Patch Boys. He’ll explain why it is good for plumbers, HVAC technicians, drywall personnel, electricians, and more. And, how to build your referral base.

Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet

https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu

Ruth King