WELCOME TO YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE ON THE BUSINESS OF CONTRACTING

This is the Contractor Evolution Podcast. We unpack the systems, tactics, and skills you need to take your fast-growing contracting business to the next level. If you’re here to learn what it takes to scale up, work less, and increase profits, you’ve come to the right place.

Join 40,000+ contractors that learn from Contractor Evolution. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Master Class: Ultimate Hiring Funnel Series

So look - it is no secret that hiring is hard. Like really hard. Especially in our construction and trade industries. Labor shortages are a real thing, and yes, perhaps Millennials and Gen Z’ers aren't as gritty as older Generations may have been. And also yes, the government has paid a bunch of people to stay at home for over a year-and-a-half leading to a super lethargic Workforce. We get it. But look, it is what it is and can’t do much about the above factors. What you can do though is build the best hiring funnel in your market. Over a 6-part series, we explain in plain English how you can think like a marketer and start building an Employer Brand that attracts top talent. Whether you are a seasoned pro or just starting your business if you want to build your dream team, this series is for you.

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Categories

Episode 200 66 min
LEADERSHIP, SALES & MARKETING, TOP EPISODES, TRAINING & ONBOARDING

Celebrating 200 Episodes: Benji Reacts to His Favorite Moments - Benji Carlson

After making 200 podcast episodes, we’re excited to show off Benji’s favorite moments from the past four years of interviews.

Today is a very special day for the team here at Contractor Evolution.

Today, we’re releasing our 200th episode.

We’ve spoken to some incredible guests, and that has helped us build a following of the coolest listeners in the world.

So… if you’ve been on the show or just listen to it, we want to express profound gratitude to you.

To say we are humbled and proud would be to say nothing at all.

For this milestone episode, we’re going back through some of Benji’s favorite episodes and talking through the lessons we took away from the conversations.

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Episode 199 46 min
LEADERSHIP, TRAINING & ONBOARDING

Five Languages of Appreciation – Contractor Edition - Dr. Paul White

What really makes people feel appreciated at work? In this episode, Dr. Paul White, author of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, discusses how contractors can use appreciation to make a meaningful impact on their team culture.

Ever wonder why your staff feel “under-appreciated?”

Like—you tell them they’re doing a good job, you take them for lunch every now and then, and you pay them fairly.

And yet there’s always someone who feels like you don’t value their contributions.

Our guest today, Dr. Paul White, has some possible answers. 

He coauthored The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace alongside Gary Chapman, the man who coined the five love languages many of us are familiar with.

The idea is simple: not everyone experiences appreciation the same way. Some like verbal praise, some find meaning in gifts, others need quality time with their manager or team.

This conversation is about how to recognize the best way to appreciate your team, and the tangible impact appreciation can have on your business.

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Episode 198 85 min
INTERNAL SYSTEMS, LEADERSHIP, TRAINING & ONBOARDING

How SOPs Changed the Game For Matt Risinger - Matt Risinger

If business growth has you feeling like you’re stuck in an operational hellhole, you’re not alone. You can’t outwork a dysfunctional business (although many contractors have died trying). In this webinar replay, Matt Risinger walks us through the one tool you need to turn growing pains into smooth scaling: SOPs.

Ever wonder why some contractors scale smoothly to 7-figures and beyond while others constantly get stuck in an operational hellhole?

Clients constantly badgering you…
Crews relying on you to answer every single question…
Margins so depressing they could make a grown man cry…

The good news is, there’s a relatively simple tool that can help you solve most of your operational challenges.

SOPs (standard operating procedures).

A while back, I co-hosted a comprehensive SOP web class with the one and only Matt Risinger, CEO of Risinger Build and founder of the Build Show Network. We covered everything you need to know about SOPs, based on Breakthrough Academy’s work with over 1500 contractors and Matt Risinger’s own experience scaling two massive companies.

Today, we’re releasing that class as a podcast episode so more contractors can benefit from Matt’s insights.

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Episode 197 72 min
LEADERSHIP

Keeping Faith During Tragic Times: Coach Ian’s Story - Ian Ouwerkerk

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.

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?

Today, that’s what our very own Breakthrough Academy coach Ian Ouwerkerk is joining me to discuss.

On August 29th, 2008 on their way to a wedding, Ian, his mum and his dad were T-boned by a car going 70 miles an hour. The accident left Ian with a severed carotid artery plus 11 ribs and both his collar bones broken. And the list of injuries goes on.

He died and came back multiple times through this harrowing event.

Today, he’s generously opening up about his accident, miraculous recovery and the life lessons he learned from the tragic experience.

We talk about how to cultivate resilience, perspective, and faith in life’s most challenging seasons.

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Episode 196 84 min

The Financial Secrets of $10MM Contractors - Bob Gauvreau

Anyone can tell you that you need to budget, track your overhead and do job costing. The problem is: nobody ever shows you HOW. In this webinar replay featuring Bob Gauvreau, we’re breaking down all the basics you need to take control of your business finances.

If you’ve made it this far in business, I probably don’t need to tell you that need to budget, track your overhead, and do job costing.

The problem is: nobody ever shows you HOW.

A few weeks back, we co-hosted a webinar with our friend Bob Gauvreau from Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory to teach 7-figure contractors everything they need to know about managing their finances. We talked about budgeting, job costing, avoiding cash crunches and more.

And today, we’re replaying it here on the podcast so more contractors can benefit from the insights.

This is a must-listen for anyone whose New Year’s Resolution is to get better at financial management.

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IT’S TIME TO GET OUT OF THE DAY-TO-DAY

If you are a 7 figure contractor who has the vision to scale to 8 figures without adding more stress, then learn how to replace yourself with this proven management system. Take the 10-day ‘Evolved Contractor’ challenge and identify the methods that will scale your business.

MEET THE HOSTS

BENJI CARLSON

Benji gained insights into the trades as a 4-year franchisee with College Pro Painters, earning accolades for having the most productive staff in the franchise network. Since then, Benji has run in-depth business assessments with over 1000 contractors and now uses that information to represent the interests of contractors on the show 'Contractor Evolution’ whose goal is to arm smart contractors with the skills they need to grow.

IGOR TRNINIC

Igor has an impressive track record running trade businesses. He started by building up to a GM with College Pro Painters, running a $2.5MM business. He then co-started the franchise SHACK SHINE, which was acquired within 18 months. Igor is a co-founder of Breakthrough Academy, which coaches over 500 contractors (with a combined $1.6B in revenue) on how to systemize their businesses for growth.

HOW DOES A $20M CONTRACTING BUSINESS RUN? WOULD YOU LIKE TO FIND OUT?

Take the 10-day ‘Evolved Contractor’ challenge and identify the methods that will scale your business past 8-figures.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE

GET FREE TOOLS & RESOURCES

You don’t need to create everything yourself. Use our FREE tools and templates to crush everything from your hiring process to budgeting.