Play ball! It’s a beautiful day for a podcast, folks. Today’s is shaping up to be a barnburner. In this crackerjack episode, we break out the baseball wordplay as I chat with Margie Baker, Operations Manager at 1-Hour Heating, Ben Franklin Plumbing, and Mr. Sparky Electric, about how to attract more women and Gen Z/millennials to the trades. The bases are loaded with topics such as: - The advantages of a Gen Z/millennial lineup - Scouting talent and training technicians in-house - Tips for handling communication curveballs and pitching a perfect dispatch game - Hitting triples in customer experience - a win for the customer, a win for the technician, and a win for the company - Why sales will have a better batting average if they learn to embrace the silences Extra innings (resources mentioned during the episode): Democracy in America by Alex de Toqueville (https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-America-Alexis-Tocqueville/dp/0226805360)  The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Consistency-Prosperity-Training-Professionals/dp/1118486803)  The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy (https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneur-Roller-Coaster-Your-JoinTheRide/dp/1733513302/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19AAUCQOANO8O&dchild=1&keywords=entrepreneur+roller+coaster&qid=1630434375&s=books&sprefix=entrepreneur+roller%2Cstripbooks%2C170&sr=1-1)  In Praise of Difficult Women by Karen Karbo (https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Difficult-Women-Lessons-Heroines/dp/1426220898/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1I4EF65TTLTTG&dchild=1&keywords=in+praise+of+difficult+women&qid=1630434450&s=books&sprefix=in+praise+of+diffi%2Cstripbooks%2C174&sr=1-3)  LadyTitans (https://www.facebook.com/groups/3695678777148925)  If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938) , Spotify (https://www.stitcher.com/show/toolbox-for-the-trades) , or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/). Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You’re a secretary for a little while, but you’ve been watching the technicians, and you want to give it a try.  So you become an apprentice. You’ve been in the field for a little while, but you see a need to open a new location, and you write up a business proposal.  So you become a general manager. As a GM, what’s the key to your success? (Other than a phenomenal work ethic and passion for the industry.)  Open-mindedness, especially in interviewing. This is the true story of this episode’s guest, Samantha Salazar, General Manager at Rice Plumbing and Heating (https://www.riceplumbingandheating.com/).  Join us as we discuss: - Samantha’s career journey from no industry experience to management - Expansion and opening a new location - How she interviews, hires, and trains - Candid experiences as a woman in the trades Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Business coaches - Al Levi (https://www.linkedin.com/in/7powercontractor/) , Tommy Mello (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommymello/) , and Ellen Rohr (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-rohr-5052101/)  - Ellen’s e-books (https://ellenrohr.com/)  If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/76wMZ1SJV4OAql9HzbnQ87?si=l0Y9ODVgQAeosq9Yi0WgWw&dl_branch=1) , or here. (https://www.servicetitan.com/)  Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The way to unlock a lot of growth and scale your business is to stop being the funnel. Sometimes the owner believes everything has to go through me. A business coach will help build relationships, improve processes, and keep owners from becoming a bottleneck.  In this episode, I interview a business coach and client about how their relationship has doubled business. Jim Corcoran is Head Coach at BDR (https://www.bdrco.com/) , Tony Marmon is Owner at Trademark Mechanical (https://trademarkmechanical.com/) , and they had amazing things to say about the coach-client relationship. Join us as we discuss: - How Jim moved from the field to coaching - When Tony recognized that he needed a coach - Jim and Tony’s mutual trust and vulnerability - Which processes had to scale and which had to go - Why people leadership lies at the core of scaling Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Traction (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837) by Gino Wickman As a Man Thinketh (https://www.amazon.com/As-Man-Thinketh-Complete-Original/dp/1523643536) by James Allen  If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/76wMZ1SJV4OAql9HzbnQ87?si=_wi5z6SSShOpzUSCRYmdXw&dl_branch=1&nd=1) , or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/). Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Did you just write something on that resume? Big mistake. Did you make a note about the candidate’s kids?  Big, big mistake. And what about documentation for injuries and accidents?  If you didn’t take a witness statement, you failed. In this episode, I interview c about her love of processes and why she spends so much time thinking about things that could go wrong. To throw some much deserved light on the back office, Angie talks with me about: - Falling in love with the trades and learning on the job - Processes in action during a record-breaking heat wave  - Hiring and liability practices you haven’t thought about - Common personnel issues like accident reporting - What owners should know about accounting Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - SmartLess podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smartless/id1521578868)  - Harvard Business Revi (https://hbr.org/)ew (https://hbr.org/) If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/76wMZ1SJV4OAql9HzbnQ87?si=606zlcasR2qWQr_vRMm2Cw&dl_branch=1) , or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/) . Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

To reach beyond the phone book generation, home service companies must leverage digital marketing.  That means understanding brand, messaging, and omnichannel. Today’s guest literally wrote the book on digital marketing for plumbing and HVAC contractors, and he walks us through how digital can bring in more calls (and potentially grow your business from garage-level to golfing vacations). In this episode, I interview Ryan Redding (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-redding-1256b73/) , Owner at DP Marketing Services (https://www.dpmarketing.services/) and Host of Blue Collar CEO (https://www.bluecollar.ceo/) , about the impact of digital. Join us as we discuss: - Success stories so amazing they sound fake - What a home service owner really needs to know about marketing - Putting the customer at the center of your marketing decisions - Target customers and lead generation - Using messaging to tell stories about brand Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - The Book On Digital Marketing: For Plumbing & HVAC Contractors (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Digital-Marketing-Plumbing-Contractors/dp/1731205341) by Ryan Redding  - Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch (https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Eats-Strategy-Lunch-Extraordinary-ebook/dp/B00G00I826) by Curt Coffman  - Who Not How (https://www.amazon.com/Who-Not-How-Accelerating-Teamwork-ebook/dp/B0867ZJ151) by Dan Sul livan and Benjamin Hardy If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/76wMZ1SJV4OAql9HzbnQ87?si=_wi5z6SSShOpzUSCRYmdXw&dl_branch=1&nd=1) , or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/). Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What’s your company’s purpose?  For that matter, what’s your own purpose for being in this business at all? Answering these questions can ignite passion in your recruits.  Skeptical? In this episode, I interview Ben Stark (https://www.linkedin.com/in/starkair/) and Chris Hunter (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterhvac/) , Owners at Go Time Success Group (https://www.gotimesuccessgroup.com/go-time-university/) , about how they became business success coaches for home service companies. In this episode we discuss: - Ben and Chris’s mentor-mentee relationship - The importance of developing your company’s vision, mission, and core values - Strategies for igniting recruits with passion - The four toolboxes and why the mental toolbox is the most important - Recruiting, marketing, technology, and entering new verticals Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Ben and Chris’s book, It’s Go Time (https://www.amazon.com/Its-Go-Time-Insights-Strategies-Home-Service/dp/0578753359)  If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/76wMZ1SJV4OAql9HzbnQ87?si=_wi5z6SSShOpzUSCRYmdXw&dl_branch=1) , or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/) . Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You clock in, you clock out, you know the basics, but you want to elevate your profession. What you need to do is start studying your craft. Want to unlock unbelievable opportunities by becoming an extraordinary professional? Learn from manufacturers, engineers, peers with three decades of work experience, and even your customers to find out how to go beyond your day-to-day.  Today’s guest, Ben DiMarco (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-dimarco-a196b6155/) , CEO at DiMarco & Associates LLC (https://www.dimarco-associates.com/) , shares his learnings from 30+ years in the trades, including how to serve customers well beyond installing an HVAC unit. In this episode we discuss: - Why accountancy wasn’t for Ben - Commissioning and why it matters to installers - Air quality matters when we spend 90% of our lives indoors - A positive change in promoting the trades among the college-aged If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938) s, Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/76wMZ1SJV4OAql9HzbnQ87?si=_wi5z6SSShOpzUSCRYmdXw&dl_branch=1) , or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/) .   Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Leader is not a synonym for firefighter. With the one notable exception — actual firefighters — if you spend all day putting out fires at your business…  You’re too busy to lead.  That’s one of countless lessons today’s guests, Eric Sprague (https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-sprague-55b16522/) & Larry Wilberton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-wilberton-42b13116/), Owners of Blue Collar Consulting (https://www.bluecollarconsultinggroup.com/) and MorningTechMeeting.com (https://morningtechmeeting.com/) , have learned over their many years working together — lessons they’re now teaching others through advising. They join me today to discuss: - Why leaders need to take a step back and let their team make their own mistakes - Why your teams home life is inseparable from their work life - How to use morning meetings to improve every facet of your business - How to spend 30+ years in business with a friend (without strangling them) If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/76wMZ1SJV4OAql9HzbnQ87?si=1wKT37W1R2i11otr_2slSA&dl_branch=1) , or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/podcast) . Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals)  Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Wouldn’t it be so much easier if customers and new hires could read your mind? Well, why can’t they? Today’s guest, Josh Kelley, Owner at Magic Broom Chimney Sweeps (https://magicbroom.net/), has perfected documenting everything his customers and employees need to know, saving time, money and endlessly repeating himself. In this episode, we discuss: - The power of searchable onboarding documents - How YouTube videos can minimize callbacks and save money - The benefits of a database of completed jobs to show customers If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938), Spotify (https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades), or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/). Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals) Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.   Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

It’s one of the age-old conundrums in leadership: We promote people because they are good at their jobs and, when it comes time to lead, they aren’t prepared. It’s easier if I do it myself. I used to be a tech, I’ll cut him some slack. These are the statements of a manager. But people don’t follow managers, they follow leaders. If you’re struggling with leadership, today’s guests have the answers you seek. Kathy Nielsen of Schaal Heating and Cooling (https://callschaalyaall.com/) & Lauren Schieffer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenannschieffer/), President of The Colonel's Daughte (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-colonels-daughter/)r, join me to dissect what truly makes a leader. In this episode, we discuss the core components to great leadership: - Accountability — for yourself and your team - Setting clear expectations - Helping your team grow in their roles If you want to hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades/id1503078938), Spotify (https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/toolbox-for-the-trades), or here (https://www.servicetitan.com/). Know a business that could use a bit of muscle from ServiceTitan? Refer them here! (https://www.servicetitan.com/referrals) Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Toolbox for the Trades in your favorite podcast player.   Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.