Blue Collar Prosperity

Most companies (and businses owners) are so focused on getting more / new clients that we often forget about them once we have acquired them. In today's interview with Michael James Johnson, we dig into some great, actionable strategies that you can implement immediately to attract more clients and keep them longer. Michael Johnson is a veteran, entrepreneur, and HVAC industry leader who grew his Fayetteville, NC-based business into a seven-figure success. With over 20 years of experience, he now coaches home service companies on scaling, marketing, and sales. Known for his engaging insights and focus on customer experience, Michael empowers entrepreneurs to build thriving, community-focused businesses. A few bullet points on our interview: Acquiring clients without spending money on ads. How to get back to filling up your dispatch board post-Covid. Why an email newsletter is so powerful. Constant text message marketing becomes white noise. How to actually determine what we should charge. Increasing your customer lifetime value without spending any more money. Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

In an age of ever-improving technology, sometimes the best way to scale your business and build raving fans is to go back to the basics. Bryan Durkin joins Paul on today's podcast and they dive into some super simple strategies that most companies neglect. Bryan is the founder and CEO of MVP Team Pro and the author of Stuck On First, the 9 positions of a playoff ready business. He's going to share some of playbooks he's been using the help companies of all sizes scale to business they want, and not the one they have. Some of the topics discussed today are: Creating a strong referral network Multi-channel marketing The easiest way to improve your sales conversion rate Using Giftology to increase your Customer Lifetime Value Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

Tired of technicians who don't have the technical skills they said they had during the interview process? Danielle Wernert helps you solve those problems. After starting the Peterman Brothers Top Tech Academy, Danielle launched Upskilled. Danielle was recently named an HVAC News 40 under 40 recipient, is dedicated to building technician training solutions quickly and creatively. In her interview with Paul, Danielle focuses on: Why it's so important to build a career path for your technicians. Why you should never throw a technician into a truck on Day 1. What can we do to build accountability and track progress for our technicians? How can we build out different levels of technicians? How to build out a training room in your shop. Transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health. Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

In this week's podcast, Paul hosts his monthly solo show where he shares with you what each major financial margin should be in order to have a financially healthy business: Cost of Goods Sold Gross Profit Marketing Spend Office Payroll Overhead And...some sneaky scenarios that will eat into your cash flow Not sure if your pricing is right? Download my free pricing calculator: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

In this installment, Patrick Lange, a seasoned business broker with over 130 successful sales in the HVAC and plumbing sectors, shares his expertise on maximizing business value. He highlights essential strategies for cleaning up financial records and implementing sustainable revenue streams before a sale. Patrick delves into the 2025 acquisition market outlook and offers insights for owners who wish to sell without private equity involvement. He also discusses the crucial steps to transition from stressed owner to confident CEO, ensuring smooth operation during business sales.

Most CRMs are great at helping you run your business but their sales presentations and process leave much to be desired. Pika (www.withpika.com) is using AI to help solve that problem. They are also automating your entire rebate submission & payment process. Joining me today is co-founder of Pika, David Zhao. Pika is building the next-generation sales platform for home services contractors. Before starting Pika, David was an AI researcher at Microsoft, Stanford and the VA, and led product management for utility services at Google. David and Paul talk about: Where AI is helpful and not helpful during the sales process. Where does AI fall short in the trades. How do we deal with different buyers demographics when it comes to leveraging technology. The importance of competing on value instead of price. Transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health. Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price  

If you have ever thought about acquiring a company in the trades or selling your company, the SBA lending options are a great tool to use. Dillon Caraway is a Loan Officer with Live Oak Bank on the service contractor lending team. He joined the team in 2020 and helps contractors in home services across the country to grow and transition their business through financing. He received his bachelor's degree in finance from UNC Wilmington. He enjoys playing golf and going to the beach in his free time. In today's interview, we talk about: Why Live Oak Bank is better than your local bank. How did Live Oak Bank become the largest SBA leder in the country. How you can use SBA funds for working capital or growing through acquisition. When is the best time to engage with a bank if you are interested in financing. To reach Dillon directly, you can email him at dillon.caraway@liveoak.bank or reach him on his cell phone at (252) 671-2427. Transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health. Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

In this week's podcast, Paul hosts his monthly solo show where he answers some listeners questions that came in via email. Some of the questions are: What is the quickest way to fix cash flow? What are the most common bookkeeping mistakes I see? How do we implement performance pay? How can I recruit more technicians in order to continue to grow? How to avoid competing on price? Not sure if your pricing is right? Download my free pricing calculator: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

If you wish your company could better use ServiceTitan, this interview is for you. Ryan Wyatt joins Paul Maskill on the show today. Ryan is the co-founder of Titan Wizards, a company that bridges the gap between the hard work of the trades and the cutting-edge capabilities of technology. Ryan’s unique blend of hands-on experience and tech expertise makes him a game-changer for home service businesses looking to maximize their potential with ServiceTitan. Ryan spent years in the trenches, working in shops owned by ServiceTitan's Tom Howard, as well as time at ServiceTitan as an Enterprise Project Manager and Project Engineer, where he mastered the platform’s ins and outs. In today's interview, we talk about: Why is ServiceTitan so hard to implement? What are some ServiceTitan features that most people aren’t using? What are the biggest mistakes people make with ServiceTitan? How do we ensure we maximize our ROI with ServiceTitan? Transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health. Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

Ryan Englin, founder of Core Matters, joins Paul on the podcast today. Ryan is a disruptive leader in the blue collar hiring and retention space. Ryan’s dedication to the trades stems from his childhood with an owner/operator dad who worked tirelessly. As the CEO and Founder of Core Matters, Amazon #1 Best Selling Author, and host of Titans of the Trades Podcast, Ryan has the experience and the expertise to help businesses hire better people faster. In today's interview, Ryan and Paul chat about: Why is hiring so hard? What’s the biggest mistake businesses make when recruiting? What’s the #1 thing we can do to make hiring easier? How can we retain our top people and ensure they don't leave? Transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health. Visit today to get your pricing right: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price