50 Shades of Trade: Recent Episodes
Matt Franklin
If you run a trade business… you’ll love this podcast. It's jam-packed with useful insight to help your business get results.In each episode, Payaca CEO and founder Matt Franklin talks to business owners from all walks of life to discuss their top trade tips and secrets. They’ll share what works, what doesn’t and how to overcome big challenges in business.
SummaryNolan Gore, a small business owner, shares his journey of starting and growing a residential landscaping company. He discusses the decision to invest his life savings into the business and the challenges he faced in the early days. Nolan also talks about the importance of adapting and developing new skills as the business grows. He shares insights from his military experience and how it influenced his leadership style. Additionally, Nolan shares his experience of acquiring a competitor and the challenges faced during the integration process. In this conversation, Nolan Gore shares his experiences and insights on building a successful lawn care business. He emphasises the importance of having a team with a servant mindset and a strong work ethic. He also discusses the lessons learned and areas for improvement in his business. Additionally, he talks about his approach to scaling the business and the role of social media in his journey. Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs in the blue-collar industry.TakeawaysStarting a business requires taking risks and betting on yourself.Adapting and developing new skills is crucial as the business grows.Military experience can provide valuable leadership and operational skills.Acquiring a competitor can be a complex process, requiring careful due diligence and negotiation.Managing the team during an acquisition requires effective communication and addressing concerns. Building a team with a servant mindset and a strong work ethic is crucial for success in the blue-collar industry.Reflecting on lessons learned and areas for improvement is essential for growth and future success.Scaling a business requires a different skill set and may require finding the right person to lead beyond a certain point.Social media can be a valuable tool for building an online presence and connecting with customers and industry professionals.Chapters00:44 - Introduction and Background02:47 - Making the Decision to Invest05:15 - Starting and Growing the Business12:24 - Approaching Growth and Adapting21:23 - The Influence of Military Experience29:37 - Acquiring a Competitor34:07 - Deal Structure and Post-Acquisition Challenges40:13 - Managing the Team During the Acquisition44:22 - Building a Team with a Servant Mindset45:13 - Lessons Learned and Areas for Improvement47:20 - Going from Zero to One vs. Scaling50:00 - The Role of Social Media in Business52:43 - Managing Social Media and Building an Online Presence
In this episode, Patrick Campbell, founder of ProfitWell, reveals the true power of the subscription model for trades businesses. After creating and growing ProfitWell with no financial backing, Patrick went on to sell the subscription analytics company $200 million. He talks to Matt about his journey, from growing up in a blue-collar family in Wisconsin, to working for the U.S. intelligence community, Google, and eventually starting his own company. Patrick shares his experiences of building a company from scratch without any funding and offers insights into the subscription business model. Join us for an inspiring conversation with a profit-pro who defied the odds and has truely mastered the art of business.Looking for introduce subscriptions to your own customer base and increase your recurring revenue? Use Payaca's handy software lets you create and customise service plans which your customers can subscribe to. Try it free for 7-days and see what your business is missing 👉 https://web.payaca.com/register
In this episode, we discuss the challenge of hiring the right tradespeople with the right skills for the right price.
Top tradies Cathy and Tommy reveal how they attracted and retained the best talent, share interview tips, discuss company culture, and whether there's a skilled trade shortage in the UK.
Payaca helps you sell more, organise your team, and save hours of time. 👉 Start your free 7-day trial here to give your business a boost 💯
This episode is all about attracting the right customers into your business. We interview two successful trade business owners, Cathy Cockin and Tommy Lee-Zmuda, who run electrical and plumbing & heating businesses respectfully.
They discuss the importance of identifying and serving five-star customers, customer red flags, having a strong online presence, and dealing effectively with jobs that haven't gone as planned.
This video provides essential advice for business owners looking to grow their trade business.
Payaca's handy software helps you identify your ideal customer and most profitable jobs. Try it free for 7 days and see what your business is missing. 💯
In this episode, we discuss the experiences of successful female electrician Cathy Cockin, who started her own company, Little Miss Electrical and has grown it to a 9-person team of female electricians. Tommy Lee-Zmuda also features and shares his experience with tradeswomen in the plumbing and heating sector.
We delve into the challenges and opportunities for women working in the trade industry, including lack of confidence and sexism, and a more positive focus on attracting more women into trades.
We also tackle some of the darker sides of the industry - confronting common negative attitudes and practices.
The podcast is sponsored by Payaca - handy software for trade businesses that helps with sales, team organisation, and saving time. Give your business a boost and start your free 7-day trial now. ✅
In this episode, we discuss why automation is critical to saving time and money in your business. Our guest, Tommy Lee-Zmuda, shares his experiences on how automation has increased productivity and sales in his own business. Discover simple strategies to implement automation and streamline your workflow.
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Join special guests Mike Winnet and Tommy Lee-Zmuda as they discuss which trades are the most lucrative, and the strategies for generating leads and making more money for your trade business. They share their expertise in content marketing, SEO, and how to take advantage of YouTube to reach a pre-qualified audience.
The hosts kick-off by discussing sales and marketing strategies for trades businesses. They start by sharing statistics on the average salaries of different trades like electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and roofers, highlighting that the cost of living can also impact take-home pay.
They then delve into the process of capturing leads and making more money. One of the hosts, Tommy, emphasises the importance of understanding content, specifically SEO and Google, to reach potential customers.
Another host, Mike Winnet, highlights the effectiveness of content marketing and YouTube video content as a way to pre-qualify leads and increase sales compared to paid ads on Facebook.
Finally, the hosts demonstrate how trade businesses can use these strategies to better market their services, enabling them to reach a wider audience and increase their revenues.
With Payaca, you can easily keep track of business revenues and the key performance metrics discussed in this podcast episode (like CLTV). Ready to give your business a boost? 👉 Start your free 7-day trial
In this episode of Payaca 50 Shades Of Trade, we interview Mike Winnet, co-founder of IAM Productions, who built and sold his own business for £8 million. Mike explains how he was able to sell his business and what made it attractive to potential buyers.
He also provides advice and tips for other business owners who are looking to sell their own businesses, including how to work out what your business might be worth and step-by-step actions you can take if you haven't a clue where to start.
In addition, Mike also explains what life after the sale was like for him and where he'd recommend you invest your hard-earned cash. Mike is very down to earth and gives some really useful advice that you can take action on right now.
Want to grow a successful business like Mike? Use Payaca to increase your revenue and save time. Start your free 7-day trial 👉 https://web.payaca.com/register
You're in for an incredible story right here. Sam is one of those rare breeds who continues to push himself beyond the point of success.
After building his 'West Country' plumbing and heating business to a team of 28, Sam reveals how he was able to step back from the business altogether and start his new venture 'NippyChecks'.
Hiring the right people, learning how to trust them and pass on responsibility are some of the key themes Sam attributes to his achievement in successfully handing over the reins to his first business.
And he's on to great things with his second business too. Sam talks about how he's taken advantage of a unique gap in the market by using electric bikes to get to trade jobs. NippyChecks is turning a number of heads throughout the South West - while setting a fantastic example of how to run your business sustainably.
An inspirational episode full of fantastic business tips. Enjoy!
This week's episode if full of fantastic tips on how to expand your business, employ more staff and and take (successful) steps to sustainable growth.
After starting her electrical business from scratch, Cathy explains which important decisions helped her grow her business Little Miss Electrical (and reveals which decisions didn't).
Cathy also discusses the importance of television exposure and how it's helped her build trust and attract more customers.
Fancy growing your own trade business? Using Payaca, you can win up to 30% more work and save up to 8 hours a week on admin. Try it for free and start running your business the smart way: https://www.payaca.com/
In this week's episode, Sam McDouall joins Matt on the podcast and reveals the success and drama behind creating his own union. He explains how he managed to recover over £80k in unpaid wages for mistreated electricians and the reason why he fell out with rival union Unite.
In addition to unpaid tradespeople - Sam also speaks up for women in trade. He talks honestly about how his mindset has changed over the years and why it's so important that women in trade industries are respected on-site.
During the episode, Sam also discusses the reality behind running a successful podcast on Youtube. He reveals all the hard work that goes into the show behind the scenes and the incredible amount he learns from all the guests he has on the show. You can check out the Electricians Monday Club Podcast here.
As an electrician, Sam uses Payaca to save time and grow his trade business. Do you sell a service? Try Payaca for free and start running your business the smart way.
In this episode, Mike Winnet reveals how he started a business from scratch and sold it for £8million just 2.5 years later. Impressively, he did this without any industry experience or investment.
Rather than pumping out paid ads, Mike worked hard creating quality, free content which had an incredible impact on his customers and business revenues.
During the episode, Mike explains step-by-step how his recipe for success can be applied to any business in any industry. If you're interested in growing or selling your trade business - be sure to give this a listen!
In this week's episode, Tommy Lee-Zmuda returns to reveal his trade business marketing secrets. And the lightbulb moment that transformed his failing plumbing business into a huge success.
Tommy Lee-Zmuda takes the series to another level with his incredible story - diving deep into how he turned around his failing boiler business and uses this experience to help other business owners succeed.
This week Matt talks to Jack McGovern who founded The Glow Group (TGG) Ltd. - the highest rated home care company in Lincolnshire.
In this episode, Jack shares how his semi-pro football background gave him the skills to build a successful heating engineer team from scratch.
He shares why these last 3 years have been the toughest of his life, reveals the ins and outs of hiring the right people and how he uses software to simplify his business processes.
Get a Free Trial to Matt Franklins software made for trade businesses at https://www.payaca.com.
There are so many incredible business tips in this episode and plenty more still to come, so subscribe to the show and keep your eyes peeled for Episode 3 👀
This week Matt talks to Craig Brookes who runs Correct Choice Windows & Doors - the highest rated double glazing company in Sheffield, with over 400 five-star reviews.
Craig discusses how to deal with a business partner from hell and how to overcome mental health challenges.
He also shares top insights on sales and how his no-pressure approach has led to great success.
In addition, Craig reveals how he's stepped out of his comfort zone recently by taking on an MMA fight to raise money for Cancer Research! It's a bold move for a fantastic cause, here's the link if you'd like to donate: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraisin...
Get a Free Trial to Matt Franklins software made for trade businesses at https://www.payaca.com.
Subscribe to the show and keep your eyes peeled for Episode 2 👀