268 - Stop Working IN Your Business - Ask These 10 Questions Instead

In this thought-provoking episode, Martin and Khalil explore the 10 least asked questions business owners should be asking themselves. These powerful questions challenge contractors to shift from working in their business to working on it, helping you gain clarity, improve profitability, and reduce stress in your operations.What You’ll LearnHow to clarify what you actually want your business to do for youWhich key metrics reveal the health of your businessHow to identify and plug profit leaks throughout your operationsWhere fear might be holding you back from making crucial decisionsPractical strategies to build cash reserves for stability and opportunityTime Stamps00:39 - Life Updates03:30 - Episode Intro04:33 - Question 1: Purpose and Focus09:00 - Question 2: Key Metrics14:28 - Question 3: Weak Systems16:11 - Question 4: Managing or Babysitting18:18 - Question 5: Critical Gaps20:59 - Question 6: Decision Avoidance25:27 - Question 7: Bold Actions29:33 - Question 8: Leaking Margins35:14 - Question 9: Cash Reserves40:10 - Question 10: Root Cause of Stress46:02 - Conclusion Snippets from the Episode"Everybody wants to double their sales, and I say, what the hell you wanna do that for? How about you just double your profit? You can double your profit with far less effort and risk than it takes to double your sales."— Martin"If customers aren't saying no to you, then you're bidding too low. You should be striving to win 50% of jobs. That means you're getting market value and the better customers who are willing to pay a premium."— Khalil"What gets measured gets managed. What gets managed gets better. It just does. If you're paying attention to something, it gets better."— MartinKey TakeawaysClarify Your Business PurposeIdentify Your Critical NumberPrepare Systems for GrowthDevelop People Instead of BabysittingDocument Your Critical KnowledgeFace Avoided DecisionsConfront Fear-Based LimitationsPlug Profit Leaks SystematicallyBuild Adequate Cash ReservesAddress Root Causes of StressResources⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock CallCheck out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenPhone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthKits ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need Marketing Help? We Recommend ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need Help with podcast production? We recommend ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Demandcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Martin Holland⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More from The Cash Flow ContractorSubscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow On Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X(formerly Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Cashflow ContractorReady to implement these powerful questions in your business? Visit our website at thecashflowcontractor.com to access the show notes and additional resources. If you subscribe to ChatGPT Pro, email us for a special prompt that will guide you through a personalized session answering these 10 critical questions for your business. The AI will help you process your thoughts and provide a summary of where you stand on each question.Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for more insights on building a profitable contracting business that works for you, not the other way around. Leave a review if you found this episode valuable, and let us know which question resonated most with your current business challenges.