Overview

In this episode, Dan breaks down a challenge every manager and trades leader faces: when to coach and when to discipline your team members. Making the wrong call can hurt morale, slow productivity, and make your shop feel chaotic—but done right, it builds trust and keeps your team motivated. He dives into practical strategies for spotting the signs that a team member needs guidance versus correction, shares real-world examples from the field, and explains how to have tough conversations without damaging relationships. By the end, you’ll have a clear framework for leading with confidence, clarity, and fairness so your team can thrive and your business can grow.

Discussions:

1. Look at the pattern, not the one-off – Identify whether a mistake is a single slip or a recurring problem to decide your approach.

2. Determine the root cause – Is it a skill gap, misunderstanding, or attitude problem? Coaching is best for knowledge gaps; discipline is necessary for repeated negligence or disrespect.

3. Act promptly but fairly – Address issues close to the behavior. Give immediate feedback when coaching, and be clear, factual, and consistent when disciplining.

Remember, leadership in the trades isn’t just about telling people what to do—it’s about knowing when to guide, when to correct, and how to build a team that trusts you. By mastering the balance between coaching and discipline, you create a culture where your team can grow, perform, and stick around. Apply these principles consistently, and you’ll see your shop run smoother, your team stay motivated, and your leadership truly make an impact.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades

Overview

In this episode of the Built for the Trades podcast, we dive into how competition can either energize or divide your team. Healthy competition can boost performance, spark creativity, and strengthen teamwork—but handled the wrong way, it can create tension, resentment, and unnecessary drama in the shop. We break down practical strategies to keep competition positive and productive for everyone on your team.

Discussions

1. Focus on Team Goals: Encourage collaboration by rewarding overall team success, not just individual wins.
2. Make It Transparent and Fair: Use clear rules, visible metrics, and rotating challenges to give everyone a fair chance to shine.
3. Celebrate Effort and Improvement: Recognize progress, teamwork, and personal growth, not just who comes in first.

When done right, healthy competition motivates, builds cohesion, and keeps morale high. Remember, resetting expectations doesn’t have to be a fight. If you handle this process well—with clarity and self-ownership—it actually builds more trust and gets everyone rowing in the same direction. So, help us bring this vital message to more trades business owners by subscribing right now! And if you're ready to take the next leadership step, book a free call with us. Until next time, keep leading well and keep building something that lasts. Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades

Overview

This episode of the Built for the Trades podcast dives into a topic every leader has wrestled with: resetting expectations without unnecessary conflict. We explore the painful truth that sometimes the problem isn't the team's delivery, but the leader's clarity. Dan gives you three practical, trust-building ways to hit the reset button, starting with self-ownership and ending with setting clear, respectful boundaries that turn "homework" into "teamwork."

Discussions

1. Own Your Part: To diffuse immediate tension and avoid conflict, leaders must first admit where they were unclear or made incorrect assumptions.
2. Reframe as a Shared Win: Expectations should be presented as a benefit to the team (like fewer callbacks) rather than just homework for the leader.
3. Set Clear Boundaries with Respect: Defining clear, respectful boundaries prevents expectations from slipping and creates long-term safety and clarity for the team.

Remember, resetting expectations doesn't have to be a fight. If you handle this process well—with clarity and self-ownership—it actually builds more trust and gets everyone rowing in the same direction. So, help us bring this vital message to more trades business owners by subscribing right now! And if you're ready to take the next leadership step, book a free call with us. Until next time, keep leading well and keep building something that lasts.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades

Overview

Welcome back to the Built for the Trades podcast, where we help leaders in the service industry grow their business, their teams, and themselves! Today, host Dan Dowdy tackles the universal leadership dilemma: how to balance being the boss who commands respect with being the friend who shows care, ensuring your team runs through walls for you instead of walking all over you.

Discussions

1. The Why Behind Relationships: Showing genuine, human care for your team members builds powerful relationships that drive loyalty and performance far beyond what a paycheck can achieve.
2. Risks of Being Only a Friend: Leaning too heavily toward being "everybody's buddy" destroys accountability and allows standards to slip, ultimately ruining the healthy culture you were trying to create.
3. How to Balance Softness and Strength: Achieve balance by setting clear expectations, communicating with empathy and curiosity, and maintaining consistency so that fairness always trumps favoritism.

So, here's the takeaway. It's not a boss or friend. It's both. Build relationships strong enough to support accountability and lead firmly enough to carry the weight of friendship. That's a balance that creates respect, loyalty, and long-term success.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades

Overview

In this episode of the Built for the Trades Podcast, Dan Dowdy dives into one of the most overlooked truths in the trades — your team is your greatest investment, not your trucks, tools, or logo. If you want to grow your business, reduce stress, and create freedom, it starts with leading and developing the people who drive your results every day.

Discussions

1. The Hidden Cost of a Poorly Trained Team – Discover how skipping training costs you more in lost revenue, bad reviews, and turnover than investing in your people ever will.
2. Building a Culture that Keeps A-Players Around – Learn how clarity, communication, and leadership create a culture that top performers never want to leave.
3. Empowering Your Team to Drive Profit – Understand how an empowered team becomes a profit multiplier, allowing your business to run smoothly — even when you’re not there.

True success in business isn’t about the size of your fleet or how fancy your tools are — it’s about the strength of your team. Lead with vision, invest in your people, and watch your business grow beyond you.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades

Overview

In this episode, Dan Dowdy breaks down what “Culture That Cashes In” really means and how your leadership directly shapes your company’s profitability. Discover how culture can either cost you thousands or create a team that multiplies profits. Learn the hidden costs of poor culture, how your standards reflect your success, and why rewarding the right behaviors drives growth. Whether you’re leading a small shop or managing multiple crews, this episode will help you build a culture that shows up, stands out, and scales your business.

Discussions

1. Culture is Always Making You Money or Losing It – Discover why culture goes far beyond perks and parties—it’s built through daily communication, accountability, and how your team treats customers.

2. Your Team Reflects Your Standards – Understand how your people mirror your expectations and how setting clear standards can transform performance and customer experience.

3. The Silent Killer of Culture – Learn how tolerating the wrong behaviors quietly destroys morale and profitability—and how to fix it fast.

If your version of culture is just pizza Fridays, you’ve got a snack schedule, not a system. True culture is built in the daily habits, conversations, and accountability you model as a leader. Remember—your team is always watching what you do more than what you say. Start leading with intention, raise your standards, and build a culture that truly cashes in.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades

Overview

In this episode of Built for the Trades, we’re diving into one of the most powerful growth strategies for every trades business owner—creating recurring revenue. Too many businesses still rely on one-time jobs, constantly riding the ups and downs of seasonal demand.

Today, I’ll show you how to build predictable income streams that stabilize your cash flow, strengthen customer loyalty, and even boost the value of your business—all without working 90-hour weeks or feeling like you’re selling something people don’t need.

Discussions

1. Why Recurring Revenue Matters – How predictable monthly income takes your business from “feast or famine” to steady, scalable growth.

2. Real-World Service Models – Simple strategies like memberships, maintenance plans, and subscription-based services that keep customers coming back.

3. Selling Without the Sales Pitch – How to position recurring offers as solutions your customers actually want, without the pressure.

Recurring revenue isn’t just smart business—it’s the key to stability and freedom. Start by picking one service and make it recurring.

If you want help structuring your plan, book a time with me through the link in the episode description.

Let’s keep building businesses that are predictable, profitable, and built for the trades.

Like, subscribe, and share this episode with a friend who’s ready to move from feast-or-famine to steady, scalable growth.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades

Overview

In this episode of Built for the Trades, we're diving into one of the most important topics for every trades business owner—how to price your services for profitability. Too many businesses undercharge not because they have to, but because they’re afraid not to. Today, I’ll show you how to price with confidence so you can stop just staying busy and actually start growing your business.

Discussions

1. Know Your Numbers – True profitability begins with knowing your costs, overhead, and desired profit margin so you stop guessing and start leading with clarity.
2. Price for Value, Not Just Labor – Customers don’t just pay for hours—they pay for peace of mind, safety, and solutions, which means your pricing should reflect value, not time.
3. Don’t Apologize for Being Worth It – When you and your team consistently deliver quality and integrity, stand firm in your pricing and stop apologizing for charging appropriately.

So, remember: know your numbers, price for value, and never apologize for being worth it. Profit isn’t selfish—it’s what allows you to serve your team, your customers, and your community at the highest level. Take 30 minutes this week to review your pricing, and if you’d like help dialing in a strategy that works, book a free session with me using the link in this episode. Until next time, price like a pro and lead with purpose.

👉 Like what you heard? Be sure to like, subscribe, and share with someone who’s ready to raise the bar in their business.

Keep leading with impact—and I’ll see you next time.

Free Coaching Call:
Looking to dive deeper into your leadership journey? Schedule a free 30-minute coaching session with me at https://link.builtforthetrades.com/widget/booking/qetDwdbwknifZZLUGwwp

👉 Subscribe for more leadership and business tips!
https://www.youtube.com/@builtforthetrades