To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP266

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL266

Can you actually run a contracting business with your spouse…

…and still like each other at the end of the day?

Caleb Auman (host of the Kid Contractor Podcast) and his wife Brittany have been through bankruptcy, business failure, and the kind of fights that almost ended everything. In this episode, they share the hard-won rules for how they rebuilt — together — and turned their marriage into their biggest competitive advantage.

If you and your partner are building a business side by side (or thinking about it), this one's for you.

🔥 What You'll Learn in This Episode

By the end of this conversation, you'll know how to:

• Navigate the real tension between being business partners and life partners
• Define clear roles so you stop stepping on each other's toes
• Fight productively — without letting business stress destroy your relationship
• Rebuild trust and alignment after a major failure (including bankruptcy)
• Parent effectively while running a demanding contracting business
• Set boundaries between "work mode" and "marriage mode"
• Turn your partnership into a system that makes your business stronger

Check out The Kid Contractor Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8UxQJ9VFnDk4B2f7vMZzJLoWikTD_08k

00:00-Intro

03:37-Defining Missions and Shared Why

06:46-Navigating Bankruptcy and Partnership Roles

18:42-Dividing Spouse-Run Business Role

27:08-Self-Realization, Humility, and Leadership

40:07-Tools for Healthy Communication

50:17-Parenting and Instilling Values

59:28-Final Thoughts on Life Perspective

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP265

Take our five minute quiz and get a custom Contractor Growth Scorecard: https://trybta.com/DL265

Your biggest expense is labor. If you aren’t tracking it accurately, your job costing is a lie. In this episode, Derrik Shakespear (CRO of AlignOps) reveals why most contractors bleed profit through inaccurate time tracking—and how to fix it without micromanaging your crew.

If you’re still using paper timesheets or trusting the "honor system," you’re likely losing thousands in unbilled hours and slip-ups every single year.

🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to:

• Stop "managing blind" and get accurate data on your biggest expense (Labor)
• Compare Estimates vs. Actuals to see which jobs actually made money
• Implement digital time tracking without your crew feeling "Big Brothered"
• Spot the "Silent Killers" in your workflow that paper timesheets hide
• Use construction time tracking data to bid more accurately next time
• Turn time data into a competitive advantage for safety and liability
• Move from "guessing" productivity to measuring it like a manufacturer

00:00-Intro

02:24-The importance of time tracking in construction

08:59-Productivity comparisons: Manufacturing vs. construction

14:26-Essential components of a healthy time tracking system

20:14-Frequency and best practices for reviewing project data

26:02-Strategies and pitfalls for owner adoption of technology

31:47-Incentivizing field crews and gamification

34:43-The future of AI in the construction industry

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP264



Stop obsessing over lead generation and start building a real marketing machine.

In this episode, Matt Jones (Founder of Tradie Web Guys & Host of The Site Shed) lays out the future of contractor marketing - from strategy and systems to for contractors and smarter, higher-quality leads.

If you’re a contractor who feels like you’re spending more on ads but not seeing profit, this conversation will change how you think about marketing forever.

🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to:

• Build a real marketing strategy (not just random tactics or “more leads”)
• Define the right success markers so you know if your marketing is actually working
• Use customer lifetime value to make smarter marketing decisions
• Increase conversions without just pumping more cash into ads
• Position yourself as the go-to expert in your market
• Use 58 ai marketing tools to boost SEO, follow-up, and customer support
• Take the first practical AI step as a contractor today

00:00-Intro

03:35-Defining a Marketing Strategy

07:58-The Truth About Generating Leads

10:10-Defining the Ideal Customer and Screening Process

13:07-Focusing on Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

25:18-Achieving Consistent Growth and Predictability

30:53-Balancing Lead Generation and Branding

42:37-Implementing a Paid Priority Program for High-Ticket Services