Aug 7, 2015
This Podcast Is Episode Number 0122 And It Will Be Interview Of Daniel Eric Bowling From SmartTradesmen.com
Tell us about your background and how you came to be where you are now
I once co-owned a custom furniture design company, I have done
many construction jobs including commercial drywall finishing, and
most recently I have jumped into the world of online business.
Upholstery is the trade that I am most known for. I spent the
last 10 years mastering this dying trade. As I was mostly
self taught and also younger than most in the trade, I brought in a
fresh perspective.
While everyone else has this idea of a cookie cutter business with
overhead and lots of expenses… Once I left my for company, I went a
different route. Low overhead and double my prices.
What I do is an art, so why not treat it as such.
There are times that work gets a little slow, but when you charge
what you're worth it is easier to make up the difference. I
have found that in the slower times, I can make GOOD money.
But when everything falls into place.. I can make GREAT money and
all it took was a change in mindset. Swing for the fences
when you have everything set up ready to support your workload.
Last year I had one job that brought in 10K in less than a
week. In the Smart Tradesmen way of doing things, working
with other talented individuals is the quickest way to
success. That being said, this big job was mostly
sewing. I outsourced to my friend and former employee, who is
a seamstress. I paid her $2K to cut and sew. She did
this in less than a week. Then I had 2 days of install and
made $8K. It all came down to charging what I thought it was
worth to them. Not how long will it take me. Value
yourself, and your knowledge.
I believe podcasts are very powerful and will be vital in my
marketing strategy for this next year. By the time this
episode goes out, I will have launched my 2nd podcast called
Smart
Tradesmen. Smart Tradesmen the podcast is designed to
help bring entrepreneurship into small business, where most of us
just own our own jobs.
We are building a great community behind the Smart Tradesmen
brand.
One that is ready for a new way to do business. I am
currently building a platform to support trade based businesses and
to improve the life of the Tradesman and self employed from
apprenticeship to retirement.
I believe in a “for the greater good” mentality, and I strive to offer as much value to the lives of those around me, as I possibly can.
What are some differences between you and your competitors?
Probably the fact that I do not approach anything like I have
any competition. My goal is to just be myself in life and in
business, so good like competing with me on being me. I have
that market cornered.
There are no competitors in the online world. I am looking to
help that one person who needs to hear my message. If I am
the guy for the job then so be it.
I know there are other upholsterers, so in the strict definition of
competitors, yes they are out there. I am unaffected
though. I only take the jobs I want, I am honest, and I
charge what I am worth. Because of that, I have some loyal
customers.
What problem or issue does
your product or service solve?
With the Smart Tradesmen community, I hope to get us all
communicating so we can take our business to a new level as a
whole. A movement has begun in society, where there is a
skills gap and a growing need for people to fill those skilled
jobs. I want to be out front speaking up to make sure that
when the dust settles, we are getting paid what we are worth.
What are three things a contractor should consider when hiring your services?
Where they have been in the past, what worked for them and what didn’t. Where they want their business to be in 5 years. Where do they want to be personally in 5 years.
How can you tell if someone is a good fit for your company?
If they are ready to stop spinning their wheels and try something new. As far as my upholstery business, I only deal with very high end designers in the residential side of things. I know right away if they are a fit just by the questions the ask me about my work. Commercial work is a little different. It depends on their budget, and if I think I can make money for what they are able to pay. It goes back to feeling out what they are able to pay and not just coming in at a low number to get the job.
What types of advice do you give a contractor?
Educate yourself. Keep up with industry innovation. Find out what new tools there are. This includes new software or services. Use the new software, services, and systems to become more entrepreneurial. For example: Dropbox, evernote, freshbooks, just to name a few. There are even free project management tools.
In closing, tell the listeners how they can contact you.
daniel@SmartTradesmen.com is my email
address.
SmartTradesmen.com is where they can keep up with
what we have going on. If they want to grab a free business
jumpstart guide go to smarttradesmen.com/bizplan. As a
warning… It will force them to really look deep and ask questions
that we usually avoid. If someone is ready to take their
business to a new level, then I recommend giving it a try.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SmartTradesmen/ is
the community page.
Twitter is @DanielEBowling
Instagram is DanielEricBowling
I trust this podcast helps you understand that outsourcing your contractors bookkeeping services to us is about more than just “doing the bookkeeping”; it is about taking holistic approach to your entire construction company and helping support you as a contractor and as a person.
We Remove Contractor's Unique Paperwork Frustrations
We understand the good, bad and the ugly about owning and operating construction companies because we have had several of them and we sincerely care about you and your construction company!
That is all I have for now and if you have listened this far please do me the honor of commenting and rating podcast www.FastEasyAccounting.com/podcast Tell me what you liked, did not like, tell it as you see it because your feedback is crucial and I thank you in advance.
You Deserve To Be Wealthy, Because You Bring Value To Other People's Lives!
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This is one more example of how Fast Easy Accounting is helping construction company owners across the USA including Alaska and Hawaii put more money in the bank to operate and grow your construction company. Construction accounting is not rocket science; it is a lot harder than that and a lot more valuable to construction contractors like you so stop missing out and call Sharie 206-361-3950 or email sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com
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In closing, I want to caution you that we may or may not be a good fit for your contracting company. This guide will help you learn what to look for in outsourced construction accounting.
Thank you very much and I hope you understand we really do care
about you and all contractors regardless of whether or not you ever
hire our services.
Bye for now until our next episode here on the Contractors Success
MAP Podcast.
Warm Regards,
Randal DeHart | Contractors Accountant