iB4e Coaching

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆

In this episode, I sit down with Jesse Johnson, counselor, coach, and author of the book "Transcendents" to talk about what it means to lead with authenticity and live in alignment with your values. Enjoy the episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-lead-with-authenticity-episode-295-jesse-johnson/id1553064486?i=1000739504910

The Courage to Lead is available on Spotify, Apple/iTunes, and wherever you get your podcasts.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁

In this episode of The Courage to Lead podcast, I speak with A***n WebsterBerry, Founder and CEO of WebsterBerry Marketing, who talks about what really drives business growth, and it is not what most owners think. Check out this episode HERE. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-fix-your-leadership-fast-episode-296-arias-websterberry/id1553064486?i=1000740415452

Listen to all episodes of the podcast on Spotify, Apple/iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.

After working with commercial and residential contractors for years, I've noticed a typical pattern of behavior.

They are only concerned about their numbers when the pain gets unbearable.
• Payroll feels tight
• Vendors start calling
• The bank balance drops

Instead of consistently tracking their numbers, they wait until they can't respond; they can only react.

Cash flow improves when you lead with data, not emotion.

Weekly tracking shows you:
• Where money is leaking
• Which jobs are carrying the business
• How long it will take to turn work into cash

This is where control starts.

If you’re tired of guessing, it’s time to change how you track your numbers.

Send me a message or comment “NUMBERS” and I’ll show you the simple weekly system I use with my clients.

After working with contractors for years, this is the typical pattern:

They check their numbers when:
• Payroll feels tight
• Vendors start calling
• The bank balance drops

By then, the damage is done.

You can’t drive a car by only looking in the rearview mirror.
You can’t drive it by only watching the gas gauge.
You need the full picture.

Business works the same way.
Looking at past results is not enough.
Checking your bank balance won’t fix cash flow.

You need to stay ahead.

Cash flow improves when you lead with data, not emotion.

Cash flow is one of the top issues I help my clients with. Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. If a business is experiencing reduced or even negative cash flow, then we need to act fast.

Here’s what I see all the time with clients:
• Revenue looks strong
• Jobs are booked out, but
• The bank account feels tight

That gap comes from not knowing your numbers soon enough.

When you review your numbers weekly, you can catch things like:
• Jobs slipping in profit
• Slow-paying customers
• Costs creeping up

When you wait, small issues turn into cash crises.

Weekly numbers give you control.
Delayed numbers create chaos and stress.

How is your business running right now?

The 1st question I ask clients about their cash flow is, " Do you know your numbers weekly or only when there’s a problem?"

Most contractors don’t have a cash flow problem.

They have a visibility problem.

If you only check your numbers when stress hits, you’re already behind.

Strong businesses track:
• Cash in and cash out every week
• Job profitability in real time
• Accounts receivable aging
• Upcoming expenses before they hit

This is how you stay in control.

Not guessing. Not reacting. Not hoping.

If you want a steady cash flow, start with weekly clarity.

If you want a simple way to think about it, every business should be tracking 4 things weekly:
- 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀: Bids and follow-ups (are you gaining new customers and filling the pipeline)
- 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Planning and productivity (are you doing what you're supposed to be doing; are you staying productive and profitable)
- 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Invoices and collections (are invoices going out regularly, and are you receiving payments within a reasonable number of days)
- 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻: Job readiness and communication (are your teams informed and do they have what they need to deliver your products and services)

If those are moving… your business improves.

If they’re not… neither does your bank account.

What I’ve found is that most business owners are managing their business by looking in the rearview mirror.

They’re tracking things like:
- Profit
- Revenue
- Bank balance

Those are called lag metrics; they tell you where you’ve been, not where you're going.

What I help my clients do is identify lead metrics, the actions that drive those results.

Here’s the shift:
- You don’t fix cash flow by looking at your bank account. You fix it by tracking invoices sent and collections made THIS WEEK

- You don’t fix profit at the end of a job. You fix it by tracking weekly planning and labor productivity

- You don’t fix slow sales by hoping. You fix it by tracking bids and follow-ups

If this sounds like your company, then here's a tip.

Instead of asking, "How did we do this week?"

Start asking: "What did we DO this week that created the result?”

Stop reacting and start leading.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀

A few years back, I sat down with a commercial contractor who was frustrated.

He told me: ‘𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 $4 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳… 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.’

So I asked him to show me his numbers.

He showed me the scorecard his team used to track their weekly metrics. It looked impressive:
- Revenue
- Profit
- Cash in the bank
- Jobs completed

But here was the problem…

Every single number he was tracking told him what had already happened.

So I asked him one question: ‘What numbers are you tracking that tell you what to DO this week?’

And he just stared at me.

Because he didn’t have any.

So every week, his leadership meeting sounded like this:
‘Revenue is down.’
‘Cash is tight.’
‘That job didn’t make money.’
‘Blah, blah, blah.’

But no one knew what to change. So, I shifted his focus to just a few lead metrics:
- Invoices sent this week
- A/R follow-ups made
- Jobs with weekly planning completed
- Bids submitted and followed up

Within 60 days, there were definite measurable differences: Cash flow stabilized, fewer surprises on jobs, their AR numbers improved, and all because they stopped reacting… and started leading.

Lag measures are okay for giving you a snapshot in time that shows how your business performed over a period. You need lead measures to identify what metrics may be headed in the wrong direction so you can take the steps necessary to mitigate or avoid the problem.

If you're using a scorecard in your leadership meetings, make sure it has a mix of lead and lag measures. If you don't currently use a scorecard or want to learn more about scorecards, DM me. I'll help you put one together for your business.

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗢𝘀𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀

I've never really understood this, but I hear it a lot. A contractor says, “We train people by having them ride along with another employee and watch what they do. They figure it out.”

That works... until it doesn’t.

I worked with an electrical contractor who couldn’t understand why new hires kept making the same mistakes. He was hiring good people, paying well, and giving them time to learn. But learning through osmosis meant everyone learned something different.

Some picked up good habits. Others picked up shortcuts. And the owner spent his days correcting work instead of growing the business. That's bad for your profitability and could be really bad for your reputation.

The issue wasn’t talent—it was a lack of documented expectations.

What I do is help contractors turn tribal knowledge into simple SOPs that clearly answer:
• How do we do this?
• What does “done right” look like?
• Who owns the outcome?

SOPs shorten the learning curve, reduce frustration, and protect quality. They also make it much easier to hold people accountable because the standard is written rather than assumed.

If you want to learn more about SOPs for your business, schedule a free consultation: www.TimeWithCoach.com.