Electrical Contractor’s Case Study

Jim's biggest challenge and the reason for hiring the 1-on-1 services of a business coach: To have some "peace in life."

Narrowing it down to specific goals so that we'd know when he reached them, Jim chose:

1. to work 4 1/2 days/week from 7:30 a.m. only to 5 p.m., taking Friday afternoons and full weekends off;
2. enjoy the same income in these 4 1/2 days as he did when working what felt like 24-7; and,
3. eliminating debts.

	NOTE: While these are strictly Jim’s goals, they’re identical to almost every client Lynne Jacob has ever worked with.

Jim started by keeping track, for one month, of the expenditures … both he and his wife did. They accounted for every cup o' Timmy's and every bottle of water.

Next , and maybe the biggest, was hiring an affordable administrative assistant, in their remote location. By examining this topic with an external source – a business success coach – Jim soon identified for himself that if this person, regardless of the rate, were to "not miss" billing any more material, she’d pay for herself. She does … and more! By our next coaching session, this person was in Jim’s office … already giving him a return on his new investment.

Field staff: No one in Jim’s area can find a licenced electrician. Lots of ads, but licenced electricians are just too scarce to want to live that remotely. What did his current staff like about their jobs? How about his apprentice? He was surprised at what he learned. Those points had never been put into an ad before.

Nepotism (parents and children working together) isn't easy and he was toying with the idea of not having his son working with him ... at least for a few more years until his son had experienced the “real” world. Working together involved an agreement ... on both sides. By Dad sharing his vision with his son, and handing over the tasks that Dad really hadn't the time, energy or desire to do, his son was getting a real sense of how challenging it is to run a business. And with fresh energy, he enjoys learning these tasks that are tiring for his father.

Now, knowing exactly what the monthly personal and business expenditures are, they met with their financial advisor. They worked out a plan for

• regaining control of their finances,
• taking regular, more frequent, vacations, and
• even systematically saving for retirement.

A project Jim's now working on is regaining control of his time by creating job agreements with each of the builders he works with. It was tough for Jim to get his head past the notion of “biting the hands that feed him.” In fact, being clear and firm with these builders and holding them to the their promises of start times and lead times for changes, for example, the builders benefit by being much more organized ... at least when it comes to working with Jim. Oh, yeah, and as for the 4˝-day work-weeks: Not nearly as difficult as Jim had believed. Say "no" to jobs you have no time to do. Taking on too much, you're tired and productivity is lower, taking longer to get them done. Yet you're still only getting paid the price you quoted. Not to mention mistakes made while tired & losing focus. Work at maximum productivity, with maximum energy. Make far more money. How? Increase your rates. Jim’s now doing a better job ... faster … thanks to benefiting from

• a sounding board off which to bounce some ideas,
• a support system in making the changes, and
• an accountability partner in following through with the changes and the new systems he’s created.

Having difficulty believing that business success coaching can help your business grow? Call some of the clients whose phone numbers you can see on the pages throughout this site ...or call Lynne at 613-353-9941 to get even more numbers that haven’t yet made it onto our website.