Aussie Painting Contractor July 2018

Website errors Your painting business is making!

Solvents and brain health Spray Painters at high risk!

The 7 Habits of Highly Indebted People Entrepreneurialism How it can it ruin your business

A Retrospective look at Tax Time

www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS • Angela Smith • Anthony Igra • Jim Baker • Jeroen Douwes • Leo Babauta • Monroe Porter • Peter John Hosie • Piyush Sharma • Robert Bauman • Russel PJ Kingshott • Samuel Keer • Sandra Price

EDITOR Nigel Gorman EXECUTIVE EDITOR

From the Editor Hey Everyone, Well another financial year done and dusted. I hope you made a profit this year and if you didn’t, contact us for some assistance.

We are excited about the upcoming year with us looking at running a pilot group for turning the painter on the tools with a couple of painters to a professional business person off the tools and making a profit. This will be an intensive 6 months program, well worth it for those that make the grade. We will be putting more out about it in the coming weeks.

This month we have assisted more members in chasing money from builders. We have managed to get over $150,000 this year for our Members from those that didn’t seem to want to pay. If you are chasing money, let us know and we will see what we can do to help.

Training has been on the increase and we have some new innovations coming in the next couple of months, so keep an eye out for what we have coming.

Until next month, Happy Painting!!

Caroline Miall GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Nigel Gorman

J. Anne Delgado

07 3555 8010

nigel@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

Contents Website Mistakes Your 6 Painting Business Is Making Why solvents can affect brain health even at low levels The 7 Habits of Highly INDEBTED PEOPLE

9

12

Pay attention to that inner voice

The Key is to Measure 14 ALL Your Success Factors Pay attention to that inner voice

A Life of Peacefulness Just the first step is a huge shift for most people, it can be done.

TITAN LINE MARKING EQUIPMENT

18

It’s Tax Time Again

21

Wagner Australia’s new range of marking equipment is taking line marking to the next level.

Bosses deserve to be happy at work too Why does it cost more to pay monthly?

Planning the Year Ahead

Business goals should be taken seriously.

Entrepreneurialism...

31 32 36

A Disease that can ruin Your Business and Life

25 28

Industry Idiots

42

Important Contacts

43

Opinions and viewpoints expressed in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publisher or any Aussie Painters Network’s staff or related parties. The publisher, Aussie Painters Network and Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine personnel are not liable for any mistake, misprint or omission.

Information contained in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine is intended to inform and illustrate and should not be taken as financial, legal or accounting advice. You should seek professional advice before making business related decisions. We are not liable for any losses you may incur directly or indirectly as a result of reading Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine. Reproduction of any material or contents of the magazine without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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6 | Aussie Painters Network

Website Mistakes Your Painting Business Is Making Your website is vital to the success of your marketing and your branding and essentially, the success of your painting business relies on it.

So, you need to make sure that your website sells your services properly, and answers customers who come to your website for a specific reason. If something is wrong with your website, customers will go elsewhere.

Having a well designed and properly functioning website could be detrimental to increasing revenue.

So are you making these common mistakes with your website?

1. Urgency Over Target Audience Before you rush into getting your website up and running, you need to understand who your target audience is, and who will be using your website. Then, design your site according to their likes, dislikes, needs and wants. For example, if you have an older target, you may want to consider using larger font sizes.

2. Flashy Design Your website design should be focused on getting your customers to the right place with the right information once they reach your

homepage. If your customers can’t find your phone number or email address within three seconds, you may need to consider redesigning your website. Functionality is much more important than design!

3. Where’s The Call To Action?

Don’t give your customers mixed messages. Tell your website visitors what you want them to do next. Do you want them to call or text you?

Make the call to action very clear.

4. Stale Content Make sure your website is updated as things change. Customers will expect the latest and most up to date information about your business, and if its not there, they could assume that you’re no longer in business. Not only will it keep your customers happy, it will keep the search engines happy too.

5. Not So Social, Media If you have a small following on social media, it may be a good idea to avoid putting links to your Facebook and Twitter until you build up a stronger following. Customers may see this as a reflection of how small your business is and it might put them off.

Avoid these common mistakes made by small businesses and you’ll see your bottom line grow, thanks to a well designed and properly functioning website.

Websites, and marketing in general, is one of the HOTTEST topics we discuss with tradies right around Australia.

To find out more about websites specifically, why not check out our ‘Website Blueprint’, our top 10 website design rules to help you get more customers through your website. CLICK HERE to grab a copy for free.

In addition to this, come and say hi at one of our upcoming Next Level Tradie Live Events, where we will go more in-depth about crucial marketing techniques for trade businesses. Interested? CLICK HERE for details…

----------------------------------------------

Angela Smith

Co-founder – Lifestyle Tradie

“Helping Trade Business Owners Fast-Track Financial & Lifestyle Success”

2018 July Issue | 7

8 | Aussie Painters Network

Why solvents can affect brain health even at low levels The health effects associated with occupational exposure to solvents have long been recognised. But despite greater health and safety awareness in general, our research suggests that workers from some industries are still at risk.

Several studies have shown both acute (short-term) and chronic (persistent) effects, particularly on the central nervous system, in workers exposed to solvent mixtures. The symptoms include problems with mood, memory, concentration and dexterity.

In New Zealand, it has been estimated that 100,000 people are exposed to solvents at work. In our research, we investigated the impact on spray painters and panel beaters. We found that although their average exposure to airborne solvents was generally compliant with workplace standards, they reported more symptoms than other blue-collar workers.

Read more: Solvents and benzene contribute to memory loss

Spray painters at higher risk Workplace conditions in the vehicle collision repair industry have most likely improved over the past decade internationally, and solvent exposures have declined as a result. However, very little research has been conducted in the past 10 years, and it is not clear whether the improvements have reduced the risk of neuro-behavioural (brain and nervous system-related) effects in workers.

Workers in the collision repair industry use large quantities of solvents. In our study, we assessed solvent exposures and brain health in 370 spray painters and panel beaters, as well as a reference group of 215 construction workers with low or no exposure to solvents. Workers from 175 workshops took part.

Information on work history, use of solvents and brain symptoms were collected by questionnaire for all workers, and a smaller group also completed tests of cognitive function,

which measured brain functions such as short-term memory, ability to concentrate, problem-solving speed, and reaction time.

The results showed that airborne solvent exposures were generally low and compliant with New Zealand Workplace Exposure Standards (safe levels set by WorkSafe NZ), but collision repair workers were still more likely to report symptoms than construction workers.

The risks were highest for neurological symptoms (including trembling of hands, tingling in arms and legs, dropping things by accident), mood (short temper, irritability) and memory and concentration problems.

The results of the cognitive function tests were similar to those of the questionnaire survey. Collision repair workers scored lower than construction workers on tests measuring attention and concentration, problem-solving speed, reaction time and motor (hand movement) speed.

2018 July Issue | 9

Solvent exposure through skin Organic solvents include a wide range of chemicals that all share the ability to dissolve substances not usually soluble in water, such as fats and oils. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of solvents are produced each year globally and used extensively in a wide variety of domestic and industrial applications.

Commercially they are used in large quantities in chemical, paint, plastic, and rubber production and processing industries.

The fact that airborne solvent levels in the collision repair industry were low suggests that skin exposure may be more important. Many solvents, including those used in vehicle repair work, can pass through the skin and into the body, but these exposures could not be measured in this study. We found that the use of personal protective equipment such as respirators and gloves strongly reduced the risk of symptoms, and that glove use was most protective.

In particular, frequent use of both a respirator and gloves reduced the

10 | Aussie Painters Network

risk of symptoms by up to 90%. Using air-fed respirators (instead of cartridge masks), changing charcoal cartridges frequently, and not washing hands in solvents were also associated with a lower risk of symptoms.

which a program of exposure controls will be rolled out in several collision repair workshops. This will involve improvements to extraction and ventilation, improved use of protective gear, and worker training.

Solvent levels were generally higher for non-spray painting tasks (mixing paint, degreasing panels, and cleaning spray guns) than actual spray painting, and protective gear was worn less frequently for these tasks.

Exposure levels and workers’ health will be measured before and after the intervention period. On the basis of this evidence, a comprehensive exposure control and health protection program tailored to the collision repair industry in New Zealand will be developed, with a view to implementing it industry-wide and potentially across other sectors where workers are at risk of solvent exposure.

Intervention needed Studies in Europe and the US have shown car spray painters, and workers from other industries (e.g. industrial and dockyard painters, printers) are at an increased risk of neurotoxic effects, and we now know that New Zealand workers may also be at risk.

The next stage of our research is to conduct an intervention study, in

---------------------------------------------Samuel Keer

Research officer, Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University

Jeroen Douwes

Professor of Public Health; Director, Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University

https://theconversation.com/why-solvents-can-affect-brain-health-even-at-lowlevels-of-exposure-98081

2018 July Issue | 11

The 7 Habits of Highly

INDEBTED PEOPLE

I spend all my time trying to get clients their money. Inevitably sometimes you exhaust all avenues and cannot recover their money. This is very frustrating and can leave you feeling deflated. You ask yourself, “Where is the justice”? The most common thing I hear is business owners saying that “I did the work and I am entitled to every cent”.

That’s not quite true in my view.

One of the duties of a business owner is to mitigate and manage risk. Yet all too often business owners commit their companies to too much work, for too great a value, for very poor quality clients, under non-existent terms. If you do that you can hardly complain about entitlements and justice. The fact is that there are scumbags in the business world who will take your work and run. If you make it easy then you carry some of the responsibility.

When you find yourself with no way of getting your money, I advise you to learn from the episode by asking yourself 7 important questions:

I had a bad feeling about it.

Why did I do the work anyway?

12 | Aussie Painters Network

So often one’s 6th sense knows a scumbag when they see one. Pay attention to that inner voice and if it telling you that something is not right with your client/prospect then do further investigations before contracting with them or doing work. An early indicator is if your client is shy about giving you contact details, addresses, ABN’s and so on. Believe it or not, I have had clients do $20 000+ worth of work on the strength of a first name and a mobile phone number! So listen to the little voice inside.

I hardly had any details about my client. Why didn’t I background the client properly?

Once I had a client that was owed a five figure sum only to find that his client was run out of a rented townhouse. Before doing work you should be doing several searches and checks on your prospect. Check ABN’s, addresses, and contact details; especially the usual place of business.

If it’s a residential apartment then tread carefully. Also Google the company name you are dealing with. Get an ASIC extract and see who the directors are and where they are. Find out who you are dealing with.

I did the work on a verbal agreement. Why didn’t I get the contract in writing?

Too often businesses are undertake high value work under either scant contract terms, or none whatsoever! This is inexcusable. It is part of your duty as a business owner to manage risk. It does not matter how comfortable you fell with your client, get the contract right! Make sure the terms are place solid payment terms around the work, and entitle you to stop work if payments are not made, or repossess your goods if you are not paid. Get your solicitor to sort this out. And more importantly, actually get the contract signed off by the client; don’t just send it over and then start work. It’s nothing to be shy about.

I was asked to do all this extra stuff. Why didn’t I get the request documented?

This is so common. It stems from a lack of clarity about what your ‘deal’ with the client is: you have promised to do a specified scope of work for a specified price. Anything above that is extra, and warrants extra payment.

There is nothing wrong with doing extra work. Just get the client request or direction in writing.

Never underestimate a person’s ability to lie about it later.

Often the additional work is worth more than the original contract. So get over how friendly you think you are with your client and get the additional request on paper. If they’re genuine this should not be a problem.

My client did not pay me on time.

Why did I keep working?

If you are not enforcing your own payment terms on your client then you are asking for it. If you do not have enough respect for your own due date for payment, then your client won’t. Do not keep working because your client has been friendly or related some anecdote as to why you haven’t been paid. They are using you for credit. Things get worse when you keep working for the client until there are a pile of invoices unpaid. If there is one regret I hear all the time it is “Why did I keep working?” It comes down to misplaced trust. You are not a friend of your client, you are a supplier in a business relationship. That rela-

tionship is governed by fee for service. You need to remember that.

But she said she’d pay me for the extra work and the changes. Why didn’t I get any of that in writing?

I’m not going to labour the point, but if you are not getting every single change on paper, you are increasing the risk on your business’s cashflow. Remember that 6 months after the work was requested, when you’re chasing your money, you need to be in a position to show that agreement in writing.

I showed how patient I was for 6 months. Why did I wait so long to chase my money?

There is little reward for patience when it comes to getting paid. If you wait too long your client will go from having little money to no money at all. They may even go under! There is simply no excuse for not getting paid on time or within a reasonable time. If you do little to ratchet up the pressure, then you bear a lot of the blame. You should have a debt recovery plan in place which increases pressure as time goes on. However don’t let it drag in the first place. At 45 days overdue you should be well

and truly in top gear: not just sending out another email about how much you’re owed.

The ultimate lesson you should be learning here is that the seeds of debt are sown from the beginning of the deal with your client. If you don’t tend to it carefully, you simply increase the risk of not getting paid for your work. Always remember that you are in a business relationship with your client. You are not mates. Keep that at the forefront of your mind, and that will make it easier for you to enforce your terms in good time.

Now run your debtors and get after everyone in 45 days or over.

Anthony Igra

For more great articles and video

www.contractorsdebtrecovery.com.au

or call us on 1300 669 075

2018 July Issue | 13

14 | Aussie Painters Network

The Key is to Measure ALL Your Success Factors Most business owners measure their basic success markers like sales and profitability. They do not however, monitor other success factors that are essential to sustain growth and profitability within the business including non-financial areas.

The most important one of these areas Is customer service and all interactions you have in your business with your customers, ie what they were about and the outcome of these interactions.

For example, when a customer is not happy with your service or returns a product, do you take this information and look closely at how you could do better next time? If you do, that’s great, but that’s not where you should stop your evaluation.

Identify your Key Success Factorsin Customer Service To make this information you’re gathering even more useful, we recommend that you create a document or use a system, in which you record these interactions and outcomes in a format that can be reviewed easily on a monthly basis. At your monthly meeting you can then discuss your customer’s feedback, how the situation came aboutand seek input from your staff to help developsteps to avoid this happening again.

If you collect customer care information regularly and systematically,

then you have very useful information to consider at future meetings. It will confirm whether your improvement measures were successful, or whetherthey failed.

The customer service outcomes and activities that business owners should be concerned with include: • lost customers • calls to customers • product returns I always think of customer satisfaction as the starting point fora scorecard. Ask what do you need to do to keep your customer happy? Write down a list of product/service attributes.

Then work out actions and apply performance criteria to achieve these.

Involve your Team in business growth planning The area that most business owners monitor in one way or another are sales and profitability, as well as critical numbers like gross and net margins. It gives them a baseline from where to measure business growth. When you want to double your business, you’ll need to take it one step furtherfrom just measuring.

You’ll need to project how many customers at what average valuesale you will need to achieveyour projections.

This goes right down to projecting how many calls your sales people will need to make and how much advertising you will need to do to drive these inbound leads?

2018 July Issue | 15

You can probably guess that without baseline numbers, you’ll be working in a vacuum and can’t really measure how much your business has grown.

Choose the most important of these activitiesandassign them to the overall company scorecard.

Then have a look at who in the organisation needs to deliver on these strategies and assign to them their own scorecard.It’s really important that your staff know their part in driving the success for your businessas it keeps them engaged, and more importantly, employed.

Conversion rates measurements and improvements are highly effective drivers of revenueand business growth.They include :

16 | Aussie Painters Network

• enquiries receivedvia phone, web or other marketing channel/ web unique visits (Marketing Conversion rate), • Orders received/ Enquiresreceived (Sales Conversion rate) In summary, your simple Action Plan to put in place a system to measure your business success factors could look like this.

1. Review your strategy and identify your success factors 2. Set up yoursuccess markers (KPIs) 3. Drill down on strategies to your people

4. Establish appropriate goals and performance standardsfor staff.

5. Establish weekly and monthly performance reports If you’re looking for practical business advice on how to best measure your success factors, contact us. If youneedmore straight performance talk and business advicethat works, feel free to arrange a FREE No Obligation Meeting with me. Call my office on 07 3399 8844, or just visit our website at www.straighttalkat. com.auand complete your details on our Home page to request an appointment.

Copyright © 2018Robert Bauman.

2018 July Issue | 17

A Life of Peacefulness Most of us want a greater sense of peace and ease in our lives — life can be stressful, chaotic, overwhelming, full of distractions, exhausting.

We want to get away from all of that, exit the madness, and get to a place of greater peace.

I’m going to share how to find that life of peacefulness in one simple method. In a minute.

First let’s look at the biggest mistake we make: trying to escape the stress and chaos.

To escape the chaos, we do a lot of things: • Try to get our world in order, trying to control everything • Distract ourselves, because it’s all too much • Comfort ourselves from the stress, with TV, food, drink, drugs, social media • Hide from all the things we do, try not to think about it all • Complain about it, about the burden of it all • End a relationship, an arrangement, a commitment, because you don’t want to feel bad anymore • Stress out, rush, constantly feel busy You might recognize some of your reactions to stress and chaos in this list, or maybe you have other strategies.

18 | Aussie Painters Network

But in the end, it’s all about trying to escape, to exit, a desire to get away from it all and get a sense of peace.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to get away from difficulty or pain. If you’re in true danger or abuse, get out. But most of the time, it might be a path of growth to not exit. To stay, to face the stress and chaos with a sense of bravery.

And then to find peace in the middle of the chaos.

You can create a life of peacefulness in the middle of this overwhelming, stressful, busy, chaotic world. If you don’t run, but instead find the fearlessness to be with it fully.

Let’s look at how, with one simple method.

A Method for Creating a Life of Peacefulness So you’re stressed, feeling overwhelmed — how can you use this difficulty to create peace?

It’s a simple method, but it takes practice.

It’s just three steps: 1. Face the difficulty. You’re feeling stressed, rushed, overwhelmed, frustrated? Instead of trying to exit from that feeling or situation, turn toward the feeling. Notice how it feels. Allow yourself to fully feel it. It’s not about the story about what’s going on, or

your story about the feeling … these stories are actually causing the feeling. Instead, turn toward the physical sensation of the feeling itself. With curiosity: what is it like? What color, temperature, energy, texture does it have? Does it change? Find the courage to fully face this feeling, and fully experience it.

2. Open & relax. After a moment of that (it can take a minute or two of facing the feeling, or often just a few seconds) … allow yourself to open up to your present experience. Opening is about relaxing into it, opening your heart so that you aren’t closed to the experience but actually fully feeling it with rawness and tenderness, being present with gentleness, even finding love for this moment of stress. Even, possibly, falling in love with this beautiful moment, that includes the discomfort but isn’t limited to it, is so much more than that. In the end, the key is relaxing and letting go of whatever you need to let go of, in order to feel peace.

3. Take the next step, in peace. Finding a sense of peace in this moment, take the next step. Do what’s needed next — start writing that report or email, have the conversation, get moving with the project, make a list — but do it with this sense of peace.

It’s a shift in the way we normally do things, which is with a sense of tension, rushing, tightness. Instead, do it with a relaxed sense of peace, smiling at the joy of doing.

OK, I said it’s simple, but in fact this can take a lot of practice. Just the first step is a huge shift for most people, but I promise, it can be done. Facing the difficulty is just turning your attention to it, and feeling it, with a sense of allowing it to be there rather than needing it to go away. This turning toward is a transformative practice, and if you only do this one step, it’ll be a powerful thing.

But the second step is powerful too: this is where a life of peacefulness comes from. It’s a recognition that peace is available to us at any time, that we don’t need to exit to find it, that we can stay, and love the place where we are, and at the same time, relax into peace. Ease into peace. Smile and find love for our life, just as it is.

The third step is about taking action from that place. We can sit and meditate and that’s great, but at some point we have to act. We can’t do a whole project at once, so we just focus on taking that first step. And we do it with peace in our hearts.

Then we repeat this whole process, over and over, until it becomes ingrained in us. That doesn’t mean the stress goes away forever, or that you’ll never know chaos again.

On the contrary: you’ll know chaos better than you ever have before.

Because you’ll learn to face it fully, and be with it, and smile with acceptance, gentleness, friendliness and gratitude.

In the end, this is a training in being fully present with whatever we’re

facing. And finding peace with that — because a life of peacefulness isn’t one that’s absent of difficulty, but one that isn’t struggling so hard to run from it.

“Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity.

The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Leo Babauta

a successful ‘simplicity’ blogger and author from California, the creator of top 25 Blog,

ZEN HABITS

2018 July Issue | 19

20 | Aussie Painters Network

TITAN LINE MARKING EQUIPMENT Wagner Australia’s new range of Titan line marking equipment is taking line marking to the next level of innovation and operator efficiency.

When Josef Wagner designed and produced the diaphragm pump system in 1964, it became a defining technological achievement for the Wagner Group. This year, the business is celebrating another major milestone as it releases a brand new range of Titan line markers, including the PowrLiner 3500 with the latest diaphragm pump spraying technology.

The Titan brand – part of the Wagner Group of companies – is a market leading brand in the USA but is still fairly new to the Australian market.

About three years ago Wagner launched a small Titan range tailored to trade painters. All of the products distributed in Australia have historically been branded Wagner, but recently the Wagner Group started to change this and consolidate some of the product range to have a complete, and less fragmented, range of products.

The new Titan range of line markers includes a full suite of products, from lightweight grass or turf stripers, right up to the heavyduty line marking equipment that will work all day on airports, roads and carparks, with a broad range of accessories and innovative technology to complement them.

The new range incorporates long stroking, slow cycling hydraulic piston technology for heavy-duty use as well as compact, lightweight systems tailored to entry-level projects, each with varied capabilities and degrees of innovation. This includes the Titan PowrLiner models, the LazyLiner self-propelled series and the larger Promark 2K and ThermoMark line stripers.

One of the more prominent inclusions in the range is the PowrLiner 3500 – a mediumsized unit that uses Wagner’s low-wear diaphragm pump – no piston, packing or clutch to wear out. The PowrLiner 3500 has been developed specifically for continuous daily use on asphalt, sports line marking and grassed areas, with the unique diaphragm pump technology making it an efficient alternative to traditional contractor-level sprayers.

Wagner’s technical manager, Hayden Smythe, says the main problem with line marking using conventional piston pumps with a clutch is deadband – the drop in spraying pressure when the gun is actuated before the clutch engages and starts the pump. The diaphragm system means there is no clutch and instead uses a continuous stroke, which eliminates deadband and delivers consistent lines. “With the diaphragm pump you get very smooth lines and there’s no chance of sawtoothing or pulsating,” he adds.

Maintenance tasks are reduced to a minimum, due to a number of small, but efficient design deviations from traditional line marking units.

“The two pressure valves, which are the main wear items, are a cartridge design on the PowrLiner 3500. They’re very easy to change – we call them quick change valves because all you need is an adjustable spanner – there’s no skill involved,” Mr. Smythe says, adding that a technician or service centre would typically undertake this maintenance on a conventional machine.

“There’s not a lot of downtime with the PL3500 – if an operator has a spare valve set already on hand, they can just do it themselves,” he says.

Titan linemarkers are very selfsufficient, they keep maintenance to a minimum and have exceptional ease of use with the ultimate goal of operator comfort and usability.

For more information on the PowrLiner 3500 and the rest of the Titan range of line marking technology and equipment, go to:

www.wagneraustralia.com.au or call 1800 924 637

2018 July Issue | 21

圀攀 愀爀攀 倀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀 眀漀爀欀椀渀最 眀椀琀栀 倀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀 琀漀 椀洀瀀爀漀瘀攀 琀栀攀 椀渀搀甀猀琀爀礀⸀ 夀漀甀 爀攀挀攀椀瘀攀 椀渀昀漀爀洀愀愀漀渀 搀攀猀椀最渀攀搀 琀漀 愀猀猀椀猀琀 椀渀 愀搀瘀愀渀挀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 戀甀猀椀渀攀猀猀 瀀爀愀挀挀挀攀猀 愀渀搀 洀愀椀渀琀愀椀渀椀渀最 愀 栀椀最栀 搀攀最爀攀攀 漀昀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀椀猀洀⸀ 圀攀 欀攀攀瀀 瀀愀椀渀渀渀最 戀甀猀椀渀攀猀猀攀猀 甀瀀 戀甀猀椀渀攀猀猀攀猀 甀瀀 琀漀 搀愀琀攀 漀渀 琀栀攀 氀愀琀攀猀琀 最漀瘀攀爀渀洀攀渀琀 氀攀最椀猀氀愀愀瘀攀 挀栀愀渀最攀猀 眀栀椀氀猀琀 愀猀猀椀猀猀渀最 礀漀甀 椀渀 爀甀渀渀椀渀最 礀漀甀爀 戀甀猀椀渀攀猀猀 眀椀琀栀 瀀猀 愀渀搀 琀爀椀挀欀猀 琀漀

匀䄀嘀䔀 夀伀唀 䴀伀一䔀夀℀

22 | Aussie Painters Network

Construction Industry Mentoring Flyer BUSY At Work and Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) have teamed up to offer a new and exciting mentoring program for apprentices and trainees in the construction industry.

Industry Specialist Mentoring for Australian Apprentices (ISMAA) provides individual support to Australian Apprentices and Trainees in the first two years of their apprenticeship or traineeship.

The program is aimed at industries where automation, robotics and other new technology or influences are changing the future roles of apprentices and trainees, and tradespeople.

BUSY At Work are proud to be delivering the ISMAA program on behalf of the Australian Government.

We will work intensively with apprentices to help them stay engaged, complete their training and achieve great things in their careers and to become the great tradespeople of the future.

Our ISMMA mentors have a wide range of experience and understand the changing nature of your industry.

Our Industry Specialist mentors will engage with the mentee to create a specific and individual mentoring plan to be implemented over a 6 month period.

Visits will focus on workplace and industry changes, future career options and new skills that may be required.

BUSY At Work believes this program will benefit all involved and help improve the retention rate of apprentices and trainees in the construction industry.

Tim Gillespie ISMAA Mentor - BUSY At Work 0438 869 227 Tim.Gillespie@busyatwork.com.au Visit busyatwork.com.au/ismaa

Industry Specialist Mentoring for Australian Apprentices (ISMAA) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.

Trace My Business Keep a record of ALL your clients • • • •

•

Where the referral came from

The quote success and failure rates

•

Suburb comparisons

The different advertising campaigns

•

(what (wh works and what doesn’t) First projects vs repeat business

New vs existing revenue and projects

•

Yearly and overall client revenue

•

Growth analysis

Projects, who referred them, and the referrals they subsequently provided

Written and Developed by Jim Baker

2018 July Issue | 23

Public liability insurance for painters, from just $407 - Includes cover for spraying - Unrestricted heights option* - Cover from $5m to $20m - Monthly payment options - Easy online application

Premium of $407 is based on $5,000,000 public liability insurance policy paid annually for a painting business in QLD with one manual worker. * A 15m height limit applies, but can be removed for an additional premium.

Insurance Services Pty Ltd t/as Trade Risk (CAR 422847) is a Corporate Authorised Representative of 24Westcourt | Tradesman Aussie General PaintersInsurance NetworkBrokers Pty Ltd, Australian Financial Services Licence No 238447. ABN 81 009 401 772.

Bosses deserve to be happy at work too – here’s how We intuitively know that a “happy worker is a good worker.” But what about their bosses? In the modern workplace, managers are accountable to several groups of people, from rank-and-file employees on one side, to chief executives and shareholders on the other. How well they juggle these conflicting pressures can determine not only their performance at work, but also how happy they are while doing it.

Our research project, funded by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and featuring interviews with managers from a range of sectors, is the first to ask specifically what makes managers happy or unhappy at work.

We identified three broad known factors that contribute to managerial unhappiness: role ambiguity; role conflict; and role overload. Put simply, managers are at their least happy and productive when their roles are unclear, there is too much conflict over the tasks required, and there is just too much work.

Read more: Happiness at work doesn’t just depend on your employer

We analysed 305 survey responses from managers working in Australian organisations from three main sectors of the economy: private, public, and non-profit. Our online survey simultaneously investigated the impact of role stressors on managers’ happiness and different aspects of their contextual job performance.

agers’ levels of job happiness and satisfaction, and ultimately their performance. Private-sector managers and those in frontline roles showed higher scores for almost all dimensions of job performance, compared with those in the public or non-profit sectors.

Our previous research has already suggested a link between managers’ happiness and their overall job performance. In our new survey, we indeed found that the three “role stressors” – role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload – continue to significantly reduce managers’ performance.

Both the youngest managers (those under 30) and the oldest managers (those over 60) showed lower scores on most dimensions of job contextual performance, compared with those aged in between. Yet those in the older categories of 51-60 and 60-plus did not report being affected by role stressors.

Role ambiguity relates to confusion over employee’s job definition, expectations, responsibilities, tasks, and the behaviours needed to perform their role effectively. Role conflict indicates incompatibility between the expectations of employees’ supervisors, customers, co-workers.

Role overload is when the combined demands of a job are more than one person job can deliver.

Next, managers in frontline and middle-level jobs report significantly higher levels of role ambiguity compared to those in senior levels. But no significant differences in the levels of role conflict or role overload were experienced by the managers at different job levels. These results suggest that the managers in less senior roles are unclear about their job requirements,

What’s more, we found that these role stressors also reduced man-

2018 July Issue | 25

as all the managers are exposed to similar levels of role ambiguity, conflict and role overload irrespective of their levels of jobs.

Early-career managers (aged under 30) showed significantly higher levels of role ambiguity and role conflict compared with their older counterparts. But there was no significant difference in their levels of role overload. Managers in “mature” categories (aged 51 and over) did not report being affected by role stressors. Perhaps older managers have self-selected into these jobs, or found ways of coping and prospering in this role.

Managers in different sectors reported different levels of rolestressors. In general, those in the non-profit sector reported the highest levels of role ambiguity, conflict and overload, compared with those in private and public organisations.

Happy times Our findings suggest that happiness, job stress, and job performance are all interlinked.

Here are some representative examples of the testimony we received: People follow leaders who are happy and that make them feel good. – (Managing director of a real estate firm) Where there is ambiguity and uncertainty in the environment that automatically generates levels of anxiety that are potentially unhealthy and will undermine productivity - (Manager of a community service organisation)

26 | Aussie Painters Network

What makes some managers more resilient and better able to deal with such stressors? The answer unlocks part of the secret as to why some managers perform better than others overall.

“Emotional resilience” training and development is growing in popularity, as companies strive to help their employees cope with growing workplace demands. One worthwhile (and free) self-help tool for managers is the UK-based Good Day at Work initiative. One Perthbased manager told us: The antithesis of happiness is fear and fear-based thinking… We’ve made a really conscious effort to name that when we hear it… That helps us to realign our work back … to a more of a quality and an abundance way of thinking - (Director of a corporate training and development firm)

Happy boss, happy everyone Managers’ happiness and job satisfaction don’t just matter to them.

Managers are charged with achieving an organisation’s goals through their employees. So an unhappy, underperforming manager can also affect the performance of those who report to them through a compounding “ripple” effect. It is strange, then, that managers’ happiness in the workplace has not traditionally received the same attention afforded to the well-being of less senior employees.

Our findings can potentially help top executives to manage their managers more effectively. To begin with,

it is important for those at the very top of an organisation to recognise the many demands that managers at the lower executive levels are dealing with. Like meat in a sandwich, managers are squeezed by competing expectations from below and from above.

A cynic might see this is simply the price of having a challenging, well-paid job. If you’re paid the big bucks, shouldn’t you just suck it up?

But in our view that is an outdated, macho view of management.

Read more: Here’s why ‘cool’ offices

don’t always make for a happier workforce

Mental health disorders are Australia’s third-largest disease cost, impacting both national productivity and international competitiveness. The mental well-being of our workers is a major determinant of business productivity and national prosperity.

Shifting managerial thinking towards proactive, rather than reactive, solutions to workplace mental health could help everyone do their jobs more effectively. Happy managers generally have happy teams, which helps to create a positive work environment and even promote good overall health. What worker wouldn’t want that?

Peter John Hosie

Associate Professor , CQUniversity Australia

Piyush Sharma

Professor, School of Marketing, Curtin University

Russel PJ Kingshott

Senior Lecturer in Retailing, School of Marketing, Curtin Business School, Curtin University

2018 July Issue | 27

Why does it cost more to pay monthly?

Some insurance brokers charge extra for monthly payments, and some don’t.

Are the ones not charging extra automatically better?

Are the ones charging extra just greedy?

Interesting questions, and definitely worth looking at when you’re comparing trade insurance quotes.

Before we get started, yes it does cost extra to pay monthly with Trade Risk. There are important reasons for this, which we’ll cover below.

Why do some brokers charge extra for monthly payment?

There’s a very simple answer to this – cash flow.

Put it this way: If you did work for a customer today, and they wanted to pay you in twelve monthly instalments, with no interest, would you accept?

Of course you wouldn’t!

It would kill your cash flow.

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As insurance brokers we predominantly get paid via commissions.

When you take out a policy and pay annually, we get paid a commission shortly afterwards to cover our work.

But some brokers are offering monthly at no extra cost!

In theory we could allow you to pay monthly at no extra cost, but then the insurance companies would drip-feed our commission in line with your payments.

This is typically at the smaller end of the spectrum in terms of premiums, which is where the majority of tradies sit.

Say the commission on your policy was $100. If you paid annually, we’d receive the $100 shortly afterwards.

It’s true, there are some brokers offering monthly payments at no extra cost.

So how can they offer this?

Well it’s unlikely they are doing it just to be nice to you!

Like any business, we need this money to pay our staff, our rent and all of the other expenses involved in running a business.

They may be willing to take a hit on cash flow in order to win more new clients. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it may mean they have to cut corners on service levels.

If we allowed you to pay monthly, the insurance company would split our $100 commission over your 12 monthly payments.

The other common situation is that they simply charge higher premiums overall to make up for the shortfall.

This would mean the work we did today would not be fully paid for up to a year.

If we went down this path, we simply wouldn’t have the cash flow to support the high level service that we offer to our clients.

That’s why it’s so important to look at the overall cost of the insurance when going monthly.

Another broker may be offering monthly payments at no extra cost, but if the overall cost is still lower with Trade Risk, why wouldn’t you go with us?

We don’t pocket the extra!

So if you do choose to go with Trade Risk and pay a little extra to go monthly, does this mean Trade Risk pockets the extra cash?

Absolutely not.

The monthly payments are arranged via a facility known as premium funding.

A premium funding company agrees to pay the insurer the full premium upfront (which means we get paid upfront too) and you then repay the funder over twelve monthly repayments.

It’s a great system which allows our clients to pay monthly, and us to manage our cash flow without cutting corners on service quality.

Whilst we don’t pocket the full extra, we do get paid a small commission by the premium funding company.

It does take us a little more time to process a monthly payment contract compared with an annual payment, and this little extra commission covers the extra work.

It’s your choice Ultimately it’s up to you whether you want to pay a little extra each month to use Trade Risk.

We don’t put ourselves out there as the cheapest budget cover for tradies. Instead we put ourselves out there as the trade insurance experts providing industry leading service.

Aiming to be the best means not

skimping on having great systems and staff, and that costs money.

Whilst we still aim to offer super competitive premiums, we can’t cut into our cash flow, and therefore we have to charge that little bit extra for monthly payments.

We hope you understand, and most importantly we hope you agree with thousands of other tradies who choose Trade Risk.

Visit our website

www.traderisk.com.au

吀栀攀 瀀漀爀琀愀戀氀攀Ⰰ 椀渀攀砀瀀攀渀猀椀瘀攀 洀攀琀栀漀搀 琀漀 瀀爀攀瘀攀渀琀 瀀愀椀渀琀 眀愀猀琀攀ⴀ眀愀琀攀爀 瀀漀氀氀甀琀椀渀最 琀栀攀 攀渀瘀椀爀漀渀洀攀渀琀⸀

2018 July Issue | 29

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Planning the year ahead The turn of the year usually prompts most people to think about some business planning for the year ahead. Here are some tips to make the planning more productive.

Get your team involved Business planning works best when it’s a team effort. Involve your key staff and your advisors, such as your accountant, your mentor (if you have one), and others who can contribute meaningfully to the planning, such as an IT expert if you envisage a major website overhaul.

Ask people to bring their ideas to the planning meeting and try to hold the meeting away from the business to avoid getting caught up in daily activities.

Review your business Start with a review of your business as it currently stands, focusing on three key questions: What’s working well for us at the moment that we should continue doing?

What’s not − what should we drop or do less of?

What has the most business potential for the future?

Decide on changes Your combined thinking may produce some required changes.

For example, you may need to

adapt your existing products and services, seek new markets or distribution channels, or change your business model entirely.

These changes are more likely to occur if there is consensus. Bear in mind that resistance often comes when people feel their comfort zones or their jobs are threatened. Address these issues right at the start.

Figure out capacity Any changes will likely require some investment in new skills, new products or services, or other changes in capacity.

Get help from your accountant to complete a return on investment (ROI) analysis if you need new equipment or even new staff. You need to know how much extra business needs to be generated for a reasonable payback and also how the business can access the funds for the growth. For example, will you need a larger credit line or new capital?

Get everyone on board Once you’ve established where you want to take the business, concentrate on the next 12 months. Set some end-of-year goals, and then work backwards to create the stepping stones that will take you there. Your role now is to get everyone on board by clearly communicating the plan to them.

Consensual goals are more motivating than imposed goals, so

get at least your key staff involved in the goal setting. Immediate goals are easier to focus on than longer-term goals so make sure each person understands what is required from them this week, this month and this quarter.

Follow up A major challenge with all business planning is that it is often done at the beginning of the year when optimism and motivation are high.

However, these emotions can quickly fade as people get caught up in their daily activities and new projects.

Business goals won’t be taken seriously unless you set regular dates to review progress – such as every 90 days. Once people know that you will be calling them to account at these progress meetings, they will be more motivated keep your planning on track.

Need some help? We are running a two-day business planning workshop on the 5th/6th July at the Aussie Painters Network. Call us now on 0468 944130 to find out more details!

Sandra Price Phone: 07 33724554 VISIT US ON FACEBOOK 2018 July Issue | 31

Yes! That lovely time of the year when we get our books in order just to find out how much extra tax we have to pay to the Government. But then again! You could get a huge surprise and be entitled to a refund (this is where I need lots of those ‘laughing mojos’ to place here).

Although no-one likes paying taxes, it is a necessity to keep the country going. As we must realise, the money generated is used to better the community by improving facilities and paying for government funded services. This has not always been the case though, as often throughout history we have seen ruling powers collect taxes for their own benefit (and it still exists).

The first documented mention of taxes is in the book of Genesis (chapter 47, verse 25) when Joseph instructs the Hebrew people to give a fifth of their crops to the Pharaoh as a tax. This is supported by other documentations showing a taxation system in the Egyptian kingdom in 3000BC- 2800BC. The Pharaoh would conduct an annual tour around the kingdom collecting

32 | Aussie Painters Network

the taxes from his people. Records of granary receipts have been found on papyrus and on limestone as recorded proof of this.

The next taxation system to be documented was that of the Persian Empire in 500BC. The Persian Empire was divided into different Satrapy (sections) and each section was required to pay an annual tax according to what commodities it had. In each Satrapy there was a provisional governor whose job it was to collect the required taxes and send it to the emperor. How the taxes were collected was left up to the discretion of the Satrap which of course led to a great deal of exploitation and bribery.

Through the years there were many types of taxes introduced, some of them quite ridiculous, so I thought I’d mention just a few for your amusement.

England In 1696 in England, William III introduced a tax based on how many windows you had on a house.

It ranged from 6d per window to 1shilling if you had ten or more. It was originally introduced to make up for the losses caused by clipping of coinage during his reign. After 156 years, it was repealed following campaigners branding it as a ‘tax on health’ and ‘tax on light and air’.

In the beginning of the 17th century an interesting tax on hats was introduced. Moreover, the tax rate was different for town-dwellers and rural residents. Town-dwellers, who wanted to wear a hat, had to pay the treasury 2 pounds annually, and rural residents – 5 shillings.

Lady Godiva was known as a woman of considerable beauty and deep generosity. She was married to Lord Leofric, a powerful ruler of considerably less benevolence.

Unsympathetic to the people of his kingdom, Leofric imposed a heavy tax on his subjects, causing them to suffer grievously. His subjects begged him to reduce his tax, but he refused. Lady Godiva implored her husband to slash the tax, but again he obstinately refused.

A persistent woman keen to help the people under her husband’s rule, Lady Godiva asked him over and over again. Finally, Leofric lay before his wife a daring challenge: If she rode naked through the streets and the people of Coventry closed their shutters and remained inside their homes, the tax would be lifted. Known to be modest in spirit but generous in her actions, Lady Godiva accepted the challenge.

As dawn broke on 31 May 1057, the entire town prepared for the event, straining their willpower for the sake of their purse-strings.

As the clock struck seven, ringing through the cobbled streets of Coventry, every townsman closed his shutters. Lady Godiva mounted her horse and dropped her velvet gown to the ground. Covered only by her long, lustrous hair, she rode through the streets of Coventry.

The sound of her horse’s hooves galloping across the cobblestones echoed through the streets but not a single shutter opened. Upon her finish, cheers went up throughout the town. Leofric removed the onerous tax and Lady Godiva went down in history as a generous benefactor of the people of Coventry.

Of course, this is the legend. In fact, Lady Godiva was a real figure in history, but her famous ride has never been confirmed.

On an interesting note according to the legend, a tailor named ‘Tom’ sneakily disobeyed the rules of the ride in one of the most famous tales of voyeurism. He bore a hole in his shutters so that he could see the naked Lady Godiva, but was struck blind for his sin. He was thereafter known as ‘Peeping Tom,’ and the famous phrase was born.

2018 July Issue | 33

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34 | Aussie Painters Network

Amsterdam Amsterdam is famous for the narrow frontage of some of its’ buildings. One measures at a 2.02 metres wide and only 5 metres deep, with just one small room on each floor. Another is unique in its structure, with a façade that is just over one metre wide but widens as you walk through. The reason for the narrow frontages was that in the 1600’s, a property tax was based on the width of a home’s street-facing side. It was introduced because Amsterdam was in the throes of its Golden Age, and the town was expanding faster than it could keep up. It was running out of room, and something had to be done.

Most of the reason Amsterdam was growing in population was because it was growing wealthier and wealthier by the day and more people were making it their permanent residence.

Russia Following Europe’s trend, ‘Peter I’ imposed a tax on beards in 1698.

The state had laid down a number of requirements and taxes for all the citizens who had beards. Violation of the established requirements was punished by a monetary penalty. It is worth noting that all of the beards were divided into types, respectively, merchant, boyar, peasant and etc. There are known cases when bearded men, who had run into debts for taxes, were condemned to penal servitude to work off the existing monetary penalties and taxes.

Australia When radio broadcasts began in November 1923 they were only available to listeners that had a subscription. This cost 3 pounds 3 shillings and an additional fee of 10 shillings was also payable to the Postal Department. This subscription model was obviously not sustainable as people began to build their own radio sets enabling them to receive radio programs from multiple broadcasters. In January 1957, TV viewers were also required to pay 5 pounds for their viewing pleasure

and an additional 2 pounds 15 shillings for the radio. Non-payment was a punishable offence with fines of up to 50 pounds.

The Post Master General placed ads in local newspapers warning that house-to-house inspections were imminent. To avoid fines people took to hiding their TV antennas in chimneys and roofs and TV sets were even hidden in cupboards.

So looking at some of previous taxes that were enforced in the past, I don’t think we can really complain too much now. But if you do want to make a statement or protest, get a petition going or go to the Media. If that doesn’t work, you can always do a ‘Lady Godiva’!

That will certainly get the attention (or get you arrested).

Jim Baker

www.MyTools4Business.com

2018 July Issue | 35

Entrepreneurialism...

A Disease That Can Ruin Your Business and Life When you own a business, your business life and personal life can all mesh into one giant ball of string. It can be tough to tell where your business life begins and the personal life stops. If your business is messed up, your life is messed up and vice versa. I want to dedicate this article to unraveling this giant mess and using some basic business practice suggestions that I feel can help you get off this entrepreneurial treadmill.

Entrepreneurialism is a crippling disease, it may not kill you but it can destroy your life. So why do so many contractors suffer from entrepreneurialism?

Several reasons really. Let’s start with ease of entry. If you have several tools, a truck and some waiting customers, you are in business.

Maybe your life plan was to own a business but that is not always the

36 | Aussie Painters Network

case. If you lack the self-discipline to have a real job, if your old boss fires you, you can’t stand authority or you are just a plain good old fashioned dreamer; off you go into the world of entrepreneurialism.

I have been amazed at the number of contractors who year after year do not improve their performance.

Further investigation showed the cause to be a personal health or personality issue. Ten years of working with contractors in an intimate manner has uncovered numerous cases of sleep apnea that can cause ADD like symptoms.

Others suffered from adult ADD. Some were depressed because of the years of hard work and no money. Of course you have to throw in a couple for addictive behaviors like alcoholism. Maybe even the addictive behavior of being in business and the rush of the sale.

We even found a contractor who

was going deaf and that was driving many of his issues. It is interesting that almost everyone has some type of issue but if you work on the assembly line at the local factory, you can hide these problems much easier than a business owner can.

It is also hard to tell which came first, the chicken or the egg. Did the contractor’s personality cause the entrepreneurialism or did a poor business model break the contractor down and cause the disease over time? Regardless of the cause, if you do not have your head screwed on right, you cannot expect to be successful.

Another scenario we see is people who are too smart for their own good.

Contractors who make money one year and then get bored and buy a big shop or start a new division only to shoot themselves in the foot and create financial problems all over again.

Self-discipline makes you successful in business; not the idea of the month. Being smart can be as much if not more of a curse than being dumb.

What about those guys who are so driven that they are trying to prove something? Maybe their brothers and sisters are doctors and lawyers and they are trying to prove something. Maybe he or she was dirt poor growing up and they are scared to death of poverty. We all have snakes in our head that can drive us to be entrepreneurs. I was a smart kid and athlete who grew up in a semirural setting with few friends and a depression era Dad who did not attend my football games because he was too busy working. I saw it as lack of support and in reality he just did not understand. It took me years to figure out that I needed to do things for me; not to seek his approval. It is important to understand that motivational seminars can help feed your issues and lack of balance. If you are not careful, motivation becomes just another form of denial and not the inspiration it was intended to be.

Having a good business structure can help with the disease but I also have customers who have spent their whole life trying to make their business successful. Suddenly they make more money than they ever dreamed possible and now they have to deal with the real problem which is themselves. With all this said and done, I have to do what I do best which is offer business advice and solutions to help cure the disease.

Do you run your business or does it run you? How is tomorrow going to get better unless you learn to change? The following tips can you

help change your business and it will help change your life.

Learn your numbers: How do you control entrepreneurial enthusiasm?

By knowing your numbers you know where you make or lose money. Get rid of the pieces of the business that are not profitable.

What were your numbers last year?

How much money did you lose, make, etc? How much more would you like to make? Add up all your costs line-by-line and decide what costs will go up, what will go down, etc. Focus on reality and not pie in the sky. The numbers will hold your optimism in line.

Keep a time card on yourself: Entrepreneurialism is a time related disease where understanding where you invest your time is critical. Keep a time card on yourself for three days. Do it in 30-minute increments to see where you are spending your time.

Put a dollar value on what you do. If you are worth $50 an hour when you are selling or running jobs and someone else could pick out materials for $15 an hour, you are losing $35 an hour. If you want to make 100k a year, you cannot be an overpaid delivery person and babysitter. You must make the maximum use of your time. This is one of the first things we teach people in our networking groups.

You can’t be financially successful by doing the job of a labourer, babysitter or delivery person.

Raise your prices: If you are going to go broke, do it playing golf or fishing, not working on the job. I talk to contractors everyday that are absolutely convinced they can’t charge more. Why are you so intent as an industry to keep rich people’s

houses pretty while they are on a cruise or playing golf? It can be this simple, if you do $250,000 a year in sales and make $40,000, raising your prices 10% generates 25k in additional salary and raises your income to 65k. What about the people you lose? Market to new people and sell the holes where people drop out. Also, the people who are the greatest pain are usually the people who want it done cheap. Stop making rich people richer and instead charge more and find the people who will gladly pay for your services.

Know your renewal and closing rates: Track your closing ratios for quotes. What percentages of the jobs that you quote are you awarded the job?

Make sure your get the structure right. This is the absolute most important thing I want to discuss.

Too many contractors try to solve their stress issues by throwing bodies and middle managers at the problem. Too many field people think all you have to do to be a manager is ride around with a cell phone and white hat. The solution to growth issues is not more middle managers. The solution to growth is better structure and control.

Your growth path should look something like this. When you get more administrative tasks than you can do as owner, you need to hire a part time office person to help you. This person should answer the phone, track costs, qualify leads on the phone, help with customer contact and scheduling, help order materials, and in general run your life. Most contractors are disorganized. If you are disorganized, accept it and hire someone to help run your life.

2018 July Issue | 37

• Realistically, how much of this work can I do in a year and how will I market to find it?

• How is this going to detract from my existing business?

• Who can I run this idea by that will give me honest and independent advice?

Learn to play “what if” not “oh no”.

It is so much easier to stay out of financial trouble than it is to get out of trouble once you are in the red.

While this might be your spouse, this can be difficult as the two of you may resent your telling each other what to do. Hire a good office person prior to hiring a salesperson or field supervisor. Get your house in order prior to growing. Again a part time person can be a huge help but pay them well. Use what you pay a craft person as a pay guideline. Later you can hire a full time person. I would rather see you have a great person at $16 an hour for 10 hours a week, than a weak person at $10 for 25 hours.

You have a strong personality; you need someone you cannot sell or boss around, this needs to be a team effort, not a dictatorship.

Work Set Crews and Hold Foremen Accountable: Everyone knows it is difficult to find good help but you have to get a handle on the realities of field leadership prior to growth.

If you are not going to be in the field making decisions, you must have someone else take your place. It is

38 | Aussie Painters Network

just that simple. If your plan is to ride around and babysit the crews or hire someone to do this for you, you are spending a ton of money trying to make your field people accountable. Each crew needs a leader who is held responsible for what they do. Think in terms of crew leaders, not employees.

Simplify, Don’t diversify: Don’t let your customers and operations drive your business plan. Slow down. Another division, more growth, another service is not going to help.

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS PRIOR TO STARTING ANY NEW BUSINESS VENTURE: • What new skills and types of employees will I need to do this type of work?

• What type of equipment and cash do I need?

In summary, quit messing up your life by selling and trying to work yourself out of a financial hole.

Stop the bleeding. Fix what is wrong; growth is not your friend.

Never try to grow to make money, make money and then use that money to grow. Get the numbers right, get the structure right and get how you spend your time right and life will immediately get better.

Admit it, you are an entrepreneuraholic. Stop looking for the next business idea or quick fix and build a real business. Don’t look for that next job to be the “fix” you need. Year after year, job after job, and soon you will find yourself one of those weather beaten, bent over, grumpy old men who hang around suppliers bitching about sueinss. Just like a guy looking for the answer to all his problems in that next drink, that next job won’t fix you either. Build a business; learn the numbers; face reality. Make your dream of owning your own business a reality.

Monroe Porter

is president of PROOF Management a firm that teaches seminars and runs networking groups for painting contractors.

www.proofman.com

2018 July Issue | 39

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䄀甀猀猀椀攀 倀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀 一攀琀眀漀爀欀 栀愀猀 渀攀最漀琀椀愀琀攀搀 琀栀攀 戀攀猀琀 瀀漀猀猀椀戀氀攀 挀漀瘀攀爀 昀漀爀 礀漀甀爀 戀甀猀椀渀攀猀猀⸀ 䌀漀渀琀愀挀琀 甀猀 搀椀爀攀挀琀氀礀 昀漀爀 洀漀爀攀 椀渀昀漀爀洀愀琀椀漀渀 愀渀搀 琀漀 最攀琀 礀漀甀爀 挀漀瘀攀爀 琀漀搀愀礀℀

吀栀攀 猀攀挀甀爀椀琀礀 昀漀爀 琀栀椀猀 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀 椀猀 瀀氀愀挀攀搀 瘀椀愀 䰀氀漀礀搀猀 漀昀 䰀漀渀搀漀渀 愀猀 眀攀氀氀 愀猀 漀琀栀攀爀 䄀甀猀琀爀愀氀椀愀渀 愀甀琀栀漀爀椀猀攀搀 椀渀猀甀爀攀爀猀⸀ ㄀㠀 ㌀㔀㔀 ㌀㐀㐀 椀渀昀漀䀀愀甀猀猀椀攀瀀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀渀攀琀眀漀爀欀⸀挀漀洀⸀愀甀 眀眀眀⸀愀甀猀猀椀攀瀀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀渀攀琀眀漀爀欀⸀挀漀洀⸀愀甀

2018 July Issue | 41

The Industry

Idiots

42 | Aussie Painters Network

Important Contacts Aussie Painters Network www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

Ph. 0430 399 800

National Institute for Painting and Decorating www.painters.edu.au

Ph. 1300 319 790

Australian Tax Office www.ato.gov.au

Ph. 13 72 26 / Ph. 13 28 65

Award Rates www.fairwork.gov.au

Ph. 13 13 94

Fair Work Building & Construction www.fwbc.gov.au

Ph. 1800 003 338

Mates In Construction www.matesinconstruction.com.au

Ph. 1300 642 111

Workplace Health and Safety Contacts Comcare WorkSafe ACT Workplace Health and Safety QLD Victorian WorkCover Authority WorkCover NSW SafeWork SA WorkSafe WA NT WorkSafe WorkSafe Tasmania

www.comcare.gov.au www.worksafe.act.gov.au www.worksafe.qld.gov.au www.vwa.vic.gov.au www.workcover.nsw.gov.au www.safework.sa.gov.au www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/ www.worksafe.nt.gov.au www.worksafe.tas.gov.au

1300 366 979 02 6207 3000 1300 362 128 1800 136 089 13 10 50 1300 365 255 1300 307 877 1800 019 115 1300 366 322

www.actcancer.org www.cancercouncil.com.au www.cancercouncilnt.com.au www.cancerqld.org.au www.cancersa.org.au www.cancervic.org.au www.cancerwa.asn.au

(02) 6257 9999 (02) 9334 1900 (08) 8927 4888 (07) 3634 5100 (08) 8291 4111 (03) 9635 5000 (08) 9212 4333

Cancer Council Australia ACT NSW NT QLD SA VIC WA

2018 July Issue | 43