Testimonials.
Jess Studt Paul Samson Richard J. Schwingler Jerry Frey
The Basic Business Boot Camp put on by Tom Grandy & Associates through DSG was a great boost for my business. Since 2002, I've owned and operated a small residential and light commercial service and construction business in the southern Black Hills. We've always been busy, but not always profitable. The boot camp took my business from just operating and paying bills to profits. I enjoy my business, but I also enjoy time with family and friends. So after the three-day seminar and implementing what I learned, I've been able to delegate my time towards the things that are important in my life. We don't work weekends unless we absolutely have to, and yet we are still further ahead than when we worked all the time. Cash flow was one area that really buckled us during tax time, but this year we'll rest easy. Going to the boot camp was a major commitment, but after going it made me realize that being a business owner doesn't have to mean that we're going to work ourselves into the grave. Life is about more than just work, so enjoy it!
Jess Studt
Studt Electric Inc.
Just thought I'd drop you a note to thank you for the opportunity to attend "Basic Business Boot Camp." I am fortunate to have been able to take part in it.
Boot camp was great! It was very well run. Tom Grandy has done an excellent job in developing a three-day curriculum that covers the most important business practices. I was very impressed at the amount of material we did cover in a relatively short time. His "Pricing for a Fair Profit" software is the icing on the cake. It's a great tool to assist contractors in pricing for profit. Too often contractors are overlooking the hidden, less obvious costs of being in business. This software prompts all of us to include all of our costs and budget them appropriately. I felt the most useful part of the software was the "what if" feature. It allows contractors to change their data or budgets to see the resulting change in the "bottom line."
Tax tips, customer survey cards, service agreements and collection tips were all valuable topics. I enjoyed the informal discussions we had among the students periodically during the seminar. It's great to share ideas, problems and solutions with contractors that are out of your immediate trade areas.
I came home with a wealth of ideas and materials. My challenge now is to implement positive changes for my business. This seminar has enabled me to make those changes more confidently. The benefits to my business will far outweigh any costs associated with my attendance. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
I am sincerely grateful! Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you or to other contractors in the future. I would welcome the opportunity to share some "Grandy" knowledge with other contractors or industry people.
Sincerely,
Paul Samson
I felt that this Basic Business Boot Camp was very informational and interesting. I learned about a lot of business things that I just took for granted and accepted the end results. Now after this class, I have the tools and knowledge to go back and see exactly where I can make a dollar or where I can lose a dollar.
It taught me how to go back and divide my company into groups to see which departments can make the most dollars. The big thing about this is that if you have one department that doesn't make any money, don't just get rid of it because it is supporting a part of your overhead.
Mr. Grandy also walked through the steps that every person has to go through to start a business, and how you get all these surprises along the way that you normally don't see as an employee. We also got a lot of neat tax tips with this class.
So my personal opinion is that if you are in some type of contracting business, don't delay to sign up because the price of this class is peanuts compared to the money that you can make or save.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Schwingler
Frontier Electric, Inc.
Get Educated About Your Business’s Bottom Line
By: Jerry Frey, Electric Systems Inc. for NDECA Newsletter
Have you heard? It takes more than being an electrician to become an electrical contractor. Yes, it is definitely life-changing. Just knowing how to complete an electrical project is not enough if you want to be a profitable contractor and be in business for years to come.
I am sure many electricians that have taken the plunge into the contracting business do not have business degrees, although taking business classes does not pinpoint what is needed to be a successful contractor. Those of us who do not have business degrees hire bookkeepers, administrative assistants, accountants, and attorneys to help us with the requirement of complicated record-keeping and tax issues.
For example, there is a big difference between an accountant’s profit and loss statement and an actual cash flow summary. A true cash flow summary is crucial to operate a successful business. Just having money in your checkbook does not constitute a profitable business.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a business boot camp class. This was an intensive three-day program, which reveals your business’s present financial condition and gives you the tools to improve your financial situation for the future.
For the three-day class, I was required to bring along my company’s financial information. All of this information was entered into a software program, and after the data entry was completed, the program was specifically designed for my business. This business boot camp also included several lecture sessions which discussed matters related to good business sense.
Toward the end of the session, I finally realized my true business financial condition and more important my real “bottom line.” Knowing these true facts, you are given the opportunity to change your business plan to achieve a more profitable future.
This course is designed for anyone that wants to improve profit margin and have peace of mind that your business is progressing in a positive manner. It does not matter if you are a larger contracting firm or a one-man shop. It was a revelation for me, and I have been in business for more than 23 years.
I learned in this three-day program to feel more confident in moving forward into the future, because the business decisions I make will be based on real financial facts and not on guesswork or what seemed to work in the past.
For any contractor who wants their business to proceed in a positive direction and to have the confidence to move forward towards a more profitable future, it is well worth the time to attend one of these programs.
