What They Don’t Teach You At Trade School
by Mike Murphy
February 9, 2010
When you think of the Ivy League, chances are, you at least know the names of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. These storied institutions are the gold standard for higher education in America. They are the places that bright-eyed students set their sights on to springboard their success in life. They are considered the best, but there is another institution that deserves to be in the conversation when it comes to success.
It may not be Ivy League, but in just 10 years, Clockwork Home Services, Inc.® (“Clockwork”) has proven to be in a league all its own. While Ivy League schools boast graduates that are heads of state and leaders of industry, Clockwork is quietly helping thousands of contracting business owners achieve success that would rival theirs.
And while even a graduate of the Ivy League still needs to scramble and hope that there is a job waiting in this rough economy after graduation, the contractors who come to Clockwork usually succeed. No matter what the economy, no matter where they are, the step-by-step Clockwork program provides a path to success.
“Many contractors work their entire lives to send their children to college. But if they would just invest a fraction of a university tuition into their own success, they could achieve the kind of wealth that would allow them to send their children to any school in the country while enjoying a better lifestyle for themselves,” said Terry Nicholson, group president of Clockwork. “The problem is too many contractors don’t know our program exists or they simply think it’s too good to be true.”
That lack of notoriety doesn’t stem from a lack of results. In fact, today, Clockwork serves over 1,500 contractors and impacts the lives of some 15,000 people in the industry. But that’s why Clockwork was created — not to become a household name but to help contractors achieve the success they deserve.
When you want to become a successful electrician, HVAC technician, roofer, or plumber, you turn to a trade school. These longstanding institutions can teach you many things, but none will ever be able to teach you how to be a successful business owner. Reading a profit and loss statement, budgeting, cash flow management, marketing, negotiating, training, and recruiting and hiring, are all elements of running a successful business, but they are elements you won’t find in any trade school curriculum.
But they are all requirements to running a business that allows you to gain market dominance, freedom of time, and financial independence. It’s not the technical side of the trades that holds contractors back from achieving great success. Many contractors may ace trade school but struggle when it comes time to create a budget for their company, or hire an effective salesperson. These vital business skills are what they don’t teach you in trade school, and that’s why these skills are the cornerstone of Clockwork Home Services. In fact, Clockwork Home Services offers contractors so much proven knowledge and success education that it’s like a College for Contractors.
“We focus on providing hard-working contractors with the business edge you really need to thrive in today’s marketplace,” explained Nicholson. “For contractors in the HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing trades, we offer organizations that can put you on the fast track to success.”
To get contractors to succeed faster, Clockwork has analyzed what it takes to run a successful company from the inside out. These are tried and true, field-tested plans and strategies for exactly what works in the contracting industry, and it’s the education you’ll receive when you become part of Clockwork. In fact, Clockwork holds more than 400 copyrights, 360 trademarks, three patents, and two pending patents on programs they have developed to help contractors succeed.
ONE COLLEGE FOR CONTRACTORS – TWO PATHS TO SUCCESS
Every city today has a mix of local businesses and brand names. For every Denny’s®, there is a local diner. Some consumers will pick the experience of the diner, and some will want the familiarity of Denny’s.
Both offer valuable service. Both can be successful businesses. And both can help a dedicated business owner achieve the financial and personal success they are seeking. That’s why Clockwork offers two paths to success through this College for Contractors.
THE AFFINITY GROUP PATH
If you believe remaining independent like the local diner is what’s right for your future, Clockwork offers elite affinity groups designed to give you the knowledge you need to succeed.
For HVAC contractors, there is AirTime 500. For plumbing contractors, there is Plumbers’ Success International. For electrical contractors, there is Electricians’ Success International. For roofing contractors, there is Roofers’ Success International.
Through each of these affinity groups, contractors can bypass the school of hard knocks completely and tap into the same tools and strategies Clockwork Home Services uses in its own highly successful contracting locations. You remain an independent contractor with your name above the door, but you’re tapped into a system of success that is transforming the industry.
Plus, in each group, you’ll join forces with some of the most elite contractors in the nation with a focus on improving customer service, protecting the health and comfort of homeowners, creating opportunity for employees, and profiting from a successful business. When you are part of these affinity groups, you’ll rub elbows with the best of the best in the trade.
For example, a few years ago, The Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News ran a listing of the most successful residential HVAC contractors in the industry. Any ordinary school would have been happy to have a graduate or two honored with such a distinction, but of the 21 contractors listed in this ranking, a whopping 17 were part of Clockwork or had used the program in the past! That’s dominance when it comes to transforming lives, and it is the No. 1 reason that if you’re looking for the method to improve the results of your business, the answer is Clockwork.
That’s exactly what Brett Hobson found when he became part of Clockwork Home Services. He was on that list of the most successful residential contractors.
“Using these strategies, my company’s success has skyrocketed. We’re the biggest HVAC contractor in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, generating more than $20 million each year at a sizeable profitability, and we plan on our revenues reaching $100 million in time,” said Hobson.
Hobson’s success has also allowed him to achieve a longstanding dream. “The business now runs on autopilot. I have great managers and employees who don’t need me to constantly be there. That’s allowed me to pursue another passion of mine — becoming a pilot! Today, I have my license and purchased my own World War II B-52 bomber. I call it the Pacific Prowler, and I fly it in air shows across the country. Yet none of this would have been possible had I not discovered the knowledge of Clockwork Home Services.”
THE BRANDED NAME PATH
In our transient society, brands are powerful as they deliver the same level of service in place after place, and for those contractors who believe that a branded name on their company is what will help them achieve success in the end, Clockwork proudly offers the opportunity to be part of building the “McDonald’s® of the contracting industry.”
For electrical contractors, there is Mister Sparky®, which has been named one of the Top New Franchises and already has 91 franchises. Since its inception in 2006, over $78,189,243 in revenue has been generated under the Mister Sparky name with over $5,473,247 spent in advertising to build the brand.
For plumbing contractors, there is Benjamin Franklin Plumbing®, which today has 253 franchises, and has been named one of the fastest-growing franchises and a member of the Franchise 500®. Since its inception in 2001, over $530,292,038 in revenue has been generated under the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing name, with over $37,120,442 spent in advertising to build the brand.
For HVAC contractors, there is One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating®, which today has 272 franchises and has been named one of the fastest-growing franchises and a member of the Franchise 500®. Since its inception in 2003, over $1,154,236,574 in revenue has been generated under the One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating name, with over $57,711,828 spent in advertising to build the brand.
Each of these branded names is growing rapidly and creating opportunities for contractors across the nation like Jamie Carter from Indianapolis. He was fed up with new construction and came to Clockwork to make the move to residential service. When he did, he found the power of the branded name and transformed his company’s and his family’s future.
“Using Clockwork Home Services’ systems and marketing, my plumbing business boomed,” Carter said. “Finally, we were expanding like I wanted. We did so well with plumbing that I started an HVAC company, and using the systems, we generated $7 million in sales. Both our plumbing and HVAC divisions were creating real wealth for my family.”
“Eventually, I decided that I didn’t want to be a business owner for the rest of my life. Once again, using the strategies that were shared at Profit Day, I sold my business and temporarily retired… in my 40’s! It’s true. I sold the company for a sum that exceeded my wildest dreams! I started working again some time later … but only because I wanted to … not because I had to! My family’s future is secure.”
“Growing up, I could always read a blueprint to plumb a house; well, Profit Day gave me the blueprint to run a successful company. From that blueprint, I’ve built a new, incredible life. It’s all because I attended one little Profit Day meeting.”
Either pathway can lead you to the success that you’re seeking in your company, and to help you excel, Clockwork also offers contractor-created software that allows you to manage your company at the push of a button; buying power that gives you the clout and the national pricing normally reserved for the big box retailers, and training for every member of your team that draws out their true potential and boosts your results on every call.
THE ORIGINS OF SUCCESS
Members of Success Group International come together for another power-packed Expo. Hundreds of contractors have gone beyond trade school to discover the tru strategies for success. In their estimation - it is No. 1.
Abrams is known as the Professor of Profit and is acclaimed as the industry’s most influential mentor, and Young is deemed the Marketing Maverick for having single-handedly changed the ways that contractors market their goods and services over the years. Both have decades of contracting experience and have been at the forefront of every major change in the industry over the past few decades.
But in operating their own contracting companies and helping other contractors operate theirs, Abrams and Young saw the challenges firsthand, and with the scale of Clockwork, they were able to overcome those challenges and develop solutions that other contractors could implement to achieve similar results.
“What sets the education of Clockwork Home Services apart from any other is that when you receive this knowledge, you’re receiving exactly what we’re using in our own contracting companies today,” said Nicholson. “The challenges you face today, we’ve faced them, created the solution and moved on to the next five challenges. What you get with Clockwork Home Services is a path to success. You only need to add in your own work and dedication toward implementing the program.”
Today, Clockwork operates its own retail locations under its branded names, and continues to innovate the systems and knowledge that are influencing the success of thousands of business owners every day.
SUCCESS ACHIEVED
The true measure of any school, though, is the success of its graduates, and for that reason alone, Clockwork is by far the most successful contracting school today. With successful members spread across the country and rapid growth expected for the branded names, the future is bright for this College for Contractors.
If you’re a contractor ready to discover the education and knowledge available to you through Clockwork, call 866-362-7547. Register for a free Discovery Day, where you can see inside this College for Contractors and find the strategies and programs to put you on the fast track to success. TSC
Denny’s® is a registered trademark of DFO, LLC. McDonald’s® is a registered trademark of McDonald’s Corporation.
Mike Murphy
