The Real Value of a Coach in Your Corner with Michael Oakes

<p>Michael Oakes started out coaching basketball and teaching health education in New Jersey. Then he moved west, took a job at a startup called Federal Express when there were six or eight people in the entire Western Division, and spent the next few decades learning business the hard way.<br /><br />He co-founded a same-day delivery company before most people knew what same-day meant, turned it into a national franchise called 1-800 Courier, scaled it to $40 million in revenue, and discovered that the profit at the bottom was close to nothing.</p><p>That last part is the reason this episode is worth your drive time. Michael has been Jason's business coach for almost ten years, going back to the day Jason pulled a Sundance Coaching business card off the wall at an auto shop while spending most of his savings on an unexpected car repair. He had no revenue yet. He hired a coach anyway, which put his business net negative on day one, and he still calls it one of the best investments he has ever made.</p><p><br />In this episode:</p><ul><li>Why $40 million in top line meant almost nothing, and Michael's rule that business is a sport and net profit is how you keep score</li><li>The three filters he puts in front of every decision (time, money, and is it right), plus Coby's confession about the hours he spent designing a logo instead of writing the estimates he owed clients</li><li>Why "busy is a disease" and what Michael makes his clients say instead when he asks how their day is going</li><li>The eight pillars every business owner has to keep an eye on, and why being great with your hands only covers one of them</li><li>Hiring for character and attitude instead of skill, and why a culture problem is almost always an owner skill problem</li><li>Jason's three layers of coaching (one on one accountability, industry-specific group coaching, and leadership coaching), which one to start with, and Coby's honest take on doing it backwards</li><li>Michael Jordan's passing drills, the flu game, and what fundamentals actually look like in a home service business</li></ul><p><br />Whether you have never worked with a coach or you are wondering if the group program you joined is the right fit, this one gives you a clear picture of what real accountability looks like and what it does to a business over ten years.</p><p></p><p>Hosted by Jason Call and Coby McManaman of Handyman Marketing Pros<br /><br />👉 Schedule a free, no-pressure strategy call: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://go.handymanmarketingpros.com" target="_blank">https://go.handymanmarketingpros.com</a><br />👉 Grab the free 3-in-1 Handyman Playbook Bundle: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://go.handymanmarketingpros.com/playbooks" target="_blank">https://go.handymanmarketingpros.com/playbooks</a><br />👉 Join the Home Hero Business Owner Community: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://facebook.com/groups/homeherocommunity" target="_blank">facebook.com/groups/homeherocommunity</a><br /></p><p>New episodes of the Home Hero Podcast every week. If you got value from this one, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more home service pros find the show.</p><p></p>