Recruiting in the trades is broken. Most contractors are posting a job ad, crossing their fingers, and wondering why they keep getting the wrong people through the door. In this episode Derek Cormier, founder of Climate Experts and host of Escape the One Man Show, breaks down exactly how he recruits great technicians, what most contractors are doing wrong, and the mindset shift that changed everything. If you are tired of settling for whoever shows up this episode is for you.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

Most trades business owners treat recruiting like an afterthought. They wait until they are desperate, post a generic job listing on Indeed, and hope for the best. The problem is the best technicians are not sitting around browsing job boards. They are already working somewhere. Your job is not to post and pray. Your job is to build a company that people want to come work for and then go find them.

Derek breaks down the exact recruiting process he uses at Climate Experts in Melbourne Florida, a multi-million dollar HVAC, plumbing, and electrical company he built from one truck to a full team over 14 years. This is not textbook advice. This is what actually works in the field when you are trying to grow a trades business in a competitive market.

Topics Covered:

How to recruit HVAC technicians. How to recruit plumbers. How to recruit electricians. How to find skilled tradesmen in a tight labor market. Why most contractors fail at recruiting and what to do instead. How to use Facebook ads for recruiting in the trades. How to build a company culture that attracts top talent. What great technicians are actually looking for in an employer. How to stop relying on word of mouth and build a real recruiting pipeline. The difference between hiring out of desperation and hiring with a strategy. How to compete with larger companies for top trade talent. Why your culture is your biggest recruiting tool. How to onboard new technicians the right way so they stick around.

Who This Episode Is For:

This episode is for HVAC business owners, plumbing contractors, electrical contractors, home service business owners, trades business owners, contractors looking to grow their team, contractors tired of high turnover, small business owners in the trades, one man show contractors ready to scale, and anyone who has ever hired the wrong person and paid the price for it.

About Escape the One Man Show:

Escape the One Man Show is a podcast for contractors and trades business owners who are done being the bottleneck in their own company. Every episode host Derek Cormier breaks down the real tactics, leadership lessons, and culture shifts that helped him build Climate Experts into a multi-million dollar home services business in Florida. Topics covered on this podcast include recruiting in the trades, marketing for contractors, Facebook ads for home service companies, building company culture, leadership for trades business owners, scaling a contracting business, HVAC business growth, plumbing business growth, electrical business growth, home service marketing, technician training, sales for comfort advisors, and how to build a business that runs without you.

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