$1 saved in waste is worth $2.86 in sales at a 35% margin. That's why getting efficient pays better than getting bigger.

In this episode, Martin and Khalil walk through TIMWOODS, the lean manufacturing acronym for the 8 types of waste: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, Defects, and Skills. They translate each one for contracting and service businesses, with examples from the back office, the shop, and the job site.

Plus the Toyota Way forces underneath (Muri, Mura, Muda), and a 1% P&L exercise that surfaces the highest-impact fix before you chase new sales.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• 00:51 - Episode Intro
• 03:40 - Profit Math and 1% Fixes
• 09:30 - Transportation
• 11:44 - Inventory
• 14:49 - Motion
• 17:08 - Waiting
• 19:04 - Overproduction
• 20:50 - Overprocessing
• 25:56 - Defects
• 29:45 - Skills

Memorable Quotes

• "Waste really is where your opportunity is." — Martin
• "Efficiency really is the elimination of waste in a process." — Martin
• "The more you can think about your business like a machine, the more success you're gonna have." — Khalil
• "Reality is it's either the system or it's you." — Khalil
• "Having the courage to delegate and trust people to get it done is absolutely necessary." — Martin

Key Takeaways

1. Doubling sales doesn't pay the bills. At a thin margin, doubling the top line without fixing waste can sink the business faster than slow growth.
2. A $1 of waste saved is worth far more in sales. At a 35% margin, $1 equals $2.86 in sales you don't have to chase to keep the same profit.
3. Walk TIMWOODS through your business: Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, Defects, and Skills. Every category has waste hiding somewhere.
4. Run a 1% sensitivity exercise on every line of your P&L. Whichever line moves profit the most when improved by 1% is the line worth attacking first.
5. Mental context-switching is motion waste. Daily huddles, focused production meetings, and clear handoffs cut the brain-jumping that exhausts your team.
6. Skills waste is on the owner. If your team has no way to surface what they see on site, you're paying for talent and ignoring it.
7. Defects almost always trace back to the system or the owner. Before blaming an employee, ask whether the delegation was clear and the process is hard to do wrong.

Resources

• ⁠24 Things Guide⁠
• ⁠15-Min Roadblock Call⁠
• ⁠Quo⁠
• Build a business that runs without you. Explore our ⁠GrowthKits⁠
• Need marketing help? We recommend ⁠Benali⁠
• Need help with podcast production? We recommend ⁠Demandcast⁠

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

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More from Khalil

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Every business owner eventually hits the same four walls. You chase sales while profit disappears, work weekends while your team clocks out, and quietly tolerate prices and people you should have addressed years ago. These aren't beginner problems; they show up over and over, no matter how long you've been in business.

For the 300th episode, Khalil and Martin sit down to answer the four questions that don't go away. The conversation moves through why profit gets buried under sales, when the owner stops being the hardest worker, how to raise prices without losing the room, and how to tell when keeping someone is costing more than letting them go.

If any of these have been quietly running in the back of your head, this is the episode to listen to first.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• 00:47 - We've Reached 300!
• 04:02 - Episode Intro
• 05:39 - Profit Over Revenue
• 18:47 - Owners Working Too Much
• 27:53 - Stop Subsidizing Your Business
• 30:13 - Growth Versus Scaling
• 32:45 - Raising Prices Without Fear
• 40:53 - When It’s Time to Fire

Memorable Quotes

• "Profit is an outcome. It's not a task." — Martin

• "It's more of a mental hurdle than anything. When you tell people to raise prices, how many customers do they actually lose?" — Khalil

Key Takeaways

1. Profit is an outcome, not a task. Pick measurable drivers (margin, breakeven, bill utilization) and put those on the calendar so the daily work actually moves the number.
2. Start by chasing sales when you're new. Once you've proven you have a viable product, flip the switch to profit. Optimizing for one ignores the other.
3. The owner working the most hours is normal early; staying there forever is a choice. Scaling means moving your time to higher-leverage work (decisions, partnerships, systems) instead of just adding more people to do what you used to do.
4. Stop being your own cheap CFO. If you're doing the work three pros should be doing, you aren't running a profitable business; you're subsidizing one.
5. Set a yearly pricing conversation as a default. Customers expect a price change every season; the absence of one is what makes the conversation hard in year nine.
6. Use the rehire test before firing: would you hire for this role today, and would you hire this specific person? Two nos means it's time.
7. Keeping the wrong person on costs more than money. The opportunity cost of the culture, the momentum, and the better hire you can't make are usually bigger.

Resources

• "Necessary Endings"
• 24 Things Guide
• 15-Min Roadblock Call
• Quo
• Build a business that runs without you. Explore our GrowthKits
• Need marketing help? We recommend Benali
• Need help with podcast production? We recommend Demandcast

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

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More from Khalil

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Martin and Khalil dig into Khalil's new book on work architecture, a framework for being intentional about how work gets done in your business. Khalil breaks down his five core principles: build around the work (not the people), make the invisible visible, find and fix the one constraint, design the system before choosing the solution, and build continuous improvement into the culture.

The conversation covers real examples from construction companies, including why "unicorn roles" set your team up to fail, how one company's real bottleneck was communication rather than the software they wanted to buy, and why 75% of your time should focus on a single constraint. These principles give you a framework for designing your business intentionally.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• 00:44 - Episode Intro
• 03:42 - Defining Work Architecture
• 10:53 - Build Around the Work, Not the People
• 19:17 - Make the Invisible Visible
• 22:46 - Write It Down Systems
• 24:15 - Find and Fix the One Constraint
• 30:09 - Design the System Before Choosing the Solution
• 33:21 - Build Continuous Improvement Into the Culture

Memorable Quotes

• "Work architecture is being intentional about the design of how work gets done to achieve the results you want." - Khalil
• "Your system's broken. You need to build around the work." - Khalil
• "If you can't see it, you can't fix it." - Khalil
• "The work is a constant. People are not." - Martin

Key Takeaways

1. Build your business around the work, not around individual people; when you build around people, you create "unicorn roles" that are impossible to fill when someone leaves
2. Make your processes visible by writing them down; you can't improve what you can't see, and every improvement without a visible process is a shot in the dark
3. Focus 75% of your time on the one constraint that's keeping you from your goal; let the smaller fires burn while you solve the one that matters most
4. Design your system first, then choose the tools and people to fit into it; buying software or hiring people without a system underneath is why they fail
5. Build a culture of continuous improvement so your team solves small constraints at their level while you stay focused on the biggest one

Resources

• The Goal by Eli Goldratt
• 24 Things Guide
• 15-Min Roadblock Call
• Quo
• Build a business that runs without you. Explore our GrowthKits
• Need marketing help? We recommend Benali
• Need help with podcast production? We recommend Demandcast

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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How do you know if your books are actually giving you good information? If you can't answer that question confidently, every financial decision you make is built on shaky ground.

In this episode, Martin walks through the 12 non-negotiable bookkeeping rules from his upcoming book, Running on Numbers. These are the things your bookkeeper must be doing, from double-entry accounting and daily entries to WIP tracking and monthly closes. If any of these are missing, your financial statements are incomplete.

The advice is simple: hand this list to your bookkeeper and ask, "Are you willing to do all of this?" If the answer is no, it's time to find someone who will.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• 00:48 Why Good Books Matter
• 01:54 No DIY Bookkeeping Rules
• 07:16 Non-Negotiables Framework
• 10:38 Core Bookkeeping Must-Haves
• 32:15 Matching Principle Basics
• 36:58 WIP Fixes Matching
• 41:45 Aging AR and AP
• 49:48 Cost Closes Reports Wrap

Memorable Quotes

• "If you do not have good books, all your efforts, all your learning about breakeven and how to bid, all this doesn't matter because you've got bad information." — Martin

• "You can think of books as a knowledge base. Any knowledge base needs to follow what you're saying so far." — Khalil
• "Matching is a bitch. It is hard." — Martin

Key Takeaways

1. Stop doing your own bookkeeping if your business has any complexity. No DIY, period.
2. Your bookkeeper must use double-entry books and accrual accounting as the baseline.
3. Build a chart of accounts that gives you useful detail without becoming a 10-page mess.
4. Every transaction needs a source document from an outside party before it gets entered.
5. Enter transactions daily, not in monthly batches. Time degrades information quality.
6. Reconcile every balance sheet account with an outside entity to create aligned truth on your transactions.
7. Revenue and expenses must land in the same period. Matching and WIP tracking prevent the profit rollercoaster.

Resources

• Running on Numbers by Martin Holland (upcoming book)
• QuickBooks

• ⁠24 Things Guide⁠
• ⁠15-Min Roadblock Call⁠
• ⁠Quo⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Implementing AI in Your Business Workshop Sign-Up ⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock Call

• Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GrowthKits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

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• Checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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What would you do if a task that took your team three hours could be done in five minutes? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s happening right now in Khalil’s business.

In this episode, Khalil and Martin break down what AI agents actually are, why every contractor needs to start using AI today, and the three specific tools you should set up this week. From a contractor who uncovered $45,000 in wasted Google Ads spend using Claude to Khalil building a fully functional app with zero coding experience, this conversation is a wake-up call for anyone still on the sidelines.

Whether you’re hearing about AI for the first time or you’ve been dabbling with ChatGPT, this episode redefines what “using AI” actually means and gives you a clear starting point.

Timestamps

• 00:41 - What AI Agents Are
• 01:41 - Why Agents Change Business
• 06:31 - Three Tools To Start
• 12:54 - Agents In Your Workflow
• 23:34 - Building Skills in Claude
• 24:20 - Podcast Workflow to Plugins
• 30:06 - Agents and Rapid AI Releases
• 35:03 - Practical Business Use and Wrap

Memorable Quotes

• “An agent is you giving AI a computer and saying, yeah, go do it.” — Khalil
• “We had a process that took our team three hours to do for a client that is now being done within five minutes.” — Khalil
• “The business owners that are gonna win in this are the ones that have good data. And the data does not need to be structured. It just needs to be captured.” — Khalil
• “It feels like it’s 2002 and I’m telling people about Google Search and everyone else is still calling the operator.” — Khalil
• “The number one AI tip is get going, get connected.” — Martin
• Key Takeaways
• Start with three tools: an LLM like Claude, a transcription service like Granola, and a dictation tool like Wispr Flow.

• If you’re only asking ChatGPT questions, you’re not actually using AI. Connect it to the tools you already use.
• Focus AI on real pain points like bidding and estimating rather than novelty tasks like generating cartoon images.

Resources

• Claude
• Granola
• Wispr Flow — referred to as “WhisperFlow” in the episode
• Perplexity
• 24 Things Guide
• 15-Min Roadblock Call
• Quo

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Implementing AI in Your Business Workshop Sign-Up ⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock Call

• Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GrowthKits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

• Need Marketing Help? We Recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• Checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode, Martin sits down with Tena Jolley, founder of Apela Strategic Solutions and a 30-year HR veteran, to break down everything small business owners get wrong about human resources.

Timestamps

• 00:50 - Episode & Guest Intro
• 03:44 - Why You Shouldn't DIY HR
• 04:56 - At Will Misconceptions
• 08:49 - Cost and Fractional HR
• 11:26 - What HR Really Covers
• 15:48 - When Hair Is On Fire
• 19:17 - Unemployment Claims Explained
• 22:31 - Progressive Discipline Steps
• 26:55 - Handling Attitude Issues
• 30:19 - Reviews That Look Forward
• 31:03 - No More Annual Ambushes
• 32:27 - Who Should Evaluate
• 33:47 - Work Family Boundaries
• 36:29 - Can People Really Change
• 39:25 - Legacy Employees Costly Lesson
• 42:50 - No Surprises Review Rhythm
• 44:01 - 360 Feedback Done Right
• 47:53 - Bonuses That Drive Results
• 51:10 - Alignment And HR Compliance
• 53:16 - Start Small With HR Help
• 54:40 - Wrap Up And Sign Off

Key Takeaways

1. HR covers far more than hiring and firing; it includes handbooks, job descriptions, compensation strategy, employee training, organizational design, and compliance with federal and state laws.
2. Progressive discipline has four steps: verbal warning, first written reprimand, second write-up, and separation. Each step should be documented and focused on helping the employee succeed.
3. Employee evaluations should happen at least quarterly, not just annually, and should focus on a roadmap forward rather than a year's worth of saved-up grievances.
4. Subjective issues like attitude can be addressed objectively by including conduct expectations in your employee code of conduct and discussing them during the interview process.
5. Keeping underperforming or toxic employees because you're afraid of unemployment claims or confrontation can cost you your best people, your culture, and significant money when you sell the business.
6. Bonus structures should reward measurable outcomes like accuracy, response time, and process improvements rather than flat annual gifts that create entitlement.
7. Fractional HR professionals can work with your budget on a retainer or project basis, starting as small as a single job description, and scale with you over time.

Resources

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠First Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Implementing AI in Your Business Workshop Sign-Up ⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock Call

• Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GrowthKits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

• Need Marketing Help? We Recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• Checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Tena Jolley

• Apela Strategic Solutions
• Tena on LinkedIn
• Apela on LinkedIn

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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More from Khalil

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Are your employees telling you they're overwhelmed — but the work still looks like it's getting done? Or are you throwing people into the deep end on day one and wondering why they're burning out or checking out?

The problem might not be the people. It could be that you don't have a shared language for capacity.

In this episode, Martin and Khalil break down a simple but powerful framework for understanding where your employees are at — and what to do about it. You'll walk away with a mental model you can start using in your next one-on-one.

Key Topics & Timestamps

• 00:53 - Why “Overwhelmed” Means Different Things to Different People
• 03:01 - A Real Hiring/Onboarding Example: The “Overwhelmed” Employee Who’s Doing Great
• 04:00 - The 4 Performance Zones Framework (Green/Yellow/Orange/Red)
• 10:04 - Deep Dive: What Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red Actually Look Like
• 16:46 - Make It Actionable: Teach the Zones + Manager Moves for Each Color
• 19:17 - Normalize the Yellow Zone: Growth, Challenge, Reflection (and Wrap-Up)

Key Takeaways

1. Define what each performance zone looks like for each role in your company — green for your office manager looks different than green for your field lead.
2. Make the zones part of your company language: teach them to your team, post them, and reference them in every one-on-one.
3. Ask "What zone are you in?" regularly — not just during formal reviews, but in passing conversations.
4. When an employee hits the orange zone, look at what you've assigned them before blaming their capacity; it's usually a management decision that got them there.
5. If someone lands in the red zone without warning, that's a sign they weren't communicating — and a sign the environment didn't make it safe to.
6. Don't mistake a comfortable employee for a productive one; if someone's in the green zone in year one, you're leaving their growth on the table.
7. Apply the growth equation to every stretch assignment: challenge them, then give them structured time to reflect on what they learned before adding the next thing.

Resources

• ⁠Drive by Daniel Pink
• "When Things Are Hopeless" article

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Implementing AI in Your Business Workshop Sign-Up ⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock Call

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• Checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Are you the only person your builders call when something goes wrong? Most subcontractor owners don't realize they've accidentally become their company's full-time account manager, and it's the reason they can't step away from the business.

In this episode, Khalil and Martin break down why this happens, what an account manager actually does (and how it's different from a project manager), and how to build this role into your company so you can stop being the bottleneck.

What You'll Learn

• The critical difference between an account manager and a project manager, and why confusing them creates chaos
• What the full account manager workflow looks like from discovery and onboarding through post-install
• How to find, develop, and compensate the right person for this role inside your company
• Why proactive communication changes the power dynamic between subs and builders
• How to use the 80/20 rule to decide which builder accounts deserve dedicated management

Key Topics & Timestamps

• 01:00 - Episode Intro
• 06:54 - Account Manager vs. Project Manager: Process vs. People + One Point of Contact
• 14:48 - Hiring & Incentivizing Great Account Managers (Homegrown Traits + Pay Structure)
• 18:49 - What Great Account Managers Actually Do (Advocate, Proactive, Problem-Solver)
• 23:47 - Defining the Role: Not Sales, Not PM — Owning the Builder Relationship
• 26:24 - The Account Manager Workflow: Onboarding → Pipeline → Quote → Production → Post-Install + Scaling Tips

Key Takeaways

• If every builder calls you directly when something goes wrong, you've become your company's account manager, whether you intended to or not
• Start building this role by documenting exactly what you do for your top builder relationships so the process can eventually be transferred
• Grow your account manager internally; external hires lack the institutional context needed to be effective
• The account manager must have full context across sales, production, and install to make the same quality decisions you would
• Compensate this role well with a strong base plus account-based incentives; they are essentially an inside salesperson for your most valuable relationships
• Begin with one key account and your most reliable employee before expanding

Resources

• Todd Hagopian and the 80/20 (Pareto) principle for prioritizing accounts

• ⁠⁠⁠Implementing AI in Your Business Workshop Sign-Up ⁠

• ⁠⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock Call

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• Checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠annealbc.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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What if the best advice for training AI agents is actually the missing piece in how you manage your team? Khalil breaks down the "How to Hire an AI" playbook and reveals how its five core elements: persistence, identity, tools, autonomy, and accountability, are the exact framework contractors need to transform their employee management. This episode isn't about technology; it's about finally giving your team the clarity, tools, and trust they need to take work off your plate.

What You’ll Learn

• The five elements every AI agent needs (and why your employees need them too)
• How to create a "trust ladder" that gives employees autonomy without micromanaging
• Why closing loops proactively is the difference between good employees and great ones
• The three-layer memory system that makes knowledge stick in your company
• How to set up team rhythms that actually get followed when stress hits

Time Stamps

• 00:47 - Episode Intro
• 02:56 - The Five Key Elements of Training AI and Employees
• 07:31 - Implementing AI and Employee Management Strategies
• 18:54 - Understanding Autonomy and Trust in AI
• 19:38 - Effective Communication and Loop Management
• 23:05 - Establishing Rhythms and Leveraging AI

Snippets from the Episode

• "Employees want to be autonomous in their role. They want to be able to become a master of what they're doing. They want meaningful work that's challenging and that they can own." - Khalil Benalioulhaj

Key Takeaways

1. The Five Elements Framework: Persistence, Identity, Tools, Autonomy, Accountability
2. Give Your Team Permission to Push Back
3. The Three-Layer Memory System for Your Company
4. Minimum Authority Principle: Start Small, Expand Trust Over Time
5. The Trust Ladder: Define What Autonomy Looks Like at Each Level
6. Close Loops Proactively or They'll Live in Your Head Forever
7. Establish Rhythms Now So You Have Them When Chaos Hits

Resources

• ⁠⁠Implementing AI in Your Business Workshop Sign-Up
• ⁠Claude AI⁠

• ⁠CompanyCam⁠
• ⁠Granola AI⁠
• ⁠Wispr Flow⁠

• ⁠24 Things⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Construction Business Owners Need to Successfully Hire & Train an Executive Assistant

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ a 15-Minute Roadblock Call

• Build a Business that Runs without you. Explore our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GrowthKits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

• Need Marketing Help? We Recommend⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Benali⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• Checkout ⁠⁠⁠⁠Quo⁠⁠⁠⁠

More from Martin Holland

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theprofitproblem.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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More from Khalil

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benali.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Meet With Khalil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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What if AI could find $500 in hidden waste on every $10K job? Martin and Khalil dive into how AI agents are transforming business efficiency for contractors. From trucks loaded with the wrong tools to tracking miscellaneous costs that silently kill your margins, this episode reveals practical AI solutions you can implement today. Watch them solve real contractor inefficiencies live using Claude AI, no tech degree required.

What You’ll Learn

• How to use brain dumps and AI to uncover hidden profit leaks in your business
• The TIMWOODS framework for identifying the seven types of waste killing your margins
• Practical AI tools that track materials, automate dispatch, and eliminate callbacks
• Why Claude AI outperforms ChatGPT for contractor-specific problems
• How to turn CompanyCam photos into automatic cost tracking without extra work

Time Stamps

• 00:58 - Episode Intro
• 02:17 - Elon Musk's Ventures and Innovations
• 04:46 - Exploring AI Agents and Their Capabilities
• 14:37 - Profit Margins and Business Inefficiencies
• 27:29 - Brain Dump Technique for Identifying Inefficiencies
• 28:49 - Implementing AI Solutions in Real-Time
• 30:25 - How AI Can Help Solve Business Inefficiencies (Video Tutorial)

Snippets from the Episode

• "Cutting costs raises margins the same way increased prices do. AI can help you recover time and do one more job per month without working harder." - Martin Holland
• "Your limited thinking is holding you back from using AI's full capability. Don't prompt the AI, let it prompt you on what you should be doing." - Khalil Benalioulhaj

Key Takeaways

1. Use brain dumps to unlock AI's full potential
2. TIMWOODS reveals seven types of waste in your business
3. One additional job per month dramatically improves margins
4. CompanyCam integration eliminates behavior change friction
5. Claude Vision can identify and cost materials from photos
6. Voice-based expense capture removes logging barriers
7. AI-generated checklists prevent costly job site mistakes

Resources

• ⁠Implementing AI in Your Business Workshop Sign-Up (Tuesdays at noon CST, Feb 10 - Mar 17)⁠
• Claude AI

• CompanyCam
• Granola AI
• Wispr Flow

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