The Trade Traction Podcast with Dennis The Apprentice
Dennis The Apprentice
45 episodes
1 hour ago
Send us a text Are you a contractor, business owner, or trades professional looking to turn chaos into clarity and boost your bottom line? In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis Hamon reveals the single most powerful discipline that championship teams use—and most struggling businesses ignore: the weekly meeting. Through football analogies, real-life stories, and actionable advice, Dennis shares how regular check-ins, honest conversations, and tracking key metrics can transform your busine...
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Send us a text Are you a contractor, business owner, or trades professional looking to turn chaos into clarity and boost your bottom line? In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis Hamon reveals the single most powerful discipline that championship teams use—and most struggling businesses ignore: the weekly meeting. Through football analogies, real-life stories, and actionable advice, Dennis shares how regular check-ins, honest conversations, and tracking key metrics can transform your busine...
Send us a text Are you a contractor, business owner, or trades professional looking to turn chaos into clarity and boost your bottom line? In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis Hamon reveals the single most powerful discipline that championship teams use—and most struggling businesses ignore: the weekly meeting. Through football analogies, real-life stories, and actionable advice, Dennis shares how regular check-ins, honest conversations, and tracking key metrics can transform your busine...
Send us a text Dan Callies thought every contractor was his competition - until one shop visit flipped his entire career. In this episode, he breaks down the moment everything changed, how PHCC became his family, and why the future of the trades is exploding faster than anyone realizes. If you’ve ever felt stuck, isolated, or unsure what’s next for your shop… this conversation will light a fire in you. Timestamps: 00:00 – The Wake-Up Question 00:33 – Imposter Syndrome Begins 01:14 – Rise ...
Send us a text 🔥 If you’re tired of working for free, this episode will finally give you clarity — and a path to real profit. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:22 Why payroll always feels like a crisis 03:40 The 3-Prong Profit Problem 06:20 Expense cuts that actually move the needle 10:55 The pricing mistake everyone makes 14:10 The sales skill contractors MUST learn 18:22 How Dennis fixed this and scaled 22:40 What to do next week to turn profit around The Trade Traction Podcast Helping plumbing &a...
Send us a text This episode is all about being profitable. And that means from your very first paycheck! If you save just 10%, technically you are a double digit profit machine! And really that same principle applies when you are in business. You need to figure out to cut cost and increase sales until you are profitable so that you can build a business your employees as well as your family can trust. The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop ...
Send us a text From the SkillsUSA National Conference in Atlanta, Dennis sits down with Karman Warner, Executive Director of SkillsUSA Washington, who’s changing the way schools view success. She’s helping students letter in the trades instead of sports, giving them real recognition, and real futures. They talk about the growing movement across Washington, the first youth apprenticeship program in state history, and how SkillsUSA is redefining education for the next generation. If you care ...
Send us a text At the PHCC Connect Show in Birmingham, Dennis interviews Tyler — a third-generation master plumber and National PHCC Secretary — about winning the national apprenticeship competition, building leadership in the trades, and why young people should see plumbing as a first-choice career. They discuss how PHCC empowers contractors through education, advocacy, and connection. Timestamps: 00:00 – PHCC Connect Show in Birmingham & introduction to guest Tyler 01:36 – Winning th...
Send us a text From high school student to state director, Robyn Rowling’s entire career started with one program: SkillsUSA. In this episode, Dennis sits down with Robyn to uncover how SkillsUSA transforms students into leaders, how CareerSafe is helping keep young workers safe on the job, and why the trades are proving to be the real higher education. If you’ve ever wondered how career education changes lives, this story says it all. Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to the Trade Traction Podca...
Send us a text In this episode, Dennis sits down with Collin at SkillsUSA 2025 in Atlanta to talk about how he turned a love for Legos into a thriving career — and how he’s stacking cash, investing 40% of his income, and planning to retire young through the trades. This one’s a masterclass in discipline, money, and motivation for anyone in the skilled trades. Timestamps (Main Highlights) 00:00 – Welcome to the Trade Traction Podcast Roadshow 00:25 – Meet Collin Raynor: 25-year-old HVAC tech...
Send us a text Description: From the SkillsUSA National Conference in Atlanta — Dennis sits down with Brian South from McWane Plumbing Group to break down everything you didn’t know about cast iron plumbing. Why it lasts longer, stays quieter, and can literally outlive your building. They also dive into how the next generation of tradespeople are changing the game and why taking risks in life pays off. If you’re in the trades or just curious how real infrastructure is built — this one’s wort...
Send us a text First female president of Georgia PHCC reveals the TRUTH about why parents hate the trades and how one company's "signing day" idea is changing everything. Karen Hill drops wisdom bombs about the trades crisis nobody's talking about: Parents comparing their kids like trophies while plumbers make $100K+ debt-free. TIMESTAMPS: 00:02:28 - First female PHCC president in Georgia history 00:05:45 - "The trades ARE higher education" 00:06:03 - 4-year apprenticeship vs 4-year college d...
Send us a text CHAPTERS: 00:00 The career-ending mistake hiding in plain sight 00:56 Why 1 in 5 plumbers will get fired THIS YEAR 02:42 Your 22-year-old apprentice just became uninsurable 03:43 One speeding ticket = $3,600 insurance nightmare 04:33 Even good plumbers make this fatal mistake 04:48 25 in a 20 zone destroyed my driving record 06:31 How smart plumbers keep their jobs (attorney secret) 07:04 From "fired" to "hired" - the faulty speedometer loophole 08:47 Why plumbers hide tickets ...
Send us a text John Zink from PHCC reveals the $1.2 MILLION secret fund that's paying people to learn trades. From an Indiana apprentice winning $10,000 to 40-year-olds getting second chances - this changes everything about paying for trade school. The Trade Traction Podcast | PHCC Connect Show Birmingham Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:44 - What is the PHCC Educational Foundation? 05:28 - Foreman Training That Sells Out in 1 HOUR 09:15 - FREE MONEY: How the Scholarship Progr...
Send us a text Chapters- 00:00 - Introduction to PHCC Connect Show 02:00 - Danny's First Trade Show Experience 04:18 - Why Contractors Need Trade Shows 07:00 - Tax Write-Offs & Business Growth 09:45 - Meet LMH Agency: Marketing for Contractors 12:40 - Using AI to Respond to Google Reviews 15:49 - AI CSRs: Answering Customer Calls 18:00 - Analytics & Lead Tracking Strategies 21:36 - How Contractors Make $150K+ on Yelp 23:04 - The Forbidde...
Send us a text Roger joins Dennis at the PHCC Future Leadership Summit to reveal why 97% of contractors don't know about the industry's most valuable resources. After 17 years in plumbing without knowing PHCC existed, Roger shares how his father-in-law's heart attack forced him into running a business with zero preparation. He exposes the shocking truth about parents blocking their kids from trades careers, despite knowing more millionaires in plumbing than any other business. Roger discusses...
Send us a text Tony sits down with Dennis at the PHCC Future Leadership Summit in Virginia to discuss why skilled tradespeople struggle financially despite earning good wages. He reveals the critical education gap in vocational schools that focus only on technical skills while ignoring personal finance, communication, and business fundamentals. Tony shares a memorable story about an apprentice who threatened to undercut his prices by 50%, and explains why most plumbing businesses fail within ...
Send us a text Todd Allred and Dennis The Apprentice of PHCC of Washington talk about the importance of culture in our Plumbing, Heating and Cooling businesses and the importance of quitting the right way so you become allies with your former boss instead of enemies. After doing full days in college and still needing to work in the trades just to stay afloat, Todd Allred realized something powerful: school wasn’t enough. This episode dives into the disconnect between traditional education a...
Send us a text My son Tyson joined me on the podcast for the first time. It was so interesting to here his perspective on his first time being at a trade show, especially being at SkillsUSA National Competition where over 15,000 students, who had won their State Competitions gathered to compete for National recognition. It was very impressive to see how so much industry came together and displayed all they are up to and how they support their perspective trades. Thank you to...
Send us a text Richard shares his philosophy for running a successful company plumbers actually want to work for The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit. Connect with me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064205912242 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dennistheapprentice Thank you once again for your support and don't forget to ...
Send us a text Dave speaks to why apprentice training is vital to the future of the trades, and what a great program looks like The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit. Connect with me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064205912242 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dennistheapprentice Thank you once again for your support and d...
Send us a text Danny shares how he found a niche in the trades The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating service contractors stop working for free and actually turn a profit. Connect with me on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennistheapprentice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064205912242 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dennistheapprentice Thank you once again for your support and don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this podcast with your ...
The Trade Traction Podcast with Dennis The Apprentice
Send us a text Are you a contractor, business owner, or trades professional looking to turn chaos into clarity and boost your bottom line? In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis Hamon reveals the single most powerful discipline that championship teams use—and most struggling businesses ignore: the weekly meeting. Through football analogies, real-life stories, and actionable advice, Dennis shares how regular check-ins, honest conversations, and tracking key metrics can transform your busine...
