Foundations for Contractors

How I Went From Dead-Broke Contractor To Successful Business Owner

You Can Do It Too - Even If You Don't Know Anything About Running A Business

I Couldn't Afford Ice Cream For My Kids

I'll never forget the feeling as I handed the cashier my credit card.

I was on vacation with my family- wife, daughter and two boys. The kids, who were pretty young at the time, spotted an ice cream shop and asked if we could go. They were so excited.

But I had a secret. My painting business was failing and I was dead broke. Too embarrassed to deny my kids excitement, we headed into the ice cream shop. My wife and I skipped the ice cream and instructed the kids to only get a single scoop each.

As the cashier ran my card, I prayed it would go through.

It's one of the lowest points in my life. I had failed as a provider.

How did this happen?

ME AND MY DAD

My Journey From Tradesman To Owner Begins

My name is Tom Reber, and I come from a family of tradesman. That's me and my dad in the picture.

My dad was a tile guy, my uncle and grandfather were painters.

They worked hard. Each day they'd come home tired, dirty, and stinking of a job site.

We were broke. I grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. It's an expensive place to live. My friends' dads were all doctors, lawyers, and dentists. I never had the money to hang with them.

In the summers, I worked for my uncle. At least as a painter I didn't have to crawl around on the floor and lug heavy boxes of tile.

I never wanted to be in the trades. It looked like a shitty option to me. So straight out of high school I joined the Marines.

When I got back from the Corps, I got a job in sales, selling rebar and other building materials. It paid the bills and I was pretty good at it, but I was never going to get rich.

A family friend needed his deck stained. I told him I could do it. A couple of days later I pocketed $1,800. This painting thing was easy!

I bought a beat up Ford van from my uncle for $1,200. He even threw in an extension ladder.

I was in business!

THE HOUSE THAT COST ME $45,000 TO PAINT, BUT THE CUSTOMER ONLY PAID $28,000

Skip To The Part Where I Get My Ass Kicked

I was hungry, spending hours every day knocking on doors and handing out business cards. I now had a crew to keep busy.

I thought I struck gold when I found that Bill didn't have a painter for his new 6,000 square foot home. I was even more excited when he agreed to hire me for $28,000 to paint the whole thing.

Bill was an attorney who was acting as the General Contractor for his house. It was the largest contract I had signed and I was certain this project would take my business to the next level. Instead it took me to a new level of hell.

Fast forward a year.

Bill didn't have a clue. There were delays. Subs walked off the job. There were more delays. Of course I didn't have a clue either.

The job was only supposed to take a few weeks to complete. But there I was still dealing with Bill and his special brand of crazy.

I stained the three story stairway three separate times because Bill didn't like the color. Then I found out he was color blind!!

I would paint a room at a time because nothing was ever ready. The jobsite was a mess. Several of my guys refused to go back to the house.

The stress was killing me.

Bill even called me on Christmas morning to yell at me...and I answered it!

My wife was not happy about that.

In the end, the job cost me $45,000 to produce.

The $28,000 contract barely covered HALF my costs. It was a $17,000 education in how NOT to run a construction business. It affected my health, my relationships, and had me thinking I was not a worthy human being.

I was trapped. Maybe this contracting thing wasn't for me.

When The Student Is Ready The Master Will Appear

It was an ad in the back of a trade magazine.

Business Coaching.

I had never thought about hiring a business coach. I'm not sure I even knew business coaching existed at the time.

But it made sense to me. I'd been a high school football player, wide receiver, for all four years. Football and the coaching staff were an important part of my life.

Many of the lessons Coach Rexilius taught me came up on a daily basis. I realized how much of an influence he had been.

Coach Rexilius showed me the importance of consistency and tenacity. He inspired me to not sit back. To attack the field and life.

I reasoned that a business coach could do the same for my business.

After all, I was failing at the basics. I needed to learn to block and tackle. Who better to teach me than someone who had been there before?

They say the master appears when the student is ready. I was more than ready. I was desperately looking for a life line and this was it.

I made the call.

MY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE WAS SO IMPORTANT TO ME THAT I WENT ON TO COACH FOR 20 YEARS

The Happy Ending

I won't go into all the details, but let me say, things turned out pretty well.

My new business coach showed me all the weak areas in my business. He helped me see that I was GROSSLY undercharging for my work.

He shifted my thinking about sales, marketing, and the numbers. I had been scared to know the truth but he showed me how the truth could truly set me free. I know it sounds cheesy...but it's true!

Now I'm not the smartest guy (I literally rode the short bus in grade school) but I was able to turn my failing business around.

Ten years later, I sold my half of the business to my partner so I could help other struggling contractors like me.

Since then I've gone on to coach thousands of contractors from all over the world. And what I find is that so many are missing the BASICS of business. They don't know how to block and tackle.

My goal is that every contractor learns this stuff. It literally changed my life. And the lives of my kids.

My family tree is forever changed because of what my business coach taught me.

But business coaching is too expensive for learning the basics. My one-on-one clients pay $50,000 per year to work with me.

That's great if you're bringing in $1,500,000 in revenue. But what if you're just starting out or struggling to turn a profit?

I created a self-directed program just for you...

FOUNDATIONS

The Basics of Business For Contractors Who Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet

Know Your Numbers, Change Your Thinking, Start A New Chapter

Most contractors in America make about $55,000 per year. That's ridiculous.

For the skills you have and the risks you take, you should make $100,000/year MINIMUM.

The FOUNDATIONS program is the training you need to get there.

Discover how to...

Price and produce your work so you'll never lose money on a project again
Look at money differently (Hint - you don't think about money the same why your customers do)
Gain the confidence to stand firm on your pricing and win high profit jobs
Find customers willing to pay your new prices
Read accounting statements so you'll know where your profit leaks occur
Stop stealing from your family and build a business they're proud of

Imagine what your life will be like when you're making the same income many doctors earn.

Imagine the time freedom.

Imagine the pride you'll feel knowing you're making a positive contribution in your community.

In this 6-module video training, Tom covers…

YOUR BUSINESS GOALS
It's important to understand why you're building a business. Everyone's reasons are different but far too often we're following the blueprint someone else laid out. Build the business YOU want.

YOUR MONEY MINDSET
Most contractors have really messed up thinking around money. They say things like "I want to be FAIR to my customers" while they're really stealing from their family.

GET THE NUMBERS RIGHT
Unless you have a degree in business, you probably don't understand the language of business math. Tom breaks down in plain English all the pieces that make your business money.

PRICING YOUR PROJECTS
Odds are, you're drastically undercharging for what you do. Most contractors are. Tom shows you some simple hacks to getting the pricing right so you turn a profit on EVERY job.

BUILD YOUR NETWORK
Nothing happens until the phone rings. Learn how to build an influencer network that sends you work every week.

DISCIPLINE TO EXECUTE
The biggest difference maker between successful and unsuccessful contractors is their ability to execute. You can study, learn, and listen to thousands of podcasts, but if you don't take action it won't mean a thing. Discover Tom's framework for making shit happen consistently.

BONUS - THE IMPORTANCE OF KPIs
There's so many important numbers to track in a business. But what really moves the needle? Tom lays out his 5 favorite numbers to track and how tracking them will change your business. Winners track!

BONUS - FIVE DAY SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE
Tom's social media challenge has instantly made sales for hundreds of contractors. Tom gives you THE SCRIPT to share with your social media network that will get the phone ringing in a hurry!

INCLUDES 19 WORKSHEETS AND TOOLS

Use the beautifully designed worksheets, checklists, and tools to grow your business.

Run the numbers using Tom's methods.
See how simple changes can make huge gains in your business.
Follow along on your spreadsheet as Tom shows you how to calculate important metrics in your business
Work through the process of growing your business at your own pace

The Entire Foundations Program is Available for a One-Time Payment of Only $397

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Tom Reber and The Contractor Fight can not and does not make any guarantees about your ability to get results or earn any money with our ideas, information, tools, or strategies. Nothing on this page, any of our websites, or any of our content or curriculum is a promise or guarantee of results or future earnings, and we do not offer any legal, medical, tax or other professional advice. Any financial numbers referenced here, or on any of our sites, are illustrative of concepts only and should not be considered average earnings, exact earnings, or promises for actual or future performance.