Control freak habits — Is it helping or hindering your business?

Ange
I remember the day that I first started. Working with you at Dr. Drip. So like many of you partners, the wives inside their business, you’re perhaps at your own corporate job. And there comes a time where either organically you’ve come into the business is what we see when someone perhaps has given up their career and had a baby or whatever and has, you know, been sucked in, in my situation with asked with Dr. Drip, Andy’s business had grown to such a point that he kept saying, Ange, I really need you now. Ange, I really need you now. It’s really time you actually gave up your job, or you’ve really gotta come and give me a hand. Got a team of five. We’re sitting on the floor. I’m trying to get everything done and it’s just time to give it up. So I remember, 2004. 

Andy
Wow. You’re going back a bit. 

Ange
I am . Oh God. I’d been working in my job as a national sponsorship manager, traveling all around Australia. I was hardly ever home managing a budget of three and a half mill, so I said, okay, I’m ready. I’m ready to come and give you a hand, and, and I gave up my career to come and work with Andy full-time. And I remember having a fight with you over placing an Ad in the local Manly Daily for $365. . Do you remember that?

Andy
Uh, yeah, I do remember that. I can’t believe you did that without asking me first.  . 

Ange
And I remember just losing my mind saying, hang on a minute, you want me here? But then you don’t let me do the things that you actually asked me to come to do. You said I want you to do, uh, like take over all the marketing cuz that’s kind of where you’ve come from. But for me to do something so tiny and it wasn’t even worth a lot of money. 

Andy
Yeah. I was a complete control freak. There’s no doubt about it. And, um, that’s the way I ran my business and I wanted the help and I wanted you to be involved and I knew you were gonna be amazing for our business but looking back on it, everything had to go through me. 

Ange
Yeah, get, I get it. 

Andy
Every thought and the fact that you placed an ad, I know it was only $365, which is crazy now, but how dare you put an ad in without me looking at it? So yes, I’ll put my hand up. Complete control freak it.

Ange
I know it wasn’t the ad in actual fact that you were cranky about, I totally understand that you feel like you were losing control and it was something you weren’t used to. So I’m sure a lot of tradies out there kind of feel the same way. Have you got anything to share with that?

Andy
Hundred percent. And I, and I see it time and time again. I talk to so many tradies and they’ve been in the same boat, and they’re like, I need a hand. I need a hand. I need a hand. But then all of a sudden, people come in to help and it’s even worse when it’s a partner, right? And then it causes arguments and the partner’s like but you want my help, just let it be. And many times I’ve dealt with businesses, um, with the husband and also the wife, and being a bit of a marriage counselor in between, because I get it from both sides. I really do. But it’s very, very important in all businesses to make sure your office is run correctly. Yes, the trade is out there doing the work. That’s important too. But the office part of it is just so important and most people come in to help their husband, but they don’t. The husband tradies were a bit pigheaded and we just don’t wanna listen. And I was definitely one of those, put my hand up. 

Ange
So in thinking back, do you reckon being a control freak yourself actually helped or hindered the business?

Andy
Well, it does both, to be honest. Um, when you talk about helping, you know, you don’t rely on anyone when you’ve got a small business, it’s you. You gotta get the shit done and no one else can get it done and you will do it and you’ll do it the right way. But where it actually hindered as well is when there’s only so many hours in a day and when you wear so many hats. You know, the HR hat, the employee hat, the bookkeeping hat. When you wear so many hats, you just can’t do it all yourself. So you just have to let go and you’ve gotta give up that control freak attitude. You know, I knew I had to focus on the business every day. I was caught up in the business, but if you wanted to grow your business, you just needed to get help. And I just really struggled a little bit in that path time. But uh, definitely these days, well, we all know the story there with what I do in the business, not much . 

Ange
So knowing what you know now and the fact that you acknowledge that you were a control freak, that it did somewhat prevent some progress. When you think about a lot of the guys we work with are like husband and wife teams or have actually lent on help to a certain degree, what advice would you give to others to ensure that they don’t go down the same path? 

Andy
ell, firstly, I wanna say to my fellow brothers and tradies out there, we are control freaks. There’s an element that we have that control freak attitude, but if you want to grow your business, you gotta acknowledge that you just can’t do it yourself. If you wanna stay in a one man show, then do that. But if you wanna grow your business, you need help, you need a great team around you, and you’ve just gotta let go. You know, and I think that’s the big thing because you’ve gotta spend more time working on the business than working in the business. And if you don’t let go a little, it’s really hard and you’ve gotta be able to delegate all those tasks that take up so much of your time. And as I said, the only way to do that is relinquish. Jamiah you, geez, I’m terrible at saying words. So anyone that knows, relinquish, relinquish, , and uh, and then go down that path. And if you can do that, you can start to get those benefits and grow the business. I think there’s still an element. I’ve still got elements of control freak about me, but I’ve let go so much and I’ll just let everyone do their role.

Ange
We might come back to that in just a minute, but, okay. For now, I just wanna tell a little story, I suppose, cuz this is what happens with a lot of tradies. So we see trade business owners get really busy, and you were the same. So over the course of time, you started on your own, you built up a lot of work, you needed more tradies to work for you, so trades more contractors. And so your team grew and you got a combination of qualified guys and apprentices, and you asked them to do it your way because you didn’t have any systems. You pretty much just verbally dire the way you wanted things to operate, right? So guess what happens? 

Andy
Definitely. 

Ange
They call you every time they have a question. They may have made decisions on their own and perhaps you didn’t like their decisions and would step in because you liked things getting done your way, but they literally did start calling you all the time and asking you hundreds and hundreds of questions. How did that make you feel? 

Andy
I think at the beginning I actually loved it because it was almost like, well, no one can do anything in my business without me, and I’m so special. I’m such a special person. But it actually wore me down and I realized, oh my God, can’t you tradies think for yourself? And what I’d realized for years, I’d trained them that they had to go through me to get the answer. And then all of a sudden I hit the wall and I was like, I can’t deal with this anymore. So, you know, you’ve really gotta understand. What you are doing with your team, and don’t train them to not make decisions. You know, that’s why you employ them, is to take that load off you. And if you don’t let them do that, then you’ve gotta be that typical business owner that works to these 70 stressed, never happy, grumpy because you’re trying to do everything yourself. And I have to say, as you get older, you just can’t physically keep all that information in your head and do it all. You just can’t. And I can see it and nor should you. No and nor should you, but I can see it. When we’re in our twenties, in our thirties, you sort of can get away with it, but once you hit your forties, It’s a whole nother level. I know I sound like an old man. I’m sorry, but I, I, I honestly think it’s true. And I talk to so many tradies and they say the same thing. 

Ange
Yeah, I hear you. So what I find really interesting with that is you loved the power, you loved the fact that all the tradies actually would call you for questions, and then you got to a point that you hated it because that every, all the decisions had to go through you, and I think the thing to remember here is you’ve employed qualified tradesmen to allow them to make decisions on their own. So you need to guide them and the apprentices, you need to train them. So you need to ensure that they’re following things your way. So I’d like to ask you a question because I’m sure it will help everyone that’s listening. If you have a group of tradies now who are in your team and they’re calling you with questions every single time, they have to make a decision and you are answering the question. So they then therefore get on with their work. But now it’s happened. Say five guys are calling you, what would you do? Like what do you do now to ensure that they are empowered to make decisions moving forward?

Andy
Yeah. Well, obviously now I don’t have that, but in the past when I had that, I realized I had to change it and was like, well, what am I gonna do? And I realized I was just giving them the answer every single time. So then what happened? The tradies would ring me and say, Hey, I’m on this job and this is what’s going on. What do you think I should do? And I’d say, Uh, I’m not really sure. What do you think you should do? And he goes, oh, well that’s why I’m ringing you. And I said, yeah. I said, well, why don’t you have another look at what’s going on? Think of two examples of what you could do to fix that. Then give me a ring back. Yep. That was a hangup signal . And um, and then they’d give me a ring back and go, okay, I’m on the job. I can either do A, or I can either do B. And I’d go, well, which one do you think’s right? And they’d go, oh, uh, um, I said, Hey, ring me back when you know which one’s right? Beep. And then they’d ring me back, okay, I’ve decided, or they didn’t ring me. I decided I’m going with, Hey, great. Do A, so it was training them to make the decisions. And what I realized was it was just people feeling that they couldn’t make a decision without going through me. Deep down, they knew the answer. 

Ange
Well, got lazy. 

Andy
They got lazy, but it was just easier to ask me than actually go make the decision themselves, you know?

Ange
Right. 

Andy
But then all of a sudden they started making the decision themselves, and it was a different business from then on, because they were licensed tradies. They knew what to do, but I, it was just like a hand holding exercise, you know? 

Ange
And so coach them to call with two options with a solution and choose the solution that they think is best. What happens if they say, here are my two options. I’ve got solution A or solution B, and I’m gonna go with solution A. And what happens if in your heart of hearts it should be B? 

Andy
I’d tell you to them, okay, well I can understand why you’ve picked A, but why? Tell me why. And then they’d tell me. I go and tell me why B’S not good. And then they’d tell you, and then when they’re actually explaining, you go, okay, here, what you’re just saying there. So you’re guiding them and you’re coaching ’em through the situation. And if for some reason they don’t get it, you go, listen, be is definitely the answer. And this is why. This is what you need to do.

Ange
What happens if something happens? Like a mistake happens. There’s a fault. 

Andy
Well, that’s life. And I think the big thing is there’s a lot of business owners that think that their tradies are gonna be perfect all the time, and they’ve gotta run through you. So they are, but I train my guys to make decisions, and if they make decisions and it’s wrong, I’d go to them and go, well, that was wrong. What happened, guys? Well, this is the situation. I’d go, okay, well, I’m not upset that you made a decision or it’s wrong, but what I am really clear on is that you’d never, ever make that mistake. 

Ange
Yeah, so help them learn from it. And so not just talk to them individually, but talk to the entire team. 

Andy
Yeah, talk to the whole team. Listen, as business owners, we all know we look at a solution. We have that, okay, we’re gonna do it this way. Sometimes we make mistakes. That’s just life. And if you do, you adapt along the way and you fix it along the way, and that’s what you do. And you’ll learn from that. And you won’t make that same mistake again. Talk to your team. Make sure they all understand as well. 

Ange
And this is where systems can really kick in. Can’t they? 

Andy
Oh yeah. Systems are extremely important. I, I’ll just say for our business, I don’t teach a plumber how to systemize being a plumber. You know, there are probably certain jobs we talk about. But normally we’re systemizing the way the whole office runs, the systems the guys need to use to use their job management platform and going down all of that. But I don’t teach them how to be a good plumber. 

Ange
No. But we do teach them about sales tactics and what to do when they get on site and how to address a customer. So looking at things like the trust escalator and how to communicate with people so that side of it can be systemized. But what’s important here is teach these tradies how to actually operate the way you want them to, and actually just let them get on with it. Give them responsibility instead of you being like this mother hen, being this control freak and thinking like you have to be everywhere all the time because you can’t have an operator, successful business that’s profitable if you are like that. It’s impossible. 

Andy
Yeah, it is impossible. And there, there’s no doubt there’s people listening to this now just saying, well, yes, I am a control freak because I’m the only one that does it right. And, and by the time I show someone how to do it the right way, I might as well have just done it myself. And that’s a common thing to say, but once you train these people and you teach them, they won’t have to ask you again. And then you start getting your life back. And I think that’s the big thing about being able to let go.

Ange
Able to let go. Start enjoying your life and getting your time back inside your business, which is one of the reasons why you started your business, don’t you think so? Hey, question, do you reckon now years, years on, you know, within business, are you a control freak now? 

Andy
I think that I am better . I, um, oh listen, there’s no doubt I’ve still got a bit of control freak tendencies, but I’m not micromanaging everyone and I think that’s what control freaks a lot of the time do. There’s still elements. I mean, I’m not involved in the Dr. Drip plumbing business that much, about an hour a week within Lifestyle Tradie, you know, obviously I’ve got certain team members that are doing certain things for me, so I’ve let go of a lot of that but deep down, I still know what I want and I want to get that result. And sometimes I can be a little bit of a control freak. , let me ask you, Ange, do you think I’m still a little bit of a control freak? 

Ange
Uh, I would say yes, but when I say that I think it’s your natural tendency to know what’s going on. Yet in saying that you are really good at delegating now. I think you’ve gone the other way, and I think for all of us, I think that’s just a learning curve over time, that if you really wanna step up and you know, get to a position whereby you truthfully have freedom inside your business, which is what we are all as trade business owners trying to reach, then it is progress, right? You need to implement how to get your business model right, how to employ the right people and provide structure and systems and processes and train them. Create a really great culture so that these guys really do step up. And then the way that you can find or seek control now outta the business is having these metrics inside the business like KPIs and looking at financials inside the business. And this is where numbers become really important. So I think, I know you’ve hit that level. It’s a way that. I definitely see you keeping control about Dr. Drip is keeping in contact with the boys so that you are still that culture piece so that they still touch you and you are still the face and the voice and the future, the vision, but it’s the metrics from those boys that help you have control of that business. Yeah, I feel. 

Andy
Yeah, agreed and all our team, they have their set KPIs of what they’re gotta hit and what they’ve gotta do. And our office has KPIs of what they’re gonna do. And we do sit down every month and go over all the metrics. And I suppose I am very much in control of that. Um, the day-to-day going on in the business, I do not get involved. Maybe, well I don’t even get involved If there’s a problem these days, you know, our team knows how to fix it. We’ve got structures, we’ve got systems, we’ve got everything around what needs to be done. And neither, we go ahead and, and do it. I don’t need to get involved. So listen, that’s the place you want to get to. You need to let go to grow your business. You gotta have an incredible team around you as well. 

Ange
Confidence in those guys.

Andy
Yeah. I mean, you can’t let go if you’ve got drop kicks as staff members. And I know that sounds hard, but I think you’ll resignate with that. You’ve gotta have the right team around you. For you to let go and train them to be able to do what you normally do. 

Ange
Great subject to this one, I think, because I do think it resonates a lot with trade business owners and contractors everywhere. We do have this conversation all the time. I’d love to actually hear from everyone listening today, just really sit down and reflect on your own control freak tendencies and how they’re probably showing up inside your business and how perhaps you can work out how to let go a little bit so that you can kind of get your life back. What does that look like? 

Andy
Yeah, I think, um, I had someone say to me the other day that, you know, oh, you went away with your mates. We went up Darwin fishing, and we’re all business owners. And they’re like, Ooh, how did that go? You know, like, because you get business owners that are used to being control freaks and having decision makers, having decision makers having it their way. But I think all of us are so established in our business now. That we are like, we’re on holidays, we don’t give a shit. And it was like, you make a decision. I don’t wanna make a decision. You make a decision. So it went the other way, which was really interesting and it was certainly a great time as well.

Ange
Yeah. So I agree. I see that even now with the fact that you only ever wear black, it’s like, take one decision out of my life and I just wanna wear the same clothes.

Andy
Yeah, I don’t how that all sort of happened, but for some reason I’ve started wearing black a lot over the years and Yeah, and everyone gives it to me big time, don’t they?

Ange
Well, you know, I think there’s some, uh, method to your madness. I think trade business owners, and look, all of us really, you make so many decisions in a day that if you can just lighten the load a little bit, is, uh, a really good thing. 

Andy
Yeah, well, I got my black t-shirt, so I’ve only got 42 now. I counted the other day, so that’s what it is. But guys, I hope you loved listening to this episode today, being a control freak. Think about it, if you are one, how are you gonna change? Because if you don’t change, you’ll be a one man show forever. So that’s all from us today. Until next time. 

Ange
Hell yeah!

Andy
Hell yeah!