Business Coaching for Trades & Trade Businesses
Build a Profitable, Systemized Trade Business That Runs Without You
Coaching for trade entrepreneurs and small trade businesses ready to scale, increase margins, and take back control of their time.
Business Coaching for Trades to Build a Scalable, Profitable Business
Running a trade business today means juggling jobs, managing crews, handling clients, and trying to stay profitable in a competitive market.
This coaching is for the owner who has outgrown working alone. You may have one employee or a few crews, but the question is the same: how to make the business pay you properly and keep running when you are on a job somewhere else.
Every trade business starts the same way: one person who is very good at the work and then gets asked to do the quoting, the scheduling, the invoicing and the hiring as well. The first employee makes the owner’s day longer before it makes it shorter, and the hourly rate that looked fine when you worked alone often does not cover the van, the tools, the insurance, the admin and the hours nobody pays for.
At Starfish Coaching we work as a home service business coach and trade business coach for owners, whether you say tradie, tradesman or contractor, and across trades from electricians, plumbers and HVAC to roofers, painters, landscapers and carpenters. Eric Lee coaches you on the parts every trade shares: pricing from real costs, a first team that does not depend on you, and a week that is planned instead of reacted to.
Not sure where to start? Our Business Health Check is a great first step to assess where your business stands.
Why Trade Businesses Need Coaching to Scale Smarter, Not Harder
Skill is rarely the problem in a trade business. The problem is that pricing, scheduling, quality and cash collection all sit with the person who is also on the tools.
How Our Business Coaching for Trades Works
Trade entrepreneurs often get stuck:
- Quoting from memory because there is no price list or costed rate
- Fixing mistakes and rework that nobody pays for
- Chasing payments while wages and materials have already gone out
- Working long hours with no weekly plan and no one to hand work to
Coaching breaks that cycle by giving you a costed rate, a weekly plan and a clear way to hand work to other people.
Discovery Call
Understand your business, challenges, and growth goals
Strategic Planning
Build a tailored growth plan for your trade business
Weekly Coaching Sessions
Implement systems, improve operations, stay accountable
Outcome Evaluation
Track progress and refine your strategy
Tired of Doing Everything Yourself? It’s Time to Scale Smarter.
What Coaching for Trade Businesses Helps You Fix
Inconsistent Cash Flow & Low Margins
Your hourly rate has to cover the van, the tools, the insurance, the admin and the hours you cannot bill, as well as your own wage. We work out what an hour really costs, price from it, and show you which kinds of work pay and which only keep people busy.
Disorganized Jobs & Constant Firefighting
A job that starts without a scope, a materials list and a named person in charge turns into a daily phone call. We set up a simple start-up routine, a weekly schedule and a way to deal with changes, so fewer problems reach you.
A Team That Relies on You for Everything
The first hire is the hardest. We help you decide what to hand over first, write down how you like the work done and agree how you will check it, so your team can act without waiting for you.
Long Hours with No Freedom
Owners often charge for the hours they are on site and give away the rest: quoting, ordering, calls and invoicing. We help you put a price on that time, move some of it to other people and protect time for the work only you can do.
Who This Coaching for Trades Is Perfect For
You're not alone. Most trade owners we work with are in one of these situations.
You are the tradesperson and the boss
You are still on the tools for most of the week and do the paperwork in the evenings.
You are hiring your first or second employee
You are not sure what to hand over, how to train them or how to pay for them.
You run several crews or trades
Work is coming in, but scheduling and quality control are done from memory.
You have a small trade business and bigger plans
You want a price list, a plan for the year and a business that does not stop when you do.
How it Works
Step 1: Assessment + Strategy
We map your costs, your pricing and your week to find where time and money are leaking, and we set clear one-year and three-year targets.
Step 2: 90-Day Growth Plan
Targets become 90-day actions with an owner and a date: a costed rate, a job start-up checklist and a weekly plan.
Step 3: Weekly Accountability
We meet weekly to check progress, clear what is in the way and keep the new routines going on live jobs.
Why Work with a Business Coach for Trade Owners?
Meet Eric Lee, a Business Coach for Trade Business Owners
A trade business can look very different from one trade to the next, and the owner’s problems still look alike. This coaching works on the shared ones first: pricing, people, cash and a weekly rhythm.
Eric Lee has more than 25 years in design and construction behind him and led a team of fifty-five as CEO and Design Director of VictorEric Group. He has worked with contractors, builders and trade business owners who wanted a company that is structured, scalable and not dependent on them.
What Makes Our Coaching for Trades Different?
Industry-Specific Coaching
Built for businesses that quote jobs, schedule crews and chase payment, not for offices or online businesses.
Systems Over Motivation
We put a costed rate, a job checklist and a weekly plan in place, and then check that they are used.
Tailored to Your Business
No cookie-cutter strategies
Execution-Focused
We make sure changes actually happen
Who Business Coaching for Trades Is For
This is for you if:
- You own a trade business that quotes jobs, schedules crews and collects payment
- You feel stuck managing everything
- You want to scale without burnout
- You want a costed rate, a price list and a weekly plan you can rely on
- You’re serious about long-term growth
It does not matter whether you work alone with a helper or run three crews. The work starts from the business you have.
Construction & Trades Coaching Testimonials from Clients Like You
Real Results Trade Businesses Achieve With Coaching
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Higher Revenue and Better Margins
A costed hourly rate and a price list mean you know what each kind of job should earn before you quote it. -
Stronger Teams
People who know what good looks like, and who checks it, take ownership instead of waiting for instructions. -
Less Owner Stress
A planned week and fewer calls that only you can answer give you time back. -
A Scalable Business Model
A company that runs on routines can take on a second crew without doubling your hours.
The Investment in Your Trade Business Growth
Choose the right coaching program for your business stage.
Private Trades Business Coaching
"Timeblock" Pricing-
($3,200 for 10 sessions)
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Ideal for companies with 3+ staff
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Provides more coaching help to overcome larger issues
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Best value
Hourly Business Coaching for Trades
"pick-my-brain" session-
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Ideal for companies of all sizes
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Great for tapping into my knowledge and experience
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Most flexible option with no commitment
FAQs About Business Coaching for Trades
Eric meets with you weekly to work on the business side of your trade: your real cost of an hour, how you price and quote, how work is handed to your team, and how you review the numbers. We begin with the part that is costing you the most.
No. Many owners start with one employee or a helper, and a costed rate and a simple weekly plan are easier to put in place while the business is small.
It depends on how quickly changes go in. A costed rate and a better quote show up on the next job you price, while habits like handing work to your team build over months of weekly practice.
Yes. We coach owners in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, painting, landscaping, carpentry, as well as builders, general contractors and architects. This page is for owners who work across trades or run a trade that has no page of its own.
Yes. The coaching is delivered by video call, so tradies and trade owners in Canada, the US, Australia, the UK and elsewhere can work with Eric. The Business Health Check is a good first step.
Other Coaching Programs for Builders & Contractors
Insights to Grow Your Trades Business
Ready to Scale Your Trade Business?
Tell us what your week looks like and where the money goes. We will talk through your goals and agree a first step, with no pressure to buy.
For the wider picture, read about Construction Business Coaching, or take the free Business Scorecard to see where your business stands in eight minutes.
Tradie, tradesman, trades business owner or contractor, whatever word you use at home, the challenge of moving from doing the work to running the business is the same in every trade. This coaching is for trade business owners anywhere.