The Trade Traction Podcast with Dennis The Apprentice
The Podcast that helps plumbing and heating contractors stop working for free and actually make a profit!
Episodes
59 episodes
Don't Take Slow Times Lying Down
🚨 Slow Season in Your Plumbing Business? Here’s Exactly What To Do.In this episode, we break down practical plumbing marketing strategies to keep your phones ringing, your technicians busy, and your business growing — even during slow pe...
Your Hiring Problem Has a Solution—Here's What Works
If you're tired of hiring people who say they know the trade… but then you realize they only know one small part of the job, this episode is for you.Most contractors aren’t struggling because of lack of work… they’re struggling because ...
Stuck in Stage 2? Here's Why You're Not Making Money
If you own a plumbing business and feel like you're working hard but still not making money, this episode explains why most plumbing companies get stuck before reaching real profit.In this Trade Traction episode, plumbing contractors wil...
Tired of Being Busy and Broke? Here's What To Change
If you're a plumbing contractor staying busy every day but still wondering why there’s no money left at the end of the month, this episode of Trade Traction breaks down exactly why busy does not always mean profitable.In th...
Tired of Spinning Your Wheels? 5 Moves Profitable Plumbers Make
If you're a plumbing contractor working hard every day but still wondering where the money went, this episode of Trade Traction is for you.In this episode, we break down five practical moves that can help turn a busy plumbing company in...
Most Contractors Stay Broke Because of Isolation
In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis sits down with Jason, incoming PCCC National President, to talk about leadership, contractor relationships, trade shows, and what it really takes to grow in the plumbing, heating, and cooling industry.<...
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Billable Rate Vs. Hourly Rate - Which One Makes You Money?
Are you a plumbing contractor tired of working for free?Welcome to Trade Traction — the podcast dedicated to helping plumbing contractors finally turn a profit and build the company they once dreamed of.In this episo...
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Why the Trades Quietly Create Real Wealth
You didn’t get into the trades to work nonstop and still feel broke.In this episode of Trade Traction, Dennis sits down with Ken Smith, Incoming National President of MSI, to talk about what actually creates long-term traction in the tr...
How a $12M Plumbing Company Actually Made Money
f you’re a plumbing, HVAC, or drain cleaning contractor working nonstop but still barely making money, this episode will hit close to home.Dennis sits down with Kimberly Keane, former co-owner of a $12M plumbing & heating company, t...
Why Plumbing Owners Get Stuck Babysitting Their Business
Why is it getting harder every year to find good people in the trades?In this podcast, Brian breaks down the real issues behind the skilled labor shortage — from why fewer young people are entering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work to...
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Stop Burning Hours in the Field (It's Killing Your Margins)
Plumbing and HVAC contractors are working longer hours — yet margins aren’t improving.In this episode, Dennis breaks down why.On the Trade Traction Podcast, Dennis sits down with Susan, CEO of Rapid Locking Systems (RLS), to expose ...
Contractors Are Ignoring this $152,000 Workforce Fix
Contractors say they can’t afford to hire apprentices.What if the money was already there, and you just didn’t know about it?In this episode of the Trade Traction Podcast, Dennis sits down with John Zink, who runs the PHCC Education...
Why Contractors Lose Money When They Work Alone
Contractors aren’t losing money because they’re bad at business.They’re losing money because they’re alone.Every year, new rules, codes, and regulations quietly cut into your margins, and most contractors just absorb the cost. Not b...
How I Stopped Working for Free and How You Can Too.
Too many plumbing contractors are busy, stressed, and broke — working harder every year but still not turning a profit.In this episode of the Trade Traction Podcast, Dennis shares the hard-earned truth he wishes someone had...
The One Discipline That Transforms Contractors: Weekly Meetings for Real Business Growth
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—...
Are Competitors Enemies or Friends
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 ...
Stop Working for Free: The Simple 3-Part Fix to Finally Make Money
🔥 If you’re tired of working for free, this episode will finally give you clarity — and a path to real profit.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:22 Why payroll always feels like a crisis03:40 The 3-Prong Profit Problem06:20 Expense ...
It's Your Responsibility to be profitable.
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...
She Changed The Game, Now You Can Letter In A Trade
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 sport...
They Told Me 'Don't Be a Plumber'... Now I Make More Than My College Counselor
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 sho...
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From Student to Leader in the Trades | Robin Reiling
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 help...
He Skipped College and Built Wealth in the Trades
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 t...
The 100 Year Old Material That BEATS Modern Plumbing
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 l...
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