#144 Why Your Estimates Are Killing Your Margins

#149 Stop Pricing Like an Employee

In this episode, Aaron breaks down the #1 mistake killing sign shop profits — underbidding your own work. From the employee mindset that keeps you pricing too low to the fear of losing deals that actually should walk away, Aaron shares the hard lessons every business owner needs to hear. 🔥 Topics Covered: * Why trading time for money destroys your growth * The four mindset traps keeping your prices low * Why winning 80%+ of your bids means you're failing * How to stop feeling guilty about your prices * The 20% test (pick one service, raise it, send ten proposals) 📣"You are hurting your company far worse than any material cost change. You are underbidding your company's work." 🌐 Follow Aaron on LinkedIn [linkedin.com/in/aaronclippinger/] | Instagram [instagram.com/theacmethod] | Web [aaronclippinger.com] 🔔 Don't forget to subscribe for more episodes of The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil.Go to squarecoil.com [https://squarecoil.com/] to streamline your custom industry today.

#148 Your Shop Is Hoarding Tools (And It’s Costing You Thousands)

Do you actually know how many tools are in your installers' trucks? Aaron Clippinger recently discovered 14 Hilti drills in his shop—for only 6 installers. In this episode, he dives into the massive "blind spot" of equipment mismanagement and the cultural issue of employees hiding broken tools. Aaron reveals the new SquareCoil "Resources" feature: a Home Depot-style tracking system that monitors machine hours, repair costs, and utilization. Learn how to use data to decide between a warranty repair or a trash can, and why 50% utilization on a crane truck means you need a better calendar, not a new vehicle. 🔥 Topics Covered: * The Hilti Audit: Facing the reality of over-equipped shops. * The "Broken Tool" Phenomenon: Why employees won't tell you when things break. * Forecasting with Section 179: Spending profit on machinery before tax season hits. * Utilization vs. Waste: The 90% rule for buying new equipment. * OSHA Preparedness: Digital records for ladder and safety gear maintenance. 📣 "Good data equals good decisions. Stop leaving utilization on the table.". 🌐 Follow Aaron on Linkedin linkedin.com/in/aaronclippinger/ [http://linkedin.com/in/aaronclippinger/] 🌐 Follow Aaron on Instagram instagram.com/theacmethod [http://instagram.com/theacmethod] 🌐 Go to Aaron's webpage aaronclippinger.com [http://aaronclippinger.com/] 🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more episodes of The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com [https://squarecoil.com/] to streamline your custom industry today.

#146 Your Competitors Are Your Best Salespeople

In this episode, Aaron sits down with Rick Goyette, owner of All Mark Signs and Graphics, to discuss the "total teardown" of a legacy family business. Rick shares how he applied 30 years of corporate operations experience to move All Mark from a safety signage focus to a high-end custom project management powerhouse. They dive deep into the modern realities of the sign world: why answering the phone is your greatest competitive advantage, how to successfully manage a global remote design team, and when to pull the trigger on vertical integration for in-house installation and UL certification. 🔥 Topics Covered: * Transitioning from corporate executive to small business owner. * The "Responsive" Edge: Winning business by just saying hello. * Scaling with remote talent in a "hands-on" industry. * Strategic Vertical Integration for safety and quality control. * Leveraging peer networks to handle national property accounts. 📣 Growth is about being found and being responsive. If you aren't doing both, you're leaving 50% of your orders on the table. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/in/aaronclippinger/]⁠ | ⁠Instagram [http://instagram.com/theacmethod]⁠ | ⁠Web⁠ [http://aaronclippinger.com] 🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com [https://squarecoil.com/] to streamline your custom industry today.

#145 You Are the Bottleneck in Your Own Company

Are you the most valuable person in your company, or its biggest obstacle? In this episode, Aaron Clippinger explains why being "busy" is the biggest lie entrepreneurs tell themselves. He reveals the exact framework he uses to "fire himself" every year to ensure he isn't the cog stopping his company's gears. Learn the "Keep, Coach, Kill, Replace" audit and how to use the 80/20 rule to move mountains instead of just putting out fires. 🔥 Topics Covered: * The 21-Day Test: Can your business survive without you? * Busy vs. Valuable: Breaking the reflex of "running into burning buildings". * AI SOPs: How to document your job in 30 seconds. * The Fire Yourself Ad: Writing the job description for your own replacement. 📣 Your company doesn't need more of you—it needs less of you and more of your vision.  🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/in/aaronclippinger/]⁠ | ⁠Instagram [http://instagram.com/theacmethod]⁠ | ⁠Web⁠ [http://aaronclippinger.com] 🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com [https://squarecoil.com/] to streamline your custom industry today.

#144 Why Your Estimates Are Killing Your Margins

Fresh off the massive success at the ISA Expo, Aaron is pulling back the curtain on the most requested feature of the new SquareCoil platform: Precision Cost Accounting. In this episode, we move past the "cool AI tricks" and get into the brutal reality of shop floor labor, scope cards, and the human factor. Aaron discusses why your team—no matter how technical—has no excuse for not tracking data, and how having those data points allows you to reward your top performers and make smarter machinery investments. 🔥 Topics Covered: * The ISA Expo Recap: Why the reception of the new platform was a humbling "artist's moment". * The Human Factor: Why one-off custom builds defy standard algorithms. * Scope Cards: Gaining granular visibility into every department of a project. * The 16-Year-Old Rule: Why tracking data is simpler than your team thinks. * Incentivizing Speed: How to turn project data into departmental wins. 📣 You can't manage what you don't measure. Stop reinventing the wheel and start tracking your data. 🌐 Follow Aaron on ⁠LinkedIn [http://linkedin.com/in/aaronclippinger/]⁠ | ⁠Instagram [http://instagram.com/theacmethod]⁠ | ⁠Web⁠ [http://aaronclippinger.com] 🔔 Subscribe for more raw business insights and expert breakdowns on The AC Method! The AC Method is hosted by Aaron Clippinger and sponsored by SquareCoil. Go to squarecoil.com [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://squarecoil.com] to streamline your custom industry today.