Most tradesmen don’t fail because they’re bad at the trade.
They fail because they keep doing the same shit… and expecting different results.

In this episode of the Off The Tools Podcast, Wayne Bettess and Andy Jones break down 9 practical, proven things that will radically improve both your business AND your life — but only if you actually take action.

This isn’t theory.
Every single point has been tested, implemented, and lived by lads inside Off The Tools. 🛠️

Inside this episode, we cover:

🔹 Why raising your standards must come before raising your prices
🔹 Picking a lane based on your strengths — not ego
🔹 How recurring revenue gives you breathing room (and sleep)
🔹 Why systems beat hustle every single time
🔹 Getting paid upfront and protecting yourself with paper trails 📄
🔹 Why hiring admin earlier than feels “comfortable” is a power move
🔹 Marketing consistently — even when you’re flat out 📈
🔹 Thinking lifetime value, not one-off jobs
🔹 And why upgrading the man is just as important as upgrading the business 💪🧠

If you’re busy but broke…
If you’re grafting but not getting ahead…
If you want more time, freedom, profit, and control…

👉 This episode is your wake-up call.

🎯 Listen with a notebook.
🔥 Pick ONE thing.
🚀 Take action.

Because nothing changes unless you do.

If you’re working flat out, knackered every night, and still wondering where the money went…
This episode will hit you like a brick. 🧱

In this special Pricing for Profit session, Wayne and Andy break down the exact reason most tradesmen are under-earning — and show you how to fix it using real numbers, not guesswork.

This isn’t theory.
This is the system Wayne uses in his own multi-van heating businesses and the same one Andy used to go from a £65 boiler service to running a fully systemised, highly profitable company in just a few years. 🔥

Inside this episode:

• 🧮 Why guessing your prices is destroying your business

• 📊 How to calculate what you must charge just to survive

• 💷 How to work out what you should charge to actually make profit

• 🧑‍🔧 Why most engineers earn the same as employees — but with 10x the stress

• 💥 The truth about “just bung us £40” jobs

• 🧱 Why every business has phantom costs (vans, tools, mistakes, breakdowns, sick days)

• 🚐 Why your van, drills and flue gas analyser must be paid for by the customer — not you

• 📉 How lads charging £60–£70/hour are slowly going backwards every year

• 📈 How to use supply & demand pricing (winter vs summer)

• 🧠 Why mindset is the real reason you’re scared to charge more

• 🔁 How to phase out low-paying customers without blowing your business up

• 🧾 Why software, systems and professional quoting let you charge more

• 🤯 How one decision (like Google Ads or hiring staff) should change your prices

Wayne also walks you through his free Pricing Calculator — the tool that shows you:

• what your business really costs to run

• what you need to charge per hour, day and job

• how much profit you should be making

• and what happens when you add staff, marketing or overheads

Andy explains how he charges £199+VAT per hour in the North of England — and why most lads could be charging way more if they stopped copying each other and started using real numbers. 🔥

If you want:

• more money 💷

• less stress 😮‍💨

• better customers 🤝

• more freedom 🏖️

• and a business that actually works…

You have to stop guessing your prices.

🎧 Listen now.
📊 Use the calculator.
🔥 Start charging what you’re actually worth.

https://pricing-calculator.offthetools.co.uk/

Ever feel like school told you you’d never be anything… and you carried that into adult life? 😤
This episode is going to hit hard.

Wayne and Andy dive deep into the link between school, self-worth, pricing, confidence and business success — and why so many incredible tradesmen are massively under-earning because of beliefs formed when they were kids.

This isn’t about GCSEs.
It’s about mindset, value, and knowing what you’re really worth. 💷

Inside this episode:

• 🏫 Why the school system is designed for girls — not lads

• 🧠 ADHD, energy, movement & why tradesmen never fit in classrooms

• 🛠️ Why being “bad at school” often means you’re perfect for the trades

• 📉 How school failure turns into low pricing and low self-belief

• 💷 Why plumbers & sparkies can earn more than solicitors

• 📈 The supply & demand shift happening in trades right now

• 🏠 Why new homeowners can’t even hang a shelf anymore

• 🔥 Why skilled trades are becoming more valuable every year

• 📚 Why education doesn’t stop when school ends

• 💭 How limiting beliefs keep you stuck charging £60 when you should be charging £150+

• 🧮 Why if you haven’t raised prices in years… you’re actually earning less every year

• 🦁 Why confidence is the real superpower in business

Wayne shares his own story of being written off at school…
Andy explains why the world is flipping in favour of skilled tradespeople…
And both of them hammer home one brutal truth:

👉 Your lack of GCSEs does NOT decide your income.
Your mindset does.

They also talk about:

• 📖 The books that changed their lives (Rich Dad Poor Dad, Winning Through Intimidation)

• 💬 How to stop folding when customers try to beat you down on price

• 🧱 Why you need to build a business that pays you what you deserve

• 🚀 Why tradesmen who step up now will dominate the next 10–20 years

If you’ve ever thought:

• “I’m not clever enough”

• “I can’t charge that much”

• “That won’t work in my area”

• “My customers wouldn’t pay it”

…this episode will challenge every one of those beliefs. 🔥

🎧 Hit play.
🧠 Shift your mindset.
💷 Start charging what you’re actually worth.3