Nick Svaik

Nick Svaik Helping contractors scale to $1M/year with smart systems, clear strategy & powerful mindset shifts.

08/26/2025

Your Mindset Is the Real Toolset
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No one tells you this when you start a trades business:

It’s not about how good your craftsmanship is.

It’s about how well you think, decide, and lead.

I used to believe that faster installs and tighter details would get me ahead — but they only took me so far.

The real ceiling?
👉 Procrastinating on hard decisions
👉 Avoiding difficult conversations
👉 Second-guessing my pricing because I didn’t want to lose a job

All of that came from a mindset that hadn’t been developed.

The truth?
Your mindset is your business plan.

The day I stopped doubling down on the hammer — and started doubling down on me — was the day things changed.

DM me “Books” and I’ll send you the business and leadership books that helped me rewire how I operate and scale.

08/24/2025

No One Warned Me About This Part…
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Nobody tells you how isolating it gets.

You grow.
Your crew doesn’t relate to you anymore.
Your friends don’t get it.
Your spouse loves you — but can’t help you price a $150k job or face a payroll crunch.

So you do what we’ve all done:
You carry it.
You push through.
You keep grinding.

But the truth is — you’re not weak, you’re just isolated.

Because building something real puts you in a category most people will never understand.

That’s why I built a community of trades business owners — so we can support each other, solve problems together, and not build in silence.

Business is a lonely game…
But it doesn’t have to be a solo one.

Comment “community” if you’re building something meaningful — and want to be around others who are too.

08/23/2025

The Hardest Part of Business? You.
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Nobody tells you this when you start a business:

Entrepreneurship will expose every personal insecurity you’ve spent your life hiding.

Poor time management? Now it shows up in missed deadlines.
Fear of rejection? Watch how it controls your sales calls.
Need to be liked? That’s now a weapon your clients and staff can use against you.

Every weak spot in your personal life… becomes the ceiling in your business.

And that’s the truth no one warns you about.

But here’s the beauty:
If you’re willing to face it —
to grow through it —
to do the inner work —

Then business becomes the most intense, most transformational thing you’ll ever do.

Want help stepping into the version of yourself your business needs next?

DM me “Shift” and I’ll send you the Identity Shift Commitment Card that helped me rise when the mirror got hard to face.

08/22/2025

You Don’t Need More Hustle. You Need Systems.
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I thought hustle = success. It nearly broke me.

I was working 80-hour weeks.
Doing every quote. Solving every problem.
First one in. Last one out.

The result?
❌ My margins sucked
❌ My calendar was chaos
❌ My family barely saw me

I thought I was building a business — but I was just exhausting myself.

Because effort without leverage is a trap.

Nobody teaches you this:
✔️ Buy back your time
✔️ Build systems
✔️ Price for profit

Hustle has a ceiling. Systems scale.

If you’re stuck in survival mode, DM me “Systems” or drop it in the comments —
I’ll send you my Business Systems Builder that helped me turn things around without selling my soul.

08/21/2025

Stop Quoting. Start Packaging.
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Here’s the hard truth:
Quoting every job doesn’t make your business premium — it keeps it small, messy, and stressful.

I used to think “custom work” meant I was high-end.

But custom meant:
❌ Scope creep
❌ Missed margins
❌ Hours spent quoting jobs that never closed
❌ Constant reinvention

That’s not a business. That’s a trap.

The moment I learned about productization, everything shifted:

✔️ I packaged my best service
✔️ Priced it clearly
✔️ Delivered it repeatedly with no surprises

Now?
🔹 My profits are up
🔹 My clients understand the offer
🔹 My team knows exactly how to execute

It’s not less professional. It’s more scalable.

If you’re buried in quote chaos, save this — and rethink what “premium” actually looks like.

08/21/2025

DIY Cost Me 5 Years
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I thought doing it all myself was smart.

Estimating. Quoting. Admin. Site work.

I told myself I was saving money…

But what I was really doing?
❌ Burning out
❌ Wasting time
❌ Delaying growth

I had no time to think.
No space to lead.
No margin to scale.

Then I did something that changed everything —
I asked for help.

Not from a guru.
From someone who’d built what I was trying to build.

That one shift saved me another 5 years of spinning my wheels.

If you’re still DIY-ing your business strategy… ask yourself:
What’s it really costing you?

08/19/2025

I Thought Coaching Was a Scam
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I used to roll my eyes at business coaching.

I thought it was for tech guys in Patagonia vests… or execs in boardrooms.

Not for someone like me — on-site, hands-on, doing the real work.

But here’s what I didn’t get:

The best in the world — athletes, CEOs, investors — they all have coaches.

Why? Because you can’t see your own blind spots.

I didn’t need more YouTube videos or tips.

I needed:
✅ Prioritization
✅ Pressure
✅ Accountability

Once I had that?
📈 Revenue doubled. Then doubled again.

Coaching doesn’t make you soft.
It makes you faster. Sharper. Better.

DM me “Coach” or drop it in the comments if you want help finding the right one — no fluff, just results.

08/19/2025

Why Skilled Tradesmen Still Go Broke
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No one tells you this when you go out on your own:

Being great at your trade and being great at business are two totally different games.

I could build beautiful custom pieces, perfect coffered ceilings, flawless trim — and still struggle to make ends meet.

Why?

Because nobody ever taught me:
🔹 How to price with margin
🔹 How to generate leads
🔹 How to run payroll
🔹 How to actually own the business side

So I winged it.
I undercharged. I overdelivered. I got burned out and resentful.

The truth?
Your craftsmanship might get you in the door — but your business skill is what keeps you in business.

You don’t need to be less of a tradesman.
You need to become more of an owner.

Save this if you’re learning the hard way right now.

08/17/2025

The One Hire That Changed Everything
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This one hire had more impact than 3 years of grinding.

And no — it wasn’t a carpenter.

It was an admin.

Someone who took 30+ hours of admin, scheduling, back-and-forth, and quote prep off my plate — so I could focus on:

🔹 Selling bigger jobs
🔹 Raising our prices
🔹 Cleaning up the backend

That’s when we scaled. That’s when we broke the plateau.

Most contractors think they need to work harder.

But the truth? You need leverage.

Save this if you’re debating who to hire next — and learn from my mistake.

DM me “Admin” or drop it in the comments — I’ll send you my Admin Hiring Guide that walks you through who to hire, when, and how.

08/16/2025

Passive Income Wasn’t the Answer
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Here’s the truth I wish I’d learned years ago:

I spent too long chasing passive income.

I thought freedom meant doing nothing — that I needed to “automate everything” and live on a beach by 35.

But that kind of freedom? It’s a fantasy.

What I actually needed was predictable control:

🔹 Cashflow I could understand
🔹 Systems that ran without me
🔹 A team that didn’t need babysitting

The dream isn’t doing nothing.
It’s building something that doesn’t burn you out.

Real freedom is built, not wished for.

Share this with someone who’s chasing freedom but buried in chaos.

08/15/2025

The $1M Shift: Technician → CEO
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The $1M+ contractors don’t have better tools. They have better systems.

I used to think I just needed a better saw, nicer finishes, or the latest machinery.

But the contractors scaling past 7 figures?
They’re not on site.

They’re:
🔹 Solving people problems
🔹 Designing workflows
🔹 Building systems

They’ve shifted from technician → builder of machines that run with or without them.

If you’re stuck fixing everything yourself, that’s not leadership. That’s limitation.

Want to scale without chaos?
DM “Automate” or drop it in the comments — I’ll send you my Speed & Automation Toolkit that helped me clean up our backend fast.

08/14/2025

The Mindset That Got Me Through the Hard Days
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Here’s what keeps me grounded when business feels brutal.

I don’t chase money anymore. I chase transformation.

My mission? Help contractors go from:
— Burnt out → Booked solid
— Chaos → Control
— Hustling → Profiting

On the hard days, I don’t need a big win.
I just need to remember why I started.

Revenue follows.
Clarity of purpose kills burnout.

If today’s a tough one, save this.
Your mission matters more than your mood.

Address

Calgary, AB

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