At Your Best as an HVAC/R Tech: Your Playbook for Building a Successful Career and Launching a Thriving Small Business as an HVAC/R Technician

At Your Best as an HVAC/R Tech: Your Playbook for Building a Successful Career and Launching a Thriving Small Business as an HVAC/R Technician

by Juan Carosso
At Your Best as an HVAC/R Tech: Your Playbook for Building a Successful Career and Launching a Thriving Small Business as an HVAC/R Technician

At Your Best as an HVAC/R Tech: Your Playbook for Building a Successful Career and Launching a Thriving Small Business as an HVAC/R Technician

by Juan Carosso

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Overview

The only series of step-by-step guides to succeeding in the skilled trades and achieving the American dream.

At Your Best as an HVAC/R Tech is your playbook for learning if a career as an electrician is right for you, progressing from pre-apprentice to journeyman to master technician, and launching your own small business. Learn:
  • What does a career as an HVAC/R tech look like?
  • Why should you consider becoming an HVAC/R tech?
  • How do you become a successful craftsman as an HVAC/R tech?
  • How much can you make as an HVAC/R tech?
  • What are your career options once you become an HVAC/R tech?
  • How long does it take to be successful at each stage in a HVAC/R tech's career?
  • How and where do you find work as an HVAC/R tech?
  • What does it take to strike out on your own?
  • What does it take to launch and build a successful small business?

    At Your Best is the only step-by-step handbook to finding if a career in the trades is right for you, educating yourself and earning the proper certifications, establishing yourself as an excellent apprentice and journeyman in the industry, and moving on to start your own small business in the trades. At each step of the way, your At Your Best playbook provides the information, recommendations, outside resources, and concrete actions needed for taking the next successful step in You, Inc. Whether you are beginning your first career, changing careers, or ready to move up and start your own business as a carpenter, plumber, HVAC/R tech, or other tradesman, this is the book that will tell you how.

    There currently over 6.5 million unfilled jobs in the skilled trades in the US. Despite being well-paying and secure, these jobs remain open because enough qualified candidates with the skills, attitude, and experience required do not exist. Moreover, plenty of opportunity exists for established tradespeople to start their own business, but they have no guidance. The At Your Best Playbooks series changes that.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781510743960
Publisher: Skyhorse
Publication date: 11/20/2018
Series: At Your Best Playbooks
Pages: 272
Sales rank: 158,002
Product dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Juan Carosso holds an MBA in finance and marketing from the University of Michigan and has over thirty years’ experience in business development for startups and turnaround companies. He also manages a real estate investment business and has renovated properties across the US. His relationships with tradespeople and contractors revealed a lack of qualified candidates that limited business growth, and Juan has since made it his mission to expose people to, and educate them in, the opportunities that the skilled trades provide. He lives in Kingston, WA.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Introduction xiii

About the Author xix

Part 1 At Your Best Fundamentals: The Rules of the Game

Chapter 1 AYB Playbooks & AtYourBestxom 1

At Your Best with Subject Matter Experts 5

Sources, Methods and Credibility 6

Local and Actionable 9

Chapter 1 Replay 9

Chapter 2 AYB Playbooks Are for You, If … 11

Who This AYB Playbook Is For … 13

Chapter 2 Replay 17

Chapter 3 The AYB Mental Framework 19

It All Begins with "You, Inc," 21

3P+A = People, Performance, Professionalism & Attitude 24

Success with 3P+A 25

Curiosity: An Important State of Mind 27

Future-Proof Your Life with a Skilled Trade Career 29

At Your Best as a Craftsman 31

At Your Best as a Woman in the Skilled Trades 32

Chapter 3 Replay 34

Part 2 At Your Best as an HVAC/R Technician: Becoming a World-Class Player

Chapter 4 Career Overview: HVAC/R Technician 39

Why Become a HVAC/R Technician? 42

HVAC/R Technician: Job Responsibilities 42

HVAC/R Technician: Minimum Required Skills & Abilities 43

HVAC/R Technician: Work Conditions 44

HVAC/R Technician: Earning Potential 45

HVAC/R Technician: Your Career Options 46

Becoming an HVAC/R Technician: Is it for You? 47

Chapter 4 Replay 49

Chapter 5 Your Path to Becoming an HVAC/R Technician 51

How to Become a HVAC/R Technician 53

The Career Stages of a "Master HVAC/R Technician" 53

The PACT Certificate 57

Your Education is Your Foundation 60

High School or Its Equivalent 61

Khan Academy 62

CareerOneStop: Your First Stop for Finding Local Resources 63

Vocational, Technical School versus Community College 63

Finding the Right Type of School or Program for You 65

Post-9/11 GI Bill & Vocational Education 66

Apprenticeship: The 4-Year Degree that Pays You 67

Finding the Apprenticeship Program for You 70

Certifications for You as a Craftsman 71

At Your Best as a Union Member 72

At Your Best as a Military Veteran 73

YouTube Is Your Friend 75

Chapter 5 Replay 76

Chapter 8 Finding Work as an HVAC/R Technician 77

Your Job Search Starring Points 80

Your Full-time Job is to Find a Full-time Job 80

Your Skills are Portable 81

AYB Steps & Tools to Find a Great Job 81

"Force Multipliers" & Networking to Find a Job 83

Think Like Your Future Employer 88

Drug Testing & Getting Hired or Fired 89

Where to Turn for More Information 90

Your Local Librarian 90

Chapter 6 Replay 91

Chapter 7 At Your Best with 3P+A in Action 93

People: The First P in 3P+A 97

Performance: The Second P in 3P+A 98

Professionalism: The Third P in 3P+A 100

Attitude: The A in 3P+A 102

Chapter 7 Replay 103

Chapter 8 Getting Your Head Straight, Part 1 105

Chapter 8 Replay 120

Part 3 At Your Best as a Small Business: Building a World-Class Franchise

AYB Playbooks & Recommended Reading 124

Chapter 9 At Your Best: The Pre-Game 129

At Your Best before the Game 131

You, Inc. as a Small Business 132

SWOT Early & Often 133

Launch You, Inc. with Your Eyes Wide Open 136

You, Inc. Demands Courage 138

You, Inc. Demands Curiosity 140

Make the Web Your Business Partner 141

Small Business Administration's Learning Center 142

My Own Business, Inc. 142

Chapter 9 Replay 143

Chapter 10 At Your Best: The Kick Off 145

At Your Best from the Start 147

You, Inc.'s Customers: The Center of Your Universe 151

You, Inc.'s Go-to-Market Plan 153

You, Inc.'s Market Positioning 155

You, Inc.'s Path to Quick Wins 159

Your Timing & Action Plan 161

For You, Inc., Cash Is Life 163

You, Inc.'s Startup Financial Needs 164

You, Inc.'s Sales Forecast 166

You, Inc.'s Expense Budget 169

You, Inc.'s Profit & Loss Statement 171

Financing You, Inc. 172

You, Inc.'s Back-Office Infrastructure 173

"Licensed, Bonded & Insured" 174

Which Legal Structure is Right for You, Inc.? 176

Chapter 10 Replay 179

Chapter 11 At Your Best: Game On 181

At Your Best on the Field 183

Customer Service: Your Competitive Advantage 184

At Your Best with Force Multipliers 187

Growing You, Inc.'s Business through Networking 188

You, Inc.'s VP of Sales & Business Development 189

Getting the Word Out 190

Customer Leads & Reviews on the Web 194

Table Stakes Marketing Toolkit 195

You, Inc., Technology & Running Your Business 199

Chapter 11 Replay 202

Chapter 12 At Your Best: Halftime 205

At Your Best through Regular Review 207

Whatever It Is, SWOT It 208

Success as a Leader of a Small Team 210

You, Inc. & Your Employees and Contractors 213

Never Enough Time in the Day 214

Improve or Remove 217

Get Back on the Field 219

Chapter 12 Replay 219

Chapter 13 Getting Your Head Straight, Part 2 221

Chapter 13 Replay 234

Chapter 14 At Your Bests Going Pro 237

At Your Best Going to the "Next Level" 239

Chapter 14 Replay 241

Glossary of Terms 243

List of AYB Quick Tools 247

Afterword 249

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