Time is money. It’s one of those sayings we’ve all heard, but when you’re running a small plumbing business, it’s not just a cliché, it’s the foundation of your success. Every minute you spend matters. Every decision about how to spend your time is a decision about how much value you’re bringing to your business.
As your business grows, you’ll quickly realize you can’t be everywhere at once. You can’t be on every job site, manage every technician, or handle every admin task. The real question becomes: where are you choosing not to spend your time?
The parts of your business where you can’t be present are where systems and automations become critical. Without rules and protocols in place, you’ll end up chasing your tail, putting out fires instead of growing your business. That’s where tools like Swivl come in—they help you implement the rules, protocols, and tracking that keep your business running the way you want it to, even when you’re not there.
Time Management Starts with Systems
When I was running my plumbing business, I knew that the systems I put in place would make or break my ability to manage time effectively. I didn’t want to spend my days buried in admin work or tracking down issues. Instead, I wanted to focus on where I added the most value—building customer relationships, training employees, and ensuring the quality of our work.
That’s why I spent time upfront creating systems that ran the business the way I wanted it to run. Whether it was tracking job costs, monitoring technician efficiency, or managing equipment, everything was built around clear protocols and automated wherever possible.
The idea was simple: if I couldn’t personally handle every detail, I’d make sure the systems in place could handle them just as well.
Focus on Where You Add the Most Value
As the owner, your time is most valuable where you can make the biggest impact. For me, that meant being in front of customers, building relationships, and driving the overall vision of the company.
Time spent manually tracking costs or micromanaging employees didn’t serve the bigger picture. Instead, I used tools to automate those tasks so I could focus on what mattered most.
For example:
- Instead of spending hours reviewing job costs, Swivl automatically tracked and allocated expenses so I could see whether we were hitting our profit margins in seconds.
- Instead of manually monitoring technician performance, Swivl provided real-time data that kept everything running smoothly without my constant oversight.
By automating these processes, I freed up my time to focus on the things that only I could do—things that directly contributed to the growth and success of the business.
Stop Wasting Time on Admin Work
One of the biggest challenges for any small business owner is the mountain of administrative work that comes with the job. Without the right systems in place, you’ll spend your days collecting data, organizing information, and tracking down details—leaving little time for the strategic work that actually grows your business.
When I was running my plumbing company, I used Swivl to handle a lot of these tasks. For example:
- Job Cost Tracking: Swivl automatically tracked labor, materials, and other costs in real time, giving me an instant view of our margins without the need for manual calculations.
- Operational Data: Instead of wasting time digging through spreadsheets, I had access to clear, actionable insights that made decision-making faster and easier.
These automations didn’t just save time—they made the business more efficient and profitable.
Time Management Is About Freedom
Time management isn’t just about working faster or harder—it’s about working smarter. With the right systems in place, you can focus on the things that matter most:
- Building relationships with customers.
- Training your team to deliver excellent service.
- Ensuring the quality of your work in the field.
- Or even taking time for yourself—whether that’s improving your golf game, attending your kid’s talent show, or just enjoying a weekend off.
I’ve talked to so many small business owners who are stretched too thin. They’re trying to do everything themselves, and it’s burning them out. But when you automate the parts of your business that don’t need your constant attention, you’re giving yourself the freedom to focus on the areas where you add the most value.
How Swivl Helped Me Take Back My Time
When I was building my plumbing business, I used an earlier version of Swivl to automate everything from job costing to operational tracking. It allowed me to spend less time buried in admin work and more time driving the business forward.
The systems and controls I set up drastically reduced our operating costs. They ensured that everything worked exactly the way I wanted it to, and they gave me the confidence to step back and focus on the areas where I could make the biggest impact. Swivl became a virtual version of myself, spread throughout the company, so the real me could focus on growing the business.
That approach paid off in a big way. The reduced operating costs and increased efficiency translated into higher profits, and eventually, a very successful business exit.
The Bottom Line: Time Is Money
Your time is your most valuable resource. Every minute you spend on something that could be automated is a minute you’re not spending where you can make the biggest impact.
By setting up systems with tools like Swivl, you’re not just saving time—you’re creating a business that works for you, not the other way around.
So ask yourself: where do you want to spend your time? Do you want to be bogged down by admin work, or do you want to be out in front of your customers, leading your team, and growing your business?
The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
