CoLabs LLC, 36 ledge Road, Old Saybrook, CT (2026)

02/17/2026

An electrician in CT got 289,832 impressions in his first 42 days on LinkedIn.

He'd come to us 3 times with the same problems.

"I need to hire."
"I need better clients."
"I need to get off bid boards."

Every time we said: "LinkedIn."

He thought we were nuts.

But was open to it.

We started posting photos of jobs he was proud of with stories about what they meant to him.

Showed up in comments like he was at a networking event.

Connected with locals the same way he would've handed someone a card at a Chamber of Commerce dinner.

No ads. No fancy videos. No crazy strategies.

289,832 impressions later, the problems had a solution.

He's not famous. He's just the electrician locals already have in mind before they Google.

That's the whole game.

02/15/2025

This team right here hit some pretty incredible milestones this year.

Proud to be a small part of the journey D.B. Lunt Electrical Contractors

07/29/2024

This is Open AI's (leaked) roadmap to artificial general intelligence (AGI). Times are a changing!

It shows what they think the stages are to AGI.

Right now, we're still at level 1 but level 2 looks like it's not too far away.

Level 2 is thought to be around a PHD level of intelligence.

Level 3 gets interesting. The use of Agents will allow AI to take control of other tools like email, slack, CRMs etc.

Does GPT 5 get us to level 2?

P.S. What does that mean for your business?

07/19/2024

Book recommendation for any busy working professionals out there: "Your Brain at Work" by David Rock

It's a game changer for understanding productivity and how to manage stress.

It focuses on how our brains function in the workplace and provides some great strategies for improving.

It's also just fascinating (and totally weird) to use your brain to understand your brain 🤣

Some takeaways:

Prioritize Your Tasks: Tackle the most demanding tasks when your brain is freshest—usually in the morning.

Manage Distractions: Our brains are not built for multitasking. Set aside dedicated blocks of time for focused work, and minimize interruptions by silencing notifications and creating a distraction-free environment.

Take Frequent Breaks: Keep your brain at peak performance. Incorporate short breaks throughout your day. This helps to reset and recharge your mental energy, preventing burnout.

Chunk Information: Break down complex information into smaller, more manageable chunks. This makes it easier for your brain to process and retain information, improving comprehension and memory.

Build Strong Habits: Establishing routines and habits reduces cognitive load, freeing up mental resources for more critical thinking and decision-making. Consistency in daily practices can lead to long-term success.

07/12/2024

CoLabs is an operational support and coaching company for small businesses.

➟We start by systemizing and organizing our client's business.

➟Then, we plug in a fully trained and managed staff to handle all of the back-office tasks so you have more time to do what you do best.

➟Once the business is running smoothly, we work on boosting revenue and profit so that our costs are at least covered, and in most cases, quite a bit more.

There's so many opportunities as a small business owner.

Connect if you want to start exploring them.

07/02/2024

The real reason most businesses don't grow:

It's not competition.
It's not lack of funding.
It's not market conditions.

It's this:
Owners are too busy working jobs and fixing fires and nobody is working on trying to grow the business.

Here's how to avoid this trap:

1. Create a quiet work space you can go to that's away from everything else
2. Set aside 1 hour a day to just work on business growth
3. Join networking groups to drive business
4. Hire or outsource daily business tasks so you have more time to work on growth

Remember: Your business can't grow if you're the bottleneck.

06/26/2024

5 books every small business owner should read

1. Start with Why
By Simon Sinek

"People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it."
___

2. Fans First
By Jesse Cole

"Fans are created one at a time through remarkable experiences."
___

3. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
By Patrick Lencioni

"Trust is the foundation of real teamwork."
___

4. $100M Offers
By Alex Harmozi

"Sell your product based on value, not on price."
___

5. 10X is Easer than 2X
By Dan Sullivan

"The key to 10X growth is thinking differently about how to achieve your goals, not just working harder."
___

Have you read any of these books? What's your favorite?

06/24/2024

"There's no such thing as an expert leader, it doesn't exist." Simon Sinek

Leadership is about continuous learning.

Growing, improving, little by little, every day.

Yourself, your staff, your community.

Often, Leaders are promoted based how proficient they are at their current job. How outspoken they are. Degrees, certifications. These all say something, but is it the right thing?

Here's what we hire for:

1. Thoughtfulness and empathy.
They raise others up first and are usually one of the last people to take the credit.

2. Communication
They're direct, to the point, and transparent but often not the first to speak up. If they don't know something, they'll let you know. They'll find the answer and won't pretend they already know it. It's not about ego or power, it's about delivering solutions.

3. Flexibility.
Understanding that there are other things happening in people's lives. Other ways to view a situation and other possible solutions that they haven't thought of.

4. Improvement Mindset
Their ultimate goal is to improve themselves. This always trickles down to staff and the organization.

"If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time." - Patrick Lencioni

06/20/2024

Customer service is mostly speed of communication.
& Trust is built or lost in the first 5 minutes.
- Responding within 5 minutes makes you 100X more likely to connect with a lead. This is compared to waiting 30 minutes or more.

- A response that takes longer than 5 minutes decreases the likelihood of qualifying that lead by 80%.

- 78% of customers buy from the first company that responds to their inquiry.
I’ve been in hospitality for the past decade. You’d be amazed at the amount of hospitality businesses that don’t make response time a priority.
I've never had a business increase their speed of communication and not increase revenue and profit.
Simple idea. Harder to execute at scale.
Good article on lead response time ➟ Vendasta.com/blog/lead-response-time/endasta.com/blog/lead-response-time
📷 Cindy Ringer

06/18/2024

Pricing Levels - Three Tiers or Four?

Using a three-tier pricing system is common, but what about adding a fourth tier?

Let's break down the pros and cons.

➟ Three-Tier System
Typically includes three paid levels.

➟Adding a Fourth Tier
Introduces a free level that acts as a lead magnet.

Cons of Adding a Fourth Tier:

Complexity: Adding another tier can make pricing more complicated. Simplicity in pricing and sales processes is crucial for ease of understanding and decision-making. Read more.

Revenue Cannibalization: A free tier might attract users who would otherwise pay, potentially reducing revenue. However, it can also enhance the sales funnel, providing a balance of risk and reward.

Pros of Adding a Fourth Tier:

Flexibility: It allows for a more flexible sales process, reaching a broader audience without requiring an immediate purchase.

Broader Reach: A free tier can attract a larger audience, letting more people experience your product's value without an upfront cost.

Value Demonstration: Impress users with the free tier by delivering unexpected value, which can encourage them to upgrade to paid levels.

💡The "Center-Stage Effect" suggests that with three options, customers often choose the middle one as it feels balanced and safe. Adding a fourth tier might complicate their decision-making process.

Deciding between three or four tiers depends on what you offer, your goals and customer needs. It can make sense for one company and not for another.

Three-tier is easy to understand.

Four-tier is more flexible and gives a broader reach.

A/B test different options, gauge results, adjust and test again. There's no wrong way to do it as long as you're open to change.

06/13/2024

What is a customer's value to your business?

➟ To answer that, we need to see what the numbers say.

Let's look at averages in a restaurant (these are real ):
Lunch check average: $49.12
Lunch guest average: $27.55
Dinner check average: $62.11
Dinner guest average: $34.42

➟So, one guest at lunch is worth, on average, $27 per visit.

➟ If they come in once a month that is $324 per year.

➟ Most however, don't eat alone, as the check average points out.

➟So, we can add about $22 more to bring us up to the $49 check average.

➟That customer is now worth $588 per year. At dinner, it becomes $744.

Once a month is reasonable however, there is a percentage of customers that dine out weekly, or even daily and some that come in more than once a day.

➟A weekly customer is worth $2,548 per year at lunch and $3,224 at dinner. A daily customer is not the norm, by far, but it does happen and somewhere between daily and weekly happens more than you would imagine.

We can calculate numbers till our iPhones shut down but just know its a big number for a customer that's loyal....keep them.

These numbers also don't take in account when customers tell friends and family they should come in. The influence that people have is invaluable and goes a long way to creating the consistent revenue needed to have a successful hospitality business.

Think about this when you decide what it's worth to try and create a monthly customer. When you're torn between whether you should adjust the bill because they ate some of it but didn't love it.

It's very easy to look at the cost of an item on a bill and think it's in your best interest to make sure you get 100%. Especially in a low margin industry like restaurants. But, look at the cost of losing that customer. Hint: It's a heck of a lot higher than the $8 soup they ate more than half of but didn't finish.

CoLabs LLC

02/17/2026

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