Brad from Dodds Building and Contracting loves being out on the job

Building a business in building

Brad Dodds is the owner of Dodds Building and Contracting – a structural wood framing and interior systems business in Brandon, Manitoba. Brad is also a client of MNP, a Xero partner and leading accounting, tax, and business consulting firm in Canada.

“I've been working with John at MNP since my first year of business in 2006. He provides me with the advice that I need. I continue to throw questions at him and he can help coach me through that.”

Brad does his own bookkeeping but he prefers going out on the job. “The thing I love about my job is that I get to work outdoors. Generally I just like to get out there and swing a hammer some days and vent some frustration.”

Why Xero is great for Brad and his business

Most days Brad spends 10 hours working on site alongside his crew depending on the time of year. If it's a busy season, Brad might be spending another two or three hours in the evening on bookkeeping and administrative aspects.

“I was spending 10 hours a week between bookkeeping and data entry.” Since moving to Xero, he only spends 10 hours a month. He also enjoys how Xero lets him work from anywhere.

“Xero being cloud-based means that I can work in my office when it's convenient, or I can work at the kitchen table, or on the site, or away from home. I can always access my data anywhere.”

How Xero has helped Brad as his business evolves

As Brad’s business experiences new success, he has found that a lot more administrative work has to be done.

“There's more time spent on the administrative aspect of my business now because we're starting to pump larger revenue and larger amounts of material through. It’s a lot different than it was when we were just picking up framing lumber and nailing it together.”

Luckily, Xero has helped Brad cut down on that administrative time. “We use Xero for the same reason that we buy power tools – they maximize production and efficiency. It’s the same with our software.”

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