Overview of the Employee to Entrepreneur Workbook
If you’re great at the work but unsure how to turn that skill into a company you’re proud of, this workbook is for you. The gap between being a strong technician and being a strong owner isn’t talent — it’s clarity, structure, and the willingness to lead with integrity from day one.
Written by Top 100 keynote speaker and business coach Dave Kauffman, this workbook lays out the same practical path he teaches technicians stepping into ownership: define one clear offer, price it for real profit, learn to sell with confidence, set up simple structure, win your first customers, and build systems that make quality repeatable.
What’s Inside
- The Transition From Technician to Owner — why ownership requires a new level of thinking
- The Ethical Foundation — eight rules for running a business people trust
- Build a Clear Offer — a simple framework to define your service, customer, and result
- Price for Profit — what your price actually needs to cover, and how to check it
- Sell With Confidence — a five-step sales flow and language that reduces hesitation
- Start With Structure — the minimum setup for a small business run with big-business discipline
- Get Your First Customers — where early customers really come from, plus a ready-to-use referral script
- Build Repeatable Systems — turning your key tasks into simple, written processes
- Your 30-Day Launch Plan — a week-by-week roadmap from clarity to first quotes to review
Plus: Fillable Workbook Pages
Four guided workbook pages — Vision & Service Clarity, Customer & Pricing, Sales & Integrity, and Your Action Page — with space to write your own answers directly in the PDF.
Bonus Tools
- First Customer Checklist — everything to have ready before you take your first job
- Red Flags to Avoid — warning signs that should make you slow down
- Daily Owner Habits — the small, repeated decisions that build a real business
Who It’s For
Skilled technicians and tradespeople — in fields like home services, repair, maintenance, cleaning, and specialty trades — who are ready to move from doing the work to owning the business, without cutting corners on integrity along the way.
About the Author
Dave Kauffman is a Top 100 keynote speaker, best-selling author, and business coach — and one of only ten Master Trainers of the DISC model of human behavior in the world. A Certified Ziglar Trainer, he has spent his career helping leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams build healthier relationships and stronger results. His message is simple and proven: people first, results follow.
Get instant access to your PDF workbook for $27 and start building a business worth owning.
Steve Petersheim –
Great workbook for anyone looking to start a service business. It keeps things simple, practical, and focused on the fundamentals-mindset, pricing, sales, systems, and customer acquisition. The worksheets and action steps make it easy to apply. Short, clear, and packed with value.
AJ Kauffman, Chief Cowboy and Wrangler at Barn Country USA –
When I started my construction business in North Carolina in 2017, this book would have been a very helpful tool but I didn’t have it. I read through it and Dave is truly giving you a well outlined path, that if you follow it, you will be successful and your business will prosper. I missed out BUT you don’t need to!
Verna Stoltzfus, Desert Spring Birth Services –
I enjoyed the thought processes stimulated as I progressed through the workbook From Employee to Entrepreneur. Ideas, questions to be answered, problems to address, and action plans are in the notes that are now written into the pages of the printout. From Employee to Entrepreneur is a great guide to building a solid business foundation, even for a housewife in her late fifties who has more ideas than she knows how to implement!
Chris Comer –
David Kauffman’s Employee to Entrepreneur workbook is a well thought out and clearly laid-out process for both beginner and seasoned entrepreneurs. As a serial entrepreneur suffering with ADHD, I often overcomplicate a process I have completed a number of times. Even for a seasoned entrepreneur this workbook helps you hone in on your business idea and asks the clarifying questions from the very beginning. Answering these questions early will help move you forward in your journey with clear actionable steps and provide insights to review when you find yourself bogged down in your business’s infancy. K.I.S.S!
Arron –
This is exactly what I have been needing for our business! As a fairly new entrepreneur transitioning from the employee role, who also has ADD, I’ve felt very overwhelmed and scattered about what to do and what comes next. This workbook is full of great clarifying questions to ask myself and detailed steps in an order that is easy to follow – the instruction manual I’ve been searching for!
Randall Shirk, Integrity Horsemanship –
If you’re thinking about starting your own business, this workbook is worth the read. One of the biggest takeaways for me was Dave’s advice to start with one clear service instead of trying to be everything to everyone. It’s the same principle behind The ONE Thing-master one thing first, and build from there. That’s a strategy I’ve seen work incredibly well. I also appreciated the emphasis on integrity, creating simple systems, pricing for profit, and building a business that serves people well. It’s a practical, straightforward workbook with ideas you can put into action right away.
Andrew Austin –
Excellent workbook with practical, no-nonsense guidance for anyone transitioning from employee to business owner. It breaks down the fundamentals-mindset, pricing, sales, systems, and ethics-into clear, actionable steps that are easy to follow. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to build a stronger foundation, this is a valuable resource that keeps the focus on building a business with integrity.