Scaffold for Success: Build Your Supplier Team

For many people in the skilled trades, suppliers are treated as places to buy materials. But the right supplier relationships can save you time, improve quality, increase profit, and even help bring in work. This workshop shows you how to think about suppliers as strategic partners—not just vendors.

By the end of this workshop, you’ll leave with:

• A clear understanding of why a reliable supplier team matters
• Awareness of what suppliers can offer beyond materials
• A personalized list of suppliers relevant to your trade
• Hands-on experience researching materials and comparing rates

What you’ll learn

In this practical session, we’ll cover:

The different ways suppliers support your business, including:

• Materials, tools, and equipment
• Discounts, credit terms, and bulk pricing
• Product knowledge and technical advice

Early access to new products and technologies

Occasional referrals and partnership opportunities

How strong supplier relationships can improve reliability, scheduling, and profitability

Why treating suppliers as partners—not transactions—pays off long-term

This workshop is ideal for:

• Folks currently working in the skilled trades
• Apprentices and journeypersons exploring independent work
• New or experienced contractors looking to improve margins and reliability
• Tradespeople who want more control over materials, pricing, and timelines

No business or purchasing experience required.

Scaffold for Success Workshop Series

This workshop is part of Scaffold for Success, a 6-part series offered through the Venture Lab for Skilled Trades at Conestoga College. The series is built specifically to support people in the skilled trades with practical, real-world business skills, no business background required.

Each workshop focuses on tools you can apply immediately to help you build a more sustainable, professional, and profitable trades business. There is no requirement to join all of the workshops in the series.

You can attend individual workshops or take part in the full series to build a stronger foundation for long-term success in the trades.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Conestoga College Entrepreneurship Collective