Run Your Trade Business
Like a Legend
The Viking Code — eleven principles drawn from history's greatest builders, traders and strategists — translated directly into what separates the trade businesses that thrive from those that struggle.
Build the Ship · Trust the Crew · Sail Further Book a Free Strategy CallDoes This Sound Familiar?
You're Great at the Work.
The Business Side? That's Another Story.
If you own a trade business, you know the feeling. You're skilled, you're busy, you're building something real. But sometimes it feels like the business is running you — not the other way around.
The Framework
The Viking Code — Eleven Principles
Vikings were not the barbaric raiders history made them. They were extraordinary navigators, master engineers, global traders and community leaders. Each principle is drawn from what Vikings actually did — and mapped directly to what separates the trade businesses that thrive from those that struggle.
Discover Your Viking Rank
Score your trade business against all eleven Viking Code principles — instantly find out where you're battle-ready and where your real growth opportunity lies.
The Book
Trade Like a Viking
The Viking Code for Trade Business Owners
Eleven principles for building a business that works without you, lasts beyond you — and means something.
Most trade businesses are not poorly run. They are under-systemised. There is a difference — and it changes everything about how you fix it.
Trade Like a Viking draws on twenty years of consulting with trade businesses across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States — and on the real operational wisdom of the Viking Age — to deliver a framework that is practical, honest and genuinely different.
Meet Ragnar
Your Free Viking Code Coach
Ragnar is a free AI coaching companion built directly on the XI Viking Code. He doesn't give you a five-point plan or a generic pep talk. He asks the questions you haven't thought to ask yourself yet.
Direct. Private. Available at 6am when you need it most. What you tell Ragnar stays with Ragnar — no login, no data stored, no record kept.
"He won't give you the answer — he'll ask the question you weren't brave enough to ask yourself."
🪓 Ask Ragnar FreeNo account needed · No data stored · Completely free
Pick a principle, get one sharp insight. Under a minute. Good for a busy morning before you head to site.
Bring what's actually going on. Have a real conversation. Ragnar asks the questions, you work through it.
Is This For You?
Built for Trade Business Owners Who Want More
- —You own or run a trade business — electrical, plumbing, HVAC, construction, fire protection, solar, security or any business where work happens on-site
- —You want to scale without the chaos — or build something you could actually step back from one day
- —You're great at the work but the business sometimes feels like it runs you, not the other way around
- —You use Simpro or other trade software and feel like you're only scratching the surface of its potential
- —You're thinking about legacy — what happens when you want to step back, hand over or simply look back with pride on what you created
Consulting Services
How I Can Help Your Business
Transformation happens when systems serve people — not the other way around. I work alongside your team to build operational foundations that actually work, because they're designed around how your people think, work and communicate.
Requirements Gathering & Analysis
Before any system can serve you, we need to understand your reality. I work alongside your team to map how your business actually operates.
- Stakeholder interviews
- Workflow observation
- Gap analysis
- Prioritised recommendations
Simpro Consulting
With 20+ years of trade operations expertise and deep Simpro knowledge, I help you get the most from your software investment — implementing fresh or optimising what you have.
- Implementation & migration
- Workflow configuration
- Team training & adoption
- Optimisation & health checks
SOPs & Process Documentation
Capture your best practices in clear, usable documentation that helps your team perform consistently — even when key people are away.
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Process maps & flowcharts
- Quick reference guides
- Video walkthroughs
Staff Onboarding Programs
Get new team members productive faster with structured onboarding that covers systems, processes and culture from day one.
- Onboarding program design
- Training materials & checklists
- System access workflows
- 30/60/90 day frameworks
The Program
The Viking Code Program — Eleven Weeks
A live cohort experience for trade business owners who want to work through all eleven Viking Code principles with Erika and a group of like-minded operators. One principle per week. Real tools. Real transformation.
Spaces are limited. Register your interest to be first to hear when the Founder Cohort opens.
The Process
How We Work Together
Discovery Call
We discuss your challenges, goals and whether we're a good fit.
Assessment
I dig into your current state and identify the biggest opportunities.
Implementation
We build, configure and document your systems together.
Handover
Your team is trained and confident to maintain momentum.
Your Consultant
Erika Entz
& Creator of The Viking Code
- 20+ years trade operations expertise
- AU · NZ · US · UK & Ireland
- Learning & Development practitioner
- Author — Trade Like a Viking, Stop. Think. System. & The Unfinished Woman
I've spent more than twenty years working inside trade businesses as a systems and operations consultant — Simpro implementations, process documentation, staff onboarding programs, operational audits, and everything in between.
I've worked with businesses across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. I've sat with hundreds of trade business owners at the exact moment they realised their business was running them — and helped them change it.
The Viking Code isn't a framework I invented. It's one I discovered — in twenty years of watching what separates the trade businesses that thrive from the ones that struggle.
"I don't create dependency. I build capability. My goal is to make you so good at running your own business that you genuinely don't need me anymore."
During our transition to new software, I faced resistance from employees struggling with change. Thanks to Erika, everything fell into place. She was knowledgeable, organised, and incredibly patient, delivering clear, seamless instruction.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Sail?
Run Your Trade Business Like a Legend
Let's talk about what's not working and how we can fix it. Book a free 30-minute strategy call to explore your options.