Ep.119: Moving from Carpenter to Owner with Brad Sawler

Today’s topic came from a subscriber who contacted Tim asking about making the transition from a single owner-operator to building a team and assuming the role of “Boss.”

Some remodelers just want to do the work themselves and stay small. They enjoy wearing all the “hats,” resigning themselves to the fact that they don’t have the energy or desire to take the next step.

This episode focuses on the transition and growth needed to take the next step. No better example than our guest, Brad Sawler, owner of Oxland Builders in Stratham, NH.

Brad Sawler, started Oxland Builders in 2003 with a partner intent on building high-end spec homes. As the company grew, Brad found himself being pulled away from the field more and more often. The time had come for him to take off his tool belt and focus on growing the business.

Since 2016, Brad has focused on sales, estimating and marketing. The company has grown to a field staff of 7 with plans to hire more personnel in 2021.

Tim, Steve and Brad cover:

• The transition from working in the field and being hand-on to more of a supervisor role.
• The determination that growth and hiring a staff was necessary.
• What the hardest hurdles were and what the easiest tasks were to hand off.
• Learning to trust others in the front office.
• Changes in project process and documentation.
• Changes in pricing, labor hours, etc.
• Establishing a training system with the team.