The Construction Leading Edge Podcast

EPISODE 309: What does it take to grow a construction business to $250M in revenue? In this week's podcast episode, I sit down with Wes Palmisano, CEO and owner of WJ Palmisano and its subsidiaries, to talk about how he scaled up his construction business by focusing on preconstruction. Today, Wes explains the importance of preconstruction and having the right systems and processes when scaling a business. He also talks about the biggest roadblocks hampering construction innovation, how he and his team are tackling those, how to work with external trade partners and subcontractors, with emphasis on building trust, and a lot more. Let's get right into it! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) How Wes Palmisano got into construction (02:30) Biggest construction problem that Wes is taking on (06:09) What are the roadblocks that are hampering construction innovation? (09:20) What does being a master builder look like? (14:08) Working with external trade partners vs. internally (16:06) How subs and external trade partners can build trust (22:52) How important is preconstruction (24:51) The importance of having systems and processes in scaling up a business (34:30) The guardrail approach explained (39:56) Advice to construction business owners in scaling up a business (42:43) Rapid-fire questions with Wes (48:21) Episode wrap-up (51:34) Additional Resources: - Join Chaos to Control: Streamline Your Construction Business 28-Day Challenge HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE Connect with Wes: - Follow Wes on LinkedIn HERE - Check out their company website HERE - Explore their other brands HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 308: Do you feel like you just don't have enough time? Are you working more hours than you want to? Well, you're certainly not alone in that struggle. After talking and coaching hundreds of construction business owners, we've uncovered the common problems that are taking much of your precious time and energy. In this episode, I'll share a game-changing four-step blueprint that could save you an extra 40 hours each month. And the best part? You don't need to hire someone else or walk away from your duties and responsibilities. Additionally, I'll delve into some clever strategies for those who are constantly putting out fires, Jeff Bezos' secrets for task prioritization, what it looks like to finally reclaim your time, and a sneak peek at our exciting 28-day challenge. Let's jump right into it! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Do these sound familiar to you? (01:01) Time-saving adjustment #1 - stop believing this lie (03:55) Common time and energy problems (07:11) Strategies when you are always putting out fires (10:57) Time-saving adjustment #2 - stop dealing with the symptoms (20:23) Time-saving adjustment #3 - get out of this vicious cycle (30:47) Time-saving adjustment #4 - communicate proactively (36:55) The truth about free estimates (40:53) What it looks like when you apply these adjustments (43:55) The 28-day challenge and other bonuses (45:51) Additional Resources: - Join Chaos to Control: Streamline Your Construction Business 28-Day Challenge HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 307: 70% of construction businesses fail in the first five years. Alarmingly, the construction industry also has the second highest rate of suicide of all workplace industries. What if some of the most painful issues that construction business owners deal with can be traced back to a wrong belief? In this week's episode, we'll discuss how you should reexamine your job as CEO of a construction company. Today, I'll unveil the biggest problems that most construction business owners face, how to prepare yourself as a leader to sustain your business growth, the problem with the if attitude, and so much more! Tune in now! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) The biggest lie (01:23) Biggest problems for construction business owners (04:20) The story of Tanner, who wants to be a starting catcher (05:51) What happens when you're focused on getting something (10:08) The question you should be asking yourself (12:07) Two attitudes toward preparation (15:18) The problems with the "if attitude" (17:07) Questions for you to think about (20:36) What does it look like to prepare as a leader (22:44) Final thoughts (24:41) Additional Resources: - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE Listen to these episodes and learn from other CEOs - How Navy SEALS Would Build Houses, Mantras & Attacking the Housing Shortage with Garrett Moore | E250 - 3 Key Concepts to Grow a Custom Home Building Business with Alex Gregg | E299 - Foundations for Scaling a Business to $50M with Shawn Dominguez | E297 - Nailing the Handoff, Small Adjustments, and Navigating a Business Transition | E286 -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 306: What would you do if every day all you're doing is putting out fires in your business? Have you considered selling your construction business to escape the daily stress at work? In this week's guest, Leyah Hostetter, Construction Leading Edge's Director of Customer Success, sits down with Michael Algren, owner of Algren Design & Building, to talk about the struggles he had with his luxury homebuilding and remodeling business and what did he do to transform it. Michael was already on the verge of selling his construction business last winter to transfer to Vermont. The stress was just too much for him to take. It was already affecting his physical, mental, and emotional health until, one day, he came across our Systematize Your Construction Business (SYCB) program. Today, Michael shares his business and personal life story before joining the SYCB program, how he lets his team create processes and empower them, what it's like working for wealthy clients, and the systems he learned from SYCB that transformed his business. Let's jump in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Michael Algren and his works (02:52) How Michael's business looked like before and its ripple effects (04:03) What does it mean to be working with wealthy clients (08:06) A different approach to solving tardiness issue (11:13) How did Michael was able to let his team create their processes and solve problems (16:10) What were the impactful lessons that Michael learned from the SYCB program (25:10) How is life different now since Michael joined the SYCB program (28:33) Blueprint to systematize your construction business (31:42) Additional Resources: - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 305: Does every question come to you? Do you find yourself giving different answers to the same questions? Your construction business could be having a major decision-making problem. In this week's podcast episode, I talked about a crucial aspect of building a successful business, and that is decision-making. How do you make faster, better decisions like a CEO? Today, we'll unravel the common symptoms of having a decision-making problem, the five failproof strategies on how to make faster, better decisions, and how to apply these in real-world construction problems. Let's get started! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Symptoms that you have a decision-making problem (02:04) Myths and misconceptions in decision-making (05:22) CEOs should make as few decisions as possible (12:00) How to decentralize decision-making (15:20) The importance of documenting your processes (18:10) What is manufacturing urgency and how to create it (23:56) Make decisions in parallel instead of in series (30:00) Separate the decision from the implementation (33:10) How to use the 4-step framework in real-world problems (37:10) Quick recap (42:16) Final thoughts (44:18) Additional Resources: - - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 304: Are you struggling to motivate your team to be more productive or get them to use that new software subscription? In this week's podcast episode, I sit down with two of our very own, Leyah Hostetter and Monish Khadye, to talk about the principles behind one of the most powerful books I've ever read–Instant Influence by Dr. Michael Pantalon. Today, we will talk about the Instant Influence principles, how psychological reactance gets in the way, and how to apply these principles to real-life situations. Let's dive in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet The Construction Leading Edge Coaches (01:58) An overview of the book Instant Influence by Dr. Michael Pantalon (04:21) The three guiding principles of the book (06:17) How does psychological reactance get in the way (07:13) Why providing autonomy to your team is important and how to build it (19:34) What makes Monish's employee performance reviews exceptional (34:34) How to use the Instant Influence principles to solve real-world problems (44:18) Final thoughts (1:06:16) Additional Resources: - Listen to our first book report episode HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE Book Mentioned: - Instant Influence: How to Get Anyone to Do Anything Fast by Dr. Michael Pantalon - 10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy - How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 303: Is your business designed to scale or fail? How do you scale a construction business? In this week's episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast, we're doing a Q&A session. We will answer the most frequently asked questions and problems visionaries face when scaling a construction business. Today, we will debunk some myths and conceptions you may already believe when scaling a business, what you should do to scale a business, and the exact resources that will help you systematize your construction business. Ready to build your way to the top? Let's jump right in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Debunking the most common myths in construction (01:38) The real definition of systems (06:48) Why it's important to put systems in place (10:00) Signs that builders need new systems (11:41) Tips for business owners who want to enjoy life out of business (16:20) The real reason why people don't embrace a new process or systems (21:54) Strategies to prevent people from reacting negatively against new processes (24:25) How to scale your construction business (30:39) Available resources to systematize and scale your business (38:07) Additional Resources: - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE Book Mentioned: - The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 302: Is it good for husband and wife to do business together? In this week's episode, Construction Leading Edge Director of Customer Success Leyah Hostetter sits with two of our Systematize Your Construction Business (SYCB) program students–Aaron and Ashley Steffens. Aaron and Ashley are the husband and wife dynamic duo behind Moose Ridge Design-Build Construction, a custom remodeling company based in Iowa. Today, they talk about their challenges running a construction business as a busy married couple. They share what they did to solve those challenges and what life looks like now after they went through the SYCB program. Let's get started! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Aaron and Ashley Steffens (06:22) Difficulties that Aaron and Ashley had with their remodeling business (07:21) What does it look like being married and working in the same company (09:04) Main takeaways from the SYCB program (10:36) The most beneficial change for their business (17:05) How project templates move their business (17:56) What does life look like now? (18:48) Why say no to wrong clients (21:56) Additional Resources: - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 301: Have you ever rolled out a new process to your team only to be disappointed by how few people followed it? Perhaps, you thought about hiring new people and starting a clean slate at one point. In this week's episode, I will pull the veil back on some of the real reasons why your team won't change. And you'd be surprised to know that many of these reasons have very little to do with them. Today, I'll break down the five real reasons why your team resists changes, some research studies to back these claims, and concrete action plans that you can apply in your construction business so you can get out of the day-to-day firefighting and make your business run without you. Let's jump right into it! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) A lesson I learned while managing a $20M project (03:10) Understanding psychological reactance (06:47) The why and WIIFM deficiencies (12:00) Uncovering the competing commitment concept (16:44) The four-part process of holding a competing commitment (22:19) Kanter's Law: everything looks like a failure in the middle (32:29) The shiny object syndrome (36:25) Quick episode recap (41:33) Action plan to get your team to change (43:10) Additional Resources: - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Visit Construction Leading Edge for more HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 300: What if there's one simple document that would tell you everything you need to know about hiring and retaining new employees? What if that same document would help increase your new hire retention by 82% and productivity by 70%? In this week's episode, I'll share a webinar replay I did recently. Here, you'll learn the five secrets of hiring and retaining the right employees. We'll uncover the three foundational pieces missing in most construction businesses, how these sabotage your hiring process, why your job descriptions could set up your new hires to fail, and what you can do instead. Plus, download a FREE copy of our onboarding guide and learn how you can apply it to your construction business so you'd never have a bad hire again. (Link is in the additional resources section below.) Let's dive in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) The onboarding roadmap (06:30) Pretend that you're from Missouri (13:05) The Big Five concept (18:47) Outcomes of a well-designed Big Five (26:03) Get over your fears (29:21) Fix your missing foundations (36:24) Quick recap (45:58) Action plan (46:42) Episode wrap-up (49:42) Additional Resources: - Download the FREE onboarding guide HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Visit Construction Leading Edge for more HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!