The Construction Leading Edge Podcast

EPISODE 279: Why would venture capital firms put their money in the construction industry, especially nowadays? In this week's episode, I've invited David Bloom of Signia Venture Partners to talk about a venture capitalist view of the construction industry as a whole. Signia is a venture capital firm founded in 2012. David and his partners invest in entrepreneurs applying new technologies to old industries. Today, he's here to discuss why venture capital firms invest in the construction industry, their views on the housing shortage and the ripple effects, what type of companies they invest in, guidelines when investing in companies, and more. Tune in now to learn more! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Venture capitalist's perspective on the construction industry (01:30) What is a venture capital firm? (03:44) Why invest in the construction industry? (05:52) Symptoms of the current housing crisis and the ripple effects (08:03) How venture capital firms view the housing shortage (15:10) David and his firm's portfolio of companies and what they're solving (18:05) What are the red flags to look for in a leader when investing? (22:34) On transitioning successfully from being a startup to CEO of an ongoing business (25:18) Key takeaways from Cetera's $2B venture funding failure (32:17) What are the things that outsiders don't know about the construction industry? (43:56) Additional Resources: - Schedule a Breakthrough Session with our team HERE - Register for The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX HERE - Join the Move the Needle 28-Day Challenge HERE Connect with David Bloom: - Reach out to David by emailing him at David@signiavc.com - Check out his articles on Substack HERE - Follow him on LinkedIn 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 278: How do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as a visionary leader? But what does it mean to be one? Does being a visionary guarantee success along the way? In this week's episode, I've invited Monish Khadye, a construction business owner and our very own Systematized Your Construction Business (SYCB) facilitator and coach. Monish is also a visionary, and today he talks about some of the challenges, misconceptions, and myths that a visionary has to deal with every day. Join us as we discover how a visionary's mind works, some practical tips, and how a visionary should overcome challenges to achieve his visions and create a thriving environment in his organization. Tune in now! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) What do visionaries bring to the organization? (03:24) What do inconsistencies look like for a visionary? (12:03) The organization whiplash explained (13:36) Visionaries lack clear direction (19:20) Why are visionaries reluctant to let things go? (23:17) Visionaries have underdeveloped leaders and managers (24:30) The genius with a thousand helpers (26:32) Visionaries get a sense of value from people being dependent on them (32:32) Resistance to following standardized processes (37:56) Visionaries get easily bored (39:32) On having no patience for details (43:32) Misconceptions and myths about being a visionary (44:39) Breaking down what a visionary should be doing in their business? (54:36) What happens when visionaries fully embrace their role? (1:06:15) Additional Resources: - Schedule a Breakthrough Session with our team HERE - Register for The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX HERE - Join the Move the Needle 28-Day Challenge HERE Books Mentioned: - Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters - Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman - Good to Great by Jim Collins -- 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 277: We all want to be successful entrepreneurs. But most of the time, what drives us up to the pinnacle of success is not what we've learned from school. In this week's episode, I reveal the five most important things that successful entrepreneurs manage that nobody warned us about. And I wish I had known these earlier when I started my career. When you're able to manage these five things properly, you become not only the best leader for your construction business but also the best version of yourself. But there's also a quick way for you to manage all of these (without the guessing game), and I'll share that, too, in the podcast. So let's jump in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) You need to manage your fears (01:24) Manage your inner critic (08:07) What happens when you don't manage your inner critic? (17:22) Manage your mental energy (19:25) One thing that's killing your mental energy (21:21) Manage your emotional state (22:56) Manage your strengths, not your weaknesses (27:14) Additional Resources: - Join the Move the Needle 28-Day Challenge HERE - Register for The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX HERE - Schedule a Breakthrough Session 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 276: Have you been putting things off lately? Do you thrive working on last-minute situations? There are serious hidden dangers that come with procrastination which most of us tend to ignore. In this week's episode, I've invited Leyah Valgardson, Construction Leading Edge Director of Customer Success. Leyah and I sit down to talk about the six different types of procrastinators, according to psychologists. We also discuss the hidden cold-hard truth about procrastination, the strategies to overcome procrastination based on each type, and how procrastination affects the quality of your life. So if you want to know what type of procrastinator you happen to be and how to defeat it so you can become a better construction business owner, and a human being, in general, tune in now to this week's episode. Let's jump in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Procrastinator #1 - The Worrier (04:21) Procrastinator #2 - The Perfectionist (08:32) Procrastinator #3 - The Overdoer (14:17) Procrastinator #4 - The Crisis-Maker (19:57) The Strengths Finder test explained (25:03) Procrastinator #5 - The Dreamer (26:19) Procrastinator #6 - The Defier (31:42) How does procrastination show up for us (35:45) Failure is a myth (39:54) Some cold-hard truth about procrastination (41:00) What happens if you continue to procrastinate (45:19) Procrastination affects the quality of your life (52:08) How to overcome procrastination (1:01:31) The fastest way to stop procrastinating (1:12:42) Additional Resources: - Join the Move the Needle 28-Day Challenge HERE - Register for The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX HERE - Schedule a Breakthrough Session 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 275: We all know how systems and processes could make or break your construction business. But what's holding you back from taking those dramatic changes that could increase your business profitability? In this week's episode, I've invited Michael Moore, owner and President of Waterton Construction Group. Waterton Construction is a hardscape site work improvement company based in north Texas. Michael is here to share with us the systems and processes he used to increase his company's revenue by 30% and profitability by 60% year over year. He also talks about the effects of creating positive pressure for himself, the concept of stewardship, how it affects how Michael runs his business, and the systems and processes he had put in place to grow his business to eight figures working only twenty hours a week. Let's jump right in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Michael Moore (05:40) Best habits that Michael picked up while working for a production builder (10:20) What led Michael to reach out for a business coach? (15:24) Most impactful systems and changes that moved the needle (25:55) The moment when Michael realized what his doing was working (38:22) What the business looks like now? (42:07) How his business growth impacted his personal life (46:37) On putting positive pressure on you (53:40) The most valuable part of being in a construction CEO group (1:02:51) What does stewardship in a business mean? (1:06:11) Mindset shifts that are crucial to his success (1:08:45) Episode wrap-up (1:15:05) Additional Resources: - Join the Move the Needle 28-Day Challenge HERE - Register for The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX HERE - Schedule a Breakthrough Session with our team HERE Connect with Michael: - Find Michael on LinkedIn HERE - Check out Waterton Construction Group 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 274: What makes a construction business successful? Is it cementing a failproof system OR finding the right people that get things done? Torrey Hawkins, President of Angler Construction, LLC, drops some value bombs on how he managed to scale his construction business to $200 million in revenue per year. In this week's episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast, I sit down with Torrey to talk about... - the biggest challenges that Torrey has faced in growing a business to $200 million per year - the systems and processes that catapulted his business to success - some advice on how to lead your construction team through tough times - what his day looks like as someone who has grown a business to such size and scale - and a whole lot more! If you're a visionary looking to scale your construction business while getting out of the day-to-day details, you'll get a lot of practical advice from this episode. Let's jump right in! Key Takeaways: Meet Torrey Hawkins (01:06) How Torrey started his construction business (05:37) What does the business look like now? (07:16) Biggest challenges during the growth (13:08) How to level up as a construction business leader (18:03) Recruiting and hiring top-quality talent (20:15) On systems and processes that scaled the business (23:24) What it's like to be a visionary (30:29) How Torrey spends his time as a 9-figure construction business owner (36:50) Keeping your team moving forward during a crisis (38:14) On sharing the vision and getting the team on board with it (43:18) The burning-the-ship mentality (50:25) Managing the double-edged sword of being a visionary (53:23) Episode wrap-up (58:08) Additional Resources: - Join the Move the Needle 28-Day Challenge HERE - Register for The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX HERE - Schedule a Breakthrough Session with our team HERE - Listen to my 2015 interview with Torrey HERE - Connect with Torrey HERE - Check out Angler Construction 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 273: Your brain is hard wired to love habits. Here's how you can use that to your advantage, and achieve just about any outcome you set your mind do. What you'll learn about in this construction podcast episode: "You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your __________" Why habits exist, why they're so powerful. How to hack habits The Golden Rule of Habits How to use Right to Left Thinking to harness the power of habits. What a keystone habit is, and why you want to start with them. Lessons from two of the most popular books about habits. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: Move the Needle 28 Day Challenge - www.constructionleadingedge.com/group The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX - www.constructionleadingedge.com/advance Schedule a Breakthrough Session with our team: www.constructionleadingedge.com/apply

EPISODE 272: What is the secret formula to growing a business? What should a construction business owner have to lead a successful company? There's really no secret formula, but our guest for today, Andy Kolp of Epic Building Company, did take his "steady" remodeling company to new success in its 14th year. After implementing new systems into his business process and shifting his mindset, he saw changes and wished he had done them sooner. From having one employee, Andy now has five employees on his payroll. His company has surprisingly gone up to 75% in annual revenue. And he isn't slowing down anytime soon as he's looking at a 100% revenue growth for next year. What did he do to achieve all of these incredible milestones? Tune in to this week's episode to find out more. Let's get started! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Andy Kolp (02:36) Discipline and weight loss success (04:51) How important is mental toughness? (18:55) Working in vs working on your business (26:04) What does stagnant mean from a business perspective? (32:13) The mindset growth (38:10) Most impactful systems that brought success (43:34) What business looks like now? (56:13) On pre-construction services and agreement (58:36) What led to Andy's mindset shift? (1:04:14) Last few questions (1:10:44) Additional Resources: - FREE online training workshop: Get Out of Your Construction Business: How to Make it Run Without You here - Learn how to recession-proof your business here - Work with our team to systematize your business here - Visit our website here - Check out Andy's construction company 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 271: Are you tired of doing never-ending, less urgent administrative work? As we all know, small business owners wear a lot of hats - bookkeeping, responding to emails, and posting on social media, to name a few. These tasks not only take a lot of time but also keep you from doing things that matter. And that's what we'll talk about in this week's episode. I sat down with two construction business owners - Kevin Franklin and Nathan Spearing - who found a great solution to their never-ending to-do list and after-hours work. Stay tuned and discover the benefits of hiring a Belay virtual assistant and the wonders it can do for your construction business. Let's get started! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Kevin Franklin (03:40) The problems before signing up with Belay (04:12) Lessons from Michael Hyatt's Your World-Class Assistant book (06:25) Misconceptions about working with virtual assistants (VA) (07:11) Main tasks of a VA that have been most impactful (08:19) Why hire a virtual assistant from Belay? (13:08) Hacks in training a virtual assistant (16:00) Meet Nathan Spearing (19:49) Nathan's pivotal moment (23:15) Life after hiring a virtual assistant with Belay (36:12) Nathan's Life on Target podcast (46:07) Additional Resources: - FREE online training workshop: Get Out of Your Construction Business: How to Make it Run Without You here - Learn how to recession-proof your business here - Work with our team to systematize your business here - Visit our website here - Hire a virtual assistant through Belay here - Connect with Kevin Franklin here - Connect with Nathan Spearing here - Listen to Nathan's Life on Target podcast 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 270: The only time contractors get involved and talk with an attorney is when something goes wrong. Do you agree? To prove that claim, we have Attorney Marc Gravely on the podcast today, whose work is on representing owners exclusively in construction disputes with general contractors, architects, and engineers. Atty. Gravely is here to share with us the common construction defects in building that lead to litigations, how to avoid or reduce the risk, insurance and contracts, and everything in between. So, make sure to tune in on this one and get yourself informed so you won't have to deal with any litigations. Let's get started! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Atty. Marc Gravely (04:25) What do lawyers think about contractors? (05:36) Most common construction defects in buildings that lead to litigation (09:57) How to reduce the risk of construction defects (15:14) The missing process (18:15) Most common mistakes contractors make (22:05) GMP, time, and material contracts (25:04) How can a contractor protect themselves (26:39) How contractors should respond to issues (32:22) Mistakes to avoid that people make worse (38:30) The truth about a business that some find unconventional (43:07) Failures that set him up for later success (44:16) Marc's Reframing America's Infrastructure book (46:18) Additional Resources: - FREE online training workshop: Get Out of Your Construction Business: How to Make it Run Without You here - Learn how to recession-proof your business here - Work with our team to systematize your business here - Visit our website here Connect with Marc - Grab a copy of his book here - Follow Marc on LinkedIn here - Visit Marc's website 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!