Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

Some people say that they'd go to any lengths to achieve their goals, but not everyone would move halfway around the world like Michael Bullock aka @the_english_earthmover. Michael was born and raised in England, but has been working in the Dirt World in Australia for years now. He's built up quite a following on his IG acct @the_english_earthmover where he has been posting photos of equipment and projects for years. Michael was gracious enough to find time (with a 13 hour time difference!) to come on the podcast and share his story. He and Aaron talk differences between the US and Australia, the long and winding road it can take to find your calling, and why some folks do not want you taking photos of their project, no matter where it is.Follow Michael on IG @the_english_earthmover to keep up with his Aussie dirt adventures.Thanks for listening to Dirt Talk! If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reach out to us a DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And we're back! Aaron and Alex are back to answer YOUR questions. Thanks to our listeners for sending in such great questions.This week, the guys talk about some really exciting upcoming travel for the BuildWitt team, and then dig into some questions. They discuss union vs non-union wages and how and when to ask for a raise.If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reach out at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two years ago, Bridger Snow was still in high school. Since then, he's not only started his career in the Dirt World -- he is the owner of Snow Excavation in Northern Utah. He's learning a lot of lessons the hard way in real-time, but he's far ahead of the rest of us when we were his age!Bridger was kind enough to take a few moments out of his weekend to chat with Aaron, and even though Aaron is clearly threatened by Bridger being even younger than Aaron, they were able to spend a lot of time on the benefits and challenges of getting in the Dirt World early. They also discuss Bridger's first machine, why he could trust his friends to work hard for him in the early days, and the challenges of getting a loan in your early 20s.Check out his company at snow-excavation.com and @snowexcavation.If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please email Alex at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron and Alex are back at it again. After a light week of user-submitted questions where Alex had to fake one, the Dirt Talk community showed up in full-force and truly flooded the inbox with great questions. We're so thankful for the Dirt Talk listeners.This week, Aaron take a positive approach in talking about General Contractors (he's actually pretty nice!). He and Alex also talk about lack of training in the Dirt World (and what is being done about it) and deciding who to market yourself to. Listen to the episode Aaron did with Garrett Moss of Moss Utilities about The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of General Contractors.If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please reach out to us at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We know, we know... this isn’t our typical podcast guest on Dirt Talk, but give Nick Schiffer (of NS Builders) some credit - he’s got some serious construction bona fides.Nick started NS Builders in 2014 and has gained a lot of wisdom in the triumphs (and failures) of growing a custom home builder. He shares about his dreams of building homes all over the world, how video and social media sets his business apart, and how he’s pretty good with a classic Bobcat.Nick is also a host on the NS Builders Podcast which can be found here.If you’d like to keep with Nick and NS Construction, follow their IG at @nsbuilders and visit nsbuilders.com.If you have any questions/comments/concerns, reach out at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podcasts aren't easy, as much as Aaron and Alex seem like it is (that was sarcasm). And while the Thursday episodes have been humming, we realized we didn't get any listener-submitted questions this past week. So listen as Alex tries to casually drop in a question that sounds really formal and Aaron busts him for just making it up.In all seriousness, the guys are so thankful for the continued engagement and support that they continue to receive. Our listeners are the best, and we're so grateful for all the shares and questions/comments that come in. Keep 'em coming!If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please reach out at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Randy Blount (of Blount Contracting) recently sold the family business to WW Clyde after running the company for almost 15 years. He took over the company in his early 20s after his father passed away. The traditional way this could have played out is that he would have continued to run the company in AZ and surrounding areas and then passed the business on to his children or other family, but he instead chose a different path and sold the company after having significantly grown the business. All that's to say, his story is uncommon, and that makes sense - Randy is not a common man. As he says in this episode, "one thing that I know about myself is that I can work hard."Aaron and Randy talk about why Randy decided to sell the company, how he has stayed on with WW Clyde as the Arizona Division Vice President, and why he made the bold (and VERY cool) choice to paint all of Blount's machines gray. Randy has also started working with BuildWitt as an advisor, and after hearing his story and perspective, you'll know why the BuildWitt team is very excited to work with him.If you have any questions/comments/concerns, reach out to us at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron is in Nashville and Alex is on a Florida beach. A perfect setup for a podcast, no?This week, Alex and Aaron catch up on BuildWitt office updates, exciting planning meetings last week, and Aaron explains why he thought it would be a good idea to run at least 48 miles in 48 hours (spoiler: he completed his run challenge).They also discuss a few listener-submitted questions about stress management, different machine sizes around the world, and if Aaron will personally do all maintenance on his new skid steer.Thanks for listening and being part of the Dirt Talk community. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please reach out to DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Owner-Operator" is not the most common path in the Dirt World. It requires more admin work typically, and you have to actually buy the machine, of course. But for those who can make it happen, it opens up a world of possibilities in the Dirt World. This week, Aaron spoke with John Schiedeck of Schiedeck Construction about the owner-operator life. John's an absolute weapon with a blade, making him one of the best graders out there. He recently moved from California to Texas, but was gracious enough to take a break from unpacking to give us a sneak-peek into what the owner-operator process looks like.John and Aaron dig deep into some technical aspects of the heavy iron that John has, but they also discuss why to always "do what you can with the machine, so you don't have to do it with the shovel", the pros and cons of owning your own equipment, and John reveals a few operator tricks that he's learned in his career.If you want to get in touch with John, visit the website for Schiedeck Construction or follow him on IG at @schiedeck_construction.If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to us at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.And as always...Stay Dirty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Aaron and Alex catch up across the TN/AL state line. They check in about BuildWitt stuff happening and answer a few submitted questions like asking to hop in equipment on the job site, tracks vs wheels, and "the competition". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices