Brad Leavitt Podcast

This week we welcome Jason Roehner and Dan Ryan with @roehner to the Podcast. Jason and Dan have photographed all of our projects since we started our company, A Finer Touch Construction in March of 2013. They are extremely talented photographers and shared some great insight on the podcast. We spoke about the power of marketing and branding, and how photography plays a key role in those efforts. Jason and Dan spoke about their journey as an entrepreneur and how they cultured their passion for architectural photography. We also spoke about photographing licensing and how we all need to be more mindful of the time and value our photographers give. You will definitely enjoy their mindset, knowledge and energy.

We are nearing our first year of the podcast and it is hard to believe that we are now on episode 48. Casey Grey with @the_conscious_builder joined us from Ottawa, Canada. Casey has an incredible mindset and view on business. Psychology was a major topic in our discussion and one of my favorite comments he made was that our environment is more impactful than our willpower. His analogy was, “if I want to stop eating junk food, than quick buying junk food.” Our environment, network and who we surround ourselves with, make all the difference. Casey also spoke about the future of our industry, building science, and how to have a positive outlook on life and in business. We also discussed the difference between net-zero homes and passive homes. Additionally, focus on your mistakes and use those to catapult your career. Casey is the founder of the award-winning sustainable building company, The Conscious Builder, the host of The Conscious Builder Podcast and The Conscious Builder Show on YouTube and the former Co-host of The Conscious Living Podcast. He has written almost 400 blog posts on topics such as marketing, branding, entrepreneurship, personal development, sustainability and more. Casey brings almost two decades of experience to the construction industry and over a decade of experience to running, owning and growing multiple businesses while also staying committed to his wife and son. Casey is on a mission to help people build homes, businesses and lives in a more conscious manner and is co-authoring a book with Kevin Harrington, the original shark from the hit TV show Shark Tank.

Clarke Miyasaki, Chief Growth Office of Stance Socks, joined us on episode 47 of the podcast today. One of my favorite statements by Clarke is, “treat every relationship like it’s your big break”. Clarke has built tremendous relationships throughout the music and professional sport industries. From his time at Skull Candy, to now at Stance, Clarke understands the value of relationships, hard work and company culture. He has worked on deals with Snoop Dogg, Dwyane Wade, Rihanna, Will Smith, Kevin Durant and James Harden. I’ve been fortunate to meet Clarke and tour the Stance Headquarters in San Clemente, CA. He is just as humble in person as he was on the podcast. You will really enjoy hearing his story and thoughts on business.

This week on the podcast we welcome @EmmeDiane. Emme Diane is a trusted and sought-after skin care expert, esthetician and skin care formulator on a mission to solve the seemingly unsolvable skin issues, from acne to aging and everything in between. Emme provided extensive knowledge on customer service and sales, using the term “salevis”. She also spoke about marketing and how to create the customer journey. Emme emphasized that every business needs systems to not only scale, but be profitable and diversify. Emme has more than 20 years of professional experience in both medical and spa esthetics, Emme Diane is known for solving the “unsolvable” skin concerns, from acne to melasma, rosacea and aging skin. Her clients, who affectionately refer to her as the “Skin Whisperer,” describe her as nurturing and supportive with a wealth of knowledge. Specializing in skin transformations, she offers local clients advanced skin care treatments that cannot be found anywhere else, as well as virtual skin consultations that result in remarkable skin transformations for her long distance clients worldwide. Along with her obsessively researched line of clinical skin care products and proven methods of correcting even the most stubborn skin concerns, her mission is to have her clients love and feel confident in the skin they’re in. Click the link in our profile for the full episode. And a big thanks to our sponsor @subzerogroupsw. Make sure to pay them a visit, as they have the best showroom around!

website: www.emmediane.com

You will not want to miss episode 45 of the AFT Construction Podcast. This week we were fortunate to host Morri Chowaiki. Morri is the Head of Sales and Retail for Daymond John. Morri was one of the top selling contestants on the Shark Tank and is the only presenter to now work for one of the Sharks. He is a strategic and results-driven Senior Sales and Executive with experience combining strong technical background and keen business acumen to drive profitability and identify new markets within competitive sales arenas. In this episode we heavily discuss entrepreneurship, sales, communication and persistence. If any of you are looking to expand your career or business, this is the episode for you. Morri gives first-hand knowledge and how to close a deal. Additionally, he also shares his experience in working through the Shark Tank auditions.

On Episode 44 of the Podcast we were fortunate to host Ty Udell with Dun Today. Ty has created a revolutionary app in the building industry that we have already incorporated here at A Finer Touch Construction for our clients. Dun Today is an on-demand solution for Home Builders, Home Warranty Companies, Professional Services Companies, and Home Owners to connect in real time. With over a decade of background in the Fortune 100 High-Tech sector, Ty is a generation Y millennial who understands the importance of business transformation in the digital age. He has extensive experience working with major retailers on omnichannel and mobile engagement strategies, and brings a unique understanding of what the next generation of home buyer expects. Ty holds a business degree from the Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona and is a member of the NHBA. You don’t want to miss this episode as we dive in to Ty’s journey to create this app and of course, the time and effort behind the scenes.

This week on the podcast we were fortunate to host Jason and Mark from the land down under with @beyondbuildconstructions. Jason and Mark have built an amazing company in Sydney, Australia. Company culture is so important for any brand or enterprise and we discuss this in detail. We also spoke about how to run an effective partnership, how to bring value to your customers, the difference in construction between the US and Australia, what will impact builders and designers over the next 10 years, and how to better market and brand your firm. You won’t want to miss this one.

On Episode 42 of the AFT Construction Podcast we were fortunate to host Shea McGee with @StudioMcGee. Shea and her husband Syd have built an incredibly successful and diversified company. She shared some upcoming exciting news, as well as her background to the early beginnings of Studio McGee. Shea has always had a passion for design and shared the importance of the client relationship, as well as what creates good chemistry between the builder and architect. She spoke of how important it is to focus on your aesthetic, content creation and be consistent. If you are looking to grow your business through marketing and networking, definitely take a listen

This week on the podcast we were fortunate to host Matt Risinger @risingerbuild with @thebuildshow. Matt is a tremendous thought leader in the construction, building science and design industry. He is a public speaker, mentor, has an extremely successful YouTube channel, and “Netflix for Builders” website at www.buildshownetwork.com that he hosts with other talented professionals throughout the country. Matt discussed the importance of a well-constructed home and how that integrates with design and budget. He spoke about the importance of social media, personal branding, and marketing and how we can sell our value to the customers. Consistency, trust and risk assessment were other key components of our conversation. He also spoke about aspects of the preconstruction process that we all must consider. You don’t want to miss this one. Matt Risinger’s building career began with a Pittsburgh church ministry. After college, he worked with a national builder in Washington, D.C., where he met his wife. The two then moved to Portland, Ore., where Matt worked for a smaller semicustom builder. After moving to Austin, Texas (his wife’s hometown), he started Risinger Homes in 2005. In addition to running his company, blogging, and writing for various publications, he stays busy with his four kids.

We brought Aaron on the podcast because of his specialization in marketing, branding and hiring. If you aren’t already on LinkedIn, I am confident you will make it a priority after our conversation. Aaron is an expert in content creation throughout all of his social media channels. His company has expanded to website design, used equipment sales, and job placement for the dirt industry. After graduating with an engineering degree and working for five different heavy construction companies in four states, Aaron's life plan was to start a construction business. However, all that went out the window when he started sharing his Dirt World experiences on social media. His online following quickly grew, and he realized he could build a business around educating society about how essential heavy construction and mining are to our world. He quit his day job, picked up a camera, and started traveling to different job sites across the US. Today, while he still runs around photographing dirt, he leads a marketing agency focused exclusively on heavy construction and mining companies. BuildWitt is a team of 25 marketing experts who help their partners solve their workforce issues and win new work by telling their stories via social media, web, video, and other means