Builder Stories

Michael James lost everything during the recession, then rebuilt his company with a new outlook on leadership and legacy. He even biked from Canada to Mexico, a journey that reshaped how he approaches business and life.

In this conversation, Michael shares how shifting from a "me" mindset to a "we" mindset transformed his company. He talks about hiring lessons, working with family, and the culture-building practices that keep his team engaged. He also reveals the one thing he does every day to keep his business moving forward and the leadership habit he considers most valuable.

• The daily practice Michael relies on to guide his business decisions
• How listening became his most effective leadership tool
• What to look for when building a strong team
• How to create a culture where people want to stay and grow
• The key to making family partnerships work in business

Listen to the episode to learn more.

Learn more about Michael James Remodeling here.

In this engaging conversation, Bob Perez shares how he left an 11-year corporate career to co-found Stephen Thomas Construction in Austin, Texas. Pairing his business background with his partner's field expertise, Bob has built a thriving company.

From navigating the risk/benefit of cost-plus projects to putting clients firmly in control of their budgets, Bob explains how a two-person team can use systems and software to achieve results that rival much larger firms.

• How defining roles creates smoother projects
• What it means to truly put clients in charge of their budgets
• The two most important lessons Bob has learned about cost-plus
• How to spot client red flags before you commit
• A straightforward approach to finding and vetting the right subs

Listen to the episode to learn more.

Visit the Stephen Thomas Construction website here.

For more than 17 years, Kyle Hunt has been coaching remodelers to move from stressed and scattered to profitable and confident. Through Remodelers On The Rise, he guides business owners on how to take control of their numbers, implement systems, and build companies that support their lives rather than consume them. In this conversation, Kyle shares how remodelers can stop winging it and start using clear processes in sales, marketing, and leadership. He also talks about the importance of protecting personal time, strengthening family life, and actually implementing the ideas that often sit untouched in a notebook.

• How to create a repeatable sales process that filters out tire kickers
• Ways to market beyond referrals and consistently attract new leads
• How leadership and culture become the remodeler's main job as the business grows
• Practical steps to move from collecting ideas to actually implementing them

Listen to the episode to learn more.

Visit Remodelers on the Rise website here.

Gary Muehling's journey into construction started with failure but it was that setback that shaped his future success. After an early attempt at running his own roofing and siding business fell apart, Gary went to work for larger companies where he learned how strong processes, compliance, and sales systems create sustainable growth. In 2019, he launched MI Remodelers with a mission to combine roofing expertise with full-service residential remodeling, and today his company successfully straddles both types of work. Known as "The Integrity Guys," Gary shares how his business balances sales and project management to earn more than $4 million in annual revenue.

• How Gary maintains a $2.5 million backlog of work
• The process he uses to divide sales and project management for maximum efficiency
• How his client interactions create a higher close ratio
• Why he goes against an industry trend and offers free design services
• The systems that allow MI Remodelers to scale to $4M in annual revenue while maintaining quality

Visit MI Remodelers website here.

Kaleb Lyles grew up working alongside his father in construction and what began as helping out during school breaks turned into a lifelong calling. Together with his wife Andrea, Kaleb launched Copper Masters Roofing with a vision to honor his family's legacy while carving out his own path in the roofing industry.

Here Kaleb shares how early financial struggles forced them to build a stronger foundation for growth. He explains the steps they took to create a loyal company culture and the ways his love of creating quirky, unique, and fun content fuels engagement for the brand. Kaleb also reveals what he has learned about balancing the office and the field, showing the ideal relationship between leading a business and wearing a tool belt.

• How to turn financial struggles into growth
• Tips for investing in people and culture
• How not to treat team members
• A unique, strategic formula for social media that helps win projects
• How to scale a company without losing the personal touch

Visit Copper Masters Roofing website here.

Kali Sudbrook took an untraditional road to remodeling. After more than a decade directing university fitness programs, she made the leap into remodeling and quickly uncovered the untapped niche of custom gym design build. Today she is shaping a growing industry that spans from high end garage gyms to the increasing demand for backyard fitness sheds. Kali shares what makes gym design different from other remodeling projects, and how she built a lean team powered by a virtual assistant and a virtual designer. She also reveals the disciplined processes she has created to keep her business running smoothly, along with insights for marketing content that connects with clients.

In this episode you will learn

• The one unique factor every gym designer must consider

• Ways she uses a virtual assistant and virtual designer to gain efficiency

• Tips for creating compelling marketing content around each project

• The process she follows to create repeatable systems

• Her vision of expanding Beachside Custom Gyms to a national presence

Visit Kali Sudbrook's website here.

In this episode of Builder Stories, Eric sits down for an inspiring (and blunt) conversation with Tom Reber of The Contractor Fight. A passionate advocate for the trades, Reber was host of the HGTV series Unfinished Business and today has a massive audience for his influential videos, podcast, and Facebook group. Here, Reber brings his well-known candor to the discussion with insights on why "most sales people suck" and what can be done to correct it.

• Reber's definition of success
• FHow to set a fifty percent gross profit target
• When raising prices is the right move
• Why most contractors leave so much money on the table
• Why Sales is a perishable skill

Visit The Contractor Fight website here.

In 2010, Devon Vought launched Vought Construction in Berkeley, California, starting with small handyman projects and evolving into a sought-after builder of custom luxury homes. In this episode, Devon shares how he grew his business from working solo with a motorcycle (tools in backpack) to leading a polished, brand-driven team. He discusses the marketing moves that elevated his company, how he represents his brand, and his approach to leading a team.

• Ways to stretch a limited marketing budget for maximum impact
• How to attract steady business from top architects
• How to set your jobsites apart through branding and presentation
• How to get your team engaged in learning and using new technology

Resources:

Learn more about Vought Construction here.

After earning a degree in architectural engineering, Blair Roedel became a senior estimator for a mechanical engineering firm, and eventually found her way to remodeling. In this episode, she explains how she launched BEC Innovations during the early days of the pandemic and grew it into a values-driven renovation company in the Nashville area. She shares how she defined her company standards from the beginning, built a strong internal culture, and developed a recruiting process to find team members who align with her expectations.

• How Roedel uses educational content on her website to drive leads and set expectations
• Roedel's approach to recruiting and how she finds team members who share her mindset
• How Roedel uses personalized video messages to close more sales
• How creating a pricing guide on the company website has helped set expectations and filter leads
• The tools and communication habits that help her team stay ahead of client concerns.

Learn more about BEC Innovations LLC. here.

Marcus Sheridan built a thriving swimming pool company in the middle of the Great Recession by understanding buyer's questions and using his marketing to address them with complete transparency. That strategy became the foundation of They Ask, You Answer, a framework now used by leading businesses around the world. In this episode, Sheridan shares how teaching homeowners builds credibility. He reveals why most marketing fails to earn trust and what companies can do to enhance their messaging. He also breaks down how to improve your website content and stay ahead on SEO in the new era of AI-dominated page views.

• The four pillars of a known and trusted brand
• What the "pride cycle" is and how it affects business decisions
• The ways AI effect SEO and how to stay ahead
• What trust signals are and where to use them
• How to use video to strengthen your brand
• Which tools can measure the authenticity of your marketing message

Learn more about Marcus Sheridan here.

Own a construction company and want to share your story? Apply to be on an upcoming episode of Builder Stories at https://www.builderstories.com