Allison O’Baker and Priscilla Thomasevich share how a CFO–CPA duo helps builders organize their books, budget with intent, and protect margins. We dig into chart of accounts vs. cost codes, fixed vs. variable spend, tax levers and accounting methods (cash, accrual, completed-contract), and when to lean on a bookkeeper, controller, or CFO.

Connect with: 

Allison O'Baker: https://aodataflow.com
Priscilla Thomasevich: https://sawgrasscpa.com

Show Notes: 

0:00 Cold open: why money talk matters
0:35 Mics up & episode setup
1:01 Allison’s lane: outsourced CFO
2:25 Priscilla’s path: CPA to builder
15:50 How the CFO+CPA duo works
20:04 Chart of accounts vs cost codes
28:42 Method matters: completed contract vs accrual
33:46 Benchmarks: spend on marketing & growth
40:16 Team roles: bookkeeper, controller, CFO
50:00 Takeaways & wrap

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Cody & Kristen Dawson share how Patriot Custom Homes grew from a COVID-era handyman hustle into a legit remodel-to-custom operation—with corporate skills, clear lanes, and real systems doing the heavy lifting. They get into the spouse-run dynamics, hiring and delegation, and the call between doing a spec to show your chops or waiting on the right custom client.

PatriotHomesTx.com

Show Notes: 

00:00 Cold open & intros
01:09 Meet Cody & Kristen Dawson (Patriot Custom Homes)
05:31 The fork in the road: offshore job vs first remodel
08:32 First time managing subs & the income math
10:00 2023 workload surge & why Kristen jumped in full-time
15:50 Running a company as a couple—communication, lanes, boundaries
20:40 Systems that set you free: client portal/CRM, hiring admin & PM
25:28 Marketing & pipeline: social, site, and partner referrals
38:33 Getting out of the day-to-day: accountability over “I’ll just do it myself”
46:32 Why they left corporate: family time and schedule control

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Operations pro Angie Aki joins Reece to demystify payroll tax savings, W-2 vs 1099 trade-offs, benefits that actually help retention, and the liability/insurance pieces builders overlook. We finish with a simple action plan—clean AR, right retirement setup, and a smarter way to pay yourself.

https://angieaki.com

Show Notes:
0:00 Welcome and who’s Angie
 4:25 From “Go Ask Angie” to operations pro
 5:54 Payroll taxes and benefits most builders miss
 6:49 W-2 vs 1099: true costs and risks
 19:02 Liability, audits, and paper trails
 21:13 Culture beats chaos when you grow
 23:41 Retirement options for small builders
 28:10 Insurance you can’t skip
 29:40 Owner pay, draws, and clean books
 30:06 Quick wins to implement this month
 31:36 How to reach Angie + wrap

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Brady Fenn shares how Fenn Rogers went from “tearing up floors” to a trusted luxury custom home builder in the Phoenix area by partnering with the right designers/architects and bidding to the actual spec, not the plan assumptions. He shares hard-won lessons on fixing budget misses, building a dependable subs bench, and using clear expectations and communication to keep clients confident through an imperfect, first-time build.

https://www.fennrogers.com

Show Notes: 
00:00 Welcome + what Fenn Rogers builds
02:26 Brady’s path: from tearing up floors to partner
11:18 Designers & architects: moving upmarket the right way
17:08 Budget misses → pivot to spec-driven estimating
30:18 “Chuck in a truck” vs. building a pro subs bench
37:18 Why process feels hard in custom — the imperfect reality
43:13 Set expectations, over-communicate, earn trust
46:30 Closing thoughts & thanks

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Victor Rybak shares how he moved from “bags-on” to building systems that protect profit—covering fixed price vs cost-plus, change orders, retainers, and allowances that don’t burn you. He also breaks down the House Pro workflow for bids, selections, invoicing, and job-cost clarity so builders stop giving away work and start pricing like a real business.

https://simplyhomebuilders.com

Show Notes:
0:00 Welcome & why this show exists
4:46 From bags-on to the office—why Victor changed lanes
7:29 When the market shifts, profit needs a plan
9:41 Stop the freebies—write the change order
14:56 Retainers & contracts that keep you covered
18:35 Job costing clarity: “I paid $32k… but for what?”
22:06 When cost-plus beats fixed price
26:55 House Pro workflow—bids, selections, tracking
32:17 Centralizing invoices & communication
51:04 Standardizing process so chaos settles
55:14 Closing thoughts & what’s next

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Gabe Joseph shares how getting past ego made him a better builder—leaning into curiosity, standardizing specs, and scaling without bloat. We dig into procurement, margins, architect fit, permitting, and the upstream moves that erase change orders.

https://www.jdbatx.com

Show Notes:
0:00 Cold open — curiosity as the builder's edge
1:01 Gabe's background and Austin roots
6:08 Specs over one-offs: standardization that scales
10:36 Procurement: high-design without high cost
14:27 Margins, materials, and making the numbers work
31:27 Subcontractors: building a reliable roster
40:10 Change orders: how to avoid them upstream
44:43 Permitting & city dynamics (late-stage hurdles)

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Tyler Grace shares how he shifted from over-delivering to running a lean, profitable small-shop—tracking every hour, pricing for reality, and choosing lifestyle over headcount. He breaks down T&M vs cost-plus in plain English, why “good enough” (when scoped) beats burnout, and how to design a business that actually pays you back.

http://trghomeconcepts.com

Find more of Tyler at "The Modern Craftsman" podcast: https://www.moderncraftsman.co

Show Notes: 

0:00 Good enough finally clicked
 5:00 How Tyler actually got into the trades
 22:30 The over-delivering trap (and not tracking time)
 26:00 Burnout and a hospital wake-up call
 31:50 Pivot to T&M so the hours finally pay
 37:10 T&M vs cost-plus—how he prices it
 40:10 Old houses: surprises, budgets, and change orders
 44:30 Staying small on purpose—simple tracking & cash flow
 58:30 Know your lane—match the work to the budget (don’t scale blind)
 1:03:20 Volume ≠ profit (the COVID boom lesson)
 1:05:00 The motto: work hard, get paid for your time
 1:14:00 Who he is and why—story & perspective

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Adam Copenhaver shares how Cope Grand scaled from small cottages to ultra-luxury builds in Charleston by systematizing pre-construction, translating “ankle-grabber” chaos into clear scopes, and making budgets readable to clients. He dives into cost code organization, lessons from the COVID lumber spike, working with owner’s reps, and how he uses Buildertrend to keep accountability visible.

https://www.copegrandhomes.com

Show Notes:

0:00 What we’re tackling today
4:15 How high-end builds work in Charleston
13:26 Making budgets clients can actually read
18:12 Cost-plus explained and where it wins
32:06 Fixed fee vs cost plus, what you really pay
37:55 When an owner’s rep actually helps
40:29 How we show receipts and progress
54:12 Markup vs margin in plain English
58:00 Change orders without the drama
1:01:04 Choosing work that actually fits us
1:07:19 Wrap up and next steps

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Trent Waldrop shares how confusing cash flow with profit can quietly sink a small builder—and why ruthless job costing is the only way to know if you’re actually making money. He breaks down moving from 75–80% cost capture to billing every line item (even the $25 ones), hitting budgets within ~5%, and choosing the right pricing model so you can net 10–12% (or better) on $200–$400K homes.

https://waldropcompany.com

Show Notes:

0:00 Hitting Budget Within 5% on Every Build
9:17 Building Homes for the Community You Know
13:36 Tracking Costs Like a Hawk on Lower-Margin Projects
18:26 Why We’re Moving Back to Fixed Price
22:33 Competing in a Small Market
26:25 Avoiding “Building for Free” Jobs
31:00 Deposits and Getting Paid Before Dirt Moves
35:17 Customer Satisfaction with Younger Buyers
40:16 Building for the Long Haul: 60+ Year Homes
49:17 Value Engineering That Protects Your Margin

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media

Would you jump on a plane if the pilot didn’t understand their cockpit dials? Randy Stanbury of 4 Level Coach shares how builders and remodelers can stop “flying blind” by mastering financial literacy, building systems, and creating a clear vision. Learn the steps to free yourself from day-to-day operations while scaling profitably.

https://4levelcoach.com

Show Notes:

Opening Analogy & Randy’s Background (0:00)
Breaking Down the Four Level Success System (2:53)
Why Builders Struggle to Trust and Let Go (6:48)
Profit Before Growth, Systems Before People (9:38)
Using Metrics to Drive Profitability (16:39)
Incremental Goals and Building Momentum (24:13)
Software Adoption Challenges and Team Buy-In (30:13)
Integration Support and Maximizing ROI (36:16)
AI, Technology, and the Future of Building (43:37)
Closing Advice and How to Connect with Randy (48:09)

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media