Builders, Budgets, and Beers

Reece sits down with Tyler Krueger, controller at Canopy Builders, to talk about why construction accounting has to be more than something owners check at tax time. From a million dollars in the bank that may not actually be yours to milestone billing, clean books, jobsite involvement, and monthly financial reviews, Tyler explains how better accounting leads to better business decisions. They also cover what makes a strong construction controller, why financial teams need to understand the field, and how builders can make the numbers easier for the entire company to use.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-krueger-72b195106

Show Notes:
00:07 Intro
01:07 Meet Tyler Krueger
05:52 Accounting Needs Attention
11:31 When Books Mislead
15:35 The Right Controller
20:19 Get Onsite
25:35 Simplify The Ask
27:17 Make Numbers Engaging
35:06 Accounting Growth Stages
39:42 Relationships And Peer Learning

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Alex Wolfe of Wolfe Homes to discuss how builders can grow by getting clear on what their company actually does best. Alex explains why Wolfe Homes stepped back from in-house labor to focus on project management, even knowing it would reduce margin on paper, and how that decision created more leadership capacity.

https://wolfehomes.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
00:55 Meet Alex Wolfe
03:08 Raving Fan Vision
04:44 Building The Vision
11:38 Elevating Trade Partners
17:50 Creating Client Moments
22:10 Leadership Through Excellence
25:03 Systems And Priorities
26:49 Defining The Core
31:17 Community Drives Growth

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece and Dexter Bachelder, Head of Sales at Speckle, examine whether construction’s labor shortage can be solved by hiring more people alone, or whether contractors need to redesign how work gets done. They discuss using AI, automation, BIM data, and frontline change agents to eliminate bottlenecks, reduce wasted labor, and make better decisions before problems reach the field. Dexter also explains why pairing a tech-forward employee with an experienced operator may be one of the most practical ways to make new tools stick.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dexter-bachelder

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
00:52 Meet Dexter
03:22 Construction’s Labor Gap
07:42 Technology Attracts Talent
11:18 Two Change Champions
14:14 Making AI Table Stakes
18:30 Learning From Projects
20:34 Connecting Construction Data
23:53 Unlocking BIM Data
27:32 Rethinking The Workforce
30:35 Redesigning Construction
31:37 Connect With Dexter

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Paul Durst of Waldman Construction to talk about what happens when a construction business grows past gut feel, old habits, and numbers that live in one person’s head.

They cover why purpose still has to connect to healthy financials, how training protects growth, and why better invoicing and delegation can give owners the space to actually work on the business.

https://waldmannconstruction.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
01:05 Meet Paul
03:27 Learning Financials
06:10 Growth Without Experience
08:32 Finding Your Why
13:00 Financial Responsibility
16:37 Leadership Growing Pains
21:58 Purpose Through Experience
23:07 Training The Team
30:43 Systems Create Space
34:47 Closing Thoughts

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece talks with Chris Ehrenfeld of Bold Companies and Bold Construction about the real risk behind growing a construction business, especially when a builder moves from doing the work to leading the company.

Chris shares how he started framing houses to raise capital, built into luxury custom homes, learned from a fixed price contract hit by COVID cost spikes, and changed how he thinks about hiring, systems, and risk.

https://www.chrisehrenfeld.com
https://www.bold-life.com

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
02:14 Real Estate Advantage
04:55 Framing For Capital
09:34 Artist To Owner
12:22 Finding Better Mentors
16:03 Learning From Mistakes
19:44 Hiring The Right People
24:53 Letting Go
30:31 Fixed Price Risk
33:35 Five Year Vision
35:59 Growth Versus Stability
41:12 The Bold Life

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece and Andrew Amrhein of Precision SME talk about why builders struggle to turn strategy into real execution, and why the missing layer is often management.

Andrew breaks down how contractors can connect numbers to meaningful action, avoid promoting good people before they are ready, and use projects instead of hope to test future leaders. He also goes over levels of work, why managers need to translate vision into priorities, and how better systems can keep teams from repeating the same mistakes.

precision-sme.com
app.precision-sme.com
Email: [email protected]

Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
01:37 Meet Andrew
05:53 Management Gap
10:37 Numbers To Strategy
12:13 Work Levels
17:36 Projects Before Promotions
21:05 Meaningful Metrics
25:01 Manager Value
33:35 Testing Future Leaders
39:26 Decision Ownership
44:00 Fix The System
48:10 Connect With Andrew

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Aaron Dearborn, president of Amerail Systems, to talk about one of the strangest cash flow problems in construction: why GCs and subs often end up financing the project before owner money arrives.

They get into delayed progress payments, deposits, retainage, paying subs early, and how clear expectations can protect relationships without draining your business.

https://www.amerailsys.com

Show Notes:
00:53 Aaron’s Background
02:44 Building For Growth
04:08 Contractors Become The Bank
07:07 Paying Subs First
10:44 Deposits And Retainage
12:57 Owner Payment Delays
14:39 Customer Fit Matters
19:23 Negotiating Brand Scope
21:30 Reading The Market
24:06 Advice And Relationships
29:30 Connect With Aaron

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Russ Stephens, co-founder of the Association of Professional Builders, to talk about why so many builders look successful on paper but still miss the profit sitting inside their business. Russ breaks down work in progress, pricing, overhead, owner pay, and the danger of chasing bigger jobs without understanding what they actually cost.

This episode covers how builders can stop guessing at margins, price from true break even, stay focused on the right type of work, and build a company that is worth something beyond the owner’s daily grind.

To get a free business valuation report from Russ Stephens and APB visit:
https://hubs.ly/Q04jQvzl0

Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration

Show Notes:
00:00 Show Intro
01:10 Meet Russ Stephens
04:14 Know Your Numbers
05:42 Revenue Versus Profit
08:08 Profit Starts Early
10:54 Understanding WIP
16:44 Front Loading Jobs
19:33 Pricing For Net
23:40 Net Profit Webinar
25:42 Owner Versus Employer
28:02 Stay In Your Lane
31:20 Remodeling To New Homes
34:56 Business Valuations
39:17 Build Value Now

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Scott Franchini of RedHammer to talk about why contractors often blame their software when the real issue is messy job costing, unclear WIP, and financial reports they cannot trust.

They cover indirect costs, overhead allocation, budgeting gaps, chart of accounts cleanup, and why bigger software does not automatically create better visibility. This episode is a practical reminder to slow down, understand what you actually need to measure, and build a system your team can use consistently.

https://www.redhammer.io

Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration

Show Notes:
00:12 Show Intro
00:46 Meet Scott
02:12 Red Hammer Overview
03:06 WIP Foundations
06:23 Budgeting Gaps
09:37 Indirect Costs
13:30 False Profit
16:29 Software Gaps
20:22 Webinar Break
21:35 Setup Before Software
25:38 Reporting First
29:06 Cleanup Timeline
33:34 Smarter Tech Stacks
41:35 Slow Down First

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media

Reece sits down with Brad Stokes of Highspire to talk about the shift from owner operator to strategic owner, and why top-line revenue alone does not mean a construction business is healthy.

They get into real estate development, market timing, KPIs, org charts, gross profit tracking, and the systems that give owners more time to think clearly instead of constantly reacting. This episode is about building a tighter business first, so bigger opportunities do not break what you already built.

https://www.highspire.com

Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration

Show Notes:
00:00 Show Intro
01:40 Brad’s Wild Backstory
04:39 Learning Real Estate
08:58 What HighSpire Does
12:08 Finding The Right Market
16:47 Keep The Model Simple
21:10 Revenue Versus Health
27:14 Track The Right Work
32:25 Buying Back Time
38:57 The Owner’s Brain
43:51 Choose Better Tools
45:52 Strategic Owner Shift

Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano

Podcast  Produced By:
Motif Media