Who hasn’t had a client try to negotiate their fee down? Spend a short amount of time in this business, and it’s going to happen. Here’s what I’ve found as the best approach to avoid those discussions altogether.

Adam Conley understands the dynamic between builders and contractors in a hot market. He wrote a post on social media that originally caught my attention and spurred our conversation. We talk about his views on building stronger builder/trade partner relationships, even covering a few specific recommendations.

Adam is the President of Glass Expanse, a company that manufactures and sells directly to builders innovative, architectural glass door systems for luxury homes. You can also follow them on Instagram at @glassexpanse.

Show Notes

[1:50] – Adam’s quote on the relationship dynamics between builders and contractors that are unfolding in this market.

[6:10] – Adam’s advice on building better relationships with their contractors.

[15:30] – Any mistakes builders make that poison the unknowingly poison the relationship?

[22:55] – Adam’s take on the industry.

[27:50] – Adam’s story and business at Glass Expanse.

Welcome to a mini-episode, the final of three with business coach and construction consultant, Shawn Van Dyke. Shawn is a national speaker and author of Profit First for Contractors, available on Amazon.

We covered ‘Attracting Talent’ and ‘Getting Paid for Pre-Con’ in our first two episodes. This time, we cover a few random topics from common bad advice he hears to preparing for the next recession.

You can find Shawn and his menu of offerings at shawnvandyke.com, and also on social media, @shawnvandyke.

Show Notes:

[1:00] – The worst advice Shawn hears.

[3:25] – What Shawn preaches that he doesn’t hear anyone else preaching.

[6:40] – Shawn’s advice for weathering a downturn.

Welcome to the second of three episodes with business coach and construction consultant, Shawn Van Dyke. Shawn is a national speaker and author of Profit First for Contractors, available on Amazon.

In this episode Shawn outlines plan to help you get paid for your pre-con work. If you’re not doing it already, this is worth a listen! And if you are, well Shawn may have a few ways to enhance your program. Stay tuned for our third installment with Shawn coming next. It’s a good one.

You can find Shawn and his menu of offerings at shawnvandyke.com, and also on social media, @shawnvandyke.

Show Notes:

[1:20] – Why do we need to get paid for pre-construction work?

[4:30] – The difference between an up-front estimate and professional services.

[7:40] – How do you sell the client on paying you to perform the pre-con work?

[14:45] – What are the specifics that should be included or excluded in a pre-con

phase?

[20:40] – The trap of offering ballpark pricing.

[29:10] – A major cause of litigation.

[30:00] – A few more specifics to include in your pre-con agreement.

Shawn Van Dyke is a business coach and consultant to the construction industry. He travels the county speaking, and he even has authored a book, Profit First for Contractors, available on Amazon.

This episode covers attracting talent. We’re doing two more episodes with Shawn, one on getting paid for your pre-construction work, and the other, an episode on bad advice and other timely musings such as thoughts about the economy.

You can find Shawn and his menu of offerings at shawnvandyke.com, and also on social media, @shawnvandyke.

Show Notes:

[1:25] – Where should we be looking to find our next hire?

It’s an admittedly idiotic name for the episode that we couldn’t resist, in honor of the Seinfeld Soup Nazi, an appropriate flag bearer for this final episode on happy client hacks. This is a reading of our recent article published in our Building Optimal Journal. You can read it HERE.

This is a reading of our recent article published in our Building Optimal Journal. You can read it HERE.

This is a reading of our recent article published in our Building Optimal Journal. You can read it HERE.

Joel Block is a long-time venture capitalist and hedge fund manager who is one of the foremost authorities on creating real estate funds and syndications. Joel joins us to talk about creating syndications and funds for home builders.

Be sure to check out Joel’s website, syndicatefast.com. He’s got some great videos on there as well as other helpful services. Also, be sure to check out Joel’s podcast, Profit from the Inside, where he discusses strategies to give your business the inside track. And as always, enjoy the episode.

Show Notes

[1:20] – How can we determine the capital available to us at any given time to know which projects to pursue?

[4:10] – Are a lot of builders going the fund route?

[6:20] – Where do we find new investors leads?

[9:45] – What exactly are investors buying when they buy shares in a fund?

[11:40] – What are the pieces of the puzzle needed if you go the fund route?

[14:00] – What’s needed for creating a syndication?

[19:20] – What’s the ideal structure for a home building deal?

[23:40] – Finding co-guarantors for your deals.

[26:00] – A conceptual way to create fair fee structures.

[29:25] – Joel’s advice on keeping in touch with current investors.

[31:00] – What Joel sees go wrong the most…

[34:30] – Where to find Joel online.

This conversation with tiny home builder, Bob Clarizio, ranges from hilarious to enlightening. Bob, of Bantam Built Homes, takes us on his journey into the tiny home business and shares some of his hardest lessons and greatest achievements. If you missed Bob’s first interview with us, check it out:

https://buildingoptimal.com/25

Show Notes:

[1:40] – Bob’s journey into tiny homes.

[7:40] – Bob’s early struggles in his transition.

[13:30] – The seasonality of tiny homes.

[15:45] – The making his three business-saving sales.

[26:00] – Bob’s wild trip out east.

[29:00] – Shipping tiny homes to Switzerland off YouTube.

[32:50] – Bob’s current business focus.

[34:30] – The constraints facing the tiny home industry.