Fence Guy Podcast

In this episode of Fence Guy Podcast, Craig sits down with first-time guest Kevin Hohe, a 36-year-old third-generation fence contractor who helped scale a family business from $4 million to a budgeted $90 million . Kevin unloads 10 years of raw, unfiltered takes on the construction industry, explaining why he believes traditional college routes are often a waste for tradespeople and how private equity is cannibalizing beloved family legacies .

Craig and Kevin dive deep into the launch of The Honest Builder—a decentralized, self-run community designed to bring high-level EOS coaching and mentorship to the most vulnerable solopreneurs and "last hammers" on the job site . They also tackle the massive skills gap, the toxic contracts written by general contractor "litigators," and why it's time for subcontractors to know their worth and charge more .

If you are a contractor, builder, or small business owner trying to escape a low-paying rut and find joy in your art again, this episode is your blueprint .

Connect with the Show:

Interested in getting involved with Kevin and The Honest Builder? Email Craig directly to get on the priority list: [email protected].

🤝 Episode Sponsors

Titan Post Drivers | Fencetrac Fence System | Brand Builders | FenceGPT | LiveSwitch | MySalesman | ZND Temporary Fence Solutions | Contractor Accelerator | J.C. Gury | Orlando Hinge Company

Past Episodes & What's Coming Next

Bonus Episode: Why "Crushing It" Feels Like Failing: The Truth About Business Growth - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EuJYUJA8a4&t=2s

Episode 103. The Great Post Driver Debate: Finding the perfect Pounder for Your Business - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veRXF5RiqaA&t=4673s

Bonus Episode: The Truth About Partnerships: Do Ships Really Sink? (with Dan Wheeler) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkA0EkBd8pQ&t=1s

👉 Coming Next Week: Dan Wheeler takes over the host seat to interview industry titan Sean Behensky, who will be breaking massive news about leaving CMM to start his own supply company !

👉 Two Weeks From Now: The Blue Crew is back! Shawn King joins the show to discuss his legacy and answer the tough questions about the industry .

It's 1:20 in the morning and Craig Eubanks couldn't go to sleep without getting this one out — because this conversation is too important to wait.

Every small business owner in this country is feeling the squeeze right now. Material costs are up 40.5% since February 2020. Steel up 13.1%. Aluminum up 22.8%. Lumber at its highest price since 2019. And the Midwest is getting hit harder than anywhere else.

So what do you do when your costs go up but the guy down the street is still charging just over material cost? You can't eat the difference. You can't race him to the bottom. And you can't pretend it isn't happening.

In this episode Craig gets real about what is actually going on in the economy for small contractors right now — no politics, no fluff, just the honest conversation that most people are afraid to have publicly.

Topics covered:

• Why construction material costs are up 40.5% since 2020 and what that means for your bottom line
• The most dangerous thing happening in the fence market right now
• What happens to the customers who go with the cheap guy — and why they always call you to fix it
• Why competing on price is a race nobody wins
• 4 things you can do right now to protect your margins and build something that lasts through any economy

If you have ever lost a job to someone charging just over material cost — and then gotten the call six months later to fix the mess — this episode is for you.

A huge thank you to our sponsors who make the Fence Guy Podcast possible:

🔩 FenceTrac — The smarter way to build fence 🏗️ Brand Builders — Helping contractors build their brand 📋 Contractor Accelerator — Tools to grow your contracting business 🔩 Orlando Hinge — Quality hardware for the fence industry ⚡ ZND — Powering the fence industry 🌟 J.C. Gury — Industry leader in fence products 🤖 FenceGPT — AI built specifically for fence contractors 📱 mySalesman — Smarter sales tools for contractors 🔨 Titan — The gold standard in post drivers

Is there such a thing as a perfect post driver, or are we all just arguing into the wind? In this episode of Fence Guy Podcast, host Craig Eubanks breaks new ground with a powerhouse panel of fence industry experts: Dan Wheeler, Clint Iams, Justin Nary, and Joseph Glasgow.

What started as a heated Facebook debate goes completely live as the guys square off on everything related to post-pounding efficiency, equipment investments, and the realities of different job sites. Whether you are navigating tight, quarter-acre residential backyards with chihuahuas running around, stretching heavy woven wire across sprawling agricultural fields, or managing strict safety regulations on industrial sites, this episode has something for every contractor.

What We Break Down In This Episode:

Hydraulic vs. Gas vs. Standalone Units: The panel discusses the hardest-hitting tools on the market and what actually makes a driver "efficient" or "easy" to handle.

The Standalone vs. Mini Attachment Debate: Why some of the guys swear by mini skid-steer attachments for ultimate job site versatility, while others favor highly dedicated production units.

Regional Reality Checks: How ground conditions—from six feet of soft topsoil in Northern Indiana to limestone, sandstone, and shale rock in Southwestern Pennsylvania—completely dictate the tools you need.

The "One is None" Philosophy: The brutal truth about equipment breakdowns, maintenance regimens, why you always need a backup plan, and whether $3,000 drivers are just throwaway items.

Overhead and ROI: A candid look at balancing massive equipment investments (including rigs pushing $150K–$200K) against keeping your business profitable and competitive against the low-ballers down the street.

Plus, the guys trade plenty of witty banter, swap a few redneck engineering stories, explain what "Illinois eggs" look like, and wish a very happy birthday to the ag fencer himself, Justin Neri.

Grab a coffee or your favorite drink, buckle up, and join the fence fam for an unfiltered look at the tools that build our businesses!

Connect with the Show: Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and go out there and be a good human!

THANKYOU TO OUR SPONSORS

We couldn't bring you Fence Guy Podcast without the incredible support of these industry leaders:

Titan Post Drivers | Fencetrac Fence System | Brand Builders | FenceGPT | LiveSwitch | MySalesman | ZND Temporary Fence Solutions | Contractor Accelerator | J.C. Gury | Orlando Hinge Company

Your revenue is skyrocketing, but your day-to-day operations are a total circus. Sound familiar?

In this episode, Craig pulls back the curtain on the unpolished reality of scaling a business . Right now, his fence business is up roughly $125,000 from the same point last year—but from the inside looking out, things feel completely messy . From overwhelmed sales reps leaving money on the table to expensive material list blunders, Craig gets brutally honest about why revenue growth and operational chaos almost always show up together .

You'll discover why the "sheer personal effort" that built your business will eventually break it, and why operational execution—not competition—is the real make-or-break factor for survival .

Key Takeaways:

• The 3 Things That Break First: How communication, accountability, and the owner's capacity shatter under the pressure of growth
• Plugging Holes vs. Building Systems: Why being the "fixer" for every team mistake is a trap that stalls scalability .
• The "One Leak" Strategy: How to identify and completely fix your single biggest money drain before moving to the next
• A Reality Check on the Stats: Why the Bureau of Labor Statistics data proves that growth, not lack of work, kills 50% of businesses by year five .

If you are currently watching your numbers go up while wondering whether to celebrate or panic, you aren't alone . This is what real growth looks like from the inside .

Connect with the Fence Fam:

• Drop a comment or send a DM to let us know where your business is at !

• Share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs to hear it .
• Leave us a review on your favorite podcast app !

And remember: Go out there and be a good human. See you next week !

#smallbusiness #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreurship #Operations #ScalingUp #BusinessSystems #FenceIndustry #BlueCollarBusiness #PodcastLife #BusinessHonesty #RevenueChaos #Leadership

Think you need decades of experience or the lowest price to dominate your local fence market? Think again. At just 22 years old, Dylan King is running a powerhouse Superior Fence & Rail franchise, maintaining a staggering 76% close rate, and actively beating out low-ball competitors—all while being the highest-priced option in his area .

The Summary: In this episode of the Fence Guy Podcast, we sit down with Dylan King to unpack the exact sales process, tech stack, and mindset shifts that allowed him to scale his team and surpass 100% of last year's sales in record time . Dylan drops massive value bombs on why he never pre-qualifies leads, how he uses AI to capture missed calls, and the exact script his brand-new sales reps use to handle price objections with absolute confidence .

Whether you're an industry veteran looking to modernize your workflow or a young entrepreneur trying to earn respect in the trades, Dylan's masterclass on value-building and on-site closing is an absolute must-watch.

THANKYOU TO OUR SPONSORS

We couldn't bring you Fence Guy Podcast without the incredible support of these industry leaders:

Titan Post Drivers | Fencetrac Fence System | Brand Builders | FenceGPT | LiveSwitch | MySalesman | ZND Temporary Fence Solutions | Contractor Accelerator | J.C. Gury | Orlando Hinge Company

Welcome back to Fence Guy Podcast! In this special Friday bonus episode, Craig isn't entirely solo. He is joined by a true blue-collar podcast legend: Dan Wheeler from River City Fence and The Fence Industry Podcast.

Today, the guys are getting down and dirty on one of the biggest, scariest moves you can make as a business owner: Partnerships.

Statistics show that 65% of startups fail due to co-founder conflict, yet successful partnerships see a 30% higher chance of a lucrative exit. So, how do you find the "Yin to your Yang" without sinking the ship? Craig and Dan break it all down from a raw, blue-collar perspective.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Front End vs. Back End Split: Why a growing brick-and-mortar company needs an field operator and a numbers chaser.
• The Million-Dollar Question: When do you offer equity ownership, and when should you just hire a high-level General Manager (GM)?
• Real-World Recruitment: Why Facebook is a dead lead for hiring operators and why you need to build out your Indeed and LinkedIn presence.
• Incentive-Based Equity: How to properly structure a buy-in so a new partner "earns their keep" without threatening your majority ownership.
• The Ultimate Litmus Test: Why vetting a potential partner is like dating—and why you need to "hibernate" on the decision before hopping into business together.

Whether you're a solo truck-and-trailer operator or running multiple residential and commercial crews, this episode is packed with hard-earned truths about roles, alignment, and communication.

Connect with us! Have thoughts on partnerships? Dropping your own two cents? Reach out to Craig on Fence Guy Podcast or tune into Dan's show, The Fence Industry Podcast. Don't forget to rate, review, share with a friend, and go out there and be a good human!

THANKYOU TO OUR SPONSORS

We couldn't bring you Fence Guy Podcast without the incredible support of these industry leaders:

Titan Post Drivers | Fencetrac Fence System | Brand Builders | FenceGPT | LiveSwitch | MySalesman | ZND Temporary Fence Solutions | Contractor Accelerator | J.C. Gury | Orlando Hinge Company

Welcome back to another Taco Tuesday on Fence Guy Podcast! 🌮✨

In this episode, we are diving deep into the grueling, high-stakes world of agricultural fencing with special guest Drew Rasmussen, owner of Pawnee Fence Company . Operating out of a high-desert Colorado homestead, Drew and his crew cover a massive service area spanning Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska—frequently driving over 120 miles one way just to reach a job site

Drew shares his incredible journey from being a "habitual job jumper" to rewiring his 1935 family shack via YouTube, survival trucking, and eventually falling headfirst into the ag fencing business out of sheer necessity

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Logistics of Ag Fencing: Managing extreme drive times and hiring the right personalities for close-quarters travel .
• The $100K Risk: Why a bad livestock fence isn't just an eyesore—it can result in "garage sale bulls" ruining decades of selective breeding .
• Ag vs. Residential Fencing: Breaking down the subtle tension and distinct differences between city residential jobs and 17-mile barbed wire runs in the middle of nowhere .
• The Kiwi-Style Phenomenon: Competing at the Fall Fence Forum and why competition standards are so brutal .
• Future Tech: Why Drew is eyeing remote-control skid steers and heavy-duty post pounders to battle the 3-hour daily commute loss .

Whether you are a city fencer dealing with property lines or an ag guy pounding posts into limestone, this episode is packed with industry insights, laughs, and pure grit .

Connect with Drew & Pawnee Fence Company:

Facebook / Socials: Look up Pawnee Fence Company for spicy fence memes and educational ag content !

Support the Show: 👉 Shout out to our sponsor Z&D Tent Fence Solutions ! 🎧 Catch our audio-only solo podcast dropping this Friday featuring our first guest, Dan Wheeler ! 🙌 Remember to go out there this week and be a good human .

THANKYOU TO OUR SPONSORS

We couldn't bring you Fence Guy Podcast without the incredible support of these industry leaders:

Titan Post Drivers | Fencetrac Fence System | Brand Builders | FenceGPT | LiveSwitch | MySalesman | ZND Temporary Fence Solutions | Contractor Accelerator | J.C. Gury | Orlando Hinge Company

Are you building a legacy or just running because you're afraid to stop? On this episode of Fence Guy Podcast, Craig dives deep into the unspoken reality of hustle culture. While hard work is the engine of success and the foundation of every great business, there is a hidden cost to the "never stop" mentality that most people aren't honest about.

In this episode, we discuss:

The Difference Between Ambition and Fear: Why slowing down feels like failing and how to tell if you're chasing a goal or just avoiding stillness.

The Data on Burnout: Why working over 60 hours a week doubles your risk of burnout—and why business owners are the hardest to protect.

The Hidden Price Tag: How "the grind" can quietly take from your spouse, your kids, and your mental health while you call it "dedication."

Finding Your "Reason Behind the Reason": How to ensure your hustle has a direction so you don't wake up years from now wondering what it was all for.

Hustle isn't toxic—but hustling without a purpose is. Join us for a candid conversation about working hard, staying human, and building a life you actually have time to enjoy.

Are you running towards something real, or just running?

Did you really think there wouldn't be an episode today? Or were you just waiting for the boss guest to come in? The wait is officially over!

In this episode of the Fence Guy Podcast, we are joined by Johnny Meyers, owner of Meyers Fence Company and the President of the American Fence Association (AFA) Ohio Chapter . Johnny is a "Rookie Chapter President of the Year" winner who balances running a high-volume fence company with leading one of the most active AFA chapters in the country .

We dive into Johnny's journey from the restaurant industry to "geeking out" over fence , the reality of working alongside his wife , and why he believes good competition is the best thing that can happen to your market .

In this episode, we discuss:

• 🛠️ The Transition: How Johnny went from bar-backing to owning a successful fence company .

• 🏛️ AFA Leadership: What it's like being the President of the AFA Ohio Chapter and the push for younger members to get involved .
• 🤝 The Power of Networking: Why calling a "competitor" for advice is actually a secret weapon for success .
• ⚾ Coaching Life: Balancing business with coaching baseball and softball (and why accountability starts at home) .
• 🚀 Future of the Trade: Why "Myers Fence to the moon" is the motto for creating long-term careers for his team .

🎖️ ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Johnny Meyers is the President of the AFA Ohio Chapter and owner of Meyers Fence Company in Northeast Ohio . He is a dedicated advocate for the fencing trade and was awarded Rookie Chapter President of the Year at Fence Tech .

Don't forget to: ✅ Subscribe for more industry-leading interviews! 🔔 Hit the Bell to get notified every time we go live. 💬 Comment below: What is your biggest takeaway from Johnny's leadership style?

We couldn't do this without the companies pushing the fencing industry forward. Please support those who support the trade: 🏗️ Titan Post Drivers – Newest Member of the Family! 🧱 Fencetrac Fence System – fencetrac.com 🔥 Brand Builders – gobrandbuilders.com 🚀 Contractor Accelerator – (Use Code: FGF for 50% Off your 1st month!) 🤖 FenceGPT – fencegpt.com (Use Code: FGF for 10% Off!) 🔩 J.C. Gury – (Mention the Podcast for 5% Off your first order!) 📱 LiveSwitch – join.liveswitch.com/FenceGuyPodcast 💼 MySalesman – mysalesman.com 🏗️ ZND Temporary Fence Solutions – znd.com 🔗 Orlando Hinge Company – (Use Code: FGF for 10% Off!)

#FenceGuyPodcast #AFA #OhioFencing #JohnnyMeyers #FencingIndustry #AmericanFenceAssociation #ContractorLife #BlueCollarSuccess #MyersFence #FencePro

Are you staying busy but still struggling to see the profits you expected? In this episode, Craig Eubanks breaks down the "Margin Gap" and why some fence companies are pulling 60–70% margins while others barely hit 30% . We dive deep into the reality of competitive markets, the common math mistake that costs contractors hundreds of thousands of dollars, and why a high close rate might actually be a warning sign that your prices are too low . Stop competing for the bottom and learn how to build a business that prioritizes profit over just staying busy

In this episode, we cover:

• The Power of Zero Competition: How location dictates pricing leverage
• Markup vs. Margin: The simple math error that could be "disappearing" over $200,000 from your bottom line .
• The Close Rate Metric: Why closing 60% of your leads means you're leaving money on the table .
• Winning the Price-Driven Customer: Accepting the reality that 8 or 9 out of 10 customers lead with cost—and how to build your strategy around it .