Starbuck Sargent

Twenty four episodes in, Herb and Jimmy go back through the lot.

This is the best of Starbuck Sargent: twenty stories told end to end, with nothing in between. Herb Sargent runs a century old civil contractor in Maine. Jimmy Starbuck runs a dirt trucking and civil business in Melbourne. Between them they have lost money in ready mix for ten straight years, bought a fleet in fifteen minutes to dodge a tax bill, moved more dirt on their own than they could with a management team underneath them, hired a unicorn who pulled a crew apart, and sat in a blizzard twenty six feet down with frostbite setting in.

Grouped into the five things this show keeps coming back to: money truth, people and culture, iron, leadership craft, and the young operator trying to move up without burning the crew.

If you are new here, start anywhere. If you have been with us from Episode 1, you will find out which ones we think were the good ones.

Got a question you cannot ask anyone else? [email protected]

Instagram: @starbucksargentpod

Two listener questions this fortnight.

First: do Herb and Jimmy actually use AI in their companies, and where is it going? Jimmy answers in one line, then tells on himself. His own system read three years and a few million data points, decided the money was in the west of the city and sent the trucks there. The company has made more money in the east ever since. Herb splits it into strategic, operational and tactical, builds an altitude spreadsheet in 30 minutes after years of being stuck on it, and both of them land on the same warning: it will take you from 80 per cent to the high 90s, and never to 100.

Second: a 22 man site work outfit in central Pennsylvania has one GC at 35 per cent of revenue. They pay slow, they move the schedule weekly, and last year that work ran at 4 per cent while everything else ran 14. Everybody says fire them. Neither host does. Jimmy had the same customer at half his revenue and got them to 5 per cent in under two years without firing anyone. Herb's first move is to go and talk to them, above the people you argue with on site.

Also in this one: Caterpillar's share price, 50 solar projects that became none, Blue Light Autonomous, exoskeletons, the robot Olympics, and a possible chimney fire.

Starbuck Sargent is a fortnightly construction business podcast with Herb Sargent in Maine and Jimmy Starbuck in Melbourne. Two owners, two hemispheres, real questions from people running crews.

Got a question you cannot ask anyone else? [email protected]

Instagram: @starbucksargentpod

How do you get out of the weeds as a construction business owner without letting everything fall apart?

In Episode 23 of the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent tackle two questions that every growing construction company eventually faces: How do you lead from a higher altitude, and when does doing the work yourself start holding the business back?

Jimmy and Herb break down what “altitude” really means in construction leadership, why owners can't completely disconnect from the day-to-day, and how to know when you're spending too much time in the tactical side of the business.

Herb’s key areas to assess when looking at the overall “altitude” of your construction business:

- Workforce

- Culture

- Backlog

- Quality of backlog

- Are there any risks hiding in the closet?

- Pipeline

- What does the market look like?

- What could change that?

- Relationships

- Bonding

- Banking

- Owners / Engineers / GCs

- Crew — how is morale?

- Vendors

- Community

- Internal alignment

- Is management aligned 100%?

- Balance Sheet Strength

- Condition of Assets and Their Ability to Provide a Return

- Accounts Receivable Quality

- Is the money flowing in according to plan?

A useful exercise is to score each area out of 10. The weaker scores show you where your attention needs to go next.

Herb shares how he went from being on every job every day to building a team that allowed him to look further ahead, while also explaining the job preparation process he developed to reduce mistakes, improve communication and give foremen the information they need to lead confidently.

In this episode:

• How to get out of the weeds as a construction business owner
• What “higher altitude” means in leadership
• Tactical vs operational vs strategic work
• Knowing when you're too involved in the day-to-day
• How to develop people instead of doing everything yourself
• When a construction owner should stop operating equipment
• Why strong businesses need strong people
• How better planning can reduce construction rework
• Building job packs and pre-commencement processes
• Giving foremen the information they need to succeed
• How communication gaps create problems on construction sites
• Why systems need to evolve as a company grows
• How to build a construction business that isn't dependent on one person

The goal isn't to completely remove yourself from the business. It's to build the people, systems and communication that allow you to spend more time looking ahead while still understanding what's happening on the ground.

If you're a construction business owner, contractor, operator or leader trying to scale your construction company without becoming the bottleneck, this episode is for you.

Got a question for Jimmy and Herb? Send it through and it could be answered on a future episode.

Subscribe to the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with another construction business owner.

#Construction #ConstructionBusiness #ConstructionLeadership #BusinessGrowth #ConstructionManagement #Leadership #Entrepreneurship

How do you manage a struggling employee? And how do you walk into a construction contract negotiation when six people are sitting across the table from you?

In this episode of the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent tackle two challenges faced by construction business owners and leaders: improving employee performance through clarity, coaching and accountability, and confidently negotiating for major construction contracts.

They discuss why being a good boss starts with being human, how unclear expectations create resentment, and why accountability should be a structured process rather than simply a threat of getting fired.

Jimmy and Herb also reflect on mistakes they made earlier in their careers, including times when they used the “club” instead of taking a more considered approach to leadership. They explore how company culture, communication and consistent expectations can help employees and businesses improve.

Later in the episode, they answer a listener question about negotiating a public contract when the client has a much larger team in the room. They share practical advice on preparing for tough questions, understanding the client's concerns, demonstrating your experience and making your case without putting down competitors.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How to tell whether a struggling employee needs clarity, coaching or accountability
• Why leaders should be human first
• Setting clear expectations, outcomes and deadlines
• How to close the feedback loop with employees
• The difference between accountability for a task and accountability for a role
• Why difficult performance conversations become harder when you avoid them
• How communication and company culture affect employee performance
• Why accountability matters as a construction business grows
• Lessons from leadership mistakes made early in a career
• How to prepare for a construction contract negotiation
• Handling a room full of client representatives with confidence
• Demonstrating your strengths without criticising competitors

Whether you're a construction business owner, contractor, project manager, supervisor or emerging leader, this conversation explores practical ways to build stronger teams, improve communication and approach challenging business situations.

Got a question for Jimmy and Herb? Send it through using the contact details in the show notes. Your question could be discussed in a future episode.

If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to like, subscribe, share and leave a review.

#Construction #ConstructionLeadership #ConstructionBusiness #EmployeeManagement #Leadership #Accountability #CivilConstruction #ContractNegotiation

When does loyalty to a long-term employee become unfair to the rest of the team?

In Episode 21 of the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent tackle some of the hardest questions facing construction business owners and leaders: employee loyalty, accountability, workplace culture, leadership and knowing when it's time to move someone on.

The conversation starts with Jimmy stepping into an unfamiliar role running a night crew, before moving into a debate sparked by a LinkedIn post asking whether “15 minutes early or you're late” is still a fair expectation in the workplace.

Jimmy and Herb then tackle a much more difficult leadership question: when does loyalty to a long-term employee become disloyalty to the rest of the team?

They discuss:

• When a long-term employee is no longer meeting the required standard

• Loyalty vs accountability in the workplace

• How technology can leave experienced employees behind

• Why effort matters when deciding whether to accommodate someone

• The difference between supporting an employee and tolerating poor performance

• When a difficult employee becomes toxic to company culture

• Why good bosses sometimes have to make difficult decisions

• How to approach firing a long-term employee professionally and respectfully

• Why you can't keep paying for yesterday's work

• How leaders should balance compassion with company standards

• Herb's experience buying back his family's much larger company

• Why major business decisions should be based on business merits rather than emotion

• Why everyone in a company needs to understand where the business is going

Jimmy and Herb bring real-world experience from the construction industry to these questions, discussing the uncomfortable decisions that come with running a construction company, managing employees and building a strong workplace culture.

If you're a construction business owner, contractor, superintendent, project manager, operations manager or business leader, this episode covers practical lessons on leadership, employee management, accountability and business growth.

📩 Send your questions: [email protected]

#Construction #ConstructionBusiness #Leadership #EmployeeManagement #ConstructionManagement #BusinessLeadership #Contractor #CivilConstruction

Why do construction companies keep winning work but still struggle to make money?

In Episode 20 of the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent tackle one of the biggest problems facing contractors in a competitive market: bad bids, shrinking margins and the disconnect between estimating, the office and the field.

A listener working as a general superintendent for a smaller excavating company asks what to do when jobs are consistently breaking even or losing money. His crews are performing, but the company is bidding heavily, estimators aren't always reviewing specifications in enough detail, and tension is growing between the office and the field.

Jimmy and Herb break down what construction companies should do when margins are tight, including:

• Why rushing bids can lead to expensive mistakes

• The danger of bidding jobs without properly reviewing specifications and contracts

• Why bidding more work doesn't necessarily mean winning more profit

• How cutting the number of bids can actually improve your win rate

• The importance of a strong go/no-go process

• Why estimating and operations need to work together

• How the disconnect between the office and field can destroy company culture

• Why pointing fingers doesn't fix the root problem

• How to identify the real cause behind recurring job issues

• Why production still matters when the market gets tough

If you're a construction business owner, estimator, project manager, superintendent, contractor or work in civil construction, excavation or earthmoving, this episode is packed with practical lessons on construction estimating, bidding, profit, production and company culture.

The Starbuck & Sargent Podcast features Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent sharing hard-earned lessons from the construction industry, covering business, leadership, civil construction and the realities of running contracting companies.

📩 Send in your questions: [email protected]

How do you grow a construction business without destroying your margins, systems and company culture?

In Episode 19 of the Starbuck & Sgt. Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sergeant tackle one of the biggest challenges facing construction contractors: moving from a small business into a medium-sized construction company.

The conversation starts with Jimmy's latest trip to China and some eye-opening factory visits before diving into a listener question from Ted, who runs a 15-person civil construction company and is considering expanding.

Jimmy and Herb break down what construction business owners need to consider before growing, including:

• Why you should figure out WHY you want to grow before figuring out HOW

• The danger of growing revenue while your profit margins fall

• What systems need to be in place before expanding

• Why the right people and company culture are critical to growth

• How to maintain accountability as your construction company gets bigger

• When you need to bring in financial and operational leaders

• Why construction business owners need to learn to delegate and stop micromanaging

• How leadership needs to change as a company moves from small to medium to large

• Why doubling the size of your business can dramatically increase your exposure

• How financial strength, bonding, banking and surety relationships affect growth

• Why the people on your crew can make or break a project

• The importance of maintaining company standards as you scale

Jimmy also gives an update on a major project he recently fought to win, explaining why he believes the right people are the biggest reason a construction project succeeds.

Later in the episode, Jimmy and Herb discuss a question from Joseph, a 30-year-old operator considering starting his own construction business while supporting his wife and two children.

If you're a construction business owner, civil contractor, equipment operator, project manager, superintendent or someone thinking about starting your own construction company, this episode is packed with real-world lessons from two contractors who have made plenty of mistakes—and learned from them.

Subscribe, follow, like and share the Starbuck & Sgt. Podcast.

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Are KPIs actually improving your construction business—or are they masking a bigger accountability problem?

In Episode 18 of the Starbuck Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent answer real questions from construction business owners dealing with crew performance, unclear expectations, operator training and business growth.

They break down why forcing big-company systems into a smaller construction business can create more work without fixing the real issue. Instead, they explain how to set clear expectations, measure performance against the original quote and hold employees accountable without making every conversation feel disciplinary.

Jimmy and Herb also answer a question from an owner-operator who has built a successful earthmoving business but is struggling to train someone else to operate at the same standard.

They discuss:

• The difference between KPIs and genuine accountability
• Why crew performance should connect back to the original quote
• Measuring daily costs against the project budget
• Setting weekly production targets instead of reacting to one bad day
• Creating clear success statements for foremen and supervisors
• Giving employees direct feedback without destroying morale
• Training operators by breaking the work into smaller skills
• Why constantly jumping back into the machine can undermine confidence
• Transitioning from being a skilled operator to building skilled operators
• Developing future leaders while your business is still small

The biggest lesson: your employees cannot consistently meet expectations that were never clearly communicated.

📘 Buy Herb Sargent’s book, The Hard Work Starts Today: https://www.amazon.com.au/Hard-Work-Starts-Today-Unwritten/dp/B0H94STMJZ/

SEND QUESTIONS:

[email protected]

Is working 80-hour weeks really the key to growing a successful business?

In Episode 17 of Starbuck Sargent, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent answer a question from a business owner who's gone from working 70-80 hours a week to just 40—and now feels guilty about it.

Jimmy shares a brutally honest story about swallowing his pride to win a major job, while Herb explains why slowing down can actually be the perfect time to build systems, develop your team and create a business that doesn't rely on you every day.

In this episode:

• Why working less can actually mean your business is healthier
• Imposter syndrome vs withdrawal symptoms
• Building a business that doesn't depend on the owner
• Leadership mistakes every growing business makes
• Why founders confuse activity with value
• Creating systems instead of becoming the hero
• The real goal: building a business that's worth more without you

Whether you're in construction, excavation, trades or any growing business, this episode will challenge the way you think about leadership, growth and success.

Subscribe for weekly conversations on business, leadership, construction and entrepreneurship.

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[email protected]

In Episode 16 of the Starbuck Sargent Podcast, James Starbuck and Herb Sargent continue unpacking a powerful listener question from a fourth-generation construction business owner facing a problem many growing contractors eventually hit.

The company has grown from roughly $20 million to over $50 million in revenue, but their margins have gone backwards. Rework is up, accountability is slipping, people may have been pushed into roles too quickly, and one key metric tells the real story: gross profit per labour dollar has dropped from 70 cents to 40 cents.

James and Herb break down why this metric matters, what it says about the health of a construction business, and how fast growth can quietly destroy profitability if your people, crews, processes, culture, capital, and leadership alignment are not ready for it.

They also discuss why more revenue does not always mean a more valuable company, when it may be smarter to consolidate instead of chase more work, and why the most profitable job might be the one you walk away from.

This episode is essential listening for construction business owners, civil contractors, earthmoving companies, and anyone trying to scale without wrecking their margins, their people, or their reputation.

Topics covered:

• Gross profit per labour dollar
• Why construction companies grow but make less money
• Revenue vs profit in construction
• How fast growth creates rework and margin erosion
• When to pause, consolidate, and rebuild systems
• Why owner alignment matters before scaling
• The danger of over-leveraging crews, people, capital, and reputation
• Why saying no can protect the business

SEND QUESTIONS:

[email protected]