The Curious Builder

By Mark WilliamsBusiness Entrepreneurship Careers

The Curious Builder episodes

August 06 Losers are Winners | Gabe Norcross on the Deposit Strategy That Changed Everything
Gabe Norcross came back from Contractor Coalition, fired a bad client, set up an investment account, and hired a bookkeeper, all before the next coalition. He and Mark talk through the quiet financial discipline that finally started working, why most builders become the bank for their own clients without realizing it, and what it actually feels like to turn a profit and not feel guilty about it. Short, practical, and genuinely useful.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.norcrossbuildersinc.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norcross_builders/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
23 min
August 03 #177 | Gabe Norcross | Norcross Builders | Depression, Construction, & Deciding You Are Worth Saving
Gabe Norcross built other people's dreams while quietly drowning in his own, and for eight months he told nobody. He and Mark talk through the project that cost him everything, the photo he took of himself on a beach that he still pulls up when he needs it, and what it looks like to rebuild a life from the inside out when you finally decide you are worth saving. This one will stay with you.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.norcrossbuildersinc.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norcross_builders/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
1 hr 13 min
July 30 Losers are Winners | Ashley Ortiz vs. the Client From Hell
Ashley Ortiz joined the podcast with a client story so fresh the paint was still wet, and somehow it only got worse from there. She and Mark swap war stories about nightmare clients, whether specifying coat counts in your contract actually protects you, and why the painter always gets blamed even when it is the drywaller's fault. It ends with a mutual agreement that some jobs you just have to get out of as fast as possible and count the lessons instead of the losses.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://bellavistanw.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellavistanw/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BellaVistaNW/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
27 min
July 27 #176 | Louise Woehrle | Whirlygig Productions | Fear, Vision, and Why Your Story Is Worth Telling
Louise Woehrle is a passionate storyteller whose mission is to shine a light on stories that need to be told with the hope they will serve as catalysts for change. In addition to her work as a documentary filmmaker, she is an Emmy regional award-winning Executive Producer (Grandfather's Birthday), book publisher/editor for Suicide Survivors' Club - A Family's Journey Through the Death of Their Loved One - awarded first place in the Midwest Book Award, and co-founder of the Collaborative Theater that produced an award-winning all-women original play, Women: Scenes From Life.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella

Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit:

Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest:

Website: https://www.whirlygigproductions.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whirlygigproductions/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/whirlygigproductions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whirlygigproductions/

Where to find the Host:

Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/

Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/

Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
1 hr 9 min
July 23 Losers are Winners | Chad Guillory's Secret to Failing Fast and Winning Bigger
What happens when two marketing minds start talking about failure? A surprisingly fun conversation about growth, trust, data, and why "measure, learn, change" beats chasing the perfect plan every time. Chad Guillory of CARD Companies shares hard-earned lessons from 30 years in sales and business development, proving that today's mistakes often become tomorrow's competitive advantage.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadguillory/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
36 min
July 20 #175 | Etinosa Agbonlahor | Decision Alpha | Stop Underpricing Your Work: Etinosa Agbonlahor on Money Conversations Nobody Wants to Have
Most business owners underprice their work not because the math is wrong but because their fears show up in the numbers, and Etinosa Agbonlahor has built an entire firm around fixing exactly that. She and Mark talk through the psychology of pricing, how to have money conversations with the people who matter most before it becomes an emergency, and why a blank price tag on a truly unique home might actually work against you. It is one of the most fascinating episodes in recent memory, and the wine study alone is worth the full hour.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://decisionalpha.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/etinosasere/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
1 hr 6 min
July 16 Losers are Winners | Building Smarter Homes One Circuit at a Time with Reina Smyth
SPAN is the smart electrical panel that tells you exactly which circuit is draining your wallet, can charge your car only on solar power, and somehow also looks cool enough that homeowners show it off to their friends. Reina Smyth and Mark cover the origin story behind the product, the wrong QR code that caused two weeks of frustration, and Mark's very ambitious idea to turn his wellness home into a Faraday cage for family quiet time. The idea did not pan out, but it did lead to one of the better rabbit holes in recent podcast history.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.span.io/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_span/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reinasmyth/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
22 min
July 13 #174 | Don Forsman | Welch Forsman Associates | Don Forsman on Why Precision Beats Perfection Every Single Time
Don Forsman has 45 years of building homes and is currently building his own, which means he has never been more dangerous in a conversation about never evers and always always. He and Mark cover why you can't blame the drywaller for a bad HVAC vent, how external insulation brought wood siding back from the dead, and why precision is the goal and perfection is a trap. This one is basically a masterclass disguised as two guys talking in a sunroom.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.welchforsman.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/welchforsman

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
1 hr 11 min
July 09 Losers are Winners | Josh Frei Fought Fires for 17 Years Then Started One
Josh Frei spent 17 years as a firefighter before pivoting to custom saunas, which means he already knew how to show up calm, problem solve fast, and never leave a job half done. He and Mark talk through the lessons learned when too many cooks in the kitchen cost a project days of rework, why a quick phone call beats an email thread every single time, and how Symmetry earned a lifetime partnership by driving benches across the country in a rental truck. Also: a former firefighter helping people sweat on purpose is the kind of career pivot that writes its own theme song, and yes, his crew actually made one.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.symmetrysauna.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/symmetrysauna/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
24 min
July 06 #173 | Billy Beson | Billy Beson Company | Billy Beson on Bowling Alleys, Billionaires, & Building for 100 Years
Billy Beson walked into a million dollar hotel pitch with nothing but a museum poster, told the client he could make the place look like a million bucks for a million bucks, and got the job anyway. He and Mark spend an hour trading stories about Minnesota's quietest billionaires, 46,000 square foot homes with bowling alleys and car simulators, and why designing toward feelings instead of materials is the real secret to a legendary career. This one will make you laugh, make you think, and make you wish you had been a fly on the wall at every dinner party Billy's ever thrown.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.theartemaxgallery.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyBesonCo

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc
1 hr 15 min

About The Curious Builder

From the publisher's feed

The Curious Builder is a podcast that gives a voice to Minnesota building industry professionals, providing them a platform to tell their stories about starting and growing their businesses,…