The Grit Blueprint

What if getting paid didn’t depend on business hours, paper checks, or a lucky round of phone tag? In this episode of The Grit Blueprint Podcast, I sit down with Erik Bornstein, Founder and CEO of TOOLBX, to explore how technology is transforming the lumber and building materials industry.

From sweeping job sites at 16 to leading one of Toronto’s top luxury homebuilding firms, Erik’s journey from contractor to tech founder gives him a rare perspective on what the construction world really needs: speed, transparency, and smarter workflows.

Topics we cover:
• Digital AR portal for quotes, orders, invoices, statements, and payments
• ERP-integrated pricing and workflows for clean data end to end
• Faster billing cycles for cost‑plus builders and reduced DSO
• 24/7 access with after‑hours payments and text‑to‑pay
• Seasonal lists and curated carts to drive upsell and loyalty
• Product discovery with account‑specific pricing to cut phone tag
• Easy onboarding, preferred pricing for co‑op dealers, under six weeks
• Competing with big‑box pro portals through speed and relevance
• In‑house engineering velocity for rapid features and integrations

Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to catch more stories and insights from the building industry.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

The market floor in Indy buzzed, but the real energy came from a simple idea: winning sales teams keep score and remove friction. Sitting with Eric Knox, Director of LBM Sales, we pull back the curtain on how a regional structure, clear metrics, and a new mindset around “no” transformed a team from scattered effort to compounding momentum. Eric’s story, from hauling bag goods to leading a hungry, data-driven crew, shows how clarity turns competition into culture, and how early stumbles can become the foundation for hockey-stick growth when you keep iterating.

We dig into the nuts and bolts of selling in the built world when big-box and mega-pro dealers loom large. The advantage for independents isn’t pretending to be bigger; it’s becoming easier. That means deploying tools like TOOLBX to streamline quotes and payments, giving dealers more time with contractors, and aligning field roles to support entire businesses, not just isolated categories. It also means modern outreach: we unpack how LinkedIn stops being a resume graveyard and starts working like a warm-intro engine. 

Topics covered:
• Eric’s path from hardware retail to LBM leadership
• Drive, resilience, and the hockey-stick model of growth
• Publishing metrics and keeping score to focus the team
• Rolling out a regional structure for accountability and speed
• Using LinkedIn to replace cold starts with warm intros
• Training and tools that remove friction for contractors
• Merchandising small-footprint, high-ROI products
• Developing next-gen talent and gamifying performance

Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to catch more stories and insights from the building industry.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

The market may be down in Q3 2025, but the data tells a different story about what's coming in 2026. 

Stefanie and Todd unpack why home‑equity access is up 38% this year, why that capital hasn’t hit jobsites yet, and how a surge in windows and doors could create a 2021-style scramble as early as next year. If you sell to or through pros, this is the map for what’s about to move. 

Stefanie shares her five-part BLEND playbook for independents to stay relevant, which you won't want to miss.

Topics we cover:
• Market softness set against rising home-equity extraction
• Deferred demand building in windows and doors through 2027
• Pros as channel kingmakers and the labor bottleneck
• Independents’ path: brand, leverage, experience, niche, digital
• E‑commerce up despite softer orders; research shifts online
• Decentralization vs scale in post-acquisition execution
• QXO vendor simplification, price leadership, AI investment
• Lowe’s marketplace, builder focus, and footprint advantage
• Measure pro digital draw rate and close the loop with AI search
• Training to de-risk complex, high-margin installs

Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to catch more stories and insights from the building industry.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

I sit down with Do it Best’s Executive Vice President of Transformation and Integration, Marianne Thompson, live from a packed Market floor to unpack how vision-led change, AI, and co-op scale help independents out-execute giants. From last minute 2x4 runs to smarter planograms, service remains the moat while data becomes the drawbridge.

Topics we cover:
• Why transformation beats simple integration
• Aligning teams on vision, why, and roles
• Lessons from 38 years across store ops and supplier sales
• First principles thinking in a traditional industry
• AI for customer insight, personalization, and voice agents
• Faster, more accurate blueprint takeoffs
• Competing with big-box tech and pro focus
• Co-op leverage: e-comm, Toolbox, marketing, merchandising
• Flexible planograms tuned to local demand
• Storytelling as a growth engine for independents
• Advice to a younger leader: follow passion, embrace grit

Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to catch more stories and insights from the building industry.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Forklifts buzzing and mics rolling, that’s the spirit of this conversation with our friend Russ Cathrine, Vice President of Lumber & Building Materials at Do it Best. We dig into a simple idea with outsized returns: reduce friction from the moment a project is imagined to the moment the last unit is delivered, and you’ll win more often at better margins.

Russ brings a rare vantage point: family yard operator, corporate exec, real estate builder, and now co‑op leader, to show how independents can outmaneuver giants by reducing friction, focusing on niches like custom windows and doors, and building vendor partnerships that compound growth. Russ shares the “70% solution,” lessons from turnarounds and co‑ops, and why bold moves will define the next five years.

Topics we cover:
• Reducing friction from idea to delivery
• Mean more to fewer vendors
• Why independents win on custom and service
• Co‑op scale plus services that level up dealers
• Learning fast: 70% solution over perfection
• Knowledge sharing across non‑competing markets
• Four values: ease, risk, competitiveness, profit
• Bold outlook: stop hiding, make money now

Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to catch more stories and insights from the building industry.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Faour Glass is revolutionizing the hurricane glass industry with its SLIMPACT system that provides maximum views with minimal metal framing while meeting Florida's stringent building codes. Three generations of glaziers share how they've created innovative products through design assistance, partnerships, and a philosophy that views failure as just another opportunity to learn.

• SLIMPACT was invented in 2012 to solve the problem of large glass panels with less visible metal for hurricane-prone areas
• The system requires only top and bottom channels with just 3/8-inch silicone joints between panels
• Design assist is emphasized to help architects maintain their design intent while meeting code requirements
• Third-generation glazier Adam Valdez brings marketing skills to complement technical expertise
• 3D modeling and printing are used to test designs before production
• Family legacy is central to the company, with multiple generations working together
• Relationship-building with suppliers and customers drives innovation
• The team focuses on being solution providers rather than just product suppliers
• Hurricane-resistant pivot doors complement the SLIMPACT wall systems
• The goal is to make the glass "invisible" so it showcases the view rather than the product

Visit us at GritBlueprint.com to learn more about turning visibility into growth and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Rick Schumacher of LBM Journal shares how independent lumber dealers can thrive amid industry giants by focusing on customer service, community connection, and embracing new technologies like AI. The conversation explores the power of storytelling in the building materials industry and how print media remains relevant in a digital world.

• Started LBM Journal in 2003 from home after previous magazine went bankrupt
• Built LBM Journal to become the #1 industry publication by focusing on "audience first" rather than "digital first"
• Creates community through telling stories of independent dealers like Baker Lumber (owned by daughters despite "and Sons" name)
• Shares how exceptional service at independent dealers creates competitive advantage against big box stores
• Highlights LBM Strategies Conference which intentionally limits sponsors to focus on dealer experience
• Established Century Club honoring lumber dealers over 100 years old, with combined 38,000 years of business experience
• Created 40 Under 40 program to recognize young industry leaders and foster next generation of talent
• AI presents an 18-24 month "arbitrage moment" before fundamentally changing the industry
• Emphasizes opportunity for young people in an industry with stability, community, and growth potential

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Inefficiency is the biggest challenge facing the window and door industry today, but AI solutions can help companies automate repetitive tasks and respond to customers faster. 

The Industry Insiders Podcast, powered by Paradigm, is where leaders across the industry share how they’re navigating change, building stronger businesses, and setting the pace for what’s next.

Hosted by John Wheeler, a 25-year veteran of building materials and software and sales technician at Paradigm, with season 1 guest co-host Stefanie Couch, founder of Grit Blueprint, a lifelong industry insider and growth strategist, the show takes you inside the strategies, tools, and ideas reshaping how windows and doors get sold, delivered, and experienced.

You’ll hear from manufacturers, dealers, and innovators across the supply chain, offering real-world lessons you can apply to your own business.

In this eye-opening conversation and the premiere episode of the Industry Insiders Podcast, we dive into the most pressing challenges facing our industry today.

• Automating repetitive tasks allows valuable veteran employees to focus on what they do best
• Capturing the knowledge of retiring industry veterans is essential for training the next generation
• Companies are 21 times more likely to convert leads when responding within 5 minutes
• Digital transformation works best when tackling one challenge at a time rather than everything at once
• Costly mistakes highlight why automation matters
• The window and door industry has unique complexities that make knowledge transfer challenging
• AI adoption creates a competitive advantage that will be difficult for late adopters to overcome
• Looking forward, the industry must embrace efficiency through technology while preserving human expertise

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Staying obsessed with the customer and what they care about is how you win long-term in business, as demonstrated by the 92-year-old Zamzows chain of stores in the Boise, Idaho area.

• Finding just 1,000 people who are absolutely obsessed with your company can create viral growth
• Jos Zamzow shares how his great-grandparents started with a small feed store during the Depression
• Passion for your product is more valuable than expensive marketing campaigns
• Regular employee training focuses on providing exceptional customer service beyond expectations
• The 33-year tradition of Frisbee Fest connects the stores with the community while supporting animal shelters
• Product effectiveness matters more than fancy packaging – customers return when products work
• AI phone assistant successfully handles customer inquiries during peak seasons
• AI implementation provides instant answers to complex questions that even experienced staff might struggle with

Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Hardware store manager Bryan Scott shares how embracing AI and e-commerce analytics has transformed his small retail business into a competitive, future-ready operation. Using technical skills from his web development background, he's implementing innovative approaches to customer data analysis, store merchandising, and business operations that keep his independent store relevant in a challenging market.

• Bryan manages Southern Tool Supply after transitioning from a web development background
• Analyzes e-commerce data to track customer search patterns, viewing habits, and browsing behavior
• Uses search trend data to inform strategic merchandising decisions in the physical store
• Leverages Do it Best's resources and training programs for independent retailers
• Implements ChatGPT daily for tasks like email writing, data analysis, and sales forecasting
• Overcame initial resistance by framing AI as "just another tool" like the physical tools they sell
• Emphasizes that keeping up with technology is easier than catching up later
• Warns against becoming the "Blockbuster or Kodak" of hardware retail by refusing to evolve

If you're ready to turn visibility into growth, head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch