The Open Concept with Brandon Smith

Jay Conner, private money expert and author of Where to Get the Money Now, joins Brandon for a masterclass on one of the most powerful and least understood wealth-building strategies available to real estate investors today. From getting his bank line of credit cut off in 2009 to raising over $2.1 million in private money in just 90 days — without ever asking for money — Jay breaks down exactly how he built a seven-figure flipping business in a town of 40,000 people and how you can do the same.🎯 What You'll Learn:- Understand the real difference between private money, hard money, and institutional lending — and why it matters- Raise private money without ever asking for it — using the teaching approach that actually works- Find private lenders in your existing network using three simple categories you already have access to- Use the Good News Phone Call script to get your deals funded 100% of the time- Structure deals that protect both you and your lenders using the maximum Allowable Offer formula- Use self-directed IRAs to unlock retirement funds most investors don't even know are available- Stop waiting for a deal before you raise money — and understand why that sequence is killing your business- Invest where the numbers work — not just where you live🔑 Key Topics Covered:✅ What Private Money Actually Is — And What It Isn't✅ The Good News Phone Call Script That Gets Every Deal Funded✅ The Three Categories of Private Lenders Already in Your Network✅ Self-Directed IRAs — The Retirement Fund Most Investors Ignore✅ The Maximum Allowable Offer Formula — Making Money Before You Sign✅ The Private Lender Luncheon — How Jay Raised $969K in One Afternoon✅ Why You're Already Approved — Before You Even Ask✅ Enough Is Never Enough When It's Not About You👤 Featured Guest:Jay Conner — Private Money Expert & Author | Where to Get the Money Now📖 Free Book:  ⁠jayconner.com/book⁠📄 Free Scripts:  ⁠jayconner.com/scripts⁠🎟️ Live Event (2 Free Tickets): ⁠jayconner.com/event⁠🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Jennie López, chemical engineer turned NFL dancer turned Fortune 500 VP turned bestselling author and TEDx speaker, joins Brandon for one of the most energizing and wide-ranging conversations the Open Concept Podcast has ever had. From dancing professionally for the Indianapolis Colts while climbing the corporate ladder at Eli Lilly to walking away from a VP of Global Recruiting role to write Intentional Unicorn and coach leaders on authenticity — Jennie's story is proof that you don't have to fit in one box to win big.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Understand why hiding what makes you different is actually killing your competitive advantage
• Stop waiting for permission — and recognize when corporate mindset is holding you back as an entrepreneur
• Use the MAP framework to identify whether you're wearing a mask or operating in your authentic element
• Identify your real superpower — not just everything you're good at, but the one thing that defines your greatest impact
• Build a culture of trust using the TRUST framework before it forms on its own without you
• Understand the difference between authenticity and intentional authenticity — and why one builds impact while the other creates chaos
• Protect your intuition in the age of AI before you lose the ability to trust yourself
• Turn a low-performing team around by meeting people where they are and building with them, not at them

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Authenticity + Intentionality = Impact — The Formula That Changes Everything✅ The Intentional Unicorn — Why Your Differences Are Your Superpower✅ Corporate Mindset vs. Entrepreneurial Mindset — The Transition Nobody Prepares You For✅ The TRUST Framework for High-Performing Teams✅ AI and Intuition — Why We're Outsourcing the Wrong Thing✅ How to Identify Your Real Superpower Using the MAP Framework✅ Turning Low-Performing Teams Around — The Strategy That Actually Works✅ Raising Kids to Chase Purpose, Not Just a Paycheck

👤 Featured Guest:Jennie López — Author, TEDx Speaker & Leadership Coach📖 Book: Intentional Unicorn — Available on Amazon📲 Instagram / LinkedIn: @JennyLopez or @IntentionalUnicorn

🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

📱 Connect With Us🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Geoff Bright, founder of Synergy Homes and a nearly 30-year veteran of the trades, joins Brandon for a grounded and honest conversation about what it really takes to build a lasting construction business from the tools to the top. From his first day on a paint crew in 1997 to running a seven-figure renovation and custom home building company on Cape Cod, Geoff shares what he's learned about hiring, retention, leadership, and why the trades deserve far more respect than they've ever been given.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Understand why staying with one company longer than feels comfortable is often the smartest career move you can make
• Know why most trades businesses fail at retention — and what you're actually doing wrong when someone leaves
• Build a hiring process that filters for character, not just credentials
• Stop hiring out of desperation and start hiring with a framework that finds the right people
• Learn what customers actually care about — and what they probably never will
• Understand why building out your back end unlocks more of the market you deserve to serve
• Meet your clients where they are with communication — not just where it's easiest for you
• See why the trades are one of the most powerful career paths for the next generation

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Why People Leave — And Why You Let Them✅ The Three-Tier Interview Process That Filters for Character✅ Staying vs. Jumping — What the Guys Who Chased Dollars Missed✅ Building a Core Team That Doubles Their Income Over Eight Years✅ What Customers Actually Care About in a Construction Project✅ The Communication Plan That Keeps Clients Confident and Projects on Track✅ Why Trades Are One of the Last Industries AI Won't Disrupt✅ Don't Be Unrealistic About What You Can Achieve — Follow the Vision

👤 Featured Guest:
Geoff Bright — Founder | Synergy Homes📲 Instagram: @SynergyLive💼 LinkedIn: Synergy Homes📘 Facebook: Geoff Bright

🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Brandon Webb, AI consultant and former commercial construction professional with 16 years of industry experience, joins Brandon Smith for a wide-ranging and eye-opening conversation about what AI in construction actually looks like right now not in theory, but on the ground. From automating site meeting notes and building a custom company brain to understanding which trades are most at risk and why most AI consultants are full of it, this episode cuts through the noise and gives you the real picture.🎯 What You'll Learn:- Understand why hiring an AI consultant without industry experience is a waste of money- Build a custom AI operating system for your construction company — starting today- Use the AI-first task approach while keeping the human-first connection approach intact- Know which roles in construction are most at risk from AI — and which are safest- Stop relying on third-party SaaS tools and start building infrastructure you actually own- Automate site meeting notes, reporting, and cross-team communication without lifting a finger- Use Claude Cowork to start building your company's brain from day one- Understand why waiting to implement AI is the most dangerous move you can make right now🔑 Key Topics Covered:✅ Why Most AI Consultants in Construction Are Full of It✅ The Company Brain Building Custom AI Infrastructure You Own✅ Automating Site Meetings, Notes & Reports With AI✅ AI-First Tasks vs. Human-First Connection The Right Balance✅ Which Construction Roles Are Most at Risk From AI✅ SaaS Is Dying What to Build Instead✅ How to Start With AI If You're at Zero✅ The Wild West of AI What Nobody Really Knows Yet👤 Featured Guest:Brandon Webb — AI Consultant | Construction Industry Specialist📲 DM "Brandon Webb AI" or "New Vision" on Instagram for a free 30-minute strategy call🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

JP Forno, founder of Meteor and executive assistant strategist, joins Brandon for a practical and eye-opening conversation about one of the highest-leverage moves a founder can make hiring the right assistant and actually setting them up to win. From the biggest misconceptions about delegation to the intersection of AI and human talent, this episode gives you the real framework behind buying back your time without burning it all down trying.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Understand why most founders fail with their first assistant and how to avoid the same mistake
• Stop hiring for the perfect candidate and start de-risking the hiring decision instead
• Know the four non-negotiable traits to look for when hiring an executive assistant
• Use the thirty-sixty-ninety day framework to onboard an assistant the right way
• Hire for integrity without relying on gut feeling alone and what actually works
• Learn when AI is a tool multiplier and when it quietly becomes your biggest liability
• Understand why the analog is making a comeback and what that means for your business
• Think of your assistant as an implementer of AI, not a replacement for it

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ The Biggest Misconception About Hiring an Executive Assistant✅ The Four Traits of a Great Assistant — Proactiveness, Critical Thinking, Coachability & Integrity✅ The 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Framework✅ How to Test for Integrity During the Hiring Process✅ AI vs. Human Assistants — The Real Answer✅ Why Automating Everything Is a Trap✅ Intuition as a Business Superpower — And Why We're Losing It✅ The Gold Rush Problem With AI Tools

👤 Featured Guest:JP Forno Founder | Meteor📲 Instagram: @jp.forno

🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Mike Freedman, host of the Measure Twice Cut Once Podcast and the man who helped Brandon Smith get his first microphone plugged in, joins Brandon for a full-circle conversation that is equal parts inspiring, honest, and deeply human. From working shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Dre and Gene Simmons to becoming one of the most respected voices in the BC construction industry, Mike brings a rare perspective on passion, purpose, communication, and what it really means to build something that lasts — whether that's a home, a career, or a legacy.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Understand why passion is the only thing that truly separates good builders from great ones
• Learn why communication isn't just a soft skill — it's the foundation of every successful project and relationship
• Discover what Dr. Dre taught Mike about delivering your work the way it was meant to be experienced
• Stop waiting for permission to pursue your dream — and start giving others the permission to pursue theirs
• Understand why the trades may be the most future-proof career path in the age of AI
• See why vulnerability in business and in life is a strength, not a weakness
• Build relationships that earn trust before you ever need it — because seven conversations come before a signed contract
• Recognize that you are building where people's memories are made — and take that responsibility seriously

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ True to Original Artist Intent — What Dr. Dre Taught Mike About Delivering Your Best Work✅ Communication as the Defining Skill of Every Successful Builder✅ The Trades as a Future-Proof Career in the Age of AI✅ Passion Over Transaction — What Great Builders Have in Common✅ Vulnerability and Leadership — Why Letting People In Changes Everything✅ Giving Others Permission to Tell Their Story✅ The Symbiotic Relationship Between Builders and Trades✅ You Die in Your 40s — Are You Actually Living?

👤 Featured Guest:Mike Freedman — Host | Measure Twice Cut Once Podcast🎙️ Podcast: Measure Twice Cut Once — available on all platforms📲 Instagram: @AITechDesign💼 LinkedIn: Mike Freedman

🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Joe Dunaway, Marine Corps veteran, CPA, and founder of VG Financial, joins Brandon for a raw and energizing conversation about leadership, purpose, and what it really takes to build a business that runs without you. From eight years in the Marines to building a fractional CFO firm for purpose-driven founders, Joe brings a level of intensity, heart, and hard-won wisdom that you won't find anywhere else. If you've ever felt the urgency to build something great but couldn't quite define what was driving it, this episode will put words to that feeling.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Understand why gratitude and perspective are the most underrated weapons a leader has
• Learn how to talk your team — and yourself — off the ledge when the sky feels like it's falling
• Stop being the bottleneck by building a team empowered to make decisions without you
• Know the difference between a people problem and a process problem — and how to fix both fast
• Use the Definition of Done framework to eliminate confusion and wasted effort on your team
• Build a culture of real-time feedback instead of waiting for annual reviews that are already too late
• Embrace the superpower of the small business — the ability to pivot faster than any big corporation
• Turn your urgency and obsession into a sustainable engine for growth instead of burnout

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Marine Corps Leadership — What Eight Years Actually Teaches You✅ Gratitude as a Strategic Mindset, Not Just a Feeling✅ Extreme Ownership — Taking Responsibility Before Pointing Fingers✅ Empowering Your Team to Lead Without You✅ People Problem vs. Process Problem — How to Tell the Difference✅ Definition of Done — The SOP Habit That Changes Everything✅ The Leadership Lid — Why Your Business Won't Outgrow You Until You Do✅ Small Business Agility as a Competitive Advantage

👤 Featured Guest:Joe Dunaway — Marine Corps Veteran & Founder | VG Financial🌐 Website: vgfinancial.com📲 Instagram / TikTok: @TheJoeDunaway

🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Ephraim Egbele, CPA and founder of EFS Group, joins Brandon for a straight-talking conversation about what most business owners get completely wrong about their finances — and how the right accounting team can change everything. From starting a tax business after getting laid off in 2009 to building a fractional CFO firm serving ambitious founders across the country, Ephraim breaks down the real difference between a bookkeeper, accountant, tax strategist, and CFO — and why knowing the difference could save your business.🎯 What You'll Learn:- Understand the real difference between a bookkeeper, accountant, tax preparer, tax strategist, and fractional CFO- Stop managing your business from your bank account — and start reading your financial statements- Know exactly when to bring on each financial role as your revenue grows- Ask the right questions before hiring an accountant so you don't end up with the wrong one for eight years- Understand why monthly financial reviews are non-negotiable as your business scales- Learn how to teach your kids about money early — before bad habits take over- Build the financial systems that will let you step back from the business without it falling apart- Discover why entrepreneurship doesn't have to be as hard as most people make it🔑 Key Topics Covered:✅ Bookkeeper vs. Accountant vs. Tax Strategist vs. Fractional CFO — Know the Difference✅ Why Managing From Your Bank Account Will Sink Your Business✅ How Often You Should Be Meeting With Your Financial Team✅ What to Ask Before Hiring an Accountant✅ Teaching Kids About Money — Practical Strategies That Work✅ The Credit Card Trap and How to Avoid It✅ How Having Twins Forced Ephraim to Build a Real Business✅ Automating Your Financial Habits to Build Wealth Without Thinking About It👤 Featured Guest:Ephraim Egbele — CPA & Founder | EFS Group📲 Instagram / TikTok / YouTube: @efraimcpa📧 [email protected]🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Travis Price, internationally recognized architect, author, educator, and environmental pioneer, joins Brandon for one of the most expansive and thought-provoking conversations the Open Concept Podcast has ever had. From coining the term "passive solar" in the New Mexico desert to building the world's largest solar building, teaching students to construct sacred spaces in remote corners of the world, and living in a house suspended by steel cables over a cliff — Travis brings four decades of wisdom, wonder, and a rare philosophy that architecture should sing. If you've ever thought a building was just a building, this episode will change that forever.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Discover why the greatest architects seek out the right teachers — not just the right schools
• Understand what passive solar design really means and why it still matters fifty years later
• Learn how ecology, mythology, and technology work together to create architecture with soul
• See why most modern housing development is creating a crisis of spirit — and what to do about it
• Explore the Spirit of Place design philosophy and how it connects culture to built space
• Understand why copying the past in architecture is never the answer — and what is
• Hear why nuclear energy may be the most misunderstood clean energy source of our time
• Learn what a point is — and why understanding it might be the gateway to the fifth dimension of creativity

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Coining "Passive Solar" — The Origin Story✅ Ecology, Mythology & Technology — The Architectural Triad✅ Spirit of Place Design — 25 Years, 25 Countries, 25 Projects✅ The Housing Crisis — Sprawl, Mall, Tall & Virtual✅ New Urbanism & The Human Scale Problem✅ Nuclear Energy & The Future of Sustainable Building✅ AI in Architecture — What the Machines Will Never Replace✅ What Is a Point? — Euclid, Geometry & the Fifth Dimension

👤 Featured Guest:Travis Price — Founder | Travis Price Architects🌐 Website: travispricearchitects.com🌍 Spirit of Place: spiritofplace-design.com📧 [email protected]

🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this

Abi Horton, hospitality professional and founder of Aros, joins Brandon for a refreshingly honest conversation about breaking into real estate investing with limited capital, building a business around a genuine need, and why midterm rentals might be the most overlooked opportunity in the market right now. From buying her first house in Ohio while living in New York to building a platform that connects displaced families with landlords, Her story is proof that one foot in front of the other is still the best strategy.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

• Understand the difference between short-term, midterm, and long-term rentals — and which one maximizes ROI for the least work
• Break the limiting belief that you need a lot of money to start investing in real estate
• Use house hacking and owner-occupied mortgages to get into the market with less capital than you think
• Invest outside your backyard to access markets where the numbers actually make sense
• Tap into the insurance relocation niche as a powerful and underutilized source of midterm tenants
• Partner with people who have money when you have time — and vice versa
• Reset your thermostat and stop self-sabotaging the moment success starts showing up
• Stay curious and keep pulling the thread — the light bulb moment rarely comes before the effort

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Short-Term vs. Midterm vs. Long-Term Rentals — What's the Difference✅ Insurance Relocation Housing — The Underrated Niche✅ House Hacking & Owner-Occupied Mortgages✅ Investing Out of State to Access Affordable Markets✅ The Thermostat Metaphor — Why We Self-Sabotage Success✅ Moving the Goalposts — And How to Catch Yourself Doing It✅ Building Eros — A Platform Connecting Landlords & Displaced Families✅ Limiting Beliefs Around Money & How to Dismantle Them

👤 Featured Guest:Abi Horton — Founder | Aros🌐 Website: stayaros.com📲 Instagram: @theabihorton | @stayaros🎁 DM "Brandon" on Instagram for her midterm rental setup checklist

🎙️ About The Open Concept Podcast:Your go-to podcast for construction industry insights, trade business strategies, and leadership advice that actually works.

📱 Connect With Us:🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes👍 Like if this helped you💬 Comment your biggest takeaway🔄 Share with someone who needs this