The Wisdom We Borrow

Get the 3 best lessons + 1 small action from each episode: https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb/notes

Show notes: https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb/shelby-and-dennis

Story Builders: https://storybuildersco.com

Shelby Paget and Dennis McElroy had never built a house.

Shelby spent about ten years in tech sales and eight years as a Realtor. Dennis spent about fifteen years building roads in heavy civil construction.

They met through church, formed an LLC just a month later, and went from bank to bank until one finally said yes. By using their rental properties as collateral, they funded their first land purchase with zero money out of pocket.

Today, Story Builders builds custom and spec homes in Idaho's Treasure Valley, with three full-time employees and agentic AI handling parts of the back office.

In this conversation, Shelby and Dennis share how they got started without the money, experience, or connections, and how they financed, learned, and partnered their way through their first builds.

We get into:

• Why they gave an experienced builder a share of the profits on their first two homes and shadowed him every day
• How their gas pedal and brake partnership helps them avoid bad decisions
• The four pillars that changed how they approach life and business: faith, fitness, family, and finances

Follow Story Builders

Story Builders on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storybuildersco

Shelby on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shelbycpaget

Dennis on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dennispmcelroy

Shelby on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ShelbyPaget

Shelby on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/pagetshelby

The Wisdom We Borrow

Instagram (Ashton) - https://www.instagram.com/ashtonxpalmer

Instagram (podcast) - https://www.instagram.com/thewisdomweborrowpodcast

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Ashtonevanpalmer

Website - https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb

Wisdom Notes - https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb/notes

Borrowed Prompts (free AI prompts) - https://borrowedprompts.com

Sponsorships: [email protected]

Get the 3 best lessons + 1 small action from each episode: https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb/notes

Show notes: https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb/ashton

Who are you learning from to become the person you want to be?

I run a land business, Haven Capital Group, and my next step is developing my first home. There are a ton of decisions ahead that I haven't had to make yet. So I'm sitting down with people who've already done it, and I'll ask every guest the same four questions.

In this episode, I share why I'm starting The Wisdom We Borrow.

I'm Ashton Palmer, host of The Wisdom We Borrow. Most of what I know, I've learned from other people. Now I'm learning how to develop my first home, and these are the conversations I'm having along the way.

We explore why seeking advice matters, how the people around us shape who we become, and the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

I share:

• Why seeking wise counsel and staying open to unexpected answers is part of how I try to grow
• How the people we learn from shape what we believe is possible
• The four questions I'll ask every guest on the show

The Wisdom We Borrow

Instagram (Ashton) - https://www.instagram.com/ashtonxpalmer

Instagram (podcast) - https://www.instagram.com/thewisdomweborrowpodcast

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Ashtonevanpalmer

Website - https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb

Wisdom Notes - https://ashtonepalmer.com/twwb/notes

Borrowed Prompts (free AI prompts) - https://borrowedprompts.com

Sponsorships: [email protected]