Peter Akguc started his career as trader on wall street after pursuing a degree in finance. But the stress of the job lead to an unhealthily lifestyle. He transitioned into real estate and construction as the economy was rebounding from the financial crisis. The skills he gained on wall street helped him take great calculated risk in real estate investing.

He said that once he started doing building projects on the side, he was much happier out there on the job site than he was managing projects on Wall Street.

But the biggest question he faced concerning whether to switch careers, was this, "Can I support my family?"

He decided he could, and took the plunge. Here is his story...

Adam McKinnon from Utah is a stair builder who’s seen every kind of staircase there is. After a shortage of work, he started working as a subcontractor to grow his business. He found a small niche and networked with other contractors to grow and his business. You will be inspired by this episode!

In this episode, Justin MacDonald, an electrical contractor from Nova Scotia talks how to price jobs, and the importance of properly estimating jobs. Also, he discusses scheduling when it comes to project management and staying small to maximize efficiency. 

In this episode you will hear the story of Brady Johanson and how he built his award winning custom home business. @bradycoltcustomhomes

Kayle Sickler joins us from Settlement Post and Beam which specializes in building solid post frame structures. Sickler, shares how he develop a sales and marketing acumen while working at his family’s business. He learned more about the craft from his dad and is now helping grow their company through online marketing, pay-per-click advertising and branding. This episode has lots of great marketing tips inside!

Early on Dan Devol went to work for Appalachian Forest Products. Then he went to work for a finish carpenter.

At 21 he bought and rebuilt a house and then sold it. He made $40K  on it. Then after that he bought a lot and built his first house from scratch.

This was just the beginning of a fulfilling career building high-end custom homes!

Drawing early influence from both his grandfather and father, Sam Pabich would incorporate the family’s commercial construction company Pabich Homes in 2016. Sam credits his Dad for helping jump start their company and fine tune their business using his background and over 4 decades experience in the construction industry. In this episode Sam shares practical advice and tips that help him to successfully operate and market their business day in and day out.

Connor Crook is the owner of Diamondback Toolbelts. After spending 30 years practicing law, Crook purchased Diamondback Toolbelts after leaving his corporate job. He would go on to turn the company around and transform it into a profitable business.

The best advice given to Spencer came from his wife. It was leading up to him giving a talk at conference, and he was struggling knowing what to say, since he felt like his business had failed in the national recession. He was concerned about having people judge him for his story. But his wife encouraged him, and said, “Be Yourself.”
She told him to just go out there and be himself. To be vulnerable and tell the truth. So he did. And that advice has stuck with him over and over and over again since then. He often tells himself, to just “Be Yourself.”

Spencer Padgett now works for Co Construct as Builder In Residence. But he didn't always work here. He has developed hundreds of acres of land, and built multimillion dollar homes...and. much more. 

Here is his story...

Today on the show, Mark King of Infinite Decks shares his advice for finding and hiring employees, giving raises, filtering client inquiries, and creating an effective call forwarding system. He also shares the importance of customer reviews and how to acquire them.

Jon Beer, a professional artist turned contractor, shares tips and incites for building and running a successful contracting business. Unlike most contractors, Jon never went to school or had close family members to teach him the trade. In this episode, he shares his non-traditional journey to starting his Jon Beer Contracting. 

Gabrielle Bieber co-founded Madison Builders around the belief that “homes are not just a container for your life, but rather an extension and an expression of oneself.” In this episode, Gabrielle shares how she and her husband started and grew their contracting business and why they made the decision to focus on building custom homes. 

contractor podcast, construction podcast, builder podcast, remodeler podcast, architecture podcast

Tony Frazier is a home designer with a passion for timeless architecture.But what is timeless architecture. That is a question that we asked Tony, and then spent quite a bit of time discussing. PLUS many more tips and insights concerning entrepreneurship and running a good business.

Adam Wilson the founder of Icon Tile in California dropped out of high school and started working as a tile apprentice. Working closely with his boss, and also a part-time job at Whole Foods Market, he’d come to learn and develop business skills that can be attributed to running and growing his own successful tile company. Listen all the way through and BE INSPIRED!!!

Stacy Eakman is the founder of Eakman Construction Company in Seattle which specializes in large scale remodels and custom homes. In this episode, Stacy tells his story, gives insight into how he runs his business, and speaks on the importance of “percent complete” accounting to get control of your numbers.

Growing up, Christopher Quinn could be found working with his grandparents on various home renovations. He is now the managing partner at Apex Projects in Connecticut with his friend Brian Hyla. In this episode, he talks work life balance, the importance of networking, and shares various marketing tactics he’s currently using to grow his business. 

Jeff Pell has been in construction all of his life. After college, he’d move back home and start working his Uncle on various job sites. His passion for creating high-end luxury homes would prompt him to start Sky House Company in North Carolina. In this episode, he explains the importance of increasing exposure on multiple platforms so you can “say 'no' more than you say 'yes.'” And how to setup systems to help you streamline your vision and business. 

Luke Miller from Miller Tile and Stone is a Tile Contractor and the Founder and Host of the Tile Money podcast. With encouragement from his wife, he was able to build up the confidence to start his own company. He explains how he used grass roots marketing tactics and great customer service to successfully grow his tile contracting business. Also, he shares how he arrives at the numbers he needs to charge for his daily rate to remain profitable. 

Mike Grainger from Tink Construction Services in New Jersey specializes in bringing homes back to life. As a child, seeing his father grow and scale his contracting business would give him the inspiration to establish his own contracting business in 2009. In this episode, he shares advice on how to properly setup and structure a contracting business to scale.

After losing his job, Donnie Galli from Designs By Donnie found his passion as local furniture builder. In this episode, he shares the many trials and tribulations that have helped him build a profitable furniture design business.  

After leaving his job, Tyler Farrell started a custom home building business following the success of his first spec home. He attributes his success to staying focused on what he’s good at and hiring great talent to support him in areas that he is weak in.  

In this episode Eddie Leverett chronicles an impactful story that inspired him to create his business One Eleven LTD, which specializes in building universal homes for people with special needs.  

Sean Doyle and his wife Katie are the founders of  SD Custom Homes.  They call themselves a family building for families. Sean shares stories and insights he’s learned over the years that have helped him start and run a successful contracting business. 

From working on highway construction projects to high rise condominiums, Ryan Hay @oakmanbuildingco is a dynamic Protractor with a dynamic skill set. In this episode he discusses what it took to scale his contracting business in the heart of Austin, TX.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Toby Cornell From Cornell Custom Construction

Extreme Ownership - Book about leadership

Contractor Tools - Estimating software

Johnny Hourihan

Shawn Van Dyke