Why Builders Leave Profit On The Table with Russ Stephens

Why Builders Leave Profit On The Table with Russ Stephens

Reece sits down with Russ Stephens, co-founder of the Association of Professional Builders, to talk about why so many builders look successful on paper but still miss the profit sitting inside their business. Russ breaks down work in progress, pricing, overhead, owner pay, and the danger of chasing bigger jobs without understanding what they actually cost. This episode covers how builders can stop guessing at margins, price from true break even, stay focused on the right type of work, and build a company that is worth something beyond the owner’s daily grind. To get a free business valuation report from Russ Stephens and APB visit: https://hubs.ly/Q04jQvzl0 [https://hubs.ly/Q04jQvzl0] Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration [https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration] Show Notes: 00:00 Show Intro 01:10 Meet Russ Stephens 04:14 Know Your Numbers 05:42 Revenue Versus Profit 08:08 Profit Starts Early 10:54 Understanding WIP 16:44 Front Loading Jobs 19:33 Pricing For Net 23:40 Net Profit Webinar 25:42 Owner Versus Employer 28:02 Stay In Your Lane 31:20 Remodeling To New Homes 34:56 Business Valuations 39:17 Build Value Now Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

Stop Making Decisions With Bad Numbers with Scott Franchini

Reece sits down with Scott Franchini of RedHammer to talk about why contractors often blame their software when the real issue is messy job costing, unclear WIP, and financial reports they cannot trust. They cover indirect costs, overhead allocation, budgeting gaps, chart of accounts cleanup, and why bigger software does not automatically create better visibility. This episode is a practical reminder to slow down, understand what you actually need to measure, and build a system your team can use consistently. https://www.redhammer.io [https://www.redhammer.io]Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration [https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration] Show Notes: 00:12 Show Intro 00:46 Meet Scott 02:12 Red Hammer Overview 03:06 WIP Foundations 06:23 Budgeting Gaps 09:37 Indirect Costs 13:30 False Profit 16:29 Software Gaps 20:22 Webinar Break 21:35 Setup Before Software 25:38 Reporting First 29:06 Cleanup Timeline 33:34 Smarter Tech Stacks 41:35 Slow Down First Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

Build A Business That Buys Back Time with Brad Stokes

Reece sits down with Brad Stokes of Highspire to talk about the shift from owner operator to strategic owner, and why top-line revenue alone does not mean a construction business is healthy. They get into real estate development, market timing, KPIs, org charts, gross profit tracking, and the systems that give owners more time to think clearly instead of constantly reacting. This episode is about building a tighter business first, so bigger opportunities do not break what you already built. https://www.highspire.com [https://www.highspire.com] Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration [https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration] Show Notes: 00:00 Show Intro 01:40 Brad’s Wild Backstory 04:39 Learning Real Estate 08:58 What HighSpire Does 12:08 Finding The Right Market 16:47 Keep The Model Simple 21:10 Revenue Versus Health 27:14 Track The Right Work 32:25 Buying Back Time 38:57 The Owner’s Brain 43:51 Choose Better Tools 45:52 Strategic Owner Shift Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

How Building Science Reduces Costly Callbacks with Sam Myers

Reece sits down with Sam Myers of Retrotech to talk about why comfort issues, humidity problems, and buckled floors often turn into expensive callbacks for builders. They cover how air tightness, HVAC design, ventilation, and testing all work together, and why code minimum is not always enough to protect the homeowner or the contractor. If you build homes and want fewer surprises after move-in, this conversation is a practical reminder that measuring the house matters. https://retrotec.com [https://retrotec.com] Show Notes: 00:00 Show Intro 00:47 Meet Sam Myers 04:34 Who Retrotech Helps 05:53 Building Or Mechanical? 07:41 Why Code Falls Short 10:05 Smarter Homeowners 13:44 Commercial Testing Uses 15:54 Missing Residential Commissioning 19:25 Moisture Creates Costs 23:40 Testing Prevents Callbacks 25:34 Old Habits Pushback 30:15 Where Builders Learn 33:01 Building Science Answers Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

How Contractors Can Adopt AI Agents Without Chaos with Ryan Rademann

Reece is joined by Ryan Rademann from Wipfli to talk about why contractors cannot treat technology, AI, and systems as random tools anymore. As builders grow, weak integrations, messy data, and outdated processes can quietly limit cash flow, reporting, and scale. They get into AI agents, cloud systems, process mapping, accounting workflows, and why the right tech stack has to support the way a construction business actually runs. This conversation is about using technology with intention so contractors can make better decisions, protect their team, and grow without creating more chaos. https://ryanrademann.com [https://ryanrademann.com] Show Notes: 00:49 Show Intro 05:04 Ryan’s Background 07:25 Wipfli’s Tech Evolution 11:12 Contractor Tech Adoption 13:23 Systems And Handoffs 18:38 Structured Data 21:21 AI Agent Opportunity 24:16 Contractor Pain Points 28:44 Process Before AI 34:13 Technology Company Mindset 41:01 Scaling With Systems 47:13 Robotics And AI 50:03 Finding Ryan Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]