Hiring the Right People and Financial Strategy for Custom Home Builders

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If you've listened to The Curious Builder for any length of time, you've probably noticed a pattern. The conversations almost always come back to two things: people and systems.

We love talking about beautiful homes, incredible craftsmanship, and inspiring architecture. But behind every successful custom home builder is a company that knows how to hire great people and understands its numbers. That's exactly why I'm excited to partner with both Cherry Talent Group and Home Builders Financial Partners.

On the surface, they solve completely different problems. One helps you find the right people. The other helps you understand your finances. But in reality, they're both helping builders create healthier, more sustainable businesses.

Why These Partnerships Made Sense

One thing I try to be intentional about with The Curious Builder is only partnering with companies I actually believe in. With Cherry Talent Group, that relationship has been growing for years. Suman and I met through the Contractor Coalition Summit, and over time I've watched how she approaches recruiting for construction companies. She genuinely understands builders, and I appreciated how often she recommended the Contractor Coalition community to others before we ever discussed working together.

The timing also happened to line up perfectly. We were searching for an executive assistant who could help manage everything happening between Mark D. Williams Custom Homes and The Curious Builder. We hired Cherry Talent Group to help with the search, and they ultimately helped us find Emma, who's been an incredible addition to our team.

The partnership with Zach Kelly at Home Builders Financial Partners happened the same way. After spending time together at an event in Phoenix, it became obvious we shared a common goal: helping builders build more profitable companies.

Why Financial Strategy Gets Avoided

Here's the reality: financial strategy for custom home builders is one of the least exciting topics in our industry. It's a lot more fun to talk about design details than profit margins or framing techniques rather than overhead allocation. But avoiding your numbers doesn't make them go away. In fact, it's usually the opposite.

I've been building for over two decades, and I've worked with exceptional controllers and bookkeepers. I've also worked with some who weren't nearly as strong. The difference is enormous.

When you have someone who truly understands your business financially, your stress level drops. Your team becomes more efficient. Clients have a better experience because projects run smoother. You're able to make decisions confidently because you know exactly where the business stands. When that position isn't strong, everything starts leaking: money, time, trust. Eventually your reputation suffers.

Your Numbers Are Your Compass

One comparison I've made before still feels accurate. Running a construction company without strong financial reporting is like hiking through the mountains without a compass. You might eventually get where you're going, or you might spend months heading in the wrong direction without realizing it.

The challenge is that financial problems rarely appear overnight. By the time you know you're in trouble, you're already months behind where you should have been. Good financial reporting gives you visibility long before the crisis arrives. 

When you understand cash flow, profitability, margins, overhead, and forecasting, you have time to make adjustments before small issues become major ones. That's why I believe every builder benefits from outside financial oversight, even if you have an excellent controller.

Quarterly reviews with someone who understands construction finances create accountability. They help you evaluate margins, track long-term goals, and verify that the business is moving in the direction you think it is.

Great Builders Need Great Hiring

Of course, numbers aren't everything. Even the healthiest financials can't replace having the right people.

I'll admit something that has gotten me into trouble over the years: I tend to like everybody. If it were completely up to me, I'd probably hire far too many people because I naturally assume everyone shares the same drive, curiosity, and desire to improve. That simply isn't true.

Culture matters. Skills matter. And finding people who bring both is much harder than most builders realize. As we've grown, we've recognized that hiring for higher-level positions requires a different process.

Cherry Talent Group helped us cast a much wider net than we could ourselves. More importantly, they provided objective screening and evaluation before candidates ever reached us. Sometimes the best hiring decision is having someone else ask the hard questions first.

If You Can Only Fix One Thing...

Builders ask me all the time where they should start. If you only have the bandwidth to improve one area of your company this year, I'd start with your financials. Without hesitation.

You can have an incredible team, but if the business isn't financially healthy, eventually you won't be able to keep that team together. Financial stability gives you options. It allows you to invest in people. It allows you to weather slow markets. It allows you to pay your team well and serve clients confidently.

Every truly successful builder I've met makes financial health a priority because they understand that healthy finances create better companies. And better companies build better homes.

Building Companies That Last

The builders I admire most aren't trying to create businesses that succeed for three or four years, they're building companies that their kids could someday inherit. Multi-generational businesses like that aren't built on craftsmanship alone. They're built on craftsmanship, leadership, great people, and financial discipline. When those four things come together, you've created a company that can last.

If you'd like an introduction to either Home Builders Financial Partners or Cherry Talent Group, don't hesitate to reach out. You'll also find both Zach and Suman at many of our Curious Builder Collectives around the country, where conversations around hiring, leadership, financial strategy, and growing better businesses happen every single time.

Because at the end of the day, building remarkable homes starts with building a remarkable business.