Q & A Episode 6 - Crafting Your Construction Niche & Conquering On-Camera Confidence
Episode #6 | Q&A with Mark D. Williams | Crafting Your Construction Niche & Conquering On-Camera Confidence
Mark D. Williams' shares his insights on building a successful construction business, including the importance of developing a niche, becoming comfortable on camera, and giving back to the community. He also talks about practical tips on finding your unique focus, and practicing self-confidence,
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About The Curious Builder
The host of the Curious Builder Posdast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. WIlliams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you’re looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.
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hey listeners in the last couple of episodes I've talked about the benefits of cbusa the leading group purchasing organization in construction we're gearing up here in Minneapolis for an annual Builder event called The Summit September 22nd through September 25th it'll be in Minneapolis Minnesota this event formerly known as the power 30 is CB USA's biggest event of the Year cbusa members from across the country will come together to learn and engage in networking opportunities like face-to-face meetings with top brands
00:00:29 and Reps interact breakout sessions with fellow builders in an exclusive vendor Expo showcasing the latest materials I'm excited to attend and I'm excited to be recording a podcast episode in front of a live audience fellow homebuilders if you want to be a part of this too then head over to CB usa. uslearn today learn more about CB USA's benefit and apply for a membership at CB usa. uslearn additionally if you'd like to hear more I interviewed Ryan lipek from cbusa on episode 26 of the curus Builder
00:01:02 [Music] podcast welcome to the Cur Builder podcast I'm Mark Williams your host and today is Thursday's Q&A so all these questions have been submitted either through uh Instagram uh direct email or sometimes at our live events we will request questions prior to a panel and so every Thursday I try to take 20 minutes and answer two questions so this question was submitted uh a couple months ago right before for one of our Live Events uh that we called build buzz and there was uh Brad levit Nick Schiffer Morgan Moler Tyler Grayson
00:01:37 myself and the question that came up that we actually did not it didn't make the final question list but I'll take it it now was how is everyone on this panel so comfortable being on camera all the time and I think that's a great question and I think there's a lot of different layers to it obviously I can only speak for myself and not the others that were on that panel that day with me but I think a big part of it is is being comfortable with yourself I think we obviously live in an age where we see a
00:02:05 ton of social media and some people are more comfortable at comfortable with it than others but I think a lot of it just takes practice um I'm thinking just why this memory comes to me um I remember I was a swimmer in high school and I was extremely uncomfortable um I didn't start swimming till I was in 10th Grade and I remember uh joining the swim team and obviously with the Olympics going on uh we all know that you swim Speedo but I remember thinking like I am basically naked in front of the world and I
00:02:35 actually attribute a lot of my confidence to swimming uh within about 60 days I was so used to walking around the pool deck in a speedo that I honestly pretty much have been so body comfortable my entire life because of it and now as a parent of three oddly enough I have a girl and two boys uh swimming is actually something really important that uh that my boys would be that would do now whether they want to pursue it or not you know I'll see if they have a passion for it or not like like I did but a big part of it was just
00:03:02 being comfortable with who I was and uh it's funny that I think of that now because I was not planning on talking about that but and many out there probably a little nervous now think maybe I'll show up to a job site in a speedo but I think the point is just self-confidence and I think if you can be I speak a lot about it on the podcast about being authentic and being true to who you are and when you sort of discover that um then whether the camera is on you or not in some way it doesn't matter and so for me I'm just very
00:03:30 comfortable in my own skin and I think that Comfort level comes out when I talk to people um it allows me to interview people that are way smarter than I am way more accomplished because I'm just curious in who they are and because you're sort of comfortable with who you are um you can just have a nice conversation and so I guess that's how I would answer the question how am I comfortable on camera I think practice too I mean I don't think on day one you become comfortable with something you know you could um this very much like
00:03:55 maybe running you know if you're going to train for a marathon you know the first couple weeks of training are going to be a little rough you are not going to be comfortable running 10 15 miles at a time I think you have to build up to it and I think one thing that social media does kind of well is you know because our short attention span is so short you know we do take short videos so you know if you don't get it right people's memories are so short that they probably forget a bad performance so I
00:04:19 won't worry about it too much you know I think the biggest advice that people have given me over the years is you know just hit record and figure it out um personally I do a lot better on the Fly than I do with a plan script that's not for everybody but I think part of it is it allows you to maybe shake out the you know the the the bugs and just kind of you know be natural and I think the more comfortable you are you know sort of speaking off the cuff I think the easier it is to be on camera at least that's
00:04:45 how I would answer the question now I kind of want to ask uh the rest of the group how they would answer the question but I think if you're looking to get C comfortable you know practice makes perfect as they say so I would just start practicing and um I think sometimes we can be our own worst critic it's that we shouldn't re-evaluate how we speak or how we talk or how we record because there's obviously things that we can do better like purposely I listen to my own recordings try to say ah less I'm
00:05:13 not doing a very good job but you know I am trying I'm aware of it and I think there's a healthy part of where we can do some self-reflection uh I also think that asking peers around you you know what do you think of that you know I have people on our team and even personally where maybe before I post a video I'll say heyy would you take a look at this for me uh do you think this is going to this is my message this is my intent and you know most of the time it it hits the marks but sometimes people are like no it'd be better if you
00:05:41 re-record it so I think if you are going to put something out there that you know maybe is more uh of a branding piece that really speaks to who you are you know sure you can certainly give it a couple takes and really make sure you nail it and I think for like story posts on Instagram or something a little bit more casual I think just practice is probably the most important thing and you'll discover your own voice this episode is brought to you by Alpine hardwood flooring they've been our partner now for over a decade installing
00:06:08 all our wood floors on all our new homes as well as our remodels and on a personal level Adam and Anthony Jena the owners are just absolutely amazing people they've been so supportive of my career as well as doing anything we need to make sure that our clients are happy and they work so well with our other vendors and trade Partners at not only protecting their product but also ensuring everyone else's looks great so if you're looking for a wood floor or for a refinish I highly recommend Alpine
00:06:33 hardwood flooring the second question was in years 1 to three of your business how did you create a niche in the market while not turning away work that's a really good question um I imagine the person asking this question wants to be known for something or wants to have a niche and I'm thinking um you know of two that I guess that come to mind as I knew a builder once this was back in the in the 70s and 80s is that he only Built two stories and his brother only Built single stories and that was their Niche
00:07:06 so if you built two stories you went to one brother and if you built a single story you went to the other brother just kind of a silly um differentiator but that's how they basically segmented uh that you know who would build with who I think you know understanding your what you want to do and understanding what your clients want sometimes they line and sometimes they don't and I think that's what this question is really speaking to to I think if you really want to focus on something like maybe
00:07:33 you really want to focus on just high-end architecture work and so you just want to work for Architects I think that's great I think it's a great business model however um if somebody comes to you and says um you know I would really like you to build my home and you know it's not something you're really excited about um but you don't have any other architecture jobs going on right now like you might have to build that house to kind of keep your company flat and so I think every business owner can sort of relate to
00:08:01 taking jobs that might not be in the center of their brand but they're still on target I mean they're you're still hitting the Target and I'm much more aware of that today than I was previously and I I don't think there's a perfect answer for this because one of the things I'm really passionate about that I think coincides with this perfectly is identifying the ideal client and I think that's hard because when you're really busy and you have a lot of your clients uh that are kind of you know you're in sync with them and
00:08:31 you look what's coming down the pipeline it's easier to be a little bit more selective because you're busy as those start to dry up you start if you're a new home builder you might start looking at Remodeling and you know if you're at remodeling maybe you do bigger projects maybe you do $500,000 onup projects but you might have to look at a couple $250,000 projects to kind of keep the meter flowing and I also think that you really need to know your numbers this is not something that I've done a good
00:08:58 enough job in ear earlier on in my career where you know I would take small medium I would you know I would take all kinds of projects if it seemed like it was a good fit but that was really just Based On A Feeling and I don't think that's the best way to make that decision I think it can be a factor but I don't think it should be your only one or your main one and so like for right now I would say that we have we've been definitely experiencing A Lull in the market we've had a couple bigger projects um that have been put on hold
00:09:25 or cancelled and so right now we don't have as much uh under construction as I would like we have a lot of people I think sort of waiting on interest waiting on the election uh at least where I am and so I've I've always been a part of remodeling I think it kind of flows 50/50 6040 7030 just kind of depends you're in you're out so right now we've picked up um some good remodels and now there's one that I'm looking at that went from I think was going to be like a $500,000 Remodel and they want to cut it down to 200 and I
00:09:56 have to make the decision whether I want to take that job or not I I want to take the job because and you know right now we could definitely do it but if it takes you know a month or two to kind of spin up and it takes a couple months to get into it but I miss out on a bigger job because of it was that a good call and can I really be profitable at that at at that smaller price point you know I think I'm not sure how smaller remodelers do it that do and I know there's a lot that are successful they probably just charge you know a lot
00:10:28 more margin would be my guess but you know they're doing bathrooms or they're doing you know screen porch Edition and you know maybe they're self-performing labor would be my guess as well so you've got you know your carpenters and your trimmers maybe your tile Setters on on staff and so you know you need to take on jobs to keep them busy to pay the overhead and if you have the capacity to do it then it makes sense I know that there are some companies trimmers in particular that when they are a little slow they'll send out kind
00:10:55 of a mass email or mass text and say hey I've got you know four trimmer that are available for two weeks does anyone have work for them and that is kind of the con of trying to have you know if you if your staff too big how do you how do you keep that overhead but yet balance you don't want to commit to something too much so that you miss out on something so I don't know that's a tough question because I don't know of the perfect way to do it I do know that if you are really passionate about your Niche Niche
00:11:22 sorry if you're really passionate about your Niche I think it'll show up I think you'll start attracting more and more clients you know to what you do there a company that comes to mind called the concrete Pig and uh I ran into him don't know his first name right off the top of my head but um he everything he builds is out of concrete beautiful work incredible work and he's created a niche and just drawn concrete um I don't know for a fact he'd actually be phenomenal person to bring on the podcast to ask
00:11:47 him if he's ever you know been asked to do a few other things but you know he's known for concrete that's his Niche I think there are certain builders that you know only work with certain Styles as we've already talked about I think there are certain um you know painters for instance that do really high-end faux work or I'm thinking of my plaster guy who can kind of do a little bit of everything and what would he like to be known for he he probably wants to do really high-end plaster work and I think
00:12:15 when if your nich Niche gets too specific then you sort of have to have a either a really deep line of clientele or become very exclusive in the fact that there just isn't many people that can do your skill set which I think is obviously you know very for tus for that business owner or you're going to have to have a few options that you know when things are slower you're going to have to Branch out a little bit but I don't think you ever want to lose site of of that Niche and I know certain Architects
00:12:41 that and I think they do a much better job of controlling their brand than most builders that I've met and for a long time that was myself I mean I think I would anytime I built a home anytime I remodel a home I would post that home on our website and then uh a branding strategist you know pointed out to me one time you know why are you advertising ing work that you don't necessarily want to seek in the future that we should be advertising the work we want to do we should be showcasing the work that we are not only proud of
00:13:11 but that the work that we want to repeat and grow from and it's not that I'm embarrassed of any work I've ever done I'm very proud of anything we've done you know whether it be a small deck early in my career or a screen porch or a you know a fireplace remodel or whatever it was um you know I've been building for 20 years so there's a a lot of projects we've taken on over the years that it doesn't fit what we are today and I would say for myself I'd say our Niche has always been high quality and I think the benefit of a niche being
00:13:37 high quality High touch High customer service is that it doesn't matter if the project is large or if the project is small I can still sort of fit into my niche of just being high quality I've often um mentioned that you know I've really I've really just gone where my clients wanted me to go because my Niche was really just doing high-end work and doing it really well and and I look back at some of the homes I built you know 8 10 years ago and you know some of the same Craftsmen that I I use today I used
00:14:07 then so the quality really hasn't changed the quality was very good it's just that the designs the size you know the materials we're using are much higher end on top of inflation and so the home as such is perceived to be a much better value but I think if I went back to my clients you know 15 20 years ago uh they would all say that you know there were other cheaper options out there than me however they were attracted to us because of our quality specifically I've always kind of had a passion towards
00:14:35 Cabinetry in Woodwork and that comes out in my sales proposition that comes out in the way I talk about you know the trades I'm very loyal to you know my trades people I love them I think they do an amazing job and so I really want to celebrate the the work that they do and the work that I'm passionate about and I think the client can see that it could also be your design so your design team so it's also kind of fun to I'm I'm I'm probably more open to other Styles and because my Niche is not a
00:15:03 specific style um I'm I I think I really like being creative and I really love working with creative designers and Architects that can really do anything so I wouldn't want you know my limits of imagination um to limit a project that I would take on I'm I'm really excited about things that are new frankly the what do they say that the the most constant change is change and so I I love I love variety I love change I I recently was you know on a podcast and I think I had just mentioned that as long
00:15:32 as a client was willing to pay me for my work I didn't care if we were doing a you know a really high-end sauna or you know a small little Adu or a large home it really wouldn't matter to me if it was the right client in the right design and they were willing to pay us for our quality I just get excited about unique projects and doing good work I mean even a slide I mean last year I worked with Drew B and um he's a local talent here in Minnesota does incredible uh artistic work with acrylics and all kinds of
00:16:02 different resins that I don't have the knowledge to speak about and um we we built a slide for my kids and I wanted to be really unique and man I was more jazzed about that silly slide than I have been about many things I've done and I think it's just because it was really high quality it was really unique and so I think you can balance your Niche and not turn away work but you just you have to be mindful of it and I would tell the person that asked this question is like don't don't lose your passion for your Niche um uh I think
00:16:30 there's a there's pretty much a market for everybody's Niche especially in today's world with you know Instagram and not only social media but um you know with email campaigns and websites I mean you can really have a career based on something very specific but you have to understand you know your own your own cash flow about it and you really have to understand what your goal and what your growth model is because sometimes a niche can really be limiting um you know if you only build modern modern homes um
00:16:57 then obviously if you're in a very traditional Market you are not going to get very much work however if you are the only one that really does modern homes and you really become known for it now everyone gravitates you so it's kind of the self-fulfilling po uh prophecy you know I've I've met Architects before not very many but a few that they only do one style but they kind of become iconic like that's their style and it'd be really fascinating to have them on the podcast and just ask them how and
00:17:25 when they decided that their Niche was so singular actually it makes me want to do that so uh shout out to this person's question because now I'm going to go find an architect uh that I'm thinking about in my mind here have them on the podcast and ask them how they how they how how they would answer this question so anyway hopefully this was uh a helpful uh shorter Q&A session today have a great week and we'll see you next time we're happy to announce that on August 1st Mark Williams Custom Homes
00:17:51 and the joy collaborative are holding a charitable event at one of our past Builds on Medicine Lake if you're interested in raising money to help out children with disabilities there's over 66,000 Kids in Need in Minnesota alone we'd love for you to attend details can be found on our website the cures Builder podcast.com or any of our social channels we hope to see you there additionally if you want to hear more about the joy collaborative please listen to Episode 34 on the Curious Builder podcast we're excited to
00:18:17 announce that we've opened up another curious Collective for the last year we've had the Curious Builder Collective we now have the cures Builder Collective for designers the first ones will be happening in September all the details are going to be on our website we have 30 spots available half of them have already filled We additionally have eight spots left in the Builder Collective if you're interested in getting together in small groups of nine with local Minneapolis based Builders and designers in separate groups and
00:18:45 talking about your business talking about your Brands asking those questions that you wish you could ask another business owner then this is the place for you details can be found at the cures builder podcast.com thanks for listening to the Cur Builder podcast if you like what you listen to please give us a f-star rating and write us a review it really means a lot it's a great way for us to just understand what you like about the podcast and what we can keep doing so like and review and please share with your friends and
00:19:12 family find out more at curious Builder podcast.com [Music]
And I try not to ever schedule any meeting in that time block.
Welcome to Curious Builder Podcast Q and A. I'm Mark Williams, your host. And we are about to announce our first episode of Q and A. So over the last year and a half, as you know, if you've been listening to the show, uh, every week, we have a weekly podcast where I'm interviewing builders, architects, designers, anyone related to the construction field of building, uh, that's a founder or an owner and has some insight and wants to share.
We've been getting a lot of questions. Through our email, through the website. And I thought I'd take a time to answer some of those in kind of a straight format. And so what I'm going to do is I'm going to answer two questions every other Thursday. Uh, you probably also are aware if you're following our feed that we have launched the curious builder, uh, in Espanol with bell crews.
So. Every other Thursday will be either a Spanish episode or on the opposite biweekly schedule will be a Q and a session. And that's just going to be 20 minutes of me answering two questions that the audience had submitted. And we'll just have a kind of a open format on as questions come in, I'll announce what they are both in the feed, as well as the start of this podcast.
And we'll kind of go from there. If people have any other comments, you can write us review or send us an email. My email is mark at mdwilliamsholmes. com. And you can also go through the website, the curiousbuilderpodcast. com. So today's question is a great one. And I definitely am not an expert on this, but it'd have a few insights.
And the question that was posed was how do you work on the business and not in the business? I think just the fact that you're even thinking about the question or asking the question is really important. The first step into working on your business, you know, like a lot of entrepreneurs, when we start our business, you know, we're chasing down every single lead you can, you know, if somebody calls you obviously respond, somebody emails you, you ask them, when can you meet?
And you know, you're not thinking about bids or design, uh, down payments or any of that. You're just trying to go get as much work as you possibly can. Cause you're just, you're just excited. And it takes a few years, or at least it did for me. Before you start systemizing this and realizing that, you know, it'd be like a dog chasing a ball down the street, you know You can chase one pretty effectively you start chasing five or six and it just doesn't happen very well You're gonna get run over by a car in this analogy for sure And so I think at some point you start looking around and you realize i'm either burning out you find yourself working You know nights and weekends and your spouse or your family is probably making comments about you working too much and It's sometimes it takes somebody to kind of pull you aside and say, you know, if you keep this up, you know, you're going to burn out or you're going to crash and burn, or it's just simply not even a, even if you can sustain it, you know, maybe your family can't sustain it.
And so I'm really thankful personally for those in my life that have sort of helped me take a time out and have given me perspective just to realize that if you work on the business and you structure the business, not only can the business work for you and you're always going to need to put Put obviously your time and energy and effort into it.
It's your baby. It's, it's the thing that you care about. And most people create their business based on passion, which is great. And once you love something, uh, you know, you want to give it everything you've got. In fact, I was just writing graduation cards for the upcoming graduations. And one of my go to lines was, you know, find a career that's That is your passion or that you can find passion in it because then you'll never work a day in your life.
And I really believe that's true. A past client of mine actually had told me one time he was probably in his late sixties, early seventies. And he said people keep, he, he was a serial entrepreneur, had a huge staff, five, 600 employees, and they kept asking him when he was going to retire. And he goes, I hate the R word.
And that was retire. And he goes, if you are constantly thinking about retirement, perhaps you've chosen the wrong career. And. Going back to passion, you know, really find if you have started a business, you're likely passionate about something. So know that you've already taken a good step. So back to working on the business, I think just becoming aware that you need to create systems.
I know I've failed miserably at this for a couple of decades. I'm now 20 years in and really it's only been the last couple of years that I've really been very mindful of trying to dedicate time to work on the business. And for me personally. Uh, I run my life off of my schedule. And so one of the things that I found extremely helpful is to time block.
So I have a couple of different time blocking, um, segments that are dedicated just to working on the business. For example, I think it's every other Friday, I keep a two hour block and I just label it work on business. And I try not to ever schedule any meeting in that time block. And so when that time comes up, I need to take a time out.
And then for those two hours, usually I start it at the beginning of the day. Cause that's when I have the most energy and I'm the most clear minded. And then for those two hours, I'm working on the business. I can tell you that I fail pretty miserably. I'd say half the time I. end up canceling it or I delete it or I'm dealing with the fire.
So even though I've set it in motion and I believe in it, uh, it's still very tempting to cancel it. So hopefully you can do a better job of, I, that I have been able to do and just keeping it really cemented and sacred. I was interviewing, uh, Caleb McDonald, uh, from Kingsridge builders up in Canada, and I've actually just adopted something that he shared in that podcast episode.
And what he does is once a month, he books, I think either a half a day or maybe a full day. And he, he lives in Toronto and he gets, he dresses up a little bit differently. He said he gets on a train and goes into Toronto proper works at a favorite coffee shop for the whole day. He doesn't, he leaves his phone off and he only is not answering emails.
He's simply working on the business, whether it's being creative, thinking about, you know, how to structure things differently. Whether it's talking about, you know, the next year, the next quarter goal setting, all of those things that you need time to do, he's dedicating that full day and kind of a different atmosphere.
I like that a lot. I actually have it coming up in July, my first full day. And I think for me, I'm not going to take a train anywhere, but I'll probably drive to Stillwater or maybe I'll drive to Northfield, which is, you know, there are cities that are pretty close to Minneapolis where I live, maybe half hour, 40 minutes, just to kind of get out away from the office.
And I feel like just a change of scenery is super, super healthy. So I'm really excited personally to do that. Um, I think another thing too, is create little, create little things in your schedule that trigger things that would work on the business. I have one where. You know, because I'm in charge of my own sales, uh, for my clients, I'll have kind of like a hot list and it's every two weeks, it'll pop up on my calendar, you know, call the hot list.
And so I'll go through and it'll just, it brings back to my mind, the things that are the most important. Uh, I have another one where. Um, I've set, uh, basically a retreat where I try to take a day or two and just get outside, be away from things. I find that that really restores my mindset. Uh, we're actually, we've just announced it as well with the Curious Builder podcast retreats.
Um, basically we're going to do a half day sauna camp in January. Um, and we're going to do actually a three day retreat, either in Mexico or Costa Rica, or maybe Colorado or Utah. And the whole concept of that is sort of all this working on the business mindset, which is really actually, I'm going to ask people to check in their phones.
Um, so there's the mental side of it where we're, we're so used to using our phones all the time. I want people to check in their phone, get rid of the phone, and then And, you know, it's going to be a small group setting, maybe 10 to 15 people, other business owners, and it's going to be, we're going to be outside.
We're going to be hiking. We might be running. We're going to, there's going to be some athletic components as well. Cause I feel like, you know, that, that really helps energize not only your body, but also your mind and creativity. And, uh, we'll have some cultural elements. I think if the one that's going to be out in Utah, Colorado, uh, my sister actually.
Uh, as head of Native American affairs. And so we're going to find a Native American storyteller to come do a powwow one night around the fire and just talk about, you know, not only building, but just have a connect to the land. And I feel so much about working on business is sort of working on yourself because most people's businesses.
Are somehow a reflection of their own core values and the clearer that we understand ourself, the more we can reflect that into our business. So anyway, that's how I would answer that question. How do you work on the business instead of in the business? And I think every entrepreneur is constantly struggling with that.
I know I, I definitely struggle with it a lot. And right now, I mean, I would say weekly, even though you set these things in motion, there still is a way that you sort of get drugged back in. I think the other thing that's really helpful is making sure that you empower people on your team, you know, I think, you know, I'd heard once that if you can find someone within 60 percent of your ability, uh, to do a job, then hire them.
And that's really hard for most entrepreneurs. Cause you're like, well, man, if I, you know, if I can do that to a hundred percent and I'm hiring someone that is 40 percent worse at it than I am, um, how can I do that? And I think the real key there is if you don't trust people, if you don't empower people, they can never grow.
And then you, if you make yourself irreplaceable. You're irreplaceable. And so if you don't want to be drug into the nitty gritty, and if you don't want to be dug into every single decision, you're going to have to empower people to make decisions on your behalf. And here's the best part. They'll do a better job than you anyway.
And I have found that time and time again, when you trust the right people, they, and you empower them, they surprise you with how their ideas and their creativity. And, um, I need to do a better job of that in my career, especially in the back 40, as they say, I need to do a better job of empowering my team members and be very mindful that.
They have so much to offer. And I think even through the podcast and through different collectives that we do, you know, the education component, it's, it's, I've heard this saying, uh, there's a three phases of your business life and it's, you learn, earn and return. And I jokingly often say that I've missed the earning part.
I definitely learned, uh, and now it's my turn to return. And I really, I really enjoy. Leading discussions and getting people together, even like this format, just to share, um, that you're not alone and to share that this is difficult. And that by listening to each other, maybe it sparks an idea in your mind and you can apply it to your own business.
The second question is, uh, are you willing to be advised by your subcontractors and trade partners? And if so, how would you like to be approached? I think this is a fantastic question. Um, I can only speak for myself in this sense. I love it. Um, I've often told my clients as well as my trade partners. I'm not a know it all, you know, there's a lot of builders that grew up in the trades that know a lot of the building science and I'm sure I'm pretty dangerous and I know probably more than I think I know, but I really.
rely on the people around me. You know, my cabinet guy is going to know way more about cabinets than I ever could. You know, my electrician, my drywall or my painter, honestly, every single person on the job site knows more than me. And so maybe I've benefited from the fact that I don't feel like I know that much.
And so I'm always asking questions. You know, hence the name, uh, the curious builder podcast. And so I think from an early age, I've always been very curious and I've always asked questions. And so I would tell this subcontractor that you want to align yourself with people that, um, are seeking help. And, you know, I heard a quote recently that I like, and it is, If you want to go fast, go alone.
And if you want to go far, go together. And I think anyone who's building a home or part of it, it's a huge, it's a colossal team effort. I can't think of another endeavor that you constantly are working with hundreds and hundreds of people from purchasing to actually doing the work on the job sites. And a lot of times they're different and their crews are different and their people are different.
And we try to do the best we can to create a system and project manage and schedule, but. There is a lot of unknowns and a lot of variety. And if you don't trust your people, and if you don't trust the recommendations, I mean, there's thousands of decisions that are being made. And I guess no different than how I answered the previous one, that if you're not empowering your trade partners to make some decisions and trust on their end, that means you're going to have to make every decision.
And so I would tell this trade partner who asked this question, if you are going to your builder, your architect, or your designers, and you're being Honestly, that would be a red flag for me. I would not work for a builder if they were not willing to listen to their trade people. And I think there needs to be respectful dialogue, obviously, just because you might, you know, maybe a cabinet maker comes in and says, I want it done this way.
Me personally, I would say, well, tell me more. Like, why is that? Is that a better product? And, you know, if there's a fundamental difference that I understand, you know, part of it is just communication. I might be telling this cabinet guy. Well, the reason that I want it done this way is for this design look.
And I think it always leads to really good conversations. Honestly, I don't know any builder that wouldn't welcome open dialogue. It's a lot. It's no different than if a builder just tells someone what to do, um, that doesn't usually go over very well. And if a, if a. And if a trade partner comes to a builder and says, I'm not doing that, this is how I'm doing it.
That usually doesn't go well either. And so we often have talked on the podcast about what are red flags for. You know, for our clients and I offer my number one every single time is communication, how even the husband and wife communicate with each other and the way that the builder, the project manager, the trade partner and the vendors communicate and the designers is really, really important.
We need to respect each other and we need to understand that maybe there's something that we don't understand. And I feel like. You know, most, I mean, people that are just really confident in their own ability are honestly going to be the best ones to ask questions to, because they're going to want to seek a way to do it better.
And so I think to the person that asked this question, you know, go ask. I'd be shocked if someone wasn't willing to listen, you know, and maybe it's, maybe you wanted, maybe it's a business thing. I've had, I've had trade partners come to me about people on my own team before. That's a little bit different.
That's not about building the house. That's about how I'm running my business. And, um, that's a little bit harder because there's a lot of interpersonal Dynamics, there's people, there is, you know, for me personally, I tend to really like people. Um, I've told, I've said many times that I'm not the greatest at hiring or firing people.
And, you know, Disney made it famous that you hire slow and you fire fast. In my career, I've sort of done the opposite. I hire fast and I fire slow. And, you know, looking back in hindsight, There are times where my gut was said, you've got to let this person go. It doesn't work. It's not going to work out.
And my mistake to my own detriment and to theirs too, was that I didn't listen to my gut and I was too patient. And I think what makes me a very good remodeler, cause I'm an optimist, sometimes makes me a really bad judge of character for people because I'm an optimist. I think they can change. And, you know, ultimately, maybe this is marital advice.
You know, it's like, You know, if famously, if someone, you know, if your, if your spouse marries the other person and thinks that that person is going to change, they're really not, and it's an evolution and things can change over a period of time, but I don't think people just immediately change it. You have to have stepping stones.
And so anyway, I think we, I know that I constantly am asking my trade partners for their feedback. A lot of times in my emails out to, I call them my A team, uh, when I'm sending out a bid and I will even say, you know, if you have recommendations or if there's a way that you can, you know, value engineer this and give me some options, you know, they're going to know their craft better than I can, you know, and maybe the electrician can say, well, you know, I know you expect, you know, two inch cans, um, and there may be 600 bucks a piece, but you know, if we went to four inch cans, they're 300 bucks.
Well, now you can go to your client. And you look smarter by trusting your trade partners. And so I think this is an amazing opportunity for not only the trade partner that you're working with to sort of level up their game, but it's also a huge benefit to the, the contractor. And if you're listening and you are a builder or you are a remodeler, um, and you haven't done this, you can't imagine the feeling of empowerment it will have on the people that you work for if you ask for their And I think, honestly, I think probably the thing that is the most.
Underutilized in our culture is literally the word help, help me. And I say that with very few people, whether it's insecurity or whether they just are embarrassed. I'm not sure what it is, but a lot of people just simply don't ask for help. And I guess I would challenge anyone listening as well as I'm thinking about this myself is if somebody asks you for help, well, how does it make you feel?
What would you do? I'm thinking of a few specifically in my mind where somebody asked me for help and it sort of validated my friendship. This is a personal thing that I'm thinking of. And to this day, it's been 25 years. I still remember what that person asked for and how I felt. And it's kind of odd that sometimes the people that ask for help in a very sincere way, that the person that ends up sort of benefiting the most, Is the person who is asked for help, not even the person asking for help.
It's kind of this beautiful thing that happens between people. And you know, maybe I'm getting a little woo here, but I think because our homes are so relationship driven and because a home is such an emotional, an endeavor as a team, that there's a lot of feelings involved with the home and it's good.
And when people's passion comes out and you build a home or remodel a home, it's pretty incredible. And so the idea. That, you know, this subcontractor who asked this question is either concerned about people, him approaching his builder or his, um, you know, remodeler, um, you know, go to him, ask him, say, how can I be a help?
Or I have a few ideas that I think could make you more money or make your job more efficient. Or this is what I see in the field, because I have found that so helpful in my career, but There's probably been, I'll call them 10 to 15. I can name off the top of my head where year in and year out, they are the ones that will come to me and say, I've noticed this on your job sites.
And these are some things that you could improve upon. I don't always do them and I don't always do them quickly. But I definitely can tell you that I listened to them and I appreciate it. And sometimes it's hard to move the big ship. You know, sometimes there might be a personal thing where someone will come in and say, you know, I don't care for the project manager, or I don't care for an interior designer, or I don't care for another sub and how they say this or say that.
And so you end up being a little bit of a school teacher or, you know, A, uh, patriarch in this example where, you know, kind of your work kids are kind of squabbling and you've got to figure out a way through it to get everyone working on the same page. So, uh, thanks for tuning in to the curious builder podcast for the Q and a, uh, we're going to cap this at 20 minutes.
So it's short to the point and you can join us again, uh, in two weeks for our next Q and a. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening to the curious builder podcast. If you like what you listened to, please give us a five star rating and write us a review. It really means a lot. It's a great way for us to just understand what you like about the podcast and what we can keep doing.
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