Builder. Dad. Almost burnout casualty. Tyler Grace joins Mark for a raw conversation on why “doing what you love” can still land you in the ER. They dive into stress, ego, profitability, and how Tyler finally drew a line between life and business. Come for the honesty, stay for the dad jokes—and leave with a better plan for your own business sanity.

In this Losers are Winners episode of The Curious Builder Podcast, Mark Williams sits down with Paul Krumrich for a super honest chat about the rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur. Paul opens up about his own big mistakes, like taking on risky debt and being maybe a little too honest with his team during rough times. They both talk about why willpower matters more than skills, the funny (and not so funny) side of failure, and how learning from flops is actually the key to winning in business.

In this episode, Mark sits down with his friend Mike Weaver for a really honest chat about learning from mistakes—both at work and in life. Mike opens up about a big blunder early in his career that taught him why being upfront with clients matters so much, and he also shares his incredible journey losing 170 pounds (seriously impressive!). It’s a fun, down-to-earth conversation with plenty of laughs, hard-earned wisdom, and tips for turning your biggest fails into wins.

Hiring mistakes, financial setbacks, and communication misfires—yep, Adam’s got the receipts. In this candid conversation. Mark talks with Adam Copenhaver of CopeGrand Homes about hiring wins, hiring woes, and what happens when your culture isn’t strong enough to catch a bad fit. From cultural index tests to writing painful checks, Adam opens up about what it takes to build a resilient team—and how building with your twin brother might just be the ultimate hack.

In this Q&A, Mark gets candid about a major setback during the 2008 recession, sharing how a failed spec home taught him some hard life and business lessons. Thanks to some wise words from his dad, he learned not to fear failure and how bouncing back can set you up for even bigger wins down the road. It’s a real and relatable listen for anyone dealing with ups and downs in their career!

Ever bitten off more than you could build? Nathan Marsala has. In this candid convo, Mark and Nathan unpack the cost of chasing the wrong projects, the lessons hidden in late-night site visits, and how Nathan’s dashboard (and daughter) helped him recalibrate. It’s one of those real, raw chats that hits hard—especially if you’re building a business and a family at the same time.

Lets turn some big loses into some big wins. In this Losers Are Winners episode, Mark and Caleb MacDonald swap stories about their early business blunders—from failed snowboard sales to endless house cleaning gigs—and how those moments shaped them into better builders. Caleb gets real about learning from those flops, staying patient, and why having solid contracts (and good people around you) makes all the difference.

Sometimes “just get through it” is the worst advice ever. In this Losers Are Winners episode, Mark sits down with Allyson Case of Integro Builders to unpack what happens when you ignore your gut, protect the wrong people, and stick with a project that should’ve ended ages ago. From bad architects to bad breakups (and the clients caught in the middle), it’s a brutally honest peek at how one of Chicago’s top builders learned when to call it — and why consistency is kinder than favors.

Welcome to Fail Club, where losers really are winners—eventually. Mark kicks off this new series with designer and builder Katie Kath to swap war stories about team culture fails, the cost of ignoring your gut, and the power of doing the scary stuff anyway. It’s unfiltered, funny, and surprisingly motivating for any builder, remodeler, or business owner who’s learned the hard way that perfection is a myth—and sometimes, a lawsuit is just tuition for the next level.