Furious Fifteen: "Setting Boundaries w/ Clients" Kali Sudbrook and Allyson Anderson Return

Furious Fifteen: Ella Star of Plumberella, Christchurch, NZ returns!: This is the maiden voyage of Mike Knoche's Furious Fifteen where I catch up with a previous guest for 15 minutes to find out whats new, how ya been, what are you up to before asking 15 non-qualifiable yes/no questions. Tune in, listen, laugh, write a review (links below), TELL A FRIEND that needs to hear this podcast! Check out Ella’s Stars first appearance, link in the episode notes below! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

19 min listen

Furious Fifteen: Rachel Taylor of Rachel Builds out of Los Angeles returns!: Rachel Taylor pays Mike a second visit to talk about where her construction buisness is headed, one strong held belief that she's jettisoned, and asks Mike why he thinks its important to host women in construction on the podcast. To hear more about Rachel Taylor, check out out first episode in Season 2, Episode 21. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

32 min listen

The Nuance of Navigating Clients: The Nuance of Navigating Clients 1. When I started out in Season 1 of the podcast, I said I learned through trial by fire, I’m not from a construction family. It was the school of hard knocks all day long. I always strove for definition in my work so I could express what I was doing for clients i.e “know what you’re selling” and understand why I was doing it for myself i.e. a need to understand purpose. 2. When I started my business I wanted to be different. Yeah yeah, don’t we all but I meant in the sense that I wanted people to think about contractors differently where I live. To remove the stigma on some level. Was that idealistic, yes. Naïve, a bit. How exactly was I going to do this? Not be a sleazy contractor? Do good work? Follow through with what I said? Be reliable? That’s what everyone says. And, also, those were already characteristics I had. I’ve always been an if you’re on time you’re late kinda guy. Ok, I wanted to create a positiv by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

25 min listen

Kali Sudbrook of Beachside Interiors: how her previous career experience makes her a better contractor, how her wife deals with her, fitness, leadership and tools.: Join Kali Sudbrook of Beachside Interiors and Mike Knoche for Episode 110 of The Contracting Handbook podcast where we talk about the importance of bringing her previous career experience and expertise into her new venture as a contractor. As a former professor of fitness, we get some real insight into the working of the tradespersons body and a bit of advice. We get personal quick and take a look at how she and her wife navigated the career change together. Of course, we drop into the business side of things and where she acquired her skills to do the dirty work. What about being LGTBQ in construction? She loves her life and if you don’t like it, that’s on you. The fun, caffeine fueled questions at the end are a riot. It was a great way to start our Sunday and, for you, on Monday. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

96 min listen

Allyson Anderson, Founder and CEO of Integro Builders, talks client archtypes, project influence vs. management, the nuance of contracting and at least one change order more!: Allyson Anderson of at Integro Builders @integro_builders is now LIVE on @thecontractinghandbook podcast! In Episode 116: - an explosive backstory and rising from the ashes - laughing in the face of jobsite adversity - The Big Four characteristics of bad clients - the greatest achievement - favorite type of project - greatest challenge in leadership as she nears ten years in business - then, the fun questions Follow @thecontractinghandbook for more stories from real builders and trades in the construction industry from all over the world, building cool stuff and loving it! Please share this in your stories and/ or leave us a review (LINK IN BIO) by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

116 min listen

The Roofer Girl, Samanntha De Coteau on finding her trade, how it lifted her up, and being bags on!: Samanntha De Coteau @the.roofer.girl of Summit Sister’s Roofing is now LIVE on @thecontractinghandbook podcast! In Episode 114: - representing and endorsing products - being a bags-on-contractor - operating as a partner - hiring roofers - leadership - being a mom in construction - overcoming adversity - then, the fun questions by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

37 min listen

TCH Podcast re-Introduction, "they only say it once", and a question for you.: Episode 110 of The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction podcast: I’m going to streamline your listening experience for the time being and put the intro to the upcoming shows here and kind of update you. This here episode will provide my personal take on the intro to TCH for the foreseeable future or until I something changes. If it’s your first time listening to The Contracting Handbook podcast, I’m your host Mike Knoche, formerly known as the man who’s seen it all from season 1. I own and operate Straight Ahead Construction in Fairbanks, Alaska. Strictly ZONE 8 residential. I’m a fool construction sites. I can’t look away. I always want to know more about whats going on over there even if I come off like I don’t care. What can I say, I’m busy! This podcast is now the distillation of nearly 1000 years of collective construction industry knowledge and experiences through discussions with my gu by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

12 min listen

Kyle Zanetto of Zanetto Builders: Luxury homebuilding in Tasmania, self improvement, and preliminary planning: This week, in Episode in 117 of @thecontractinghandbook podcast, I am joined by Tasmanian luzury homebuilder, Kyle Zanetto of @zanettobuilders. Kyle always strives for perfection and keeps a close watch on the new potential clients. While the labor deficit pandemic has not left Tasmania unscathed, Kyle Zenatto and company have recently landed some new crew with values that align. Finding that help is key with a ~2 year wait list and 8-10 builds on deck for this year. What it really boils down to is preliminary planning and, you guessed it, client expectation. You know there’s aways more to each pod! Kyle’s question: “Where do you find the most value in business development?” by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

52 min listen

Allison Iantosca, Owner & President of FH Perry Builder talks humanity in business, leading by example, authenticity, optimism, emotional intelligence, mutuality in age, hard converstaions, and more...: President and Owner of Award Winning FH Perry Builder, Allison Iantosca @fhperrybuilder , joins Mike Knoche on @thecontractinghandbook podcast for a dive into the humanity of business. Authenticity, optimism, emotional intelligence, age, applying values, perfection, and hard conversations are just a few of the hooks, but it’s a deep dive for Mike and Allison after one set of email exchanges. Our conversation is not the typical “how to” run a multi-million-dollar construction company. It’s and exploration of her views, perceptions, and insights on “humans interacting with humans” as a focal point in developing and operating her construction business. In my recent call for stories of the event or moment you got into trades, I want you to hear what Allison said about “why do skilled trad by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

91 min listen

Jeff Kelley of JK Woodworks and Timber Framing shares how he's carved out a life through his craft, why going to college helped, and his process: In Episode 108 of The Contracting Handbook podcast, Jeff Kelley of Jeff Kelley Woodworks and Timber Framing joins Mike Knoche for another look inside the life of a builder. Jeff lives his life how he wants to but, like many, he came into the trades and construction a bit later. He doesn’t regret going to Uni and finds much of what he learned there applicable to his contracting business. He keeps things simple with the construction business and taps builder buddies for help on left days. As always, there is so much more in getting to know one of my guests, so please download this construction podcast episode that is NOW LIVE on all podcast platforms. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

67 min listen

Freddy Roman, The Period Craftsman, talks craft, how operating a business detracted from his art, and why we can't let correct terminology go.: Today, Freddy Roman @theperiodcraftsman and Mike Knoche @thecontractinghandbook podcast get into one of the most difficult parts of being a tradesman business owner, the business side interferes with the creativity. You already know Freddy is a diligent student and teacher of historic furniture restoration but in this episode, Freddy drops the most gangster statement on clients, or anything, ever said on a construction podcast before! This is a deep dive into Freddy’s journey and a bit more about my own. Too much to put on this caption. Spoiler at one hour I ask, “how are you doing on time, we are only about halfway through my questions”. Please join us! Freddy’s question: “Do you still love it?” by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

105 min listen

Aaron Butt: Deconstructing the 4 year college scheme, benefits for tradespeople, the mentor/mentee realtionship: “I think we are currently deconstructing the concept that a 4 year degree is the only way” Your guy, Aaron, and I launch into a talk about the labor crisis. I’m deeply concerned, he thinks its going to work itself out. Find out his source of hope in the pod. We dive into the mentor/ mentee relationship. As a teacher, his vision is crystal clear. As a site supervisor and lead carpenter with vast experience, I ask what he (or you) should look for in a good employer. Then we hear what his employer offers. We end up in a social media/ mental health talk. Then its tool talk and mentors. What do you look for in an employer? by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

68 min listen

Janeen Oliver is a Third Generation Family Concreter and Advocate for Trade Recruitment: Janeen Oliver is “not your average concrete rep” because it’s all about being hands on, boots on the ground with the crew and then working her day job. You already know this if you follow @concrete_diva and if you don’t, today Mike Knoche of The Contracting Handbook podcast hosts Janeen to hear her story as a third generation concreter, leaving the family biz, returning after a couple few careers and repping for the company that eventually bought her dad’s company. The labor deficit in North America (and everywhere) fueled Janeen’s push to help found the Crew Collaborative @the.crew.collab , an organization formed to recruit more youth into the trades through classroom talks and outreach programs. Janeen is all about her relationships on the ground. She shows up before the (mega) pour starts, helps keep the ball rollin’, keeps the crew fed with food and support and it does not go unnoticed when by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

76 min listen

Krystal Brookes of ASC Painting talks lining up your values for success, social presence, expectation management, her worst client, hiring, leadership and staying mentally fit.: “My values are in the right order… my children come first, above anything else and that is why I went into business, to create freedom in my world, to turn up better as a mother.” If you know Krystal Brookes, you know she values family first and being balanced. Line up your values in the right order. In this now available podcast episode between painter, Krystal Brookes, and Mike Knoche of The Contracting Handbook podcast, the conversation hits upon those values, the side hustle, the nuance of relationships, mental health, leadership, scaling up via hiring and the best tools! While Krystal acknowledges that the movement to support women in the trades, Krystal gives a shout out to the men who have passed their knowledge to her. We dive straight into her growing social media presence, is it Affordable Sunshin by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

92 min listen

International Flashing Awareness Day with Big Dog Construction and The Life of Bub by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

68 min listen

I was hacked, what's next, and how to protect yourself from these predators: My IG was hacked Remember those phishing scams where a Nigerian Prince would tell you that he wanted to share his fortune with you, just send bank information.. Well, he’s got a new focus! Alas, the Nigerian Prince has taken over my Instagram account. I never thought it could happen to me. By the end of this pod, I’ll make sure you know how to not let it happen to you. But first, let me tell you what its like to have your IG get hacked… BTW- I’m currently seeing the importance of my newsletter. Keeping in touch with you all. My website and email are secure, so please go to thecontractinghandbook.com now where to will be prompted to join my crew. I wont spam you, ever. Just occasional updates and behind the scenes stuff. If you did sign up and didn’t get an email announcing this episode titled “I was hacked, what’s next and how to protect yourself”, please check spam folder Now back to that hack If you’re l by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

11 min listen

Interview with Andrew Itnyre of Masters Roofing, Memphis, Tennessee: Andrew starts off explaining the structure of Masters Roofing and how they came to be. In 13 short years they have done 9000 roofs with annual sales in the 8-9M range. Mike and Andrew talk about customer care, warranty of work, what it takes to have an edge on your competition, and the current economy. Trying to make sense of the current economy draws question marks for all of us. Listen as two industry veterans give their take on it and listen to Andrews advice for the next generation of roofers! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

46 min listen

Jake Bruton of Aarow Building: Act like a real company!: “I want my employees to retire happy someday, same as I do.” Are you acting like a real company? You guys that know your guy, Jake Bruton, know he does so with his company @aarowbuilding . For the rest of you who don’t know him… Jake is a high-performance home builder, and he knows and wants it to be clear to everyone that tradespeople should be treated as professionals. Flex week Paid time off Paid training Truck, phone, and tools Retirement account My market won’t support it!!?! How can I afford to act like areal company AND build high performance homes? That’s a lot of money, Jake! He quotes buddy Steve @stevebaczekarchitect “Is there a Mercedes dealer within 100 miles of the house? If there is, then your market is supported by people that want something that costs more because they seek value…” Look out! LIVE CALCULATIONS (insert nerd face) of additional overhead costs of the benefits package relative to gross income per by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

63 min listen

Rachel Taylor: Talks client contractor relationship: IT DOESN’T matter what type of business you have, if you are in business for yourself, you need to listen to Rachel Taylor. Rachel is my guest during Women in Construction week and she is full of inspiration, business insight, and she shares her story. I keep saying it but we just graze the surface in this chat. Please join us tomorrow on The Contracting Handbook. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

83 min listen

Episode 100: TCH Halloween Podcast Special- Tales from the Jobsite: Meet my story telling crew! Twenty-two skilled professionals from all walks sent me their stories in their voices to share in this 100th episode of The Contracting Handbook podcast. As of prepping this post, I have not heard the stories in their entirety. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

66 min listen

Greg Eicher of Consiglio Builders talks building luxury homes, the clients, self improvement, and his favorite tool: “Throw fear out the window, there’s so much more to live for than worrying about what might happen.” With 300-400 line items in the contract, a contract must fiercely manage expectations, in my opinion. For Greg Eicher, partner at Consiglio Builders, expectation management is at the forefront of the process. As I learned in my interview with Greg, building luxury homes ranging in the $2,800-3,200 sq foot price range, is different than my experience as a smaller custom remodeler and homebuilder. The details of these houses are many, we all know that it’s a rare bird that maintains there home, but with a price tag like this, there must be a plan…listen to the lengths they go to. Changes orders are par for the course for everyone involved…. Same old story, he’s not seeing interest in the trades despite high wages where he lives. We hit upon what he sees as the greate by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

79 min listen

Larry Clay of Clay Construction: Foundation to Finish- Building Your Company and Brand: “You must have a number of stories, based on your experience, of how you are going to build a better home so that your clients are going to have piece of mind and less issues.” He may make being an award-winning custom homebuilder in Vancouver look easy, but it wasn’t always that way. Today, your guy, Larry Clay, owner & operator of Clay Construction talks behind the scenes of what he overcame to be the recipient of the prestigious Grand Georgie Award for best custom home. It was October, 2009 (if that doesn’t give you chills….) …an accident, a planning glitch, then, the Great Recession…and re-inventing himself. He became the reluctant custom home builder. Reluctant because he had been a custom builder before, and spec houses were more straight forward. How do you sell your client on the added cost of high-performance homes? (I’m asking, answer below) It’s all about the language with Larry Cl by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

70 min listen

Schannon Yodice of That Tile Chick talks quitting a lucrative career to follow her passion in the trades and the focus of the entrepreneur: I truly admire Schannon Yodice’s ability to communicate tiling advice, business advice, and encourage tradespeople across multiple platforms and, you know, operate a tiling business, simultaneously. So, I am fortunate to get her to talk to us. Schannon left her dream job to start a business because the local operators work was sub par. This is where the story starts and we quickly get into: -being taken seriously as a woman in the workplace -working with GC’s vs clients -vetting clients -not cheapening yourself -issues around hiring help -mentors and mentoring -her philosophy (pretty well covered in the quote here) -then we wade into the discussion about how to treat the next generation of incoming trades people Schannon is also a badass in the gym but we didn’t have time to get into that topic in this pod. Anyway you slice it, Schannon is an ex by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

84 min listen

Niya Doncheva of Faux & Finish discusses leaving that higher education track career, the mind of a tradeswoman, client expectations and life.: “The more people tell you no and the more challenging it seems, the more you’re going to thanks yourself later on for growing as a person” Niya gave it a go in a career that has included advertising, health care and accounting… but they were boring. As soon as she mastered what was required, they were deeply unsatisfying. Sound familiar anyone? As soon as she was shadowing a finisher, it was off to the races! She picked up her own sprayer and compressor. It quells the ADHD and the dyslexia is a superpower. She’s sees things the client cannot, she copes and doesn’t let the stigma stand in the way. Work life balance is a work in progress but, she is goal oriented and moves between her life like one of her pieces… there’s a bit of sanding, touch up, and drying time involved so move the next piece and return later. One of my favorite moments is by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

55 min listen

Steve Baczek, Architect talks budget and client process: Steve Baczek is a hands on architect with previous experience in the trades. After some brief background, Steve and Mike talk the importance of talking budgets from the start. Bla bla bla. It's an in-depth discussion between two guys who have a lot of experience weeding out tire kickers and getting straight to the point. How much money do you have? Both of them agree that a lot of their clients are "pre-qualified" in a sense if they came to them based on reputation but the budget question still needs to be addressed! And tire kickers? They talk about some red flags and turn down a lot of people. When it comes to friends and family, charge full price or charge nothin at all! Steve then talks about his process with clients...listen as he describes " narrative" he assigns his clients for homework and then meet and discuss before any drawings are started. Guiding, coaching, or leadership, call it what you want, Mike and Steve agree by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

48 min listen

Fiona Plett of Herself Contracting: House healing and a builder at a crossroads: “Learn from everything, every experience is an opportunity to learn.” Fiona Plett @herselfcontracting loves working close with her clients to heal their homes. She wants to rid them of the “irritants” that plague their space. Upcycling and re-purposing materials rank high in what to use for projects, but you know the catch, it costs more than buying that factory built hollow core door, 100%. So how to do you get the client on board with the idea? Physical time: Waste time- your choice On communication: anticipating the conversation and scripting in a sense. Lessons: Bookeeping Time off Buy the stuff you need The goal: Making “one of’s” The direction? Getting more creative with what she knows which may incorporate the new timber framing. Advice: don’t volunteer your time, get paid for your time. Join us for another podcast episode on self-determination! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

57 min listen

Nick Lonsdale of Lonsdale Building Group: From tradesman to businessman, the 10-yr warranty, and "hire 'em quick, fire 'em faster!!": We get right into award winning builder Nick Lonsdale's design build business structure to micromanaging, quickly shift to the mandatory 10 year warranty, and mental health. Stepping way from design. That’s the first 7 minutes! Yes, that his bulldog Boston snoring away in the background Importance of trade relations! Setting standards as builders that are above code. Then it’s a bit of banter comparing building in AK vs Oz How does Nick choose clients? This is where it gets interesting…as his company grew, he stood back and looked at it and thought “is this what I want”. There was a ton of work Choosing client comes down to these factors: Distance to jobs “can they regulate their emotions” We get in bed with clients for ten years Its their life savings so there is so much emotion involved.- affirmation He’s building a legacy (he sounds just by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

79 min listen

WHO’S GONNA BUILD THE BRIDGES? featuring Brant "The Tool Hacker" Taylor: Today, its Brant "The Tool Hacker" Taylor. He rails on the lack of an entry point into the trades and construction industry in the US because its not just public perspective on trades causing the issue with new recruitment. Brant, wants to go even further though. He's making tools and developing techniques to make work easier on the body to "keep the craftsman alive". Many people try trades but once they're in, there is no clear path to upward mobility. We have a huge housing shortage. We have a labor shortage. Who is gonna build the houses? Who's gonna build the bridges? Even with some movement towards "sustainable" building techniques, it's not enough. It's still incredibly wasteful and our building have relatively short lives. Brant suggests a direction for the industry. by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

54 min listen

Tom Lawson of Straight Up Stairs: Pricing, Innovating, Sobriety: “If you’re gonna do something, do it right.” Most of you already know that Tom Lawson is a straight shooter and in this new podcast, we talk life lessons in many capacities. We head straight into billing for experience and not time. We got their from a previous conversation with Brant Taylor @thetoolhacker where the jist was the ole “potential client doubting our price”. What and when to charge? It’s there! Part of this process is instilling confidence. We 100% agreed on this one and shared some experience. Tom’s rocketed to incredible heights in a short period of time. He may have had valuable industry experience under his belt that helps him focus on his craft, but alcohol stood in the way. It wasn’t an easy ride, but the man is in control and he knows what matters to him. The education system didn’t suit Tom, so he chose the trades. That’s surprise coming from this country boy who has been inventing and teaching by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

60 min listen

Steve Baczek, Architect talks project execution and communication: The conversation meanders into ICF vs. framing for home construction, but "failure" is not linear. Getting your clients and contractors on board with building science and then having the "dumb" conversations that are necessary. Don't let your subs run williy nilly with locations. Make sure you walk through with them. This with some exampled from a current project. The guys go on to discuss the exciting challenges associated with doing work on old homes and projects that require research bc they have no experience there. Then it's a speed round 1. Tiny Houses 2. Offsite building 3. Remodels vs new construction 4. Historic restoration 5. Why architects insist on goofy eyewear. His advice to you: Be a team player, manage water, and build airtight! Steve Baczek wants you to write a 5 star review! by The Contracting Handbook: Builder & Trades Construction Podcast

42 min listen

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Furious Fifteen: "Setting Boundaries w/ Clients" Kali Sudbrook and Allyson Anderson Return

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