Beyond the Bid | Practical AI for Builders

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Working 70-hour weeks. Margins at 9%. Booked solid but broke. Beyond the Bid brings builders, trade pros, and construction tech leaders together to unpack the systems that separate thriving companies from those stuck competing on price. We explore practical AI—real impact on workflows, estimating, and project management. We tackle cash flow chaos, scope creep, and the trap of being your own bottleneck. Operators, tech innovators, industry veterans—every episode delivers something you can implement tomorrow. Stop chasing bids. Start building systems. Tuesdays → beyondthebid.co

  1. The AI Assistant for JobTread That Makes Your Company Worth More

    APR 7

    The AI Assistant for JobTread That Makes Your Company Worth More

    Join the Builder's Edge Wait List — get early access before your market catches up: https://buildersedge.ai Milan Vladeck has been on job sites his whole life. His dad was a custom home builder in San Diego. Milan grew up cutting rebar by hand, threading pipe with a wrench, doing everything the hard way. When he asked his dad why they didn't have the power tools other crews had, his dad said, "Well, I got you." That stuck with him. Today Milan manages multi-million-dollar luxury custom homes in Nashville — and he's also the guy who taught himself to code and built Nash, an AI agent that lives inside Slack and connects directly to JobTread. Nash isn't a chatbot. It's a company-wide system. It drafts emails from your selections spreadsheet. It auto-generates client newsletters every Thursday from daily logs and weather data. It builds change orders from voice commands in the field. It compares your schedule to what's actually happening on site and grades you every morning. Here's what makes this different from every other AI-in-construction conversation: Nash doesn't belong to Milan. It belongs to the company. New hires sit down, type "What can you do?" and get onboarded. When Milan sells the business, Nash stays. The SOPs stay. The project memory stays. That's not a productivity hack — that's company valuation. Milan also has a warning most builders aren't ready to hear. AI won't take your job. But the entrepreneur who's never touched a pipe — the one getting pushed out of knowledge work by AI — is coming to the trades. They'll have the marketing skills, the AI skills, and they'll poach your best guys. Competition is coming whether you're ready or not. This is one of the most honest conversations about where AI in construction is actually headed — and what you need to do about it before your market figures it out. OTHER MILAN VLADECK RESOURCES 🔗 Join the Builder's Edge wait list: https://buildersedge.ai 🎯 Get in Touch with Beyond the BidInstagram: @beyondthebidLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/grantfuellenbachWebsite: www.beyondthebid.coEmail: grant@gofirstconsulting.com 🚀 Powered byGO First Consulting — AI-powered operating systems for residential builderswww.gofirstconsulting.com TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Introduction Overview of the AI problem in construction and introduction of guest Milan Vladek. 03:02 - AI in Construction Discussing the role and future of artificial intelligence in the building industry. 06:35 - Milan's Background Milan's journey from working on job sites to learning to code and software development. 10:32 - Building Nash The motivation and development process behind the creation of the Nash AI agent. 16:30 - The Work Truck Framework Why specialized AI tools outperform general-purpose models for construction project management. 23:43 - Live Demo A practical walkthrough of using the Nash AI agent within Slack and JobTread. 37:45 - Automated Reporting How Nash generates automated weekly summaries and daily project digests for teams. 43:51 - Future of Construction Discussing industry adoption, competition, and preparing your business for an AI-driven future. 👍 Like this video if you found the content helpful!💬 Comment below with your thoughts or questions – we'd love to hear from you!🔔 Subscribe to Beyond the Bid for weekly breakdowns on the systems, tools, and strategies that help you build a construction business that doesn't need you on every jobsite — insights your competitors are already using!📤 Share this episode with another builder who's still running AI from a personal account!

    54 min

  2. APR 2

    365 Jobs Into One AI Model: A Builder's Precon Weapon

    🎯 Find your #1 profit bottleneck before your competitor does — Free AI Diagnostic: ⁠www.gofirstconsulting.com ⁠Sean Skellenger is the CEO of Skelly Build, an award-winning, woman-founded custom home and renovation firm in Austin, TX. He runs a 40-person fixed-price operation with specialized teams, an in-house cabinet shop, and 365 completed projects sitting in Builder Trend. Most builders let that historical data collect dust. Sean is feeding all of it — every plan set, cost code, sub bid, and timeline — into one AI model to make preconstruction his next competitive moat. In this conversation, Sean breaks down his crawl-walk-run AI adoption roadmap, why preconstruction is where money is made and lost in residential construction, and how his team dedicates 2 hours every week to learning AI from the ground up. He also shares two IBS discoveries that changed how I think about AI on the job site — including an AI voice agent that calls the PM every morning to report which subs showed up and which didn't, using nothing but regular security cameras. This is one of the most tactical AI-in-construction conversations we've had on Beyond the Bid. OTHER SKELLY RESOURCES 🔗 See Skelly Build's work and team: ⁠https://skellybuild.com⁠ Connect with Sean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanskellenger 🎯 Get in Touch with Beyond the Bid Instagram: @beyondthebid LinkedIn: Beyond the Bid Website: ⁠www.beyondthebid.co⁠ Email: ⁠grant@gofirstconsulting.com⁠ 🚀 Powered by GO First Consulting⁠ www.gofirstconsulting.com⁠ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Introduction 02:06 Lifelong Learning 03:40 AI Implementation Strategy 06:09 Pre-construction Estimating 08:10 Leveraging Builder Trend 10:35 Technical Infrastructure 12:00 EOS and AI 15:20 Marketing Strategy 17:10 Strategic Data Analysis 41:50 Conclusion ⚠️ Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any company mentioned. This content is for informational purposes only.© Beyond the Bid | GO First Consulting 👍 Like this video if you got value from it 💬 Comment your biggest takeaway below 🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss the next builder breakdown📤 Share this with a builder who needs to hear it

    42 min

  3. MAR 11

    Stop Building Portfolios. Start Building Project Stories. (feat Joe Toscano | Service Stories)

    Your crews take photos and write daily logs every day. That content just sits there. Joe Toscano built the system that turns it into leads automatically.Try Service Stories free for 30 days (90-day performance guarantee): https://www.servicestories.comMost contractor websites are glorified photo albums. Prospects scroll through for 8 seconds and bounce. Joe Toscano left a consulting career at Google, ran his family's auto shop from $3M to $11M as COO, and built the platform that turns your completed work orders into AI-optimized content automatically. This is the conversation most builders don't know they need to hear yet.Joe breaks down why photo galleries prove you did the work but don't close the deal. The full story, why the homeowner came to you, what your crew solved, and how it turned out, is what converts. Project story pages convert at nearly 6x the rate of standard contractor websites and keep visitors engaged 2x longer.But here's the bigger shift most $3M+ builders are missing: over 2.5 billion AI search queries happen every week. ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Claude, and Gemini are recommending contractors to homeowners right now. If your best project lives inside CompanyCam or JobTread and never makes it to your website, AI can't cite you. You're invisible to the fastest-growing discovery channel in existence. Joe walks through how to fix that, including a live demo where he goes from zero to a full week of published content in under 30 minutes.If your website is still just a photo gallery, this might be the most important conversation you watch this year. Your competitors won't tell you this. Joe Toscano just did.OTHER JOE TOSCANO RESOURCES 🔗* Try Service Stories (30-day free trial): https://www.servicestories.com* Read Joe's book "Automating Humanity": https://www.amazon.com/Automating-Humanity-Joe-Toscano/dp/1576879208* Watch Joe's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDboy_RMaXk* Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realjoetoscano* Watch Netflix's "The Social Dilemma": https://thesocialdilemma.com🎯 Get in Touch with Beyond the BidInstagram: @beyondthebidLinkedIn: Beyond the BidWebsite: beyondthebid.coEmail: marketing@gofirstconsulting.com

    56 min

  4. FEB 13

    How a Hollywood Editor Built the Anti-Contractor Playbook (feat. Gil Vaisman)

    Free ADU Site Consultation (No Commitment Required): https://www.goadu.com/contact-usGil Vaisman spent 10 years editing reality television in Hollywood before looking at the construction industry and seeing a broken narrative—homeowners terrified of surprise costs, contractors ghosting mid-project, an entire industry built on verbal approvals and "we'll figure it out."So he built Go ADU Construction as the "Anti-Contractor." A design-build firm in Los Angeles that eliminates change orders entirely, prices transparently from day one, and converts 70% of $300 consultations into signed contracts. His secret? A "non-committal dating process" that lets prospects take it one step at a time—no high-pressure closes, no commitment until both sides are ready.But Gil's edge goes beyond sales. He uses AI to model new business ideas in a single day—complete with financing, break-even analysis, and launch timelines—work that would've taken a month manually. His job, in his words, is to "get into trouble" and find new ways to grow.This is the anti-contractor playbook most builders have never seen.OTHER RESOURCES 🔗Schedule a Free ADU Consultation: https://www.goadu.com/contact-usGo ADU Website: https://www.goadu.comConnect with Gil on LinkedIn: [LinkedIn URL]Follow Gil on Instagram: [Instagram URL]🎯 Get in Touch with Beyond the BidInstagram: @beyondthebidWebsite: beyondthebid.co00:00 - Beyond the Bid Intro00:50 - Gil's Background & Goadu04:07 - Focus on ADUs06:12 - The Goadu Process10:15 - Estimates and Selections12:29 - Business Development13:40 - Diversification and New Brands16:20 - AI for Business Planning22:55 - Business Philosophy27:03 - Managing Business Ventures29:14 - Valuable Business Tools32:38 - Connect with Gil & Goadu

    33 min
  5. The "License Myth" (feat. Stefani Thatcher)

    FEB 12

    The "License Myth" (feat. Stefani Thatcher)

    Stop bidding on unbuildable plans:https://www.dostudios.co/coworkingMost builders assume a "Licensed Architect" stamp guarantees a buildable set of plans. It doesn’t. In fact, relying on credentials over constructability is the #1 reason pre-con budgets blow up before you even break ground.In this episode, Stefani Thatcher (Founder of Domani Home Design) challenges the industry obsession with "The Stamp." She breaks down why the "Agile Design" approach is winning homeowners over and protecting builder margins. We discuss the "See, Learn, Do, Be" framework for mastering the trade and the specific identity shift you need to make to stop being a commodity drafter and become a Trusted Advisor.If you’re tired of value-engineering your profit away on "fantasy" blueprints, this conversation is the reality check your pre-con process needs.This will be the most honest conversation about design and constructability you hear in 2026.OTHER STEFANI THATCHER RESOURCES 🔗 • Domani Home Design: https://www.dostudios.co/• Square Foot Super Hero: https://www.dostudios.co/square-foot-superhero--264cc• Not a Licensed Architect Podcast: https://www.dostudios.co/not-a-licensed-architect• Instagram: @domanihomedesign🎯 Get in Touch with Beyond the Bid Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondthebid.co/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gofirst-consulting/Website: https://beyondthebid.co/00:00 - The Value of Practical Experience00:26 - Unlicensed Advantage00:34 - Traditional vs. Agile Design01:01 - Beyond the Bid Introduction04:08 - Stefani's Design Journey07:30 - Serving Homeowners' Needs11:03 - See, Learn, Do, Be Framework13:13 - Identity Transformation15:23 - The Trades Workforce Gap15:56 - Agile Approach Benefits17:40 - Discovery Call Questions19:50 - Local Expertise Matters22:05 - The Value-Added Professional25:03 - Key Advice for Professionals26:02 - Connect with Stefani26:36 - Mission Recap & Call to Action

    27 min
  6. From 12 Months to 30 Seconds — AI That Gets Permits Approved Faster (feat. Robbie Leer)

    FEB 5

    From 12 Months to 30 Seconds — AI That Gets Permits Approved Faster (feat. Robbie Leer)

    LA permits take 12 months on average. Every month waiting bleeds $3K-$8K in holding costs—and most builders have zero visibility into when approvals will actually land. Robbie Leer spent a decade in real estate tech (Airbnb, Cloud Kitchens) watching permits kill project timelines. So he built Turbo Permit: an AI platform that pre-checks your plans against local code requirements in 30 seconds and flags compliance issues before the city ever sees them.In this conversation, Robbie walks through a live demo of the AI PreCheck, explains how his clients are cutting permit timelines by 50%, and reveals how they're standing up new jurisdictions in 48 hours—anywhere in the country. We also dig into the task management system that keeps project teams aligned across 13+ city departments, and where Robbie sees permits heading (hint: real-time approvals aren't as far off as you think).If permits are the black box bottleneck killing your project velocity, this is the most valuable 20 minutes you'll spend this week.🔗 ROBBIE LEER & TURBO PERMIT RESOURCES* Book a Demo: https://scheduler.zoom.us/robbie-leer* Turbo Permit Website: https://www.turbopermit.co/* Robbie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbieleer/* Turbo Permit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/turbopermit* Email Robbie: robbie@turbopermit.co🏗️ FIND TURBO PERMIT AT IBS 2025* Startup Zone Kiosk: Booth W5653 (Tuesday–Thursday)* Startup Pitch Competition: Wednesday 10/19, 3-4 PM in Room W232🎯 GET IN TOUCH WITH BEYOND THE BID* Instagram: @beyondthebid* LinkedIn: /company/beyondthebid* Website: www.beyondthebid.co* Email: grant@gofirstconsulting.com⏱️ TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Intro — The 12-month permit problem[01:15] Robbie's background: Airbnb → CloudKitchens → TurboPermit[02:15] Why permits are a "black box" that bleeds revenue[03:45] The LA housing crisis and why permitting matters[05:30] How builders are responding to TurboPermit[06:15] The 3 core benefits: 50% faster approvals, seamless collaboration, homeowner trust[08:45] LIVE DEMO: AI PreCheck in action[10:30] How the system reads plans and flags compliance issues[11:30] Eliminating correction letter surprises[13:20] Task management across 13+ city departments[15:45] Standing up new jurisdictions in 48 hours[17:00] Find TurboPermit at IBS 2025[17:30] The future: real-time permit approvals[18:15] How to connect with Robbie👍 Like this video if you found the content helpful!💬 Comment below: What's the longest you've waited on a permit?🔔 Subscribe to Beyond the Bid for weekly systems breakdowns that help you build a construction business that doesn't need you on every jobsite!📤 Share this with a builder stuck waiting on permits right now.

    24 min
  7. Stop Promoting Your Best into the Wrong Roles (feat. Traci Austin)

    FEB 3

    Stop Promoting Your Best into the Wrong Roles (feat. Traci Austin)

    Download the "Tough Talk" Blueprint & Episode Resources: https://beyondthebid.co/traci-austin-promotion-trap You just took your best revenue generator ($45/hr) and turned them into a massive overhead expense. It’s called the "Best Guy Paradox," and it’s why most $3M-$15M builders are bleeding margin in the field. In this episode, Traci Austin (Elevated Talent Consulting) reveals why promoting your top craftsperson to foreman without a system creates a leadership vacuum that destroys production. She breaks down the "Delegation Litmus Test"—the single question that proves if your crew knows what winning looks like—and shares the exact 6-step "Tough Talk" script to fix behavior issues before they become firing offenses. Most builders think they have a "toxic" culture. Traci proves you just have a clarity problem. This is the conversation that stops you from losing your best people to your competitors. OTHER TRACI AUSTIN RESOURCES 🔗• Elevated Talent Consulting: https://elevatedtalentconsulting.com/• Connect with Traci on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traciaustin/• The People Strategy Podcast: https://elevatedtalentconsulting.com/podcast/ 🎯 Get in Touch with Beyond the Bid• Website: https://www.gofirstconsulting.com• Grant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-fuellenbach/ 🚀 Powered by• GO First Consulting: The Systems Architecture for Builders Earning $3M-$15M. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - The Best Performer Paradox 02:46 - Defining a Construction Team 07:49 - Retention and Leadership Gaps 09:36 - Drivers of Engagement 13:37 - The Tough Talk Audit 22:26 - Six Steps for Tough Talks 32:26 - Delegation Litmus Test 35:44 - Contact and Resources 36:49 - Conclusion and Call to Action 👍 Like this video if you found the content helpful!💬 Comment below: Have you ever promoted a "best guy" and regretted it? 🔔 Subscribe to Beyond the Bid for weekly systems breakdowns that help you build a construction business that doesn't need you on every jobsite—insights your competitors are already using! 📤 Share this episode with another builder who's stuck in the daily grind!

    37 min
  8. How to Systematize Jobsite Culture (feat. Estie Briggs, MSOD)

    JAN 30

    How to Systematize Jobsite Culture (feat. Estie Briggs, MSOD)

    In construction, we hire for hard skills—can they read plans? Can they run a crew? But we fire for behavior.The yelling matches, the silence during change order negotiations, the "panic parties" when a schedule slips... builders often dismiss this as "just personality." But in reality, it is an expensive operational leak that costs you $150,000+ every time a key Project Manager walks off the job.This week, Estie Briggs (Founder of Briggs Performance Consulting) proves that "soft skills" are actually hard systems. She breaks down exactly how to move your crew from reactive drama to proactive problem-solving, ensuring your leaders can handle pressure without calling you to referee every dispute.In this episode, Grant and Estie Briggs talk about: ✦ The "150% Turnover Tax": Why replacing a Foreman costs double their salary (and how to stop the bleeding). ✦ The "Stoplight Protocol": A simple daily system to spot crew burnout before they quit. ✦ Escaping the "Panic Party": How to train leaders to Reality Test a crisis instead of reacting emotionally. ✦ AI-Powered Coaching: Using tools like NotebookLM to turn "feelings" into a hard operational roadmap. ✦ The "Pincer" Strategy: Getting field crews and office leadership to buy into new culture systems simultaneously.EP24: Systematize Your Crew's Emotional Intelligence | A conversation with Estie Briggs @beyondthebidWork with Estie (to win with EQ): https://calendly.com/estiebriggs/discovery-callOTHER EQ RESOURCES 🔗• Follow Estie on LinkedIn: / @estiebriggs• Follow Estie on Instagram: /@agilegardener. • Get Esties' free guide on how to conquer Imposter Syndrome: https://sales.estiebriggs.com/conquering-imposter-syndrome/• Join the PMCA Cohort: https://www.unitedcontractors.org/event/2026-project-management-career-advancement-pmca-virtual• Book Recommendation: 📘 Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott📬 Get in Touch with Beyond the BidInstagram: / beyondthebid.co Instagram: / grantfuellenbach LinkedIn: / grantfuellenbachWebsite: https://beyondthebid.co/Email: info@beyondthebid.co00:00 - EQ is Not a Soft Skill00:34 - Introducing Estie Briggs02:00 - What is Emotional Intelligence?05:04 - Psychological Safety & Self-Awareness07:08 - The Mood Meter & Affective Labeling10:27 - 360s and EQ Assessments15:47 - The EQ Assessment Process21:38 - Understanding Your EQ Report29:14 - AI and EQ Integration31:30 - EQ in Construction & Beyond34:14 - Connect with Estie Briggs35:44 - Systems Scale Your Success

    40 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Working 70-hour weeks. Margins at 9%. Booked solid but broke. Beyond the Bid brings builders, trade pros, and construction tech leaders together to unpack the systems that separate thriving companies from those stuck competing on price. We explore practical AI—real impact on workflows, estimating, and project management. We tackle cash flow chaos, scope creep, and the trap of being your own bottleneck. Operators, tech innovators, industry veterans—every episode delivers something you can implement tomorrow. Stop chasing bids. Start building systems. Tuesdays → beyondthebid.co

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