Build to Win

Jonathan Weinberg & John Kolbaska
  • 5.0 (4)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Tools and tech for the smart contractor that save time, win more jobs, and boost their profits. Do you feel like your home improvement business is stuck? Are constant delays and unexpected challenges creating chaos in your day-to-day? Some say it’s just part of the business. We know there’s a better way. Welcome to Build to Win—the podcast where industry veterans Jonathan Weinberg and John Kolbaska share expert insights to help you thrive. Here, you’ll learn how to unlock new levels of efficiency, streamline operations, generate high-quality leads, and improve the quality of your work. Everything you need to create a trail of happy customers as you grow your business and drive higher profits. Make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a new episode.

  1. FEB 6

    How to Build a 2026 Business Plan Using Real Data (Avoiding the Common Mistakes)

    Most business owners are already behind on their 2026 plan, even if they don’t realize it yet. In this high-value snippet of Build to Win, John walks through exactly how he builds a data-backed business plan for the year ahead, using real CRM numbers instead of gut instinct. From forecasting revenue, to planning marketing spend and headcount, this episode breaks down how to reverse-engineer a 2026 plan that actually holds up under pressure. If you’re still dividing your revenue goal evenly across 12 months or waiting until Q4 to get serious about planning, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth in 2026. Key Takeaways:  Intro (00:00) The $5M Planning Moment (01:14) Building a Data-Driven Forecast (02:19) Using AI to Identify True Seasonality (02:59) Why Even Monthly Budgets Break Forecasting (05:05) Demos Are the KPI That Matters Most (06:51) Headcount Planning for Sales & Production (09:11) When to Build Your Business Plan (10:19) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23 ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    12 min

  2. JAN 23

    How This One Call Center Fix Drove 50% Growth

    What if the one thing holding your contracting business back was sitting right in front of you, but you just weren’t tracking it? John Kolbaska reveals the huge impact of overhauling his call center, slashing speed to lead from 43 minutes to under 60 seconds. The result was a 50% increase in appointment set rate and the company's best December ever. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how separating new and veteran reps in training avoided confusion and burnout, and why his rehash strategy now closes 50% of lost sales. This is the tactical episode you don’t want to miss. 🎧 Listen now. Key Takeaways:  Introduction (00:00) Call center metrics and improvements (4:58) Sales department strategies and training (25:26) Rehash appointment setting and script (34:08) Marketing and lead generation (49:52) Sales revenue and growth projections (50:47) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23 ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    53 min

  3. JAN 12

    This Forecasting Tactic Grew His Company to $44M w/ Josh Blickley

    Josh Blickley launched BathWorks of Michigan just before the pandemic. Fast forward, and he's built on pace for $44.8 million in 2026. Part of the reason for his huge success is his forecasting, budgeting, and hiring strategies. In this episode, he reveals exactly how he plans his year, starting in Q3 of the previous one. You’ll learn how he builds alignment across departments, sets aggressive yet realistic goals, and plans staffing well in advance. Plus, his “money-is-no-object” marketing method might just change how you budget forever. 👉 Listen now to learn how to forecast smarter, scale faster, and stop letting slow months crush your growth. Key Takeaways:  Introduction (00:00) Forecasting and budgeting for business growth (04:56) Good rate of growth per year (18:41) Seasonality and market trends in contracting business (26:34) Key performance indicators (KPIs) and daily monitoring (34:54) 44.8M sales target for 2026 (42:43) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23 ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    46 min

  4. 12/26/2025

    How to Forecast Like a 9-Figure Company

    Stop me if this sounds familiar. You run a home improvement business. You know your busy season, it’s spring. March, April, May. The weather is warming up, and people are thinking about home projects. That’s what John thought, too. However, his assumption was based on gut feeling, as it has always been. Then he looked at three years of his CRM data. He fed it into a simple spreadsheet tool from the Wealthy Contractor Success Society and let ChatGPT analyze it all. The results blew up his entire business model. It turned out that his assumption about spring was completely off. If you’re still budgeting like most contractors, you take your annual revenue goal and split it evenly across 12 months. But your business doesn’t work like that. It has peaks and valleys. When you budget evenly, you end up overspending on marketing in slow months, and you're dramatically understaffed during your real busy season. Tune in now to hear the full conversation about using AI, managing sales reps, and building a data-backed plan for the year ahead. Key Takeaways:  Introduction (00:00) Business compass planning tool (01:16) John shares his $1.9m to $5m growth story (03:12) Using ChatGPT to identify sales seasonality (06:31) Marketing spend adjusted based on slow months (17:52) Demo count is marketing’s most important KPI (24:44) Headcount planning for sales and production (33:52) Business plan timing advice (42:26) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=22 ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    48 min

  5. 12/12/2025

    RE-RUN: How He Replaced Himself and Scaled to $17M | Kirk Koskiniemi

    When Kirk Koskiniemi launched his roofing company, he thought hustle was enough. He sold every job himself. Worked builder leads and took whatever came his way just to keep the lights on. Within five years, he hit $5 million in revenue, but profit was another story. It wasn’t until he stepped back, built a real sales system, tracked every lead source, and implemented EOS that the business truly became his again. In this rerun episode, Kirk shares exactly how he did it. From ditching builders, hiring his first salespeople, to spending over $1.8M in marketing the right way. If you're stuck wearing every hat in your business, this episode is your blueprint to getting unstuck. 🎧Tune in! Key Takeaways:  Introduction (00:00) Meet Kirk (01:23) How Kirk grew his business (02:34) Let’s talk about marketing (24:34) Why you need EOS (48:04) Kirk’s future plans (59:11) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=21  ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    1h 2m

  6. 11/28/2025

    The Exact Playbook Behind an $18M Sales Goal in 2026

    Struggling with rising lead costs and unpredictable sales numbers? Chances are, you're not working your numbers backwards. In this episode of Build to Win, we sit down live in Las Vegas with Tim Brown from RGS Exteriors and Construction to break down how he’s planning to hit $18 million in 2026 despite rising lead costs and a tougher market. He walks us through the exact budgeting process he uses, starting from net profit and reverse-engineering the number of leads, sales, and marketing dollars needed to hit it. You’ll also hear how Tim is restructuring his rehash strategy, raising prices without pushback, and holding his team accountable, all without burning out or blowing the budget. Listen now and learn: Why lead costs are up 30% (and how to respond)The rehash system that’s actually convertingHow to raise prices without your team freaking outThe monthly process that keeps budgets on trackWhy most companies plan backwards (and why that works)Planning to grow in 2026? Let’s dive in. Key Takeaways:  Introduction (00:00) Impact of lead costs and sales projections (01:11) Industry trends and lead cost increases (01:53) Strategies to manage lead costs and increase sales (03:39) Reverse engineering sales and lead requirements (09:54) Sales team and production capacity (12:08) Gross profit and price adjustments (15:02) Monthly financial review and leadership team involvement (16:50) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=20  ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    20 min

  7. 11/14/2025

    RERUN: Your Needs Assessment Is Your Secret Sales Weapon, Here’s Why

    Too many reps walk into a home and start pitching before they’ve even earned the right to, and that’s exactly where the sale falls apart. In this episode of Build to Win, we break down one of the most overlooked yet most important stages of the sales process: the needs assessment. We’ll walk you through our full discovery doc, from the exact questions we ask to what we’re listening for and everything else in between. We even touch on the power of pre-appointment materials (like our buyer’s guide) and how early conversations about financing can set expectations and make the close feel natural, rather than forced. Listen in and learn: How to run a 30-minute discovery without it feeling like an interrogationWhy deeper follow-up questions uncover real buying signalsHow to handle resistance and still keep the process smoothThe one pre-appointment tactic that filters your best buyersHow being honest (even when you’re not the right fit) can win trustTune in now to learn more! Key Takeaways:  Introduction (00:00) Why needs assessment is a must! (00:58)  Are you asking the right questions? (02:38) Active listening for the win (15:32) Always discuss finances early (32:30) What happens before the appointment (37:37) Being adaptable is EVERYTHING (42:37) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=19     ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    50 min

  8. 10/31/2025

    The Secret Email & SMS Workflow That Boosts Install Rates

    Ever had a customer go radio silent after they signed the contract, and wondered what went wrong? Well the answer is simple: Your follow-up (or lack thereof) might be the issue. In this week’s episode of Build to Win, we share with you the exact systems and strategies we use to keep our clients informed, excited, and on schedule from the moment they say “yes” all the way through install, warranty, and even a one-year follow-up. Listen now and learn: What we send right after the job is soldHow internal texts and emails keep the whole team alignedWhy production updates are a goldmine for customer trustHow follow-ups lead to reviews, referrals, and repeat jobsThe sneaky-simple move that helped us close the loop post-install… and a lot more! Are you ready? Let’s get into it. Key Takeaways:  Introduction (00:00) The happy email (02:25) What to do after the order is uploaded (10:34) Always keep your customer informed (14:31) Don’t forget about texts (17:46) Setting expectations (19:59) Scheduling the walkthrough (24:52) After year after the installation (28:06) How to create happy customers (29:03) Additional Links & Resources: 🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=18   ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/  📱 Connect with us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/ Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/ — Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    38 min
See All (25)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Tools and tech for the smart contractor that save time, win more jobs, and boost their profits. Do you feel like your home improvement business is stuck? Are constant delays and unexpected challenges creating chaos in your day-to-day? Some say it’s just part of the business. We know there’s a better way. Welcome to Build to Win—the podcast where industry veterans Jonathan Weinberg and John Kolbaska share expert insights to help you thrive. Here, you’ll learn how to unlock new levels of efficiency, streamline operations, generate high-quality leads, and improve the quality of your work. Everything you need to create a trail of happy customers as you grow your business and drive higher profits. Make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a new episode.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Weinberg & John Kolbaska
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Build to Win 2025
  • Show Website
    Build to Win