Beers With Contractors

Beers with Contractors

Welcome to Beers with Contractors. We're cracking a cold one and taking a deep dive into the foundations of your construction business, pun intended, to unearth the strategies, techniques, and insider knowledge that can take your contracting business to the next level. So, grab your favorite beer, pull up a seat, and let's have a chat about the nuts and bolts of the construction industry.

  1. 4d ago

    S2 E72 - Q&A Episode: Financing Options, Value Engineering, CSR Metrics and More

    In this episode of Beers with Contractors, Will and Terry catch up on summer plans and progress on a bar build, then run a Q&A from their audience. They discuss why offering customer financing matters in home services, question the value of 0% options, and mention using GreenSky while noting alternatives like Hearth and Interbank, plus why they don’t discount for cash payments. They compare change orders and slim commercial margins, then dive into documenting and training safety using OSHA guidelines, periodic OSHA/Department of Labor visits, and storing SOPs/MSDS in Slack, emphasizing a fun safety committee to encourage reporting. They explore value engineering as life-cycle cost thinking with examples of efficient design and construction, note risks when execution fails, and debate 3D-printed homes. They argue core values shouldn’t take truck-wrap real estate versus clear branding and calls-to-action, share CSR benchmarks (80 outbound calls/day and an 85% booking goal), advise joining associations or acquiring rather than starting a new trade, and recommend hiring a professional to convert from cash to accrual accounting, citing Martin Holland’s The Profit Problem. 00:00 Introduction 00:45 Summer Plans and Bar Build 01:50 Naming the Bar and Boats 03:16 Q&A Kickoff and TikTok 04:10 Customer Financing Options 08:11 Cash Payments and Discounts 10:18 Commercial Change Orders 12:59 Safety Training Systems 15:55 Safety Culture and Reporting 20:22 Value Engineering Basics 24:53 Value Engineering Life Cycle 27:26 Value Engineered House Hacks 28:47 Tech Meets Jobsite Reality 32:17 3D Printed Homes Debate 33:58 Core Values vs Branding 39:32 CSR Metrics That Matter 44:13 Diversify or Stay Focused 48:51 Cash to Accrual Accounting 51:13 Q&A Wrap and Disclaimer Check Out Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group: https://www.greenbaumstiers.com/ Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    53 min

  2. May 14

    S2 E71 - The Future of Foundation Repair Starts Here

    In this episode of Beers with Contractors, host Will and Terry welcome Jae Wells, founder of American Standard Foundation Repair and president of the National Foundation Repair Association (NFRA), to discuss his path from medical school to building a foundation repair company approaching 20 years and his long involvement in the association. Jae explains why the $26B foundation repair industry lacks unified education and standards, and how NFRA is updating its National Certified Foundation Repair Specialist program with a class-based curriculum and testing model that can rapidly incorporate new technology. They preview the 34th annual NFRA conference in Oklahoma City (June 22–26 at the Omni), including a contractor reception with major giveaways, vendor certification courses, a golf tournament benefiting Construct My Future, and social events. Jae also outlines efforts to unify industry factions, improve ethics, and address insurance misclassification through data collection and the Foundation Repair Research Institute. 00:00 Introduction 00:45 Meet Jae Wells 03:11 American Standard Origin 04:55 Finding NFRA Early 07:35 Texas Conference Lessons 11:25 Industry Needs A Trade 16:35 Certification Revamp 21:16 Tech Standards And Data 24:35 NFRA Conference Overview 27:47 Events Classes And Golf 30:45 Golf Tournament Benefit 31:04 Charity Spotlight 33:08 Trades vs College Debt 34:25 NFRA Growth Plans 36:34 Unifying Industry Voice 40:40 Insurance Reform Push 48:18 Data and Misclassification 51:19 Recruiting Leaders 55:17 Conference Value Pitch 57:22 Events and Parties 57:59 Farewell and Disclaimers Contact Jae Wells at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jae-wells-54123b278/ Check Out Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group: https://www.greenbaumstiers.com/ Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    1 hr

  3. May 7

    S2 E70 - This Contractor Pay System Added 14% More Productivity

    In this episode of Beers with Contractors, Will discusses how contractors should navigate employee raise requests by benchmarking wages to local market data and using performance pay to tie higher earnings to measurable results. He clarifies performance pay versus historical piece-rate pay, referencing the Fair Wages Act (1938) and compliance risks around minimum wage, overtime, and worker classification (W-2 vs 1099). He outlines three incentive types—spiffs, KPI-driven bonuses, and labor-driven performance pay tied to budgeted labor hours or labor percentage—and stresses understanding job costing, cost of goods sold, and gross profit margin before launching any plan. He notes reported outcomes of properly implemented performance pay, including higher productivity and lower labor percentage, and warns about Department of Labor “non-discretionary” bonus rules requiring adjusted/weighted overtime and proper accrual on multi-week projects. 00:00 Introduction 01:09 Handling Raise Requests 02:51 Market Pay Research 05:57 Performance Pay Basics 06:46 Piece Rate History 09:16 Compliance and 1099 Risks 13:47 Build a Pay Plan 15:32 Productivity Gains Numbers 17:17 Three Incentive Types 19:11 Labor Driven Pay Models 22:06 P&L and Transparency 27:55 Sales Pay Compliance 30:30 Call Center Incentives 31:53 Manager Bonus Structures 33:29 Keep Bonuses Simple 34:55 When Not to Launch 36:33 Non Discretionary Overtime 38:55 Weighted Overtime Accrual 42:47 Recap and Next Steps 45:25 Outro and Disclaimers My calendar link: https://per4mance.io/meetings/will723/qa-with-will-blake Link to the  non-discretionary rule based on the Department of Labor article: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/56c-bonuses Check Out Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group: https://www.greenbaumstiers.com Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    47 min

  4. Apr 30

    S2 E69 - Judging Oklahoma Homes & Building Real Estate Wealth

    In this episode of Beers with Contractors, Will and Terry discuss Terry being “voluntold” to judge the Oklahoma Parade of Homes, touring about 60 homes from Edmond to Blanchard around a $1.2M price point and evaluating categories like staging, layout, craftsmanship, finishes, technology, and lot desirability, while noting energy efficiency wasn’t a focus and that judges largely agreed on top picks. They then shift to Terry and Carrie’s real estate investing, including acquiring mostly off-market properties through networking and direct outreach, and renovating a 1908 building purchased for about $150,000 with estimated renovation costs around $225,000, emphasizing doing much of the work themselves and considering mixed-use tenancy. The conversation highlights how tradespeople can leverage skills, networks, and patience to build long-term wealth via property, plus reflections on communicating with younger generations and basic business-versus-salary tax concepts. 00:00 Introduction 01:48 Parade of Homes Invite 04:16 Judging the Builds 06:45 Energy Code Talk 11:24 Historic Building Purchase 15:41 Rental Portfolio Lessons 20:24 Finding Deals Off Market 24:11 Guthrie Building Details 24:39 Off Market Deal Making 26:09 Neighborhood Prospecting Tips 26:55 Shared Vision And Risk 28:16 Business Trusts And Wealth 29:49 OU Talk And Money Lessons 34:00 Gen Z And Social Media 38:21 Taxes Salary Vs Business 41:51 Mixed Use Tenant Strategy 42:41 Airbnb Reality Check 46:36 Renovation Budget Breakdown 48:50 Refinance And Risk Mindset 51:41 Closing Toast And Disclaimers Check Out Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group: https://www.greenbaumstiers.com/ Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    53 min

  5. Apr 23

    S2 E68 - Best Marketing and Lead Gen Lessons from Top Guests

    Will introduces a “mix-up” compilation episode of Beers with Contractors after a multi-city speaking sprint, focusing on lead generation and marketing takeaways from past guests. The clips cover how home-service contractors should approach a first $5K–$10K marketing spend by setting up Google listings, using Google/Facebook ads, building listings across sites, and layering PPC/SEO/SEM, home and garden shows, and even direct mail while tracking cost per lead. Guests emphasize scaling through marketing and sales, prioritizing fewer but higher-quality leads over cheap unqualified sources, raising average ticket to grow without more leads, and using AI to launch campaigns faster and reduce acquisition costs. They discuss remarketing old leads via email/text, rapid call-backs to improve lead-to-appointment conversion, avoiding blindly auto-applying Google ad recommendations, and measuring the right KPIs. Additional strategies include TV news/weather frequency for brand building, the hidden costs of weak branding, and low-cost local tactics like door hangers, yard signs as “silent referrals,” and neighborhood canvassing to become “five-mile famous.” 00:00 Introduction 00:41 Clip 1 - The Best First Move For Your Small Marketing Budget 03:29 Clip 2 - Why More Leads Can Hurt Your Sales Team 06:09 Clip 3 - The Mindset Behind Tripling Your Sales in Just Three Years 08:15 Clip 4 - The #1 Sign Your Marketing Agency Is Falling Behind 10:03 Clip 5 - How Contractors Turn Old Leads Into New Revenue 10:56 Clip 6 - Here’s How to Boost Lead Conversion by 23%! 13:38 Clip 7 - The #1 Way to Ruin Your Contractor Marketing in 2025 15:59 Clip 8 - TV Marketing Doesn’t Work Like You Think 20:22 Clip 9 - Bad Branding Is Costing You Thousands 23:11 Clip 10 - When Customers Don’t Know You Exist Until They Need You 27:13 Clip 11 - How Keeping It Simple Skyrocketed Our Leads 32:49 Clip 12 - Why Your Marketing Agency Isn’t Getting You Leads 35:30 Clip 13 - Are You Letting Hot Leads Go Cold? Check Out Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group: https://www.greenbaumstiers.com/ Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    39 min

  6. Apr 16

    S2 E67 - Achieving 18X Success: Jolly Goat's Strategic Growth Story

    In this episode of Beers with Contractors, hosts Will welcomes back Jeff Gabelsberg of Jolly Goat Garage Doors, a central Oklahoma residential and commercial garage door company, to discuss his background and how he grew the business through systems, processes, and knowing his numbers. Jeff recounts a difficult childhood, limited formal schooling, and entering the trades through a remodeling job that led to garage doors via a mentor connection. He explains why he rejected early private equity interest due to cultural disruption, and what made a later “strategic partnership” with Guild Garage Group appealing, including shared values, resources, collaboration with other brand presidents, and purchasing power. Jeff covers acquisition integration tactics like involving teams 90+ days pre-close, prioritizing lead flow, and using Power BI dashboards, and shares growth goals of expanding markets and aiming for $30M+ revenue with strong net margins. 00:00 Introduction 01:13 What Is Jolly Goat 01:55 From Truck To Growth 03:32 Hard Childhood Origins 05:48 Refrigerator To Trades 09:17 Turning Down Private Equity 12:31 Systems And Numbers 16:37 Buying Businesses Basics 19:27 Acquisition Culture Merge 23:39 Platform Deal Vs Handshake 25:28 Strategic Partnership Fit 28:21 Partnership Pathway 29:00 Platform Growth Playbook 29:55 Valuation Multiple Surprise 32:05 Mindset Vision Shift 35:11 Beyond Bank Loans 38:02 Deal Regrets Lessons 42:08 Culture Systems Evolution 44:03 Power BI Competition 46:14 Next Growth Markets 48:14 Boutique Market Strategy 50:26 Local Brand Pushback 52:36 Upsell Training Example 54:19 Mentorship Contact Info 56:16 Couples Business Alignment 57:51 Book Wrap Closing Contact Jeff Gabelsberg at: Website: https://jollygoatgaragedoors.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffgabelsberg Email: jeff@jollygoatgaragedoors.com Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@jollygoatgaragedoors TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jollygoatgaragedoors Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jollygoatgaragedoors/ Check Out Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group: https://www.greenbaumstiers.com/ Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    59 min

  7. Apr 9

    S2 E66 - The Hard Conversations Before Partnering Up

    In this episode of Beers with Contractors, hosts Will and Terry discuss why contractors form partnerships and the different types—family, operational, financial, and strategic—emphasizing that partners should share a clear end goal and defined contributions. They stress setting an operating agreement before formation to establish equity splits, decision authority, deadlock resolution, salary/work expectations, distribution thresholds, buyout/exit triggers, and what happens if a partner dies. They warn against desperation-driven money partnerships and “three F’s” funding, advise vetting investors by checking prior partners, and highlight the importance of managing-member control and NDAs. The episode contrasts banks as capital partners with private investors and outlines entity/tax considerations (LLC, S corp, C corp, accredited investors, cap tables). They address employee equity via vesting stock options/phantom equity, and discuss private equity’s varied approaches, owner retention, platform rollups, and preparation via clean financials and professional advisors. 00:00 Introduction 01:21 Why Partnerships Come Up 03:57 Goals and Roles First 05:16 Family Partnerships Done Right 06:46 Operating Agreements and Deadlocks 13:11 Operational vs Financial Partners 15:31 Financial Partners and Structuring 21:27 Vetting Investors and Horror Story 24:50 Due Diligence and Reputation Risk 28:30 Exit Plans and Triggers 29:16 Partner Buyout Valuation 31:41 Assets Debts and Vehicles 33:01 Investor Classes and Entities 36:56 Employee Equity and Vesting 40:50 Private Equity Realities 48:30 Taxes and Long Term Strategy 50:16 Relationships and NDAs 53:09 Wrap Up and Disclaimers Check Out Greenbaum Stiers Strategic Marketing Group: https://www.greenbaumstiers.com/ Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    57 min

  8. Apr 2

    S2 E65 - Tech Trends and Trade Show Triumph

    In this episode of Beers with Contractors, hosts Will and Terry share updates ranging from Terry’s restaurant renovation project—featuring a massive black walnut bar slab and plans for event/office space—to Terry’s trip to the AGC National Convention in Orlando with four OU Construction Science students. They discuss conference highlights including AI tools for bidding, accounting, inventory tracking, jobsite documentation, and safety reporting with translation and incident trend analysis, plus emerging ideas like integrating video capture. They also cover tool trends such as improved battery technology, manufacturers moving away from corded tools, and safety shutoff drills, along with the culture of swag and networking. Breakaway topics include the rapid growth of data centers, their increasing proximity to population bases due to latency, infrastructure needs, workforce shortages and immigration, and discussions of onsite power options including nuclear and micro-reactors. 00:00 Introduction 00:30 Terry Restaurant Project 01:24 Bar Build And Bargain Finds 03:41 Italy Trip And Conference Tease 04:09 Swag Stickers And Gifts 05:16 Why Orlando AGC Trip 07:11 AGC Convention Highlights 08:47 Coolest AI Tech For Bids 11:21 Battery Tools Going Cordless 15:09 Automation Robots And AI Mindset 16:27 AI Safety Software 19:41 Trench Safety Reality Check 24:01 Random Booths And Tool Gadgets 25:58 Missing Bits Chaos 27:13 Milwaukee Jenga Score 28:51 Old School Tool Brands 32:08 Battery vs Corded Power 36:44 AGC Data Center Boom 41:49 Workforce and Infrastructure 43:56 Micro Nuclear Power Talk 48:29 Industry Community Giveback 50:52 Wrap Up and Disclaimers Foundation Rescue Supply Link: https://www.foundationrescuesupply.com/ Contractors Kick Ass! Podcast Store Link: https://williamwalkerblake.com/store-1 The Worker Incentive Program that Contractors Love! - Per4mance Software https://per4mance.io - Pay for performance, not hours

    52 min
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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Welcome to Beers with Contractors. We're cracking a cold one and taking a deep dive into the foundations of your construction business, pun intended, to unearth the strategies, techniques, and insider knowledge that can take your contracting business to the next level. So, grab your favorite beer, pull up a seat, and let's have a chat about the nuts and bolts of the construction industry.

Information

  • Creator
    Beers with Contractors
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    128
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Beers with Contractors
  • Show Website
    Beers With Contractors

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