Tyler answers a listener email about what he'd do differently if he were starting his business today, beyond just setting up insurance, lawyers, and an LLC. He digs into why chasing "sexy" high-end projects can crush your margins, how T&M and paid pre-con changed his business, and why the less you work, the more you can actually make when your systems and numbers are dialed.

The Preconstruction Course: Click Here

Show Notes:

00:00 What I'd Do Differently Starting Today
03:59 Chasing Sexy Projects Instead Of Profit
08:42 Scaling Back And Resetting The Business
12:30 Dialing In Pre Con Overhead And Job Type
21:56 Forty Hours Vs Eighty Hours For The Same Pay
27:00 The Three Levers Of Profit In A Small Shop
30:28 Learn To Walk Before You Run Your Company

Video Version:

https://youtu.be/kpu9RmFKCwQ

Partners:

Andersen Windows

Buildertrend

Harnish Workwear

Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear

The Modern Craftsman:

linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast

Find Our Hosts:

Nick Schiffer

Tyler Grace

Podcast Produced By:

Motif Media

This episode gets real about money stress, comparison, and the head noise that comes with trying to run a construction business and still show up at home. We talk through how we handle the dark season — from boundaries and better systems to finding people you can actually be honest with.

Show Notes:

00:00 Intro, sponsors and setup
04:10 Why we are talking about mental health
05:35 Comparison trap and feeling behind
09:44 Money stress and your relationship with cash
16:07 Why this season hits builders so hard
24:20 Taking inventory, boundaries and time off
30:14 All in on the 45 White Oak project
35:00 Serving others without chasing every upside
45:13 Diversifying work and reducing risk
51:01 You are not alone in this
56:10 Precon course offer and wrap up

Video Version:

https://youtu.be/0oyG44Xtgfo

Partners:

Andersen Windows

Buildertrend

Harnish Workwear

Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear

The Modern Craftsman:

linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast

Find Our Hosts:

Nick Schiffer

Tyler Grace

Podcast Produced By:

Motif Media

Nick and Tyler sit down live at CCS in Chicago to walk through how they go from 100 inquiries to one real client and why risk is the number one reason people never build. They break down self-qualifying leads, budget reality checks, and using precon and VE to protect both your business and the homeowner before anyone signs.

Show Notes:

00:00 Why clients don't build
04:48 Live from CCS in Chicago
05:58 From lead gen to lead conversion
09:28 Getting clients to self-qualify
18:00 When the budget and scope don't match
22:09 Using precon to de-risk the job
30:33 Converting right way

Video Version:

https://youtu.be/o_huhOG3FMU

Partners:

Andersen Windows

Buildertrend

Harnish Workwear

Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear

The Modern Craftsman:

linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast

Find Our Hosts:

Nick Schiffer

Tyler Grace

Podcast Produced By:

Motif Media