Welcome to the podcast where we take a deep dive into the stories behind construction business leaders. We will share how they got started, how they found success, and the lessons learned along the way. I'm your host, Eric Fortenberry. Welcome to Builder Stories. Welcome back everybody. Today I'm here with Tyler Winship. He is the owner of Inglewood Custom Carpentry. They're located in Inglewood, Florida. Welcome to Builder Stories, Tyler. Thank you. Thanks for having me on. Appreciate it.
Yeah, ab absolutely. So why don't you give us a little bit of background, you know, who you are, how you got into, uh, into carpentry, what your business does, things like that.
Sure. Okay. So, um, I guess, uh, it starts, you know, back when I was a kid, uh, I was a skateboarder, so I would build, you know, skateboard ramps and, and stuff like that. Um. And, you know, we'd go by construction sites and dumpster dive and take the wood out of there and, you know, build tree forks, all that kind of stuff.
Um, and then as it, you know, as I got older, uh, I got better at building and, um, went on to study, uh, construction management, tech technology at, uh, Florida Gulf Coast University. Um. Did not get my degree, but, uh, you know, wound up going into construction, working for a general contractor. I was lucky enough to work under a, uh, a true, uh, master carpenter.
You know, there's a lot of people that, uh, call themselves master carpenters here in this trade, but, um, not a whole lot that are actually master carpenters. And this guy was, was truly a master carpenter, so I was, I was very fortunate to be able to work with him. Um. From there, uh, you know, I had, I had noticed that my boss, uh, not the master carpenter, but the, the actual general, general contractor, um, was shorting my paychecks.
And, um, so I, I sent him an email and kind of outlined that I had noticed and, um, he, he asked me to come into a meeting with him after that email and we had a discussion and, um. That led to me being let go. But, uh, you know, prior to, uh, prior to that, uh, discussion, I had talked to my wife and to my, uh, to my mom. And I had told him, I said, look, if this guy doesn't fire me, I'm quitting and I'm starting my own company.
And, um, so, you know, he let me go and I started my company that day. Uh, I'd already had business cards printed up and all that stuff, ready to go. And before I even got on the highway, I had my first, uh, two weeks worth of work scheduled and making triple what I was making before and just started, started like that and never looked back and just kept, kept going, kept learning, progressing. Um, now we're, uh, my company's about 10 years old, almost 10 years old.
Um, we are a team of seven and we're. We're doing great. Or so,
um, yeah. So you said like before you even got off the highway, you had your first couple weeks worth of work. I mean, where, you know, obviously you must have sort of been, you know, like, like you said, you're preparing for this, you know, day for this moment mentally, but like where did those first, you know, first customers come from for you?
Um, so I had called, uh, a friend of mine's dad, who was a real estate broker. Um, and I just called him and said, Hey, I'm on my own now. I'm starting my own business. Do you have any work for me? And he said, yeah, I've got some fencing I need put up. I've got some, uh, interior remodels to do and stuff like that. So I just got right to work. I I went straight to his, uh, one of his properties, started putting up a fence and, you know, just kept going, not there.
And then, you know, he, he, uh. Was pretty helpful as well. You know, he, he let other people know, you know, he had some friends that were investors and stuff like that, so, um, he kind of got the word out a little bit as well. Um, but, uh, but yeah, so I had a, I had a pretty good start. Um, and then, you know, as I. They can't keep you busy forever. So I had to kinda learn how to hunt a little bit there.
You know, I remember specifically one day waking up and having no work to do and, um, you know, not sure, uh, where my next, you know, job was gonna come from and searching Craigslist and just trying to figure it out. And that was, uh, it was a weird day, but I, I. I found work and I just kept, and I was like, this is how it is now. Yeah.
So would you say that, uh, you know, was, was that kind of one of the first sort of most shocking, you know, moments for you when, when you realized like, there's there's no work and I gotta go, gotta go hunt?
Oh, yeah. Yeah. It was, it was real then, you know, I had a family to support, you know, I, I had a wife and, and one kid at the time. I have two now. But, um, you know, just, just realizing that, you know, this is something that, you know, especially in the beginning is so delicate. And you have to be, um, you have to be on it if you're gonna survive. And, um, you know, thankfully I did. And you know, things have changed now where, um, I don't really have to look for work anymore.
It kind of comes to me. Um, but that, that's again the result of, you know, many, many years of, of building a reputation and standing behind my work and, um, that sort of thing.
Sure. So e early on, what did kind of, what, what were those, you know, I mean you said fencing job, but what, like what were some of your earliest jobs and then sort of how has that, how has that adapted, you know, kind of changed over time?
So early on you basically take, um, just about whatever comes to you. Um, you know, if it's, uh, somebody wants some flooring put in, great. If somebody wants some trim put in, great. I'll do it. You know? Um, and, uh. Uh, over time, um, I started to realize that, you know, the thing that I'm best at is the fine finish type of work.
Um, so when I started to focus myself on that and kind of hone my skills towards that and be, you know, you know, start developing systems and processes for how to, uh, do that most efficiency, efficiently and, um. Uh, that's when I really started to get some traction. Um, sure I was able to start, you know, turning a profit instead of just breaking even all the time.
And I remember the first time I really made a profit, I kind of felt a little guilty, you know, because, which, which is odd to say, but, you know, and I. I was like, wow, I, I must have overcharged them. But no, the truth is, you know, you're supposed to be making a profit and you're supposed to be, um, you know, that's, that's my number one job now is to, you know, make sure that I'm running this thing profitably.
So how, how, how long did it take you to, to figure out, you know, what you should be charging and, and, and how to price a job so that you did make profit? Um,
well it, I would say the first few years I was breaking even, you know, maybe, uh, year four. So I started to figure out that, you know, you need to be doing these things and, and I was also navigating, you know, the law and trying to figure out what, um, what I had to comply with insurance wise and what I had to comply with, you know, workers' comp stuff and, um. You know, tax filings and all that stuff. I had no prior, um, business, uh, training.
So I was really just learning all this stuff as I went. And, and basically every time I would get, um, every time I'd get knocked down by something, I'd look at it and say, okay, how do I make sure this never happens again?
Sure. And I, I imagine early on too, like when, when you're both selling the job. You're doing the work, like, it's probably a little bit hard for you to kind of figure out, well, you know, my own time putting into this, I see a lot of people like, well, it's just my own time. I don't need to charge as much. And then, you know, figuring out what do you charge per hour to go do the work? And then you realize, well, I'm just way under charging, you know, for my own time.
You know, and so I can see how kind of the profit gets a little blurry when, when it's, when it's your own time in there.
Yeah, actually I was, I was really fortunate. I had a client, um, who explained that to me one day. He sat me down and he helped me figure this out. So this guy was very, very, uh, business savvy person, and he had, when we went to do his remodel, he said, Hey, I've never had anybody, um, you know, go for this. But what do you think about doing an open book type, uh, project? Um, you know, where, you know, I basically show him all my expenses and, and, and time and, and all that.
And then we go over it at the end and I said, you know what? Um, let's do it. You know, I just had a good feeling about the guy. Um, and so we did it and, uh, at the end he sat me down and we went through all the expenses and, um, he actually tried to, tried to trick me a little bit to, um. To, to get me thinking and, and to get me going, you know? But, um, we're going through the, the line items and he says, well, this is a, this is a hundred thousand dollars project, you know?
And, uh, so I said, well, wait a minute. No, this isn't a hundred thousand dollars project. That was just what it costs, you know? And um, so at the end he said, well, what it looks like here is you're only charging me for your time. He says, you're not charging me for your expertise, and that's where you're losing money. This is what you need to be doing. This is what your time is worth.
So we, he kind of gave me a lesson right there at his, uh, kitchen table and explained to me, you know, one of the key points that I was missing, I wasn't, um, uh, I, I guess I had never, it never occurred to me that, you know, this expertise is valuable and it's worth charging for. And, um, yeah.
What an awesome client to, uh, take, to take the time to. So did he end up paying you more for your expertise? Yeah, he did.
He did. He, he actually ended up stroking me a check for, uh, 13,000 more than I was asking him for. Huh.
Yeah. That's incredible. That never happens, does it? Yeah. That's awesome.
Yeah.
Did, did you ever get, like any formal sales training or, or how is kind of how frightening evolved
so well? Through the contractor fight. Um, I did go through, uh, their program, battleground program, and I, I found that pretty helpful. Um, there were cer you know, I, I kind of would pick and choose the things that I, I. Chose to kind of employ, they, they have some methods that I was like, eh, I don't feel comfortable doing it that way. But, you know, they, they, there's a lot of really great gold nuggets that they had as well.
So, um, that's about the closest thing to a sales type training that I have. Um, but, uh, um, I, when I, when I go to sell a job, I'm not really even thinking about. Selling the job. I'm more trying to understand what they want, how they are envisioning this space, how they're going to use this space. Um, and I kind of act like I'm at a barbecue. I don't, you know what I mean? I'm not, um, I'm not super worried about whether or not I get the job.
I'm more worried about whether or not I'm gonna, um, be able to. Work with this person on a daily basis, and if I'm interested in doing what they want me to do, you know, sometimes I'll go and I'll look at a job and I'll realize like, oh, these people want me to cut corners, you know, and if, if that's something that they want, unfortunately I can't work with them because, um, you know, once I build it, I own it. So, no, I'm not, I'm, I'm a terrible salesperson.
Absolutely. But I sell a lot of jobs, so, yeah. Yeah.
What, what would you say were some of the biggest takeaways that, that you had going through, you know, Tom Reba's program? I mean, battle Battleground is very focused on, you know, sales and kind of giving you different, you know, techniques to help improve your sales, you know? Yeah. How did that help you? So,
I think one thing that, um, was really helpful was. In the beginning, you go through a whole thing where you figure out what your numbers are, you gotta figure out what it costs you per hour to operate your business. So it was really nice to have that structure, uh, to kind of show me how to calculate that and figure that out. And I actually realized, hey, I'm not charging enough. You know, I'm actually, uh, I should be charging $10 an hour or more than I am.
So, you know, being able to make that adjustment. And, uh, we actually go through this quarterly, we'll do the same, uh. That same math, you know, to figure it out. Say, okay, well where are we now? Do we need to adjust our hourly rate? Or, um, are we doing well? And, and, uh, so, so that's, that's really great. Is, uh, you know, knowing your numbers is super important. And then as far as the sales training goes, there's uh, uh, something that they introduce called the, the bullshit meter.
And basically that is where, you know, you. Let people know that, you know, you're gonna be charging them to come out and take a look at their project. And some people will say, oh, that's ridiculous. And you know, if they're serious though, if they're serious about buying, um, they're gonna pay a consultation fee. And a consultation is a, a, a, you know. Experience led conversation with a professional to make a buying decision.
And if they don't find that value, then maybe I don't need to be wasting my time going out there. So that was a super, super helpful, uh, perspective that I really didn't think about before. Mm-hmm. You know, like when you go and you see a doctor, right? To get, you know, say a surgery or an elective surgery, whatever, they're gonna do a consultation and they're gonna charge you for that time, you know, so.
Just like before we go and we start operating on somebody's home, we need to have a consultation. We need to come up with a game plan. We need to figure out what exactly you want, what will work, and what won't. Um, we're pulling measurements. We're doing a lot of work on behalf of, you know, putting these prices together. So, um, you know, charging for that time is, is pretty, uh, pretty important. Yeah. And, and.
Weeding out those people and not spending the gas and the time going out and, and, and providing prices to people that really aren't serious.
Yeah. That's a, that's a great way to, uh, to think about a great analogy there that, you know, you're, you're paying to go have that consultation with the doctor, you know that you're a professional, just, just like any other professional that's charging for their time. So do you, you do that now on every job? Um, I
don't do it on every job. Uh, I don't do it for returning clients. Um, because we've already, you know, built a rapport, they know what we're all about. They know what they're gonna get. Um, and, you know, most of our, our customers actually become clients. So, um, I don't really call somebody a client until they are coming back and, um, you know, they're, they're returning customer, then they become a client.
Um, but, uh, but yeah, so, so if it, if it's somebody new and, and, and I can kind of feel 'em out on the phone as well. You know how serious they are about doing the project. You know, there's certain ways to do that. Um, and, uh, Tom's, uh, program does, uh, help with that as well, teaching you kind of methods to figure that out, um, and make sure that they mean business before you show up. So,
so what, what does your full kind of, what, what's the whole sales process look like for you from, you know, lead comes in to how are you qualifying and kind of what is that? What's that whole thing look like to getting them to become a customer?
Sure. So, um, typically, uh, people will go to our website, they'll fill out our form. Now we have replaced the job tread form with the groundwork form. I think that's one of your partners there. Um, but groundwork, uh, is an app that gives you the ability to have the clients upload videos, like do a video walkthrough of their project and basically show us. Exactly what they want done before we even arrive.
So we'll take that video and we will start putting together kind of a rough ballpark figure with, uh, some of the information they've given us. And that way when we show up, say we call 'em up and we, we will have like a phone conversation about their project. Say, Hey, tell me more about your project. You know, how do you envision this space? You know, um, what's your timeline? When do you want this done by? And so once we. Kind of figure out what they need.
We'll be able to give them a figure, say, okay, your project's gonna cost $60,000. And you know, they may go, wow, 60,000, that was, um, quite a bit more than I expected to hear. Uh, and if that's the case, you know, we say, okay, well, um, based on the information you're giving us, that's, that's what it's gonna be. Uh, you know, give or take obviously. Um. That's a ballpark. And if they, if they say, oh, 60,000, that sounds great. You know, let's, let's, uh, do the in-person consultation.
Okay, great. You know, so we'll, we'll go out there and we'll meet with them and, um, you know, 'cause now we know they're a serious buyer at this point. They, they, their budget is realistic. So once we go out there, you know, we'll have a proposal kind of, uh, already written up for them. To, to kind of show 'em where they're at. And from there, sometimes we'll just get a check and we'll, we'll put 'em on the schedule, you know? Um, so, so it, it cuts out a lot of the back and forth, I guess.
Um, sure.
By, by using that app. So, so being able to just like, get that video ahead of time and already like, visualize and, and see what they want done. I mean, that's, that's just like saving you so much time.
You're not having to drive out there to view it for the first time and then leave, put together the proposal, go back out there, go go in via phone call later, like you're able to go and have that money conversation, kind of go through the details when you're in person with them for that first time.
And, and earlier you said you know, that you're, you know, early on you, you know, you, you're really having to go hunt for every project, but, but now you're, you're no longer having to do that as much. You, you've got this kind of, this engine that's flowing and the leads are coming in. Like what, what would you attribute, you know, that, to, how have you gotten to that point?
Um, so in the earlier years, I was a one man band. And so at that point I was doing all the work myself. I was out in the field building relationships. I was, um, just doing. Top quality work and, you know, people would recommend me to their friends. They would, uh, you know, give us good reviews on Google, uh, you know, all the, all that stuff. So I was really laying the groundwork. I was building my reputation up.
Um, and as I've gotten, I. More sophisticated with all this, I've, I've learned how to use Google and SEO and all that stuff and, and kind of optimize our, our website to, so that we can rank higher in Google and reach those people that maybe aren't in our client's circle of friends. So we've been able to kind of expand beyond just the word of mouth, which is how we started, um, to, you know. Being in everybody's, uh, in everybody's face.
You know, our, our, uh, our trailers are wrapped with our name. You know, it's, it's huge. You can read it from a hundred yards away. I, I told the guy, I said, I want to be able to read this from space. So, and, um, and that's, that's another good, uh, thing that hap I, I had a, a guy actually explain to me, um, when I was going to get my first trailer wrapped. He's our, our legal name is Green Gold Building Solutions. And he says, he says, you know, you ever thought about changing that name?
I said, no. Why? He said, well, because it doesn't really tell anybody about what you do. I said, I said, huh, that's that's interesting. And um, he said, basically, you want to keep it simple? He says, you want to tell 'em where you're from, what you do, and you know. They need to be able to figure that out in about three seconds as you drive by. So taking his advice, I said, okay, well what we, what we really do best is that, uh, uh, custom carpentry stuff.
So I said, all right, we're an Englewood Englewood custom carpentry. It was that simple. And, and just getting a DBA and, and changing that for marketing purposes was such a, um, a great move. I, I had never thought about changing the name or, or anything prior to that conversation, but keeping it simple and telling people exactly what we do was, uh, was pretty smart because when I, when I started the business, I didn't think I was gonna be, you know, falling into like a niche category.
I thought that I was gonna be, you know, building new homes and, and doing, you know, smart, uh. The smart homes that are environmentally friendly, that kind of thing. That was really my, my original goal. So beginning with the goal in mind, I named, uh, named my company Green Gold Building Solutions. But it kind of evolved into, you know, we're the best at, uh, custom woodworking and that's, that's what we do. So that's, that's just how, how it happened.
Yeah. That's, that's awesome. I mean, and again, it's like early on you really, you don't know what's gonna happen. You don't know where you're gonna land. Like, I ended up going into mechanical engineering. I was like, this is like terrible. I hated it. Like I wasn't, you know, really wanted to do that at all. And I found my way over to the business school, I was like, oh, much better fit for me.
You know, and, and then later I'm, you know, going and doing software engineering, it's like, oh, I should've just chosen a different one. It's like, but like, you don't know what you don't know, and you don't know where you're gonna be able to excel till you've gotten some experience. So I think that's awesome that you're. You know, you listen to that advice and you're able to kind of make that move to rebrand.
I see a lot of people who, you know, they'll, they'll, they'll kind of struggle on that decision for a long time and not ever pull the trigger when it, it might make total sense and it could ultimately really help better position them, you know, to get more of the type of work that they, that they need to do. So, you know, good on you for, for, for making the move.
Oh yeah. It was just so simple. When he, when he put it like that, I said, wow. It's so simple. It's stupid.
So are you, uh, are, are you doing any like advertising or anything like that to also, you know, attract, attract people?
So, yeah, I mean, we have all the trailers and the trucks are all wrapped and everything. Um, you know, we've got shirts and uh, stuff like that. Uh, Google, you know, when people Google us, we're the top, uh, the top result. Um, but is
Oh, are you? We, we sponsor all the. Are you paying for that Google listing? Like is it a Google ad or you just, you've, you've organically ranked it with, you know, SEOI
organically ranked it first and then I started paying for the ads as well as an additional boost. Um, yeah, so, so I just really did a deep dive into, you know, what, um. What Google looks at, like how do they, how do they rank someone? And so I started looking at all those things and I was like, oh, you gotta, you gotta put these keywords all over the place. You gotta be bouncing off different, uh, uh, organizations', websites, and stuff like that. So, you know, maybe joining, um, the building.
Uh, industry association in your area, you know, that's a great way to do it, or the Chamber of Commerce. Um, and those are also great areas to network as well. You know, find other professionals that are doing kind of the same thing as you, and, um, being able to lean on them for advice and just build relationships over time. So, um, but yeah, so, so our, our advertising is, um, I, it's.
It is kind of minimal, but, but everybody, everybody here, um, knows who our, who we are, which is really great. Um, uh, like we, we, we do a lot of work out on Boca Grande and Palm Island and Little Gas Burla Island, which are, you know, three of the, um. Three of the local island areas and, and we're all over the place. Like people are like, wow, you guys must be busy out here. We've seen three of your trucks today.
And, you know, so, um, just, just becoming kind of a household name in those areas, uh, has, has been, you know, super important for us. 'cause they're really tight, tight-knit communities that are hard to get into in the first place. And so being in everybody's face like that is super. Um, important to our strategy.
And did, did you figure out all the Google ad stuff yourself or did you, did you hire a, a partner?
Oh, oh, yeah. I, I, uh, figured it out all out, you know, just Googling stuff on the internet and figuring out, okay, this is what they look at. And I built myself a website and, um, it was pretty good. But then, uh, last year I had it redone. It's, it's a bit better now, um, you know, having a professional do it versus myself, but, uh. Yeah. I mean it's, it's, it's something that's just kind of evolved over time and
Sure.
Um, but, and then in addition to that, we also, uh, like to support the youth sports. Um, so we're, we, we sponsor the football team. We sponsor, we the band, we sponsored the cheerleading. We sponsored the, uh. Gymnastics stuff. And so just being, you know, people seeing your banner while they're taking their kids to their sports and seeing, you know, which companies are supporting their kids, uh, I think is, um, helpful as well.
I, I think that people really wanna support people that are, are getting involved in the community and stuff like that. So, and I have kids too, so I like to see my own stuff when I'm out there as well. So it's kind of a vanity thing a little bit.
Nice. Yeah, I mean that's, that's definitely a great move. I've, I've heard from a lot of people those, you know, kind of support in the local community really does go a long way. And I'm sure when they call into you, they, they like to share, Hey, you know, I saw you out at the, you know, the ball field or wherever it was.
Yeah,
yeah. Do you also do, do you run, have you done anything with like, any Facebook or Instagram ads or any other, like, besides Google.
We have a Facebook page, we have a TikTok, and we have a, an Instagram. Um, we don't really run ads, we just kind of post stuff. Every now and then we'll do a little video where we'll walk around the job site or we will, um, you know, post some photos of some work being done. Um. But, uh, no, we don't do paid ads yet. Uh, yeah, I've, I've considered it, but at the same time, I, I don't know, you know, what the impact will be and whether or not it's gonna be worth it.
Um, so I, I really haven't gone down that avenue just yet.
And so you've, you've seen, you know, a tremendous benefit to the videos, you know, from, from your side, from leads, uploading those. I mean, like how much effort are you putting into producing videos and putting that out on your social?
Well, we're getting better at it. Um, I've recently hired, uh, an assistant who is much more tech savvy. Tech savvy than
me. Uh, I have you figured out Google ads? I don't know if I buy that. You're not tech savvy?
Uh, I'm, I'm tech savvy to a. There, there's a ceiling there and, and, uh, uh, she's just much more talented than I am when it comes to that stuff. I mean, sure. Um, so, so she's taken over the marketing type stuff and, and she understands how to do TikTok and, and all that. So what, what we've seen since she's taken it over is that, uh, we're getting a lot more engagement from people. So she, she just understands it to a much deeper level than I do. So, yeah. Understands the culture.
And you guys, earlier you had told me you're, you're looking at, you know, I guess kind of doing work beyond just, you know, just your own local community, Inglewood, I mean, you actually have kind of expanded out a little bit to some of the, the surrounding cities too.
Yeah. So, um, so our, our work began in Englewood. Um, and now all, we don't really do as much work in Inglewood as we used to. Now it's all in the, uh, the local islands. You know, we've, we've, uh, kind of found our, our footing in, in, in the island style, you know, old Florida, uh, look and, and just. You know, doing the high end work that we like to do. It's just, it's, it's what my employees are passionate about doing. It's what I'm passionate about doing.
It's, we like to do the, the fun, uh, pretty stuff, you know. So, and then of course we were hit with, uh, hurricane Ian. We were hit with Hurricane Helene and we were hit with Hurricane Milton in the past few years. Um, so, you know, we went from just doing the fine finish stuff. Uh. Because after, after Ian, it was like, okay, this place is completely destroyed and we have the, the ability, we have the equipment and we have the knowledge to go ahead and put all this back together.
So we started adding, we started doing the structural stuff as well. So we, we do the decks and the stairs and um, after Milton, almost everybody out on the islands lost their stairs, uh, to their homes. So we're building a lot of stairs right now. We're building a lot of decks. Um, and then of course we're finishing out, um, spaces that were flooded as well. We just, uh, just redid a historical home out on Boca Grande.
That was, uh, severely, uh, you know, it was flooded about, you know, maybe two feet throughout the whole place, but it was historical. Sure. So that one was challenging because we had to match. Everything exactly how it was. I mean, down to the texture of the wood, you know, every, every little detail mattered.
And, um, that's why that client chose us because they knew that we were so detail centered, um, that we were gonna be able to, to do this for them, you know, to the level that it needed to be done. And, and it really, it really does look exactly like it did before. And, you know. So it, it was, but, but you know, that was the challenge is, is getting really, really deep into what, you know, uh, sourcing these, these materials and having things custom made and all that stuff.
I mean, just to, just to make it happen was, was incredibly challenging, but
sure. Yeah, I'm, I'm curious, so, you know, you, you said your team is, you've got about seven people on the team now. Yep. How, how has that, you know, how has your team grown over the years and, and kind of what, what do those seven people do today?
Okay, so, um, over the years, so it started off, you know, just me for the first maybe four years or so, then I got an apprentice. Um, well, I went through a couple of apprentices. Um, then I, I got up to, uh, two, I. Two helpers, you know, and then, then we got up to three, and then, um, I just started taking on, you know, people were starting to realize that we were capable of doing these, these large jobs.
And so I, we kind of graduated our, our average job in the beginning was like $6,000 job. Now our average job is probably, um, in the hundreds, a hundred thousand or more. So it's, it's really changed and, and as we've gotten bigger and, and taken on more, um, we've had to add people. And, uh, but, but that's a challenging thing as well is, you know, finding the right people for the job. You know, it's, um, we're, we're working in high-end homes every single day.
So we've gotta make sure that we vet these people very, very thoroughly. So everybody has to go through background checks and um, drug testing and uh, physical, you know, all these things need, we have just certain things that have to be met in order for them to even come work for us. And it's in the construction industry, it's very challenging to find people that can do, that, can pass all of these, um. I guess, uh, qualifications that we've set for them.
Yeah. So are all of those guys, are they, they're all in the field kind of?
Yeah. So most, most, uh, most of the guys are in the field and then in the office it's me and my assistant Anna. Okay. So, nice. And I'll jump out into the field sometimes also because that's really what I enjoy doing. But, uh, you know, uh. A lot of times I, I just can't, there's too much going on.
Sure. You're, you're still, you're, you're still focusing on like, really the sales side of it and kind of sounds like maybe project management? Um,
so I've got, I've got a project manager. Um, he's, he's very talented. He actually came to me as an apprentice. Um, and, you know, he, he quickly was, was uh, figuring out all the, all the stuff. I mean, if I'd show him how to do something, I'd show him one time and he would get it. He's, he's, he's very, uh, capable, you know, of, of receiving instruction, all that. Yeah. That's great.
Yeah. We got, I've got, so normally when it goes to like scheduling, so I'll sell a job and I'll say, okay, I, I have to talk to him. He's got the authority to schedule it. So I say, okay, when can we schedule this? And he works it into the schedule however he needs to, and we get it done.
Yeah. So you're still really managing the entire back office.
Are
you and your
assistant Well, yeah. Yeah. So, uh, Anna and my assistant, she does most of the, she does the marketing, she does the accounting. Um, she does a lot of the, uh, uh, speaking with the clients, you know, the back and forth, just coordinating things. Um, she, she does all that stuff. And then I mainly will focus on doing proposals. Um. I'll, I'll think about, you know, what, what needs to be changed on a, on a policy level.
Um, you know, I'm, I'm solving problems, you know, that, that sort of thing. Eventually I'm gonna hire somebody to do some sales stuff as well, but my main goal is to make myself the least important person here. You know, that, that, that needs to be, um, where I'm going. Because then that'll give me the opportunity to start another business and another one. And, you know, so, so that's, that's the goal, is to build something that, that can, um, sustain itself.
Um, that, that can be a great place for, for everybody to work. And, um, everybody's got their job and it works in the way that it should. Um, kinda like what you've done.
Do, do you have like a, you know, is there some kind of five year, 10 year, you know, plan, vision, you know, that, that you wanna see come to fruition here?
Um, yeah, so I think within the next five years I'd like to be opening up another branch on the east coast. I. Um, like over towards Miami and, um, uh, coral Gables, Boca Ratton, you know, all that. So, so they, that area has, you know, there's a high demand for fine wood working over there as well, so we want to kind of get into that market. And then after that, maybe we'll go to another. Place in Florida.
But you know, right now we're just trying to lay the groundwork, you know, get the systems and processes put together so that we, um, can replicate it and, and be effective. So, um, and that's, that's the main goal right now. But I think in about five years, that's where we're going. Um, this year our goal is to. Begin building a new shop. So we're gonna be going, we rented this place that we're in now.
This is a temporary, we're expecting to be here for a year, maybe a little longer, but, um, we're hoping to, you know, get a construction loan, build our own office, something much larger that is this, this place is too small. It's, um, but, uh, so yeah, that's, that's our next, you know, big adventure is just going after getting the bigger. The, you know, the, the bigger shop so that we can operate at an even higher level and just keep, keep pushing and seeing how big we can make this thing.
That's awesome, man.
Yeah. So I'm, I'm curious, kind of just as, as, as we wrap up here, like is there any, you know, any advice or anything that, you know, you would share with others who, you know, earlier on kind of trying to decide, do they want to take that plunge like you did, you know, 10 years ago? Like what, you know, any, anything you wish you, you know, you, you knew back then that, that you now know that might help someone else in that situation?
Um, well, I would say, geez, um. Just do it. You can't, you can't wait around. Um, it's, it's gonna be uncomfortable. It's gonna be very hard. Um, if it wasn't, you know, everybody would do it. But if you're serious and you, and you really have the drive to do it, and you, you know, you gotta do it. Yeah. So that's, that's, yeah. That was the thing. I mean, when I went to start my business, my wife and my mom both told me, don't do it. They said, you gotta, you gotta get another job.
It's too risky going into business. And I said, Nope, I'm doing it. And so being stubborn is, has definitely been helpful, I guess.
Yeah, no, that's, you know, that, that is great advice and, and I feel like, you know, again, entrepreneurs that they, they, they just kind of naturally have that itch. Like if you find yourself continuing to think about starting your own and wishing you're starting your own and wanting to go out on your own, like, you know, it does, it, it takes a leap of faith.
I. Yeah, it's, it's never easy to, you know, it's, it's, there's never gonna be this like, perfect time, you know, where, where, where, you know, you're gonna be able to just say, okay, well, you know, I, I'm just, I'm gonna do it. You know, it's, it's something that, you know, you just gotta kind of, at, at some point you just gotta rip the bandaid off and dive in and. Hope, hope for the best.
But you know, again, when you focus on, you know, building out the right systems, the right processes, you focus on, you know, winning those early jobs, kind of getting that traction early on. No, look, you're gonna make mistakes, right? Like things are gonna happen, you know, but like, you just gotta keep learning from every single mistake and keep getting better and better and better. You know, hopefully, you know, hearing some of Tyler's story here will, will help others.
You know, realize that look, you know, yeah, you, you may be undercharging, you're, you're not making a profit. You're breaking even. Like, the sooner that you can start to understand your numbers and you understand that you need to be able to earning a profit to be able to keep growing the business, you know, that will help you to hopefully kind of shorten some of that, that early period where it's, it's a grind.
I mean, it, it is, you know, nonstop just a total grind, not knowing where that next, that next deal's gonna come from. And. You know, I think, Tyler, what, you know, what, what we've seen here is this, this is a, you know, a great success story of how, you know, you started off just a one man band, as you said, and, you know, slowly we're able to keep adding to your team, getting those helpers winning more jobs.
You made the right moves with your website, you know, focusing on, you know, getting, you know, your, your, your brand, right? Organically ranking the company, getting found by others, sponsoring the local community, getting involved.
Like all of these were the right moves that you made, and they have put you in this position where you've got, you know, a very successful, very great business that's continuing to get all of those, you know, those, those inbound leads, uh, the marketing engine is going. And that's, you know, I think that that's, that's what others need to, to realize is that, you know, you, you just, you gotta start somewhere and you gotta make the right moves. Invest in yourself.
Find the right people, you know, whether they're employees, they're partners, and like that is how you get a business off the ground from nothing. You know, you've, you've, you've, you've really shown that very clearly here, Tyler, so I, I appreciate you coming on, you know, sharing your story. I can't wait to see, you know, what that new office looks like. You know, be awesome to see you with, you know, multiple locations all around Florida.
You know, very, very cool to, to see how you're building this, you know, very methodically, you know, really, uh, you're, you're, you're doing a great job, man. It's, it's awesome to just kind of be a fly on the wall getting to, getting to see your success, but. You know, thank you again for, for coming on and for sharing this with everyone else.
Yeah. And I appreciate you and everything that you've done. I mean, your organization has been, uh, uh, critical in us being able to handle all these jobs that we're taking on. I mean, we, um, just being able to scale in that way, uh, utilizing your, your program, uh. We definitely couldn't have done it without Job Shred. And, you know, when I first signed up for Job Shred, I was also signed up for Buildertrend at the same time.
So I, I started both and I wanted to see which one was better, you know, so, um, you guys came out on top, uh, for obvious reasons. Uh, and I love to see how you guys keep adding, you know, these, uh, uh, new features and, and everything there. Um, now I. I think that it's, it's just been, what am I trying to say here? Um. I can't, I can't remember what I was gonna say. Can you edit that out?
No. You know, look, it's, it's, uh, it's, it's awesome to hear that we were able to, you know, kind of come out on top there. I mean, again, I, I, at the end of the day, like we, we encourage everyone, like whatever system you choose, you know, it's so important that you get those. Systems in place, like get your business set up for success.
Like, you know, you're not gonna be able to scale just kind of doing everything manually, you know, pen, paper, excel, like, you gotta put the right systems in place and like, you know, again, you've, you've shown what happens when you do that. And, uh, you know, I just, I, I, I hope everyone can, can learn from, from, from your story, your journey here. 'cause you know, it's obviously a great one. And, and, and you're doing great work, man. So thank you again. Thank you. All right.
Have a good one. You too. Thanks. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Builder Stories. We hope you enjoyed the conversation and gained valuable insights that can help you in your journey along the way. Don't forget to subscribe to the show and leave us a review. And as always, if you or someone you know has a story to share, please contact us@builderstories.com. We'd love to hear from you. I'm Eric Fortenberry, and remember, every builder has a unique story. Keep building yours.