Jared shares some of the lessons from his home building journey, and announces the latest offering from Building Optimal...our Builder Accelerator, to help others find success and build a great company.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Zip System.® Mike Dye, Senior Engineer at Huber Engineered Woods, joins us to dispel those and also provide some useful ideas to improve the efficiency and sustainability of your builds. Enjoy the episode!

RAM Windows has emerged as one of the leading window manufacturers in the State of Texas and beyond. We use their modern-design, aluminum windows on most of our projects (you can see them on our recent Kennelwood project here). As a brand partner of ours, I’ve gotten to personally know Eric Spence, President and CEO. It’s easy to see why RAM has experienced the growth trajectory it has with him at the helm. He is a superb leader and a master with all things windows and building science.

In this interview, we cover a wide range of topics from Eric’s leadership advice to his views on the future of window technology. Enjoy a discussion with one of the industry’s truly great leaders.

Brian Potter is the author of Construction Physics, the best blog on construction news and innovation that I've found. "Why It's Hard to Innovate in Construction" is one of my favorite and a central theme in today's discussion.

Brian is a structural engineer by training. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Progress and previously led an engineering team at Katerra.

This is one of my favorite conversations to date with Luke Mezger, a top builder from Austin, Texas. Luke is Owner of Mezger Homes, a superb leader, and a brilliant student of the game. He lays out probably a dozen actionable tips most of us can implement today to build a better company. Enjoy the episode!

Austin Miller is an Australian carpenter and builder who moved to Canada six years ago to build in the remote Arctic. In this episode we are exploring how building works in one of the world's most inhospitable places. If nothing else, this episode will make you extremely grateful next time you are looking for a bolt on your own jobsite (gotta listen to understand)!

Gabe Jewell is CEO of MT Copeland, a new online education platform to learn the building and construction trades. We need more affordable, accessible education within our industry. It’s why I started Building Optimal, and it’s why I’m a fan of what Gabe and his team are doing. Check out the episode to learn about what these innovators are doing to help builders, and you just may find a class you want to take. I have no financial incentive, btw. Just like what these guys are about!

Pre-selling your homes under construction isn’t all rainbows and kittens, as many veterans know. Check out this short episode to learn the pros, cons, and nuances of pre-selling. Plus, I share some of my own strategies for crafting a more favorable pre-sell for your company.

A messy or worse, non-existent, change order system can sink a home builder. What should be a source of profits is often a place of loss and chaos. We can fix that in a hurry, though. Here is my company’s strategy to change order the right way.

The success of every project is built upon meeting, or better, exceeding expectations. So it stands to reason that one of your many jobs as a builder is to proactively address with clients topics that could later become issues. In this episode I share 12 topics I always cover with new clients as soon as we enter into our pre-construction agreement.

Most builders I know are overworked and underpaid. Today's short episode covers a framework I like to use called The Eisenhower Matrix. It is a simple tool that can help you prioritize the things that will really propel you forward and leave behind the things that are sucking your time.

Working with a difficult or exhausting client can make life miserable and put your company in danger. After working with hundreds of clients I've identified four red flags.

If I start working with a client who demonstrates any of these behaviors in our early interactions, I will graciously walk away before signing a construction contract. Just as important (if not more) than securing good clients who can help elevate your business is steering clear of those who will damage it.

Treacy, of NWC Alliance, returns to answer some FAQ from our community about insurance and third party warranties. Sit back, enjoy a nice cocktail, and sharpen up your insurance skills my friends.

Treacy, of NWC Alliance, returns to answer some FAQ from our community about insurance and third party warranties. Sit back, enjoy a nice cocktail, and sharpen up your insurance skills my friends.

The success of every project is built upon meeting, or better, exceeding expectations. So it stands to reason that one of your many jobs as a builder is to proactively address with clients topics that could later become issues. In this episode I share 12 topics I always cover with new clients as soon as we enter into our pre-construction agreement.

If you're getting *hammered* on lumber prices, well so is the rest of America. What's happening and when will it get better? Lumber economist, Dustin Jalbert, has a few answers. Dustin leads the lumber analysis on Fastmarkets RISI's Wood Products team. He is responsible for the monthly Lumber Commentary, the North American Lumber 5- and 15-Year Forecasts, and both consulting engagements related to the North American lumber markets.

If you're getting *hammered* on lumber prices, well so is the rest of America. What's happening and when will it get better? Lumber economist, Dustin Jalbert, has a few answers. Dustin leads the lumber analysis on Fastmarkets RISI's Wood Products team. He is responsible for the monthly Lumber Commentary, the North American Lumber 5- and 15-Year Forecasts, and both consulting engagements related to the North American lumber markets.

If you aren’t separating your wages from your profits, you’re losing money and fooling yourself along the way. This was a conversation I began with Bryan Uhler, second generation builder at Pioneer Builders, Inc, a company his father started 42 years ago.

This is a reading of an article we just published on the Building Optimal blog. If you prefer the written word, check it out here: https://buildingoptimal.com/8-tips-to-combat-soaring-costs/

This is one of my favorite episodes to date. Wally Staples, a builder from Maine, has always made a profit over his 28 years in business. He has never had to lay anyone off. And, he has a financial freedom plan for himself and his entire team.