The Wealthy Contractor

EPISODE 203: Recovering from severe business losses is difficult… but NOT impossible! Especially when you have the right business (and life) partner by your side.In business, sometimes you win big, and sometimes you fail, but when you do, the most important thing is to get back on your feet and never give up.Resilience and hard work are key if you want to rebuild and grow your business after seeing massive losses.But don’t take it from me; instead, I want you to meet my guests on this week’s episode, Ken Baer and Pattie Capezza.Ken and Pattie are partners in life and in business. Their first home improvement business was a laminate flooring company that they started in 2000 in South Florida. Their business was thriving up until the big financial crisis in the late 2000s. When the economy crashed in 2008, their business went down with it.They lost everything, but through sheer resilience, great teamwork, and a perfect dynamic, they rebuilt their careers and were able to start a brand new business that is now their new “ATM machine”.If you’ve ever felt like giving up when the going gets tough, then this episode is for you – plus I’m also joined by my lovely wife and business partner, Adi Kaskavalciyan, in this special couples’ episode, so you definitely should listen to it if you’re working with or thinking about partnering up with your spouse.Tune in now to learn everything you need to know about Ken and Pattie’s entrepreneurial journey, their work dynamic, what they learned from the failure of their first business, and how they got back on top.Are you ready?Let’s dive in.Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00)Meet Ken and Pattie (01:15)From business success to the big collapse (03:35)Where are they now? (16:35)Working together as a couple (17:52)Practical business building tips (22:27)Handling conflict with your partner at work (28:13)What to do when things don’t go your way (34:50)Additional Resources:⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).⚡ Follow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/--The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

EPISODE 202: Building a home improvement business from scratch and turning it into a success is no easy task. However, that doesn’t mean it's impossible, especially if you’re doing all of this with the help of a partner that you can trust and rely on.This is especially true when your partner in business is also your partner in life. I know many say that mixing business and marriage is not the greatest idea. And yet, I’ve done it, and it worked out great.In fact, I see many husband and wife teams in the industry, and most of them work amazingly well together.Someone who knows a lot about this is this week’s guest, Gordon Fairbanks.For those of you who’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you already know him. And if you don’t, then this episode is the perfect time for you to be introduced to this brilliant man.Gordon has been in the home improvement industry since the eighties. He and his wife built one of the most impressive contractor businesses in the country AND had an amazing exit.In this episode, he and I will be going over a few subjects, namely the importance of great partnerships in business, how his wife Elizabeth helped him build one of the most successful home improvement companies I’ve ever seen, how to navigate your marriage when you are partners in life and in business, and why buying the BMW 6 convertible would have actually sent the right message to the rest of the company.Ready to learn more?Tune in now.Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00)Meet Gordon (01:12)The best hire Gordon ever made (04:46)How to navigate your partnership with your spouse (11:24)Honesty is a must! (18:36)How complacency can kill a business (33:11)The importance of learning how to be rich (43:39)Additional Resources:🔥 Use code “WEALTHY24” to get $100 off on your ticket to Accelerate LIVE!:https://www.accelerateevent.com/--⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).⚡ Follow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/--The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

EPISODE 201: Many people in the home improvement business dream of selling their company and retiring off into the sunset.But in order to get the exit of your dreams, you have to first make sure your business is saleable and attractive to potential buyers.To discuss this in more depth, I’ve invited an expert to this week’s episode – and you might already know him!His name is Brian Gottlieb, and if you’ve been listening to the podcast, then you know this isn’t his first rodeo.Brian has over a decade of experience in the home improvement industry. Throughout the years, he’s sold three businesses and acquired a few, which means he’s been on both sides of the equation, and that gives him an incredible insight on the subject.In this episode, Brian and I discuss what parties might buy your home improvement business, what metrics and documents you’ll need to have prepared, the process to expect when being approached, how much you can expect to make from selling, what can kill a deal, and so much more!Are you ready to learn more?Tune in now.Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00)Meet Brian (01:13)What are buyers looking for? (05:34)Let’s talk about cash flow (07:19)The pitch deck (12:42)What comes after due diligence? (23:20)Learning how to be a rich person after selling (27:29)Additional Resources:🔥 Use code “WEALTHY24” to get $100 off on your ticket to Accelerate LIVE!:https://www.accelerateevent.com/--⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).⚡ Follow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/--The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

EPISODE 200: Welcome to a milestone episode, the 200th edition of The Wealthy Contractor Podcast!In this special episode, we've got the one and only Brian Elias in the house, and guess what? He's not a first-timer.Brian has been our guest for all the big milestone episodes – 1, 50, 100, 150, and now 200. It's like having your favorite uncle at every family reunion, only better… because THIS uncle knows how to make a home improvement business TAKE OFF.Brian Elias is an industry pioneer who built 1-800-HANSONS from the ground up, turning it into one of the most successful home improvement companies in the country and the first to sell to private equity. He then took on a new challenge of building Refloor, which has quickly grown into the giant it is today.This week, Brian introduces us to the four core elements that have guided his success in the home improvement industry: Strategy, measurements, process, and people. He emphasizes the importance of a strategic approach, detailed measurements, streamlined processes, and building a team of dedicated individuals. (IN THAT ORDER.)He also shares the pivotal moment when he decided to sell his original company, 1-800-HANSONS, and his subsequent shift to the flooring industry with Refloor. Despite facing challenges from the pandemic that hit 1 month after starting his new business, Brian's strategic planning and adaptability allowed Refloor to achieve remarkable success in just four years.So, whether you're a seasoned business owner or just starting, grab your notepads and get ready to absorb the wisdom of a man who's seen it all.Let's dive into the wealth of insights he's about to share.Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00)Special milestone episode (01:06)Model success to succeed (07:58)The four key pieces for growth in home improvement (09:22)Overcoming objection to close sales (11:04)Measuring key metrics in your business (17:49)Process and people (25:53)What’s your big hairy audacious goal (31:37)Building a business that works for you (36:05)Technology to improve customer experience (50:38)Additional Resources:🔥 Use code “WEALTHY24” to get $100 off on your ticket to Accelerate LIVE!:https://www.accelerateevent.com/ -- ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/⚡ Brian Elias’ Website: https://www.brianelias.com/ ⚡ Brian K’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping). ⚡ Follow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/--The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

EPISODE 199: Our annual Accelerate LIVE! event is going to be held soon and trust me when I say: if you’re the owner of a home improvement business, you don’t want to miss it.But hey, don’t take it from me.Instead, take it from this week’s guest, someone who’s been coming to our Accelerate events for years now, and he says that doing so has changed both his business AND his life.My guest this week is Dale (DJ) DesJardins, who has been working in our industry for over three decades now. DJ is the CEO of Absolute Aluminum, which will be making around $24 million in revenue this year!Yes, you’ve read that right, they blew by the eight-figure mark, and what’s even more impressive is their profit, their culture, and the impact it’s all had on DJ’s life.In this episode, DJ and I sit down (virtually, as he’s currently working remotely while traveling around in an RV with his wife) to discuss all the things he’s gotten involved with in the industry to get to where he is now, and why you should come to our next Accelerate event happening in February.Want to learn more?Tune in now. Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00)Meet DJ (00:55)Let’s talk about Accelerate LIVE! (02:51)The importance of implementing the info you learn (06:28)Making the decision to be profitable (11:59)The importance of building the right company culture (17:44)A look at the future of our industry (26:32)Time to join us for our next Accelerate event (36:52) Additional Resources:🔥 Use code “WEALTHY24” to get $100 off on your ticket to Accelerate LIVE!:https://www.accelerateevent.com/--⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).⚡ Follow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/--The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

EPISODE 198: What does it take to be a truly profitable business in our industry?Yes, you can close a lot of sales, up to millions of dollars a year, but that doesn’t always mean that your profitability will be great (or even exist in the first place).To discuss this in more depth, I’ve invited an expert on profitability to this week’s episode of The Wealthy Contractor.Her name is Megan Curry and she is the director of operations in her family-owned business, a home improvement remodeling company called Revelare Kitchens.With two main offices serving eleven states, Revelare Kitchens has created one of the most profitable contractor businesses in the country.And this is all thanks to their profitability business model. In this episode, Megan will be discussing the levers that create profit for businesses in our industry, the importance of engineering your profit, why your P&L matters more than you think, what is preventing you from achieving the money you deserve, and more.Ready to learn more?Let’s dive in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00)Meet Megan (01:09)Let’s talk profitability (06:51)What is preventing you from boosting your profits? (09:23)Gross margin overview (12:42)How to improve your P&L (19:31)How to start engineering your profit (27:30) Additional Resources:🔥 Use code “WEALTHY24” to get $100 off on your ticket to Accelerate LIVE:https://www.accelerateevent.com/--⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).⚡ Follow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/--The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

EPISODE 197: When it comes to running a successful business, your mindset is just as important as the skills you bring in.Someone who knows a whole lot about this (and who has grown his business exponentially over the last few years by having the right mindset) is this week’s guest, Ryan Engelbrecht.Nine years ago, Ryan started his business in storm restoration. He quickly found out that it was a tough industry that was hard to predict and even harder to make any profits from. So, he decided to move on to retail, and that meant that he needed a whole new sales and marketing system. At the beginning, he didn’t have the skills (or the money) to be able to set up a whole sales and marketing team. But, he didn’t let that stop him – and that’s where mindset comes into play. Instead, he decided to invest and set up a tested sales system that doesn’t just tell customers about their products and services, but tells the company's story.In this episode, Ryan tells his journey and discusses the difference between making money and being profitable, the importance of working on yourself as a business owner, how he set up his sales system, and more.Let’s dive in. Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00)Meet Ryan (01:08)The importance of improving profitability (09:06)Putting a sales system in place (16:43)All about raising prices (25:37)Ryan’s big goal for Q4 (36:55)A message to Young Ryan (37:48) Additional Resources:🔥 Use code “WEALTHY24” to get $100 off on your ticket to Accelerate LIVE: https://www.accelerateevent.com/--⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/⚡ Follow us on social media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/--The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

If you’ve been struggling to break through to a new level in your home improvement business, David Neagle has a message for you that might either excite or frustrate you - It’s easier than you think.As a business and success coach, David has helped thousands of entrepreneurs take their earnings from 6 figures to 7 figures and beyond, and it’s a message you can find in his new book, The Millions Within.From making $20,000/year as a forklift operator to now being the founder of the multimillion-dollar global coaching company, Life Is Now, Inc - David is sharing how a simple shift in your mindset can produce big results in your business and your life.Listen carefully for David’s insights on how entrepreneurs sometimes have to remove mental blocks and get out of their own way to let success flow to them.In this episode, you’ll discover:How you can manifest your true desires - without the hard, painstaking work that society tells you is requiredThe surprising way that it’s easier to make $50,000 per month than it is to make $50,000 per yearWhat we can learn from animals about The Law of PolarityThe ways you need to reframe and reprogram your thinking to hit new levels of successThe secret in “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill that you may not have caughtWhat a “white hot heat of desire” has to do with becoming the person you want to beGet Your Tickets to Accelerate LIVE!: https://www.AccelerateEvent.com/For more FREE Wealthy Contractor resources, go to: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/THE WEALTHY CONTRACTOR FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorTHE WEALTHY CONTRACTOR INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/

It’s hard to believe that even “The Wisest Man in Home Improvement” once spent 10 years letting opportunities slip through his fingers and, in his own words, “squandered a lot of time.”Charlie Gindele eventually made a shift in the business that produced a long journey of entrepreneurship at the helm of Renewal By Andersen of Orange County. Now, Charlie is sharing his wealth of experience with other contractors in his books Lessons Learned and Build it to Last.And on the latest episode of the podcast, Charlie shares the opportunities that too many contractors overlook in their business and how you can take advantage of them.Listen carefully for Charlie’s insights on how contractors can not only make dreams come true for their customers, but also live the dream themselves. Get Your Tickets to Accelerate LIVE!: https://www.AccelerateEvent.com/For more FREE Wealthy Contractor resources, go to: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/THE WEALTHY CONTRACTOR FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractorTHE WEALTHY CONTRACTOR INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/

Brian Kaskavalciyan shares business growth strategies for home improvement businesses at Accelerate LIVE 2023. He discusses the importance of having a clear vision and goals, embracing discomfort on the entrepreneurial journey, and the significance of financial knowledge. He also explores the essential factors for success in the contracting business and highlights the personal growth and transformation required to go the distance.