

The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
Todd Dawalt
This podcast is dedicated to helping construction business owners eliminate chaos, maximize profit, and reclaim their freedom.
Designed for leaders who are ready to step out of the daily grind and take control of their business, The Construction Leading Edge Podcast delivers actionable strategies on systematization, time management, increasing profitability, and business growth. Whether it's stopping profit bleeds, building high-performing teams, or creating systems that allow your business to run without you, each episode will leave you with practical tools to unlock more profit, freedom, and impact.
Join Todd Dawalt every week for solo episodes packed with insights and guest interviews featuring industry experts who've mastered the art of building self-sustaining businesses. If you're ready to stop wearing so many hats and start leading your business like a visionary CEO, this podcast is for you.
Designed for leaders who are ready to step out of the daily grind and take control of their business, The Construction Leading Edge Podcast delivers actionable strategies on systematization, time management, increasing profitability, and business growth. Whether it's stopping profit bleeds, building high-performing teams, or creating systems that allow your business to run without you, each episode will leave you with practical tools to unlock more profit, freedom, and impact.
Join Todd Dawalt every week for solo episodes packed with insights and guest interviews featuring industry experts who've mastered the art of building self-sustaining businesses. If you're ready to stop wearing so many hats and start leading your business like a visionary CEO, this podcast is for you.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 25, 2023 • 34min
Wealthy Clients, Reframing Problems and Letting Your Team Create Processes with Michael Algren | E306
EPISODE 306: What would you do if every day all you're doing is putting out fires in your business? Have you considered selling your construction business to escape the daily stress at work? In this week's guest, Leyah Hostetter, Construction Leading Edge's Director of Customer Success, sits down with Michael Algren, owner of Algren Design & Building, to talk about the struggles he had with his luxury homebuilding and remodeling business and what did he do to transform it. Michael was already on the verge of selling his construction business last winter to transfer to Vermont. The stress was just too much for him to take. It was already affecting his physical, mental, and emotional health until, one day, he came across our Systematize Your Construction Business (SYCB) program. Today, Michael shares his business and personal life story before joining the SYCB program, how he lets his team create processes and empower them, what it's like working for wealthy clients, and the systems he learned from SYCB that transformed his business. Let's jump in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Michael Algren and his works (02:52) How Michael's business looked like before and its ripple effects (04:03) What does it mean to be working with wealthy clients (08:06) A different approach to solving tardiness issue (11:13) How did Michael was able to let his team create their processes and solve problems (16:10) What were the impactful lessons that Michael learned from the SYCB program (25:10) How is life different now since Michael joined the SYCB program (28:33) Blueprint to systematize your construction business (31:42) Additional Resources: - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Sep 18, 2023 • 47min
How to Make Faster, Better Decisions Like a CEO | E305
EPISODE 305: Does every question come to you? Do you find yourself giving different answers to the same questions? Your construction business could be having a major decision-making problem. In this week's podcast episode, I talked about a crucial aspect of building a successful business, and that is decision-making. How do you make faster, better decisions like a CEO? Today, we'll unravel the common symptoms of having a decision-making problem, the five failproof strategies on how to make faster, better decisions, and how to apply these in real-world construction problems. Let's get started! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Symptoms that you have a decision-making problem (02:04) Myths and misconceptions in decision-making (05:22) CEOs should make as few decisions as possible (12:00) How to decentralize decision-making (15:20) The importance of documenting your processes (18:10) What is manufacturing urgency and how to create it (23:56) Make decisions in parallel instead of in series (30:00) Separate the decision from the implementation (33:10) How to use the 4-step framework in real-world problems (37:10) Quick recap (42:16) Final thoughts (44:18) Additional Resources: - - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Sep 13, 2023 • 1h 13min
How to Get Anyone to Do Anything with Instant Influence Principles | E304
EPISODE 304: Are you struggling to motivate your team to be more productive or get them to use that new software subscription? In this week's podcast episode, I sit down with two of our very own, Leyah Hostetter and Monish Khadye, to talk about the principles behind one of the most powerful books I've ever read–Instant Influence by Dr. Michael Pantalon. Today, we will talk about the Instant Influence principles, how psychological reactance gets in the way, and how to apply these principles to real-life situations. Let's dive in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet The Construction Leading Edge Coaches (01:58) An overview of the book Instant Influence by Dr. Michael Pantalon (04:21) The three guiding principles of the book (06:17) How does psychological reactance get in the way (07:13) Why providing autonomy to your team is important and how to build it (19:34) What makes Monish's employee performance reviews exceptional (34:34) How to use the Instant Influence principles to solve real-world problems (44:18) Final thoughts (1:06:16) Additional Resources: - Listen to our first book report episode HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE Book Mentioned: - Instant Influence: How to Get Anyone to Do Anything Fast by Dr. Michael Pantalon - 10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy - How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Sep 5, 2023 • 44min
Will Your Business Scale or Is It Designed to Fail? | E303
EPISODE 303: Is your business designed to scale or fail? How do you scale a construction business? In this week's episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast, we're doing a Q&A session. We will answer the most frequently asked questions and problems visionaries face when scaling a construction business. Today, we will debunk some myths and conceptions you may already believe when scaling a business, what you should do to scale a business, and the exact resources that will help you systematize your construction business. Ready to build your way to the top? Let's jump right in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Debunking the most common myths in construction (01:38) The real definition of systems (06:48) Why it's important to put systems in place (10:00) Signs that builders need new systems (11:41) Tips for business owners who want to enjoy life out of business (16:20) The real reason why people don't embrace a new process or systems (21:54) Strategies to prevent people from reacting negatively against new processes (24:25) How to scale your construction business (30:39) Available resources to systematize and scale your business (38:07) Additional Resources: - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE Book Mentioned: - The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Aug 28, 2023 • 26min
The Reality of Running a Construction Business with Your Spouse | E302
EPISODE 302: Is it good for husband and wife to do business together? In this week's episode, Construction Leading Edge Director of Customer Success Leyah Hostetter sits with two of our Systematize Your Construction Business (SYCB) program students–Aaron and Ashley Steffens. Aaron and Ashley are the husband and wife dynamic duo behind Moose Ridge Design-Build Construction, a custom remodeling company based in Iowa. Today, they talk about their challenges running a construction business as a busy married couple. They share what they did to solve those challenges and what life looks like now after they went through the SYCB program. Let's get started! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) Meet Aaron and Ashley Steffens (06:22) Difficulties that Aaron and Ashley had with their remodeling business (07:21) What does it look like being married and working in the same company (09:04) Main takeaways from the SYCB program (10:36) The most beneficial change for their business (17:05) How project templates move their business (17:56) What does life look like now? (18:48) Why say no to wrong clients (21:56) Additional Resources: - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Aug 22, 2023 • 49min
The Real Reasons Your Team Won't Change | E301
EPISODE 301: Have you ever rolled out a new process to your team only to be disappointed by how few people followed it? Perhaps, you thought about hiring new people and starting a clean slate at one point. In this week's episode, I will pull the veil back on some of the real reasons why your team won't change. And you'd be surprised to know that many of these reasons have very little to do with them. Today, I'll break down the five real reasons why your team resists changes, some research studies to back these claims, and concrete action plans that you can apply in your construction business so you can get out of the day-to-day firefighting and make your business run without you. Let's jump right into it! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) A lesson I learned while managing a $20M project (03:10) Understanding psychological reactance (06:47) The why and WIIFM deficiencies (12:00) Uncovering the competing commitment concept (16:44) The four-part process of holding a competing commitment (22:19) Kanter's Law: everything looks like a failure in the middle (32:29) The shiny object syndrome (36:25) Quick episode recap (41:33) Action plan to get your team to change (43:10) Additional Resources: - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Visit Construction Leading Edge for more HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Aug 14, 2023 • 55min
5 Secrets to Hire and Retain the Right Employees: Never Make a Bad Hire Again | E300
EPISODE 300: What if there's one simple document that would tell you everything you need to know about hiring and retaining new employees? What if that same document would help increase your new hire retention by 82% and productivity by 70%? In this week's episode, I'll share a webinar replay I did recently. Here, you'll learn the five secrets of hiring and retaining the right employees. We'll uncover the three foundational pieces missing in most construction businesses, how these sabotage your hiring process, why your job descriptions could set up your new hires to fail, and what you can do instead. Plus, download a FREE copy of our onboarding guide and learn how you can apply it to your construction business so you'd never have a bad hire again. (Link is in the additional resources section below.) Let's dive in! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) The onboarding roadmap (06:30) Pretend that you're from Missouri (13:05) The Big Five concept (18:47) Outcomes of a well-designed Big Five (26:03) Get over your fears (29:21) Fix your missing foundations (36:24) Quick recap (45:58) Action plan (46:42) Episode wrap-up (49:42) Additional Resources: - Download the FREE onboarding guide HERE - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE - Visit Construction Leading Edge for more HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Aug 7, 2023 • 1h 27min
3 Key Concepts to Grow a Custom Home Building Business with Alex Gregg | E299
EPISODE 299: What does it take to grow a successful custom home building company? In today's episode, we've invited a Systematize Your Construction Business (SYCB) client, Alex Gregg, a teacher-turned-construction-business-owner of Gregg Homebuilding, a Tennessee-based company specializing in custom-built and spec homes. Today, Alex shares the key concepts that moved the needle for his custom home building business and how he became a better leader. He also talks about how his company was able to switch from giving away free estimates to charging pre-construction services agreements, the major takeaways he had from joining SYCB, and more. Make sure to tune in so you won't miss it! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) From teaching to homebuilding (01:07) What was it like starting a construction company in 2008? (04:19) Spec vs. custom home building (05:48) Misconceptions about custom home building (09:26) Keys to growing a successful custom building business (13:57) The truth about giving away free estimates (16:52) The Kent Hooper story (20:28) Why is it important for Alex to become a better leader? (27:07) Delegating outcomes vs. delegating tasks (32:07) The biggest problems that Alex had before joining SYCB (36:01) What is nailing the handoff and its impact on Alex's business? (52:43) The turning-the-tables concept (56:29) Working ON vs. working IN (58:03) The 3 key concepts that grew his construction business (59:27) Life after implementing what he learned from SYCB (1:07:53) His most valuable takeaway as being part of the CEO Alliance (1:11:41) The biggest truth about running a business (1:16:06) Rapid-fire lightning round questions (1:19:20) Additional Resources: - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - Book a FREE call with our team HERE - Visit Construction Leading Edge for more HERE Connect with Alex - Follow Gregg Homebuilding on Instagram HERE - Visit their website for more information HERE Books Mentioned - Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman - Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin - The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes, Jay Conrad Levinson, Michael Gerber, and Amanda Holmes -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Jul 31, 2023 • 1h 14min
Why 10X is Easier Than 2x | E298
EPISODE 298: How is 10x easier than 2x when scaling a business? Join us in today's episode as I sit down with our Director of Customer Success, Leyah Hostetter, and our client-turned-business coach for Systematize Your Construction Business (SYCB) program, Monish Khadye. Today, we will dive deep into Dan Sullivan's book 10x Is Easier Than 2x and how this could hack your construction business growth. We'll talk about the 10x versus 2x framework, the mindset behind it, and how you can apply it to fast-track your business growth and make it run without you. You surely don't want to miss this. Tune in now! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) A brief background about the book (01:52) Why is 10x easier than 2x (04:18) The 10x versus 2x framework (11:30) Eliminating the 80% and focusing on the 20% (17:05) An example of focusing on value (25:11) The mindset behind "how to 10x" (35:03) How owning your unique ability creates abundance (37:16) The gap versus gain mentality (39:42) Why you should practice gratitude (43:46) How the victim mentality creates scarcity (47:55) You get to choose the story you tell yourself (55:18) How to implement what you've just learned (58:31) Episode wrap-up (1:06:39) Additional Resources: - Join the FREE Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE - Hear our clients' success stories HERE - Book a FREE call with our team HERE - Visit Construction Leading Edge for more HERE Books Mentioned: - 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy - The Obstacle Is The New Way by Ryan Holiday -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!

Jul 24, 2023 • 22min
Foundations for Scaling a Business to $50M with Shawn Dominguez | E297
EPISODE 297: What is it like scaling a business? As a former Navy pilot with winning embedded already in him, Shawn Dominguez already had that fire to build a successful construction business. In 2022, Dominguez Design-Build Inc. was the fastest-growing company in Pensacola, number 4 in Florida, and number 11 in the U.S. This was just years after they went full-time in 2018. But Shawn knew that if he wanted to scale his business from $20M to $50M in revenue, he had to get the right pieces in place. And that's what motivated him to join our Systematize Your Construction Business or SYCB program. In today's episode, our very own Leyah Hostetter sits down with Shawn to talk about some of the foundations for scaling a business. He talks about how simple tasks can sometimes get in the way, the connection between standard processes and cash flow, what winning looks like, and the effects he and his team are experiencing after going through the SYCB program. Tune in now to learn more! Key Takeaways: Introduction (00:00) From Navy pilot to construction business owner (03:03) Challenges that Shawn and his team had before SYCB (06:03) What was it like handling frustrations in everyday executions? (08:30) Personal challenges that come with scaling a business (10:44) On nailing the handoff and creating an accountability chart (12:24) What does winning look like in construction? (13:42) Most impactful part of the SYCB program (16:56) Ripple effects of joining the SYCB program (17:53) Additional Resources: - Check out the Systematize Your Construction Business Program details HERE - Hear success stories from our clients HERE - Book a FREE call with our team HERE - Visit Construction Leading Edge for more HERE -- The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!


