The Reasonable Contractor

In this episode of The Reasonable Contractor podcast, host Ryan Templin interviews Eulyyses Urzua, owner of Amigos Quality Environmental in Burnsville, Minnesota. Eulyyses recounts his journey from a self-described "second chance guy" in Southern California to building a successful asbestos abatement business over the past 10 years. He shares insights on asbestos safety that most people have never...

In this episode of The Reasonable Contractor podcast, host Ryan Templin interviews Scott Corbin, owner of Corbin's LLC, a multi-trade contracting company running 40-50 jobs simultaneously. Scott shares his raw journey from substance abuse and starting with nothing to building a family of companies including excavation, painting/drywall, and tree services. He discusses the brutal reality of his fir...

In this episode of The Reasonable Contractor podcast, host Ryan Templin interviews Jake Iskierka, President of 10K Construction in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Jake recounts his journey from HVAC trade school at Hennepin Tech to co-founding a full-service general contracting company during COVID. He shares insights on customer service philosophy, insurance industry changes, building company culture, an...

In this episode of The Reasonable Contractor podcast, host Ryan Templin interviews Jason Schmidt, owner of American Plumbing in Burnsville, Minnesota. Jason shares his unexpected journey from aspiring dentist to master plumber, including failing his journeyman test three times and taking over the family business after his father's death in 1999. They discuss the transition from remodeling to servi...

In this episode of The Reasonable Contractor podcast, host Ryan Templin interviews Michael Fafinski, founder of Gutter Galaxy. Michael recounts his entrepreneurial start from lawn mowing at 16 to building a gutter business in college. He shares insights on systems, SOPs, marketing challenges, Google Business Profiles, and why young people should consider trades. Key discussions include scaling thr...

Reasonable Tech Dad interviews Erik Ellefson, owner of Topline Electric in Minnesota. Erik shares his journey into electrical work: inspired by his dad's small HVAC/refrigeration business, he job-shadowed electricians as a teen, started the program at Dakota County Technical College early via PSEO, and chose the trade for its hands-on nature, visible results, and strong project presence. He discus...

Tim from TJM Electric shares his 20-year electrical journey from trade school through the union ranks to running his own successful contracting business. Starting at Minneapolis Community Technical College in 2005, Tim navigated the 2008 crash, organized into IBEW Local 110, and eventually broke free to start his own company three years ago. His story reveals the real challenges and rewards of goi...

Luke Kuznia's path to owning a successful plumbing business started with dropping out of college and diving into hands-on work, proving that trades can offer a fulfilling alternative to traditional education – all built on word-of-mouth referrals without any advertising spend. In this episode of The Reasonable Contractor, The Reasonable Tech Dad chats with Luke about how a leaky laundry valve brou...

Summary In this episode of the Reasonable Contractor podcast, Ryan Templin interviews his father, Kurt, who shares his extensive experience in the construction industry and insights from running a lumber yard. The conversation covers the importance of communication in contracting, the value of local lumber yards compared to big box stores, and the current state of the trades, highlighting the dema...

300+ feet above Minneapolis ...Cat Darby shares her journey into the world of union painting, detailing her initial entry into the trade, the challenges faced during her apprenticeship, and the fulfillment found in her work. She discusses the complexities of professional painting, the importance of mentorship, and the unique challenges of working at large heights, and working on iconic Twin Cities...

"From Flipping Houses to 13 Active Projects: How Sergio Built a Construction Empire on Pure Word-of-Mouth" Sergio Pena from Renewal Experts Construction proves you don't need a website to run a successful contracting business - but should you? In this conversation, we dive into: 🔨 Emergency Response Systems - How to handle crisis calls and turn them into long-term customers 👥 Team Building Secre...

"Introducing The Reasonable Contractor - a new podcast where I talk with Twin Cities contractors about what it really takes to run a service business. I'm the Reasonable Tech Dad, I've got a construction electrician background and I build websites for contractors, but I wanted to get back to having real conversations about business challenges, finding customers, and what separates successful contr...