Build to Win

We have a question for you: do you ever feel like you’re too old, too late, or too stuck to build something big?  You’re not alone; and most importantly, it’s never too late. Meet John D O’Leary: At 53 years old, he was still climbing roofs, burning out his body, and had nothing set aside for retirement.  Most other contractors would have accepted that was the end of their story, but not John. Ins...

Many contractors focus on chasing revenue, neglecting profit, and end up building businesses that trap them rather than set them free. We have met contractors who work countless and are still wondering where their money went, not understanding that hard work isn’t the only thing needed to achieve success in our industry.  In this week’s episode of the Build to Win podcast, we sit down with Brian K...

If you’re still sending one-off texts to leads, or worse, only calling them, then we've got some bad news for you: you’re leaving a ton of money on the table. In this week's episode of the Build to Win podcast, we’re handing over the actual SMS and email templates that help us set 80% of our raw leads into appointments, and we’re walking you through how to use them step by step. Listen now...

In this episode of Build to Win , we sit down with Chuck Thokey, a renowned sales coach in the home improvement industry.  With over two decades of experience in sales, Chuck built large teams in the bath and roofing sectors and has been coaching professionally for nearly a decade.  Together, we discuss how to hire smart, build a repeatable sales process, and stop losing deals (and profits) becaus...

In this episode of Build to Win , we take a deep dive into one of the most important tools for any home improvement business: your CRM.  If you're still handling your leads and estimates the old-school way, it might be time to think about how technology can streamline your processes and boost your success. We explore the evolution of CRMs, starting from the manual methods that contractors used...

Too many reps walk into a home and start pitching without ever really understanding why they’re there, and that’s exactly why they lose the sale. In this episode of Build to Win, we dive into what we believe is one of the most overlooked but most critical parts of the sales process: the needs assessment.  We also walk through our full discovery doc, the exact questions we ask, and why each one mat...

You’ve found leads for your home improvement business, but what if you aren’t fast enough to close on them? Then, more often than not, you simply lose them. Speed is everything when it comes to converting leads into customers. In today’s episode of Build to Win, we dive deep into the critical importance of automated follow-ups and how responding quickly can drastically increase your conversion rat...

Scaling a business isn’t always as glamorous as it sounds, and Tim Brown, owner of RGS Exteriors, knows this firsthand.  In the latest episode of Build to Win, Tim opens up about the challenges, mistakes, and lessons he learned while growing his family-owned business from a small $300K gutter company to a $17 million leader in exterior services. Tim takes us through his journey, from working along...

Have you ever felt like you're stuck on the same revenue plateau year after year?  Stephen Pisulak, owner of Lehigh Gap Exteriors, has been there before, and in this episode of Build to Win, he shares with us how he grew his business from a simple gutter truck to a thriving exterior services company, overcoming countless challenges along the way. Stephen also walks us through his journey of sc...

Hitting $5 million in revenue isn’t the finish line, it’s just the start of the next big challenge. If you’ve reached the $5M mark in your home improvement business and feel like you’re maxed out, you’re not alone. Scaling beyond this point isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter, building a leadership team you can trust, and setting up systems that can grow with you. In this episode...

Do you feel like you’re too old, too late, or too stuck to build something big? Think again. At 53, John D O’Leary was still climbing roofs, burning out his body, and had nothing set aside for retirement. Most people would have accepted that was the end of their story, but not John. In this week’s episode of the Build to Win podcast, we sit down with John to unpack how he went from grinding as a o...

Hitting the $2 million mark is a major milestone and definitely something to celebrate, but what happens when you hit a ceiling and struggle to push past it? If you’ve made it to this point and find yourself stuck, don’t panic—you’re not alone. In fact, many contractors deal with this exact same issue; they find themselves at an impasse and think working harder will do the trick.  However, that’s...

Too many contractors chase revenue while ignoring profit—and end up building businesses that trap them instead of freeing them. We have seen contractors working over 70 hours a week and still wondering where their money went, not understanding that hard work isn’t the only thing needed to achieve success in our industry.  In this week’s episode of the Build to Win podcast, we sit down with Brian K...

Hitting the $1 million mark is a major milestone and definitely something to celebrate, but what happens when you hit a ceiling and struggle to push past it? If you’ve made it to this point and find yourself stuck, don’t panic—you’re not alone. In fact, many contractors deal with this exact same issue; they find themselves at an impasse and think working harder will do the trick.  And for many of...

If you’re struggling to grow your contracting business beyond the 7-figure mark, you’re not alone. Many contractors hit a ceiling when they max out what they can do alone (keyword here being “alone”). And the secret to moving beyond is not more sales—it’s setting up the right systems, people, and processes to do the work for you. In this week’s episode of the Build to Win podcast, we sit down with...

Do you find yourself struggling to grow your contracting business past $1 million? You’re not alone. Many contractors and home improvement business owners find their companies plateauing after they hit a certain revenue threshold—usually, the $1M one.  In fact, over 90% of contractors never surpass the $1M mark, highlighting just how difficult it is to scale in this industry.  This is one of the m...

Welcome to the very first episode of Build to Win! We are your hosts, Jonathan Weinberg and John Kolbaska, and we’re here to share the best tips to grow your home improvement business. In this very first episode, we will be introducing you to our proven framework for contractor growth, which breaks businesses into key revenue levels:  $0-$1M $1M-$2M $2M-$5M $5M-$8M $8M-$10M We’ll also be sharing t...