The Platinum Business Break

2025 is almost over — and in building materials and construction, the 4th quarter is the 2-minute warning. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break , Dan Owens (aka The Fixer ) breaks down: ✅ Where the industry scoreboard really stands (housing starts down 11% YoY, permits down 11%, spending down 2.2% YTD) ✅ The impact of tariffs, rising input costs, and possible interest rate cuts ✅ What...

Brand erosion isn’t always a headline-grabbing disaster like Bud Light or Cracker Barrel’s recent rebrand flop. In the building products industry, it’s usually a slow leak: quality issues, broken processes, untrained people, and tone-deaf leadership. In this episode, Dan P. Owens—The Fixer—breaks down: ✅ Why brand value is more than logos and taglines—it’s your trust equity ✅ The hidden ways bui...

Trade show season is here — but are you ready, or are you about to light $30,000 - $80,000 on fire for badge scans, swag, and sore feet? In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan Owens (aka The Fixer) breaks down why most building products pros fail to get ROI from trade shows — and how you can flip the script. For exhibitors: stop clogging the booth with untrained staff, ditch the “one...

Most building products companies are stuck in the past — pouring 30–40% of their marketing budget into trade shows, swag, and print while starving the digital channels that actually generate sales-ready leads. In this no-holds-barred kickoff to the Platinum Business Media podcast, Dan Owens delivers an indictment of outdated marketing practices in the building products and materials industry — and...

Are you a manufacturer, distributor, contractor, or rep group drowning in operational chaos, losing leads, invisible online, or frustrated by a lack of team training? In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan Owens—author of The Way Business Should Be and founder of Platinum Business Consulting—shares hard-hitting insights into what’s actually holding building products businesses back......

Are you managing your business by spreadsheet—or by vision? In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan Owens tackles the seductive trap of financial engineering—the dangerous obsession with EBITDA, short-term profits, stock prices, and quarterly shareholder appeasement. While these financial metrics are important, making them your top priority is often fatal to your company's long-term su...

This special Independence Day episode of The Platinum Business Break is a tribute to authentic American leadership—the kind forged in adversity, grounded in humility, and defined by service. Dan P. Owens takes you inside the battlefield-tested principles of Major Dick Winters and Sgt. Carwood Lipton, the real-life heroes of Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne—immortalized in Band of Brothers....

Is your team coasting, disengaged, or turning over too fast? The numbers don’t lie—and neither does your gut. In this episode, Dan P. Owens (aka The Fixer) breaks down exactly why training and development is no longer optional in 2025—especially in the building products industry. ✅ Learn the latest Gallup stats on employee engagement ✅ Understand the 4 types of learning styles (and why one-size-...

What do AI, Mark Cuban, and Milli Vanilli have in common? More than you'd think. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, host Dan P. Owens unpacks Cuban’s bold prediction that face-to-face communication will become a premium skill in the age of AI—and connects it directly to what’s happening in the building products industry. Whether you’re a manufacturer, distributor, contractor, rep grou...

We’re halfway through 2025—and whether your year’s off to a strong start or stuck in neutral, Q3 is your moment to fix what matters. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan P. Owens (aka “The Fixer”) breaks down: ✅ What’s really going on in the building products industry right now ✅ Why your chaos isn’t a failure—it’s a signal ✅ How your second half of the year can be stronger, more...

Breaking news for the building products industry: President Trump has announced plans to double steel tariffs to 50% . Whether this becomes law or not, the ripple effects are already in motion— pricing volatility, supply disruptions, and margin pressure are back on the menu. In this special emergency episode, Dan Owens, a 35+ year veteran in the building products space—breaks down: ✅ Why domestic...

It’s halftime, folks. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan Owens — building products veteran and business fixer — calls a timeout for a brutally honest mid-year check-in. You’ll hear the 4 biggest myths floating around boardrooms and breakrooms that are silently killing growth in the building products industry: - “Our business is running fine” (Spoiler: it’s not.) - “We just need mo...

Are you still quoting out of your inbox and tracking deals on a spreadsheet called “Final_Final_Quote_v3”? Then this episode is for you. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan Owens—35-year industry vet, sales leader, and CRM realist—breaks down why most building products businesses are losing deals not because of bad products, but because of broken systems. You’ll learn: - Why CRM an...

Are your sales reps still managing million-dollar deals with spreadsheets and sticky notes? In this episode of The Platinum Business Break , Dan P. Owens goes full throttle on why the building products industry is lagging behind in CRM adoption—and what it’s costing you. With only 32% of construction and building products companies using a CRM , it’s no wonder so many teams are disorganized, react...

Is your Q2 report looking more like a crime scene than a scoreboard? You’re not alone. In this episode, Dan Owens checks in with the building products industry and unpacks why so many teams are feeling the heat heading into Q3. From slumping housing starts and tariff chaos to sales teams running on fumes, it’s easy to see why some businesses are on edge. But don’t panic—this is your halftime speec...

The 2025 Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report just dropped, and the data is alarming: only 31% of U.S. workers are engaged. And in the building products industry, that means big trouble—from turnover to missed deadlines to failing margins. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan P. Owens breaks down: - Why manager burnout is driving disengagement - The true cost of low morale in...

Material costs are up. Tariffs are back. Supply chains are stressed. And if you're in the building products world—contractor, rep, supplier, or manufacturer—you’re feeling it. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan Owens shares practical, research-backed strategies to handle: ✅ Pricing objections ✅ Cost escalations ✅ Material shortages ✅ Communication breakdowns across the supply...

The 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs are here—and they're shaking up the building products industry in a big way. Material costs are up. Supply chains are under pressure. And contractors, reps, and manufacturers are feeling the squeeze. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan Owens breaks down: ✅ What the new tariffs really mean for your business ✅ How price hikes and delays are impacti...

After 17 attempts, Rory McIlroy finally captured his elusive green jacket and completed the career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters. But this win wasn’t just about golf—it was about grit , growth , and the long game . In this episode of The Platinum Business Break , Dan Owens breaks down the powerful business lessons behind Rory’s historic victory: ✅ Why perseverance is more than just a virtue—it’s...

In this high-impact episode, Dan P. Owens dives deep into the Sales Leadership Accelerator: Building Products Edition—a game-changing approach for sales leaders, reps, and owners in the building products industry. Using the analogy of reading "poker tells," Dan explores how mastering DISC Behavioral-Based Selling helps you read people, adjust your approach in real time, and dramatically improve yo...

Are you a contractor, manufacturer, distributor, architect or sales rep in the building materials industry feeling the growing pains of success? You’re not alone — and you’re not broken. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, host Dan Owens dives deep into the real reason growth stalls after $1M, $3M, or $8M in revenue — and why operational chaos, not competition, is the silent killer of...

In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, host Dan Owens speaks directly to contractors, independent reps, small manufacturers, and building products pros who are excellent on the job… but invisible online. If your phone isn’t ringing as much as it should, if your website is outdated (or nonexistent), or if you’re not showing up in local search—this episode is a must-listen. What you’ll lear...

In this no-holds-barred episode of The Platinum Business Break, Dan P. Owens dives deep into one of the most overlooked threats to any business: incompetence. But not just any incompetence — he exposes two silent killers: 1. Weaponized incompetence – when capable people act helpless to avoid responsibility. 2. Promoted incompetence – when well-meaning employees are elevated beyond their leadership...

Are you a business owner thinking about selling your company in the next few years? With The Great Wealth Transfer shifting $84 trillion in assets, small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners have a huge opportunity—but only if they’re prepared. In this episode of The Platinum Business Break, host Dan P. Owens walks you through: ✅ The biggest mistakes business owners make when selling. ✅ How to...

The Platinum Business Break Podcast | Season 5, Episode 64 In this episode of The Platinum Business Break , we dive into the critical role of people and culture in private equity acquisitions . Learn how The Platinum Process ensures smooth transitions, aligns leadership, and optimizes workforce performance for long-term success. What You’ll Learn: ✅ Why culture matters in business acquisitions ✅...