The Wealthy Contractor

When Ken Wood and his partner Mick launched Five Star Bath Solutions in 2019, the top revenue for other locations in their franchise network was roughly $1 million/yr. When they said they were going to build a $5-6 million business , people looked at them like they were from Mars. This year, they're hitting $9 million. But redefining what was possible required some brutal lessons—like learning...

We've hit a major milestone—Episode 250! And there's no one else I’d rather celebrate with than Brian Elias , my very first guest on The Wealthy Contractor Podcast and true industry trailblazer. If you don’t know him, Brian is the founder of 1-800-HANSONS, which he grew into one of the largest home improvement companies in the country before selling to private equity. These days, he's...

What if the fastest way to grow your business was to stop doing everything yourself? When Ryan Keene started MODE Renovation , a one-day bathroom remodeling business, he was just 24 years old. Four years later, he’s about to hit his first million-dollar sales month and working less than ever before. So how on earth did he get there so quickly?? According to him, he just implemented what he was tol...

What do hundreds—maybe thousands—of today’s home improvement business owners have in common? They have all been influenced by Rob Levin , who has helped shape the home improvement industry as we know it. If you’ve been around long enough, you’ve either worked for one of his companies, learned from someone who did, or competed against them. It all started back in the ‘80s, when Rob quit his CPA job...

What if every day you started with zero leads and still ended the week with a packed pipeline?  Sounds too good to be true, right? Not according to this week’s podcast guest, Samantha McGuinness. On top of being a master of face-to-face marketing , she is also insanely good at “making leads out of thin air” (it’s kind of her superpower). From knocking on doors and setting up booths to generating $...

EPISODE 246: When Michael Flores joined Expo Home Improvement, they were under $20 million in revenue. Today? Over 300 employees, 5 locations, and a sales team of 75. But here’s the twist… Michael says they actually need LESS leads. And that’s just one of the counterintuitive lessons he shares in this episode. 🤯 Listen in as we chat about: Why Michael recruits using the Predictive Index (and the...

EPISODE 245: This week on The Wealthy Contractor , I sat down with Cory Minzyk, Call Center Director at All American Roofing & Remodeling.  Cory is a powerhouse in the home improvement world; she’s helped build some of the most productive call centers in the country at companies like Window Nation and Thompson Creek. In this episode, she reveals how to hire the right people, implement proven s...

EPISODE 244: This week on The Wealthy Contractor podcast, I sit down with Eric Peschke . As VP of Marketing at ZINTEX Remodeling Group, Eric is one of the most methodical and data-driven marketers in the home improvement industry.  In this episode, he divulges how ZINTEX went from issuing a few leads per day across four markets to issuing 80–100 appointments daily across 31 markets. He also shares...

EPISODE 243: In this episode of The Wealthy Contractor podcast, I sit down with attorney Heather Macklin to uncover the legal blind spots that can take down even the most successful contractors, remodelers, or home services companies. Heather doesn’t just talk theory, she lives this stuff. As both a lawyer AND a home improvement business owner, she understands the real-world risks contractors face...

EPISODE 242: What if scaling your home improvement business didn’t mean working more, but finally doing less? That’s the exact mindset shift Rebecca Ackerly made—and the results have been transformational.  With a diverse background in construction, business development, and digital marketing, Rebecca has built a successful career by combining hands-on experience with strategic leadership. In this...

EPISODE 241: Do you ever feel like you’re flooring the gas, but your business is still stuck in first gear? Well, I’ve got some news for you: you may THINK it’s the economy, or your team, or your leads. But the truth is…it might be you.  That was the case for my guest on this week’s episode of The Wealthy Contractor podcast, Donald Robbins. Donald runs a successful remodeling business. He’s a smar...

EPISODE 240: You’ve probably heard this said before: “If you have a home improvement business, you actually have a sales and marketing business.” And if you’re experiencing pain right now with lead gen or your closing percentage or your revenue, that’s the homeowner market reminding you that every time you heard that statement, IT WAS 100% TRUE. So, what can YOU do to take advantage of unique oppo...

EPISODE 239: Too many home improvement business owners settle for a convenience: the convenience of hiring or keeping someone around who isn’t REALLY the talent they need.  Sometimes it's family or a friend. Sometimes it’s an employee who’s been around for a decade. Sometimes it’s whoever just feels “comfortable” to be around. And that is a tragedy, because you could be 1 or 2 good hires away...

EPISODE 238: Do your leads suddenly suck? It’s not just you! Many home improvement business owners who have been running thriving businesses for years are now finding themselves with bad leads, declining lead volume, or both. And yet SOME businesses are having their best months ever. So, what exactly is going on with leads? There’s no stopping the wheels of progress—the last few years have complet...

EPISODE 237: You’ve poured everything you have into your home improvement business. You’re overwhelmed, stuck doing everything yourself... unable to grow beyond a certain point because you cannot find or attract the A-players you need. Here’s the truth: true growth and freedom only come once you hire the right second-in-command. A trusted right-hand who can execute your vision and systematize what...

EPISODE 236: When you look at incredibly successful 9-figure home improvement businesses—the kind that have absolutely exploded and are raking in gobs of cash (and notoriety), you may wonder how what THEY do applies to what YOU could do in your own business Well, if you think your business is too small and their methods won’t apply, then I strongly encourage you to catch this week’s episode of The...

EPISODE 235: Most people, entrepreneurs and home improvement business owners included, believe that success is the secret to happiness. But what if it was the other way around?  What if cultivating a positive mindset and a happy outlook is the key to achieving everything you want in life? This is exactly what I discuss in this week’s episode of The Wealthy Contractor alongside my guest Briana Heth...

EPISODE 234: If you’re not using EOS yet, then chances are you’re missing out on a proven system to gain traction towards real results across many areas of your home improvement business.  Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is such a surprisingly simple way to break through team, process, and prioritization issues and take your business to the next level. It’s a great way to b...

EPISODE 233: Being willing to learn and adapt to emerging trends isn’t just a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition today—it's necessary to avoid the slow death of being left behind as customers and the market change. It’s time to consider the new strategies that are shaping the future of the industry! But don’t take my word for it; hear it straight from my guest this week,...

EPISODE 232: 2024 was a tough market for the home improvement industry. Economic uncertainties and rising costs threw a wrench in many contractors' plans, but not for my guest today, Kirk Koskiniemi. Kirk took his roofing business from $10.4M to $16.7M over the past year AND raised profits at the same time. He and his team achieved this with a single mantra: "Do fewer things better". I...

EPISODE 231: You want your home improvement business to run like a well-oiled machine? Then you’ll want to take a page out of the book of none other than corporate America. Although there’s no venture out there like running a home improvement business, there are SOME lessons we can learn from larger corporations. From precise money management tactics to the best tips to become a better leader, big...

EPISODE 230: To be a great business owner, you need to understand yourself.  Why is that so important? Once you truly know what kind of leader you are, you’ll be able to understand what it takes to do these three things: manage your time efficiently, delegate, and implement.  I discuss all of this (and more) in this week’s episode of The Wealthy Contractor podcast with my guest John Anglis. John i...

EPISODE 229: Lead volume is down. Cost per issued appointment is skyrocketing. Marketing to homeowners is getting harder and more competitive. So what do you do? In this episode, we dive into this with my guest, Justin Bartley, the founder and president of Next Door & Window. With over two decades of experience in the home improvement industry, Justin has mastered the art of squeezing more out...

EPISODE 228: Are you struggling to bridge the gap between ideas and execution in your home improvement business? Knowing how to turn your plans into actions is a quintessential skill every business owner struggles with but should hone into one of their primary competencies . After all, success in business comes from unrelenting action and knowing how to EXECUTE ideas systematically. To discuss thi...

EPISODE 227: As a home improvement business advances through various stages of growth, scaling operations is one of the hardest and SCARIEST things we go through as owners. There’s a LOT of risk and we don’t always know which steps to take next. As your business gets bigger, so do your operational needs—they also get more complex. And it’s up to you not only to scale it all, but to do so while mak...