The Builders Ladder: Business Growth Strategies for Residential Construction Businesses

Marti sits down with Tyrone Galloway from TJ's Kitchens and Bathrooms, a specialist renovation and cabinetry builder based in Hunua, New Zealand. Tyrone shares his raw journey from being "ready to pack it in" just before Christmas last year to doubling his turnover and growing his team from two to ten in under 12 months.

They discuss the critical moment when Tyrone realized he was "running on fumes" and trying to do everything hims...

Marti sits down with husband and wife team Ben and Lindsey Ockenden from Perth, Western Australia. They share their rapid journey from a small carpentry crew of two to a team of ten in just six months, transitioning into a full building company specializing in high-performance, lightweight construction.

They discuss the "madness" of their early days—"flying by the seat of our pants" without systems—and the breaking poin...

Marti sits down with Kylie Gardner from Gardner Homes, a new build specialist on the Kapiti Coast. Kylie shares her journey from a finance background to running the business side of a 12-person building company with her husband.

They discuss the dangerous trap of feeling like you have to "win them all" to keep the crew busy, and how that mindset kills profitability. Kylie reveals the "stay in your lanes" rule that saved their worki...

Marti sits down with Glen Stevenson from Stevenson Construction, a renovation specialist based in Healesville, Melbourne. Glen shares his journey from apprentice to civil site supervisor, and finally to starting his own residential building company. Despite being consistently busy with word-of-mouth work and hitting $1.2M-$1.3M in revenue, Glen realized he had plateaued.

They discuss the subtle but expensive profit leaks that happe...

Marti sits down with Dylan Mansell, a second-generation builder from Moonta Bay, South Australia. Dylan shares his journey from working on site with his dad to navigating the "absolute chaos" of the building boom, where revenue tripled but systems broke.

They discuss the dangerous trap of "busyness doesn't equal profitability" and how Dylan had to stop being a "reactive builder" constantly putting out fires. Dylan reveals how he re...

Gareth sits down with Chris (Founder) and Hugo (Carpenter/Site Manager) of Marvel Concept Building. Chris shares his raw story of starting the business in 2016, hitting a "really really bad time," and being stuck on a "knife's edge" in "survival mode" for years.

The overwhelm became so "draining" that Chris was ready to "just going to quit". This episode is a deep dive into their turnaround. They discuss Hugo's "massive learning cu...

Owen sits down with Arch, a 33.5-year military veteran (Marine Aviation & MARSOC) and founder of a commercial and residential general contracting business in Tampa, Florida. Arch shares how he applies the "irreplaceable" leadership and systems experience from his military career directly to his construction company.

They discuss the power of "victorious warriors win first, then go to war"—using military-style "backwards p...

Crystal sits down with Simone (Majority Shareholder) and Brooke (Operations Manager) from Core Refurbishments, a company specializing only in retirement living refurbishments . Simone shares her raw, vulnerable journey from taking over the business to facing imminent closure just 12 months ago, when she was losing "hundreds of thousands of dollars a month" and felt hopeless.

They discuss the pivotal moments that turned everything a...

Owen sits down with Ben Milgate, a carpenter of 18 years who has successfully transitioned into running his own building company, recently acquiring his builder's license. Ben shares his journey from being a "glorified carpenter" focused on weekly pay to becoming a business owner with a holistic view of annual profitability and systems.

They discuss the critical mindset shift required, the importance of truly understanding business...

John Beshay sits down with brothers James Colbert (Director) and Luke Colbert (Site Manager/2IC) of Culbert Constructions. With 17 years in business, they share their journey from small renovations to specializing in high-end new builds and major renovations.

The Culberts discuss how a genuine care for people drives their high standards, communication, and strong referral base. James opens up about overcoming the limiting beliefs o...

Owen sits down with Suman Cherry, founder of Cherry Talent Group, a recruiting firm specializing in the construction industry, particularly custom home builders. With 25 years of experience, Suman shares why finding the right people is the critical first step before implementing any process.

They dive deep into the practicalities of hiring for roles like Superintendents, Project Managers, and Estimators. Suman explains her consulta...

Gareth sits down with Michael Pilcher of Michael Pilcher Builders, a custom home builder in Central Victoria. Michael shares his journey from tradesperson to leading a professional building company, focusing on the rapid growth his business has experienced since 2020.

They discuss the impact of identifying "holes and cracks" in business systems before scaling further and how working with a selections expert elevated their brand to ...

Owen sits down with Alex Havkin of Havcon, a builder scaling his business from $4.5M to over $5M annually. Alex shares his sharp-end journey from pricing jobs at 10% and "walking away with nothing" to implementing premium pricing.

But the real lesson is what happens after you fix your markup.

Alex gives a transparent breakdown of a recent job he signed at a 20% markup that finished at only 9% gross profit. They unpack the critical ...

David’s journey didn’t begin on a job site, it started in the boardroom.

After years leading corporate teams, he made a bold shift into building, determined to apply business systems and structure to the trades.

In this episode, David reveals the principles that helped him build a business that runs without him:

• How corporate discipline drives performance and profit in construction.
• The power of accountability and ...

Rudy Marroquin, owner of Atlas Custom Homes, joins Owen to share how he built a thriving building company that no longer depends on him for every decision.

In this episode, Rudy explains how he went from managing every job himself to creating a team that leads with accountability and confidence. He dives into the lessons that helped him trust others, build better systems, and grow his company sustainably.

If you’re a builder ...

Daniel’s journey is one every builder should hear.

He started as a plumber, then moved into building and eventually scaled to delivering more than 130 homes a year. From the outside, it looked like success. But behind the recognition and awards came real challenges: budgets blowing out, staff walking away, and the pressure of holding a growing company together.

Instead of letting those setbacks define him, Daniel turned them ...

In this episode, Marti sits down with Darryn, founder of Quantity Solutions, to dig into one of the biggest challenges for scaling builders: keeping control of costs while leading bigger teams and higher-value projects.

Darryn shares how builders can shift their mindset around pricing, move from reactive estimating to proactive planning, and position themselves with architects and clients as trusted advisors rather than just order-...

In this episode, Owen sits down with Pantelis, a residential builder who went from feeling like a failure—working seven days a week, ten hours a day, with finances going backwards—to building momentum, scaling a team, and creating a business that serves his life, not consumes it.

We unpack:

• The breaking point moment when his kids waved goodbye and he felt worthless inside.
• How ...

Show Notes

A growing residential builder shares the uncomfortable truths that forced an identity shift from “on the tools” to business leader. We unpack how paid pre-construction flipped his sales process, why a detailed quote document beat a cheaper competitor for a $1.2M new build, the discipline of PSR 1-3-1 problem solving, and the accountability equation that makes tough conversations doable. We also get into marke...