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A podcast by Buildertrend that explores people, technology and innovation.
Episodes
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Thursday Mar 03, 2022
Episode 141:
Happy Birthday to “The Building Code!”
Hosts Zach and Charley spend this episode celebrating memorable guests who’ve shared their construction insights the past year as the podcast turns 3.
Now 141 episodes in, “The Building Code” has featured a variety of hosts and guest hosts and spotlighted guests from the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Episode 1 launched in March 2019 with Buildertrend co-founders Dan Houghton, Jeff Dugger and Steve Dugger reflecting on how they turned an idea into the leading residential construction software platform.
Listen back to that episode here.
Today, special guest and podcast director/editor John Beck joins Zach and Charley as they each highlight their favorite guest of the last year.
Three Big Takeaways:
Builders who engage employees retain their most talented
- Benji Carlson of Breakthrough Academy discusses why construction employees need to see how they grow in their organization to remain engaged.
Challenging status quo profit margins can unlock new success
- Russ Stephens of the Association of Professional Builders shares why builders only hold their businesses back when they settle for the margins they’ve always had.
Homebuilding in extremes: Save lives first, then structures
- Bill Gray of LMC Building and Construction in New Zealand explains how a devastating earthquake there in 2011 forced builders to rethink codes.
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Want to hear Zach and Charley’s first podcast together? Listen here.
Check out Benji’s insights in a new three-part series on growing your construction company.
Miss our last minisode? Listen now to hear using Buildertrend in the field just got easier.
Catch our next “Inside Buildertrend” minisode next week. Subscribe here, and never miss an episode.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend:
Looking to improve how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Podcast Episode 140: Inside Buildertrend – offline capabilities
Every other Thursday, we’ll give our listeners a glimpse into the inner workings of our business with our new “Inside Buildertrend” series on “The Building Code.” What are our teams working on? What features are coming up and how will they benefit our users? What data and research are being collected behind the scenes? Tune in as we take a look inside Buildertrend.
How will the new offline Daily Logs help our customers?
On this second episode of “Inside Buildertrend,” Austin Eilers, a product manager, joins Zach and Charley to chat about the exciting new offline capabilities – specifically offline Daily Logs.
Hear about how these new functionalities will positively impact the user experience when working and documenting information from the field.
What are the key takeaways?
- The value of customer critiques: We take our customers’ feedback very seriously. When we receive criticism from our users, we take notes, create lists and prioritize updates that will make their experience a better one.
- Offline Daily Logs: Now live for select users. This new offline capability will allow information to be added within Buildertrend’s Daily Logs feature without the need for cell service or internet connection.
- Offline Time Clock capabilities are next: As we roll out the offline Daily Logs to our users, we're also working on offline Time Clock capabilities that will further improve the way our customers work from the job site.
Why is this cool for Buildertrend users?
Gone are the days of remembering to add important information when cell service is restored. With our new offline Daily Logs, you can document project details right away, and they’ll automatically sync when your cellular or internet connection returns. Offline Daily Logs are currently live for some users but will be available for everyone in the near future.
And be sure to keep an eye out. There are more offline capabilities coming soon!
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Check out the last “Inside Buildertrend” episode to get a recap of the biggest product updates that happened in 2021.
Subscribe here, and never miss an episode.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend:
Resolved to improve how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software this year? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Podcast Episode 139
Greg Wamhoff’s not worried about his next sale because his residential construction business in Tomball, Texas, has a self-sustaining sales engine: their finished work.
Nine of every ten clients come referred to his company, Wamhoff Design|Build.
In this episode of “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley learn how Greg turned a telephone and the leads on a dry erase board into an outfit finishing 50 custom homes a year.
Referrals power Greg’s business, and he’s sharing his keys to setting up tomorrow’s deal on today’s job site.
WHAT HAS BEING A REFERRAL-BASED BUSINESS LOOKED LIKE AT YOUR COMPANY?
“Until a year or two ago, we didn't put any effort on social marketing or social media. And to that point, we have never done paid marketing. We never did it. And I think if you're doing business right, especially in a growing market like Texas, you shouldn't have to. Right? But I would say our referral hovers right around 90% plus or minus. Really rare we get a project that comes from another source like social media or some other avenue where somebody sees us. I joked forever in our company, we didn't even put signs out when we were doing projects. If somebody wants me, they're going to go knock on that guy’s door and say, ‘Hey, you're doing a project. Who's doing it?’ Right? So, brand awareness is, I guess, for some companies it's important. Ours is more relational capital. Relationships are what's important for us.”
WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU RECEIVED ON BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS?
“An early mentor of mine one time said to me that if you just hired great people, your business will take care of itself. And I truly believe that today still. It's really about the people. Over time, as we kind of started putting a few people together to build the company, it centered around that same feeling I had the first time, which is I love our customers. I care about our customers, and we want to do a great job for them. And I think that was evident through some of the first relationships and employees we had, just shared that common thread. And that's what really motivated us and drove us into this business
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Read more about Wamhoff Design|Build’s success here, and don’t forget to check out the tree farmer Greg mentioned.
Curious about Buildertrend Onsite Consulting? Learn more about our premier training tool here.
Miss our last minisode? Listen here to hear how user feedback drives the Buildertrend’s product and the team powering it.
Catch our next “Inside Buildertrend” minisode next week. Subscribe here, and never miss an episode.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend:
Resolved to improve how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software this year? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
This special episode drop kicks off our new “Inside Buildertrend” series for “The Building Code.” Every other Thursday, we’ll give our listeners a glimpse into the inner workings of our business. What are our teams working on? What features are coming up and how will they benefit our users? What data and research are being collected behind the scenes? Tune in as we take a look inside Buildertrend.
What happened inside Buildertrend in 2021?
In this premiere episode of the “Inside Buildertrend” series, Russ Lane, our director of product, joins Zach and Charley to recap some of the company highlights of 2021.
Hear about user feedback, the React conversion and quick preview on some highly anticipated upcoming feature updates and releases.
What are the key takeaways?
- User feedback: All our product updates start with our customers. They tell us what they need or how we can make their jobs easier, and we prioritize based on the complexity. From there, updates or new features are built and gradually rolled out.
- The React conversion: By modernizing an older framework, this conversion laid the groundwork for current and future product updates and allows our team to deliver the best experience for our customers.
- Feature highlights: We’re touching briefly on new and upcoming product releases such as the redesigned Summary page, offline Daily Logs and global search. Listen to upcoming episodes in the “Inside Buildertrend” series for an in-depth overview.
Why is this cool for Buildertrend users?
Making building, remodeling and contracting more efficient is what we do. We see, we hear and we understand what our customers need to succeed in the highly competitive construction industry.
With updates and innovations like these, our construction management software continues to provide our customers with the best tools to run their business. Giving our users the best, most efficient experience possible is what we strive for.
Our customers are seeing huge benefits and you can, too. Check out their success stories here.
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Attending IBS 2022? Catch our panel, “Beyond Building: Mastering the Demands of a Modern-Day Builder,” on Feb. 8 at 1:45 p.m. ET at W307-C in the convention center.
Then swing by the Buildertrend booth – W6370. Demo our software, enter prize giveaways or network during our daily happy hours beginning at 2 p.m.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
Subscribe here, and never miss an episode.
The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend:
Resolved to improve how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software this year? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Construction’s never been easy. But in 2022, the job duties have expanded well-beyond building.
On this episode of “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley preview an insightful panel at next week’s International Builders’ Show with industry pros Joe Christensen of Cardinal Crest Homes and Katie Kath of Jkath Design Build + Reinvent.
Joe and Katie each share how they define the modern-day builder, the subject of an IBS 2022 panel they’re leading along with Buildertrend CEO Dan Houghton and Nick Schiffer of NS Builders Feb. 8 in Orlando, Florida.
Plus, listen in to hear about Katie’s first IBS experience and about a surprise Joe found during a client walkthrough that tested his resolve.
WHAT DEFINES THE MODERN-DAY BUILDER?
Katie: “In terms of what is a modern-day builder for me, that goes back to our brand. So for me, I feel like I am my client. Nine out of 10 clients are me in the sense of sort of demographic, where we are in our life. We have kids, we like to cook. We want an open floor plan. How many people have the ability and the want to take down these major projects, which is such a huge disruption in life? But it’s really no different than when you go to get a cup of coffee. They want the same thing from their build team. They want convenience. They want communication. They want a brand, period. So how are we creating a brand?”
WHAT MAKES THE MODERN-DAY BUILDER DIFFERENT FROM THE TRADITIONAL BUILDER?
Joe: “I always think is like it's our jobs in this industry to be the professionals. It's our job to, to, to steady the waters because people don't know like it's a messy process…It's a messy business. And I think the modern-day builder, the mountain that we have to climb is how do we make it a customer service-orientated business —not get railroaded by the clients, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying, ‘How do we calm the waters, be process systemized so it can be a fun experience at the end?’”
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Attending IBS 2022? Catch the panel, “Beyond Building: Mastering the Demands of a Modern-Day Builder” Feb. 8 at 1:45 p.m. ET at W307-C in the convention center.
Then swing by the Buildertrend booth – W6370. Demo our software, network, enter prize giveaways or network during our daily happy hours beginning at 2 p.m.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
New “Building Code” minisode drops Feb. 8. Listen as we dive into what’s next at Buildertrend. Subscribe here, and never miss an episode.
The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend:
Resolved to improve how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software this year? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Hectic building conditions in 2021 forced builders to rewrite their plans on the fly as they adapted to historic materials scarcity and labor shortages. So how should they prepare for profit and growth in 2022 and beyond?
In this episode of “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley learn the best construction goal-setting strategies from Doug Howard of Remodelers Advantage.
Doug shares how remodelers and home builders can approach scaling and the ways construction software like Buildertrend can bring goals into reach.
HOW WILL THE TURBULENT MARKET AFFECT MY ABILITY TO REACH MY GOALS?
“What I really try to do is get folks to think about growth in terms of a five-year plan. I always want to know where people want to be five years out. Even though people say, ‘Well, how can you do that in the crazy world we live in,’ I will tell you the people that had five-year plans as they were going through COVID, they at least knew how far off track they were. It was a really good rudder to bring them back in line.”
HOW CAN FOCUSING ON QUARTERLY METRICS HELP BUILDERS REACH THEIR FIVE-YEAR GOALS?
“We can look at what's going to drive production capacity. ‘Hey, we need another small job,’ or ‘we're going to be finishing a big job – we need another one to start in May.’ It really translates all these numbers into something actionable, but the really cool thing about it is when someone grows at that pace, and each of those quarters has an escalation, when they get to the fourth quarter, all they really need to do is maintain that level for the next year and they're going to go up in revenue again. They're doing it in a very controlled and a very profitable way, as opposed to, ‘We've sold a bunch, let's go build a bunch. Let's go sell a bunch more – let's try to fit it in.’"
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Want to book time with Doug to discuss your company’s goals? Schedule time here.
Catch the latest tips on how to retain the best employees here.
Explore Remodelers Advantage’s free resources covering entrepreneurship, talent development, and more here.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
“The Better Way” a podcast by Buildertrend:
Resolved to improve how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software this year? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Jan 06, 2022
Thursday Jan 06, 2022
Construction software has helped thousands of builders optimize their operations, and it’s also powering life-changing charity right in Buildertrend’s backyard.
On 2022’s first episode of “The Building Code,” Lynette Farhart of Project Houseworks tells Zach and Charley all about the Omaha nonprofit’s mission to help seniors with free home repairs.
Lynette describes how the Buildertrend helped them better serve seniors and the benefits of the Estimate and Time Clock features for her team’s fundraising.
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOUR TEAM NEEDED PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?
“We were serving more, and the projects were getting really big. We're trying to manage all of this on Word documents and spreadsheets. And I think it was pivotal when someone accidentally messed up one of our spreadsheets and saved it. And all of our data was completely messed up. And it was like, "Okay, we can't do that anymore." Because I think what's important to know is that our funding comes a lot from grants, and we have deliverables on those grants. And so, if we told a donor through the grant process that we're going to serve X amount of people, we've got to report that we did that work. So trying to manage our data with spreadsheets just didn't make sense for us anymore”
HOW ELSE DOES BUILDERTREND HELP YOU WIN OVER DONORS?
“Some of our grants are reimbursable, which means we have to do all of the work, and then we ask for funding. So we have really accurate reports to submit. And that just earns the trust of our donors knowing that we're keeping such good records on everything that we do.”
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Read more about their Buildertrend story here.
To help Project Houseworks serve more seniors, visit their website here.
Want to get your finances in shape for the new year? Listen here for accounting pro-tips.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
“The Better Way” a podcast by Buildertrend:
Resolved to improve how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software this year? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bing-eable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
As builders close out a frenzied construction year, we’re highlighting Buildertrend patterns from the past year and how construction software factored into 2021 home building.
On this episode of “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley examine the data trends from a historic construction year with Buildertrend data analyst Kayla Schmitt.
Kayla also offers insight into a service Buildertrend is testing to help builder’s reach their business goals.
WHAT’S A TREND THAT SURPRISED YOU?
“One element that we've seen a large increase in over the last year, even two years, is that communication piece. So especially in the age of COVID, you can't necessarily go out and see people face-to-face anymore. We've had an increase of about 40% in our daily log consumption. So that's speaking to what happened on a day-to-day basis throughout the job and messaging that, whether it's to the subcontractors or the homeowner, making sure everybody's up to date and they understand what's going on.”
WHAT KINDS OF DATA ARE BUILDERS SEEKING FROM BUILDERTREND?
“I think some of the bigger takeaways that we've had so far is just identifying holes in their workflows. Maybe some inefficiencies that they've had. So at the end of the day, as we talked about, it's all about optimizing their revenue. And then I think if you don't know where to start, it's really just, you got to ask yourself, what do you want to do with your business? Where do you want your business to go? You communicate that with us. And then we can even help you identify the proper Key Performance Indicators that you need to track.”
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Get insight on how to future-proof your business by checking out our latest blog.
Want to get your finances in shape for the new year? Listen here for accounting pro-tips.
Got podcast topic suggestions for 2022? Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
“The Better Way” a podcast by Buildertrend:
Ready to optimize how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Dec 02, 2021
Thursday Dec 02, 2021
Solid financials keep builders in fighting shape to handle the day-to-day and big picture challenges thrown at the construction industry.
In this episode of “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley pick up financial pro-tips from Carla Merrill, a consultant who helps builders integrate their financials with software like Buildertrend and CoConstruct.
Carla offers practical advice for builders looking to better organize or order their books to protect their profits and reputation.
WHAT ARE THE KEY PRACTICES OF A FINANCIALLY FIT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY?
“Statistically, it's been proven that builders who track their cost on a daily basis usually finish their projects on time and within budget. And so, you do have to have that job costing component set up in order to be able to do that. So a financially healthy (company) would be one who is regularly, whether that's daily or at least weekly, tracking their estimated versus actuals, which can be done on a budget page in Buildertrend. (A company) who's staying on top of their upgrades and additions and price changes by using tools such as change orders and purchase orders so that they don't fall behind on that, and they don't end up eroding their profit as the project is progressing, which can easily happen. And then they're integrating actually with QuickBooks so that they can see it.”
WHAT’S ONE TACTIC BUILDERS SHOULD FOCUS ON BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR TO GET THEIR FINANCIALS IN ORDER?
“I always tell people the end of the year is a perfect time to figure out what your overhead costs are and make sure that you're taking that amount and that you're allocating it to your projects.”
Plus, tune in to hear Catie Brown of Buildertrend’s data and research team highlight how builders can instill a growth mindset in their organization.
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Learn more about Carla’s consulting services.
Master Buildertrend’s accounting integrations for free.
Listen to our last episode on how to retain top talent in construction.
“The Better Way” a podcast by Buildertrend:
Ready to optimize how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five bingeable episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
We want to hear from you! Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
Higher turnover. An aging workforce. Surging demand. Construction businesses face a trio of challenges stressing their workloads and their workers. So how are construction owners attracting and keeping their best talent?
In today’s episode of “The Building Code,” Zach and Charley discuss how builders can empower their workforces with Benji Carlson of Breakthrough Academy. The Canada-based construction company consultant seeks to help transform honest, hardworking contractors across North America into thriving entrepreneurs.
Benji highlights strategies to engage, retain and develop your workers, including how to rethink the compensation question.
WHY DO CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES STRUGGLE TO HIRE AND KEEP THEIR TOP TALENT?
“A lot of construction companies struggle to create and articulate a clear career path for people. High performers don't want a dead-end job. And a lot of people, a lot of owners don't, I think put themselves in the shoes of an applicant, of a candidate, enough.”
HOW ARE CONSTRUCTION OWNERS SUCCESSFULLY MAPPING CAREER PATHS FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES?
“They're thinking through how their organizational chart is designed. And they're linking one step, one node on the system to a higher one, to a higher one, to a higher one. They're getting very clear on what skills, what aptitudes the person needs to develop to move up, what results that business owner would need to see from the employee to move them up. So, it's not just giving promotions willy-nilly. There is actual measurable stuff that you need to see.”
LINKS AND MORE
Related content:
Read more about why the construction industry’s churning workers faster than other industries.
Listen to more advice from Benji on charting career paths for your best employees.
Download Breakthrough Academy’s training checklist for retaining top talent.
“The Better Way” a podcast by Buildertrend:
Ready to optimize how your team plans projects with the world’s No. 1 construction management software? Pick up Buildertrend project planning pro tips on the newest season of “The Better Way, a podcast by Buildertrend.” Subscribe and stream all five binge-able episodes on your favorite listening app now.
Follow us on social:
Instagram and Facebook:
We want to hear from you! Reach out to us at podcast@buildertrend.com.
Listen to “The Building Code” on YouTube! And be sure to head over to Facebook to join The Building Code Crew fan page for some fun discussions with fellow listeners.