Built to Build: Blog

In Episode 35 of Building Optimal Radio, Shawn outlines a plan to help you get paid for your pre-con work. If you’re not doing it already, this is worth a listen! And if you are, well Shawn may have a few ways to enhance your program. Listen and learn: Why…
Read More

SHAWN VAN DYKE JOINS BUILDBOOK TEAM SHAWN VAN DYKE JOINS THE BUILDBOOK BOARD OF ADVISORS [PRESS RELEASE JULY 29, 2019] If you know me, you know that I’ve dedicated my career to helping construction companies grow their businesses. In my work, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a ton of…
Read More

Shawn joins Jared Gossett on Episode 34 of the Building Optimal Podcast to discuss recruitment strategies for construction companies. Listen and learn: Where you should be looking to find your next hire The cost of a bad hire. The percentage of people who actually hate their jobs and what to…
Read More

Are you looking for leadership strategies to build a profitable company prepared for sustainable growth? Episode 238 of the EntreArchitect podcast is: How to Find Skilled Employees You Need as a Small Firm Architect. To hear more about finding high quality employees to join your small firm, listen to the…
Read More

HOMEOWNERS SHOULD NOT ASK THEIR CONTRACTORS THIS QUESTION LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST DO NOT ASK A CONTRACTOR FOR A NOSE JOB In my previous post, I stated why homeowners should pay their contractors for proposal and why they shouldn’t expect them to work for free. This post is for homeowners…
Read More

WHY CONTRACTORS SHOULD CHARGE FOR PROPOSALS LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST CHARGING FOR PROPOSALS SERVES YOUR CUSTOMERS Many residential contractors waste their time by running around giving out free estimates to customers who never intend on hiring them.  This practice increases the cost of a project because someone has to pay…
Read More

On the Tile Money Podcast, Shawn joins Luke Miller to talk about managing your money. Listen and learn: How to sell with questions How to calculate your price The difference between markup and margin The best way to manage your money

DO THESE 3 THINGS IN JULY TO END THE YEAR ON TOP LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST A SIMPLE PLAN IN Q3 & Q4 FOR YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS It’s the beginning of July and it’s one of my favorite times of the year. The reason is because half of the year’s…
Read More

HOW TO HOLD AN EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTABLE LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST HOW TO HOLD AN EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTABLE Construction business owners have to trust in their employees if they want to grow their businesses.  It’s frustrating when your employees don’t do what they say they will do.  When they don’t follow through…
Read More

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY RUN A CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS Running a construction business is no cake walk. On Episode 11 of the Time Limit Podcast, Shawn digs in to the many highs and lows of running a construction business. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that touches on a lot of points that will…
Read More

THE ONLY PATH TO A GOOD JOB LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST THE ONLY PATH TO A GOOD JOB Most high school students want to pursue an education that leads to a successful career. In order to do that, they need confidence in choosing the right path for their postsecondary education…
Read More

USING A GANTT CHART TO PREDICT CASH FLOW LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS CASH FLOW The phrase “Time is money” may be cliche, but it is true. A plan for money is called a budget. A budget for time is called a schedule. Therefore: SCHEDULE = BUDGET FOR TIME…
Read More

HOW TO F* UP A BOOK LAUNCH – PROFIT FIRST FOR CONTRACTORS WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO HEAR HOW TO F* UP A BOOK LAUNCH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ELEVATED PODCAST with Mike Michalowicz Check out Episode 247 of the Entrepreneurship Elevated Podcast with Mike Michalowicz. Mike and Shawn discuss the ins and…
Read More

THE PROBLEM WITH PROFIT WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW. TOUGH LOVE FOR MY CLEINT Here’s a few minutes of a coaching call with one of my clients, BJ. When you focus on the right things, then you get results. You might get stressed when you start to see the cash in…
Read More

HOW TO GROW A CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST Growing a profitable construction business requires more than just increasing the top line revenue. In fact, selling more work at the wrong price to the wrong customers will ensure that yours never grows in a sustainable manner. Edward Abbey, an…
Read More

DESIGN – BID – BUILD IS A BROKEN PROCESS The old way of getting projects is broken. Architects design projects without knowing the real costs involved. This creates a problem for the architect and the homeowner and frustrates the contractors bidding on the work. The design, bid, build process is…
Read More

LEADERSHIP IN YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN CONSTRUCTION Peter Drucker famously said: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” If you own or manage a construction business, then you are busy doing a lot of things.  But are those things leading you in the right direction?…
Read More

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR CONTRACTORS THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PROBLEM FOR CONTRACTORS Many construction companies claim to offer the best service and they market these services in the same way.  They plaster beautiful pictures all over social media of their process, their projects and their products. The problem is your…
Read More

FOCUS WINS PRIORITIZE YOUR TIME The problem with most construction business owners is that they don’t prioritize their time. This causes stress for you (the owner) and damages relationships with the most important people in your life – your family. Learn what happened with my client, Victor Martinez, when he…
Read More

On this episode of the Remodelers on the Rise Podcast, Shawn joins Kyle Hunt to discuss how to make profit in you construction business using the Profit First Framework. Listen and learn: How to make sense of your financial statements Why you must understand your numbers How Profit First for…
Read More

HOW TO TRAIN A GENERAL CONTRACTOR WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW. General contractors push trade contractors to “just get started.” But many times the general contractor is not 100% ready for the trade contractor to start. This pressure “to start” causes confusion, inefficiencies, and mistake to happen. HOW TO TRAIN A…
Read More

If you would love to learn how to manage your businesses cash better, and turn profit into a habit, then check out Episode 38 of Builder Funnel Radio. Listen and learn: What the profit system is The importance of budgeting Why profit is critical and how to make it a…
Read More

LINE ITEM PRICING WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW. Do you ever get nervous or feel uncertain when your potential customer asks you to provide line item pricing? I used to feel the same way until I realized that providing line item pricing usually causes confusion with my customers. LINE ITEM PRICING…
Read More

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR CONTRACTORS IBS 2019 Join me in Las Vegas, NV at the NAHB International Builders’ Show to learn why… “Being the ONLY is Better than Being the Best: How to Differentiate your Construction Business through Social Media Marketing.” Location: Jeld-Wen Booth – C5230 Tuesday – FEB 19th…
Read More

CONSTRUCTION PRICING: LINE ITEM OR LUMP SUM CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO THE BLOGCAST OF THIS POST. If you sell construction services, then you have had to deal with the following question from a client: “Can you break out the price of each line item?” How you respond to this…
Read More