Built to Build: Blog

MY FIRST TIME I can still remember my first time. I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know if I was doing it right. I thought it was something only ‘the cool kids’ did. What if someone found out? I didn’t care. It was a risk I was willing…
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What does it look like to be an entrepreneur? How can you do it successfully to realize the life you want for you and your family? Find out how Shawn got his start as a construction business consultant on the Venture Your Adventure Podcast Episode 6.

Before 2015, reading books would not have been on my list of favorite past times.  In fact, I didn’t read much at all.  All that changed last year. Below are the books on my “must-read” list.  Check that.  Below are the books on my “did read and transformed my life”…
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Developing a profitable construction pricing strategy involves more than calculating the costs and applying a markup to those costs.  You need to understand how your customers think about your price in relation to not only the services you offer, but also what your customers may think about your competitors’ prices.…
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I started a research project to serve the construction and skilled trade industries about a year ago.  I have interviewed and spoken with hundreds of trade professionals about what they do and why they do it. I also work with skilled trade business owners all over the US and Canada to…
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What are you selling to your customer…a service or an experience? A service is: (noun) – the action of helping or doing work for someone. An experience is: (verb) – to encounter or undergo an event. Every business advertises its “customer service”.  If you are selling “customer service”, you may…
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What a great time I had at the Kuiken Brothers Product Expo last week! (Click here to watch the entire panel discussion.) I joined John Hourihan, Nick Schiffer, and Tyler Grace on stage in front of hundreds of attendees. We talked about how to build your brand and your business…
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At some point in your construction career, you search for resources that will help you advance in your technical knowledge.  For decades Fine Homebuilding magazine has been that resource for many a skilled trade professional. Fine Homebuilding has become more than just a trade periodical.  It has developed into a…
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I will be moderating a panel discussion with John Hourihan @heresjohnnyrcb, Tyler Grace @trghomconcepts, and Nick Schiffer @nsbuilders on Thursday, Nov. 3rd at the Kuiken Brothers Product Expo in Mahwah, NJ. We will be discussing how these guys use social media to build their brands and their businesses. …but we…
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CREATE SKILLED LABOR WHEN YOU CAN’T FIND IT Most construction business owners have experienced a skilled labor shortage at some time or another. This doesn’t have to slow your business down. In fact, it is an opportunity to create the kind of employee you’ve always wanted. Listen to Shawn on…
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I had so much fun speaking with Todd Dawalt at The Construction Leading Edge.  We got together for his podcast and discussed a wide range of topics involving the construction industry today.  Click here to listen to the podcast. In the podcast we discuss: a unique approach to solving the…
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Many businesses in the skilled trades view their top-line revenue as their only income stream. “We install drywall. That’s all we do.”“I am a framer. I frame houses. That’s my revenue stream.”“We are an electrical company. People pay us to install the electrical systems. “ This is not a good…
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I have the highest respect for the men and women in the skilled trades.  I want to start a movement that brings back the respect and high view that the trades once held in our society. I have met so many talented, smart, and hardworking tradespeople in my career.  There…
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I have been asked: “What’s that tag line BE HAPPY. BE PERSISTENT.  BE CREATIVE. all about?” Last year I read Ed Catmull’s book “Creativity Inc.” and it changed my view on leadership, and I started thinking about my own style of leadership.  I quickly came to the realization that I…
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The world needs more skilled trade professionals. The world needs more construction-related businesses. The world needs these businesses to be successful. These ideas are what inspired me to write the Paperwork Punch List: 28 Days to Streamline Your Construction Business. Click here and sign up to receive your FREE DOWNLOAD.…
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update: Thanks for your interest in the research project. Click here for the updated research survey. Originally, I designed 3 surveys in order to determine what skilled trade and construction professionals needed the most in their businesses. I used this research to develop the Paperwork Punch List: 28 Days to…
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update: Thanks for your interest in the research project. Click here for the updated research survey. Originally, I designed 3 surveys in order to determine what skilled trade and construction professionals needed the most in their businesses. I used this research to develop the Paperwork Punch List: 28 Days to…
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update: Thanks for your interest in the research project. Click here for the updated research survey. Originally, I designed 3 surveys in order to determine what skilled trade and construction professionals needed the most in their businesses. I used this research to develop the Paperwork Punch List: 28 Days to…
Read More

The SKILLED TRADE | SOUND BUSINESS project is research project I am conducting to gather information about people and businesses in and around the skilled trade, construction, and artisan industries (people/businesses that make stuff with their hands).  The research will consist of online surveys, email interviews, and in some cases,…
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