Episodes
Building Consensus | Episode 125: The Best of Times & Worst of Times with Matt Risinger
Episode 125
We get the big boss man in to discuss what the best part of being the boss is and by comparison- what the worst parts are. The idea that we as business owners get to wake up and decide if we’ll take the week off or spend our day getting rich is pure fantasy. But how bad is it really - and just how great can it be?
Building Consensus | Episode 124: Holiday Bonus - Dumb and Dumber
Episode 124
Trying to determine the dumbest things we still do in our industry and what we should be doing instead. From the dangerous things we do resultant from extreme commitment to schedule, with your profitability tied to speed and productivity to offering free bids and fixed pricing based on cost per square foot, this is a quick assessment of bad practices.
Building Consensus | Episode 123: In-house vs. Outhouse
Episode 123
Brandon and Travis discuss why their respective firms would choose to self-perform some work with their in-house team versus subcontracting the work to others. Certainly, there’s a place for both, but in a time when there's more work than any of us can handle, why slow down the schedule and limit profitability by self-performing?
Building Consensus | Episode 122: Game Changers
Episode 122
After a short surprise unboxing to kick things off the guys try to sort what the moments of their careers were that marked the most notable changes in their path forward. The affordable thermal imagers, the ultra-lightweight hand tools, Robertson and Torx tips, and the technology from Blackberry’s and Nextel to tablets carrying today’s cutting edge software. It’s about identifying the things that allowed us to get here in an effort to allow others to level up faster.
Building Consensus | Episode 120: Did You Bring Protection? A PPE Confessional
Episode 120
From the time-honored safety squint to site-built ladders, pinning back the guard and all that, this is an honest discussion about the Personal Protective Equipment we choose to use on our projects as well what we see in the field. Where we have been lucky and where we need to dial down the on-site cowboy bravado to increase the probability of retaining digits and eyeballs.
Building Consensus | Episode 119: Much Ado About Precon
Episode 119
The guys work through their different preconstruction processes and services: defining what path and methods they use leading up to building their projects, and what the outcome can be if you successfully navigate “PRECON" with your clients.
Building Consensus | Episode 118: What's In A Name?
Episode 118
In order to communicate effectively we have to use the same language. You can’t get things done efficiently if we don’t use the same terms for the same things so we discuss what we should call the various tradespeople and processes that make up our day to day operations in building.
Building Consensus | Episode 117: You Can Go Your Own Way
Episode 117
Brandon goes from @joneshomesKC to @bbuildsit and explains what drove his decision to fold his company's operations into Aarow Building as he takes on the role of Construction Manager overseeing all operations in Columbia and KC. Working for someone else can be hard afer being the boss, but Brandon's gonna give it a go.
Building Consensus | Episode 116: Do These Subs Fire Themselves? with Jake Bruton
Episode 116
When do you pay a subcontractor, when do you fire them and when do they fire themselves? Jake Bruton joins the BuildConPod to sort out when deposits are appropriate, how they tie payment to scopes of work, and what procedures are best for managing subcontractor relationships on the administrative side.
Building Consensus | Episode 115: Preparing A Shower with Jake Bruton
Episode 115
Since Travis and Brandon can’t agree on the proper way to waterproof the showers in their builds they sought an arbitrator. Jake Bruton joins the discussion to settle whether it’s Schluter or GoBoard, Hardie/Durock and Red Guard or whatever. It’s a Shower Waterproofing Systems Throw Down from guys who probably need showers.
Building Consensus | Episode 114: TOOLS! Part 2 What's in your Bags and Why?
Episode 114
TOOLS! Part 2 - Having already parsed the cordless tools offerings based on their features and various applications, the guys dive into what hand tools they carry in their bags. Starting with the bags themselves the guys go through their preferred hammers, tapes, knives, chalk lines and pry bars in an effort to decide which are really best and why.
Building Consensus | Episode 113: TOOLS! Part 1 Team Yellow vs. Team Red vs…
Episode 113
There's an awful lot of brand loyalty for tools in the trades and there are good reasons for that, but there’s also some ridiculous “team” mentality at play there. This episode considers what tools are the best choice and why someone might choose one over the other.