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The Construction Leading Edge Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Todd Dawalt
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- 1 weeks ago23 min
The Firing: A Business Parable for Construction Owners | Ep. 443
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team: HERE EPISODE 443: Jake spent three years running a construction business that felt like waist-deep mud. He blamed the labor market. He blamed the economy. He blamed himself. Then he found a signature at the bottom of a stack of invoices — and everything clicked. His chaos had a name. And it had been there the whole time. In this solo episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast, Todd Dawalt tells the story of Jake a fictional composite built from real conversations with hundreds of construction business owners to illustrate one of the most common reasons construction businesses stay stuck: the people, patterns, and gray areas that quietly block every attempt to grow. Jake's story isn't real. But the moment of recognition probably will be. 👉 If you've been telling yourself things will calm down soon, this episode is for you. Tune in. ☎️ Schedule a free Business Evaluation Call with the CLE team → HERE Jake had Charlie a 30-year veteran who kept things murky, kept Jake in firefighting mode, and had a quiet interest in keeping the business exactly where it was. He had Sarah, whose passive resistance and finger-pointing turned every attempted change into a confrontation. And he had a vision he couldn't seem to move toward, no matter how hard he pushed. The story is a vehicle for three questions Todd puts directly to the listener: What's the biggest gray area in your business right now? Is your business designed around the people you have, or the vision you want to achieve? And how long have you been telling yourself you'll fix it when you have time? These aren't rhetorical. They're diagnostic the same questions Todd has used working with over 400 construction companies to identify what's actually holding the business back. Jake's turning point wasn't a new hire or a better system. It was a decision. He stopped waiting to feel ready, stopped designing his business around the people he happened to have, and started building toward a destination he'd actually defined. Three months later, he was at his kid's soccer practice. He was the coach. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Jake's story begins — three years of running through mud 01:15 Introducing Charlie and Sarah — resistance from inside the business 05:20 The $50,000 window order mistake and where accountability broke down 07:00 The beach vacation call — what it cost Jake beyond the job 09:20 The invoice signature — chaos hiding in plain sight 10:25 Charlie's real role: keeping Jake stuck in the urgent 11:20 Jake fires Charlie 13:45 How Jake rebuilt — vision, business design, and the playbook 18:05 Three questions for the listener 22:15 The call to action — results page and next steps Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team: HERE ⚡ Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook: HERE ⚡Follow us on Facebook Instagram LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information: HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps constructio
- 2 weeks ago46 min
The Nail the Handoff Framework: 4 Crucial Handoffs to Increase Profit and Eliminate Chaos | EP 442
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE EPISODE 442: Most construction business owners are managing 20 things at once and wondering why the job still falls apart. They've got good people, solid clients, decent projects — and somehow it still ends in chaos, rework, and fires they didn't see coming. The problem usually isn't the building. It's the handoff. In this solo episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast, Todd Dawalt breaks down a framework he calls Nail the Handoff — a simple way to identify the three or four points in every construction project where the most damage happens and where your time and energy will have the greatest return. Drawing on 30 years in construction and work with over 400 companies, Todd walks through each handoff point: customer to contractor, sales to estimating, estimator to subs and suppliers, and pre-construction to operations. At each stage, he shows what breaks down, what it costs you, and what one tool can fix it. 👉 If your jobs seem to start smooth and then deteriorate — or if you're still the person holding all the pieces together — this episode is worth your full attention. Tune in. Key Takeaways: 00:02 The 20-plates problem — why construction chaos isn't random 01:20 Introducing the Nail the Handoff framework 02:20 The 2020 Olympic relay disqualification and what it means for your business 04:45 What botched handoffs actually look like in construction 10:45 Handoff #1: Customer to contractor — needs assessment and expectation setting 17:30 Handoff #2: Sales to estimating — what a complete handoff looks like 21:15 Handoff #3: Estimator to subs and suppliers — bid packages and scope clarity 27:15 Handoff #4: Pre-construction to operations — the loan closing model 36:05 Bonus move #1: Work right to left 37:35 Bonus move #2: Build processes with your team 38:30 Bonus move #3: Get paid for pre-construction 40:10 Real results — Andy Culp and John Springs on what changed 44:20 Grade your handoff — and what a weak one is actually costing you Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team: HERE ⚡ Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook: HERE ⚡Follow us on Facebook, Instagram LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information: HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!
- 3 weeks ago37 min
The Cost‑Plus Contract Trap: 3 Simple Moves to Prevent Budget Blowups and Legal Nightmares | EP 441
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE EPISODE 441: Most builders assume cost plus is the safe play. No locked-in price. No exposure if materials spike or scope grows. But according to the author of Markup and Profits, cost plus contracts end up in lawsuits two to three times more often — and in arbitration nine times more often — than fixed-price contracts. That's not a pricing problem. It's a process problem. In this solo episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast, Todd Dawalt breaks down why cost plus contracts are far riskier than most builders realize — and what actually creates that risk. He walks through the hidden traps that turn cost plus jobs sideways: the "just enough to start" trap that lets you move forward without real clarity, the budget heart attack that hits clients at the 60-80% mark, the microscope effect that turns every invoice into a negotiation, and why cost plus limits your upside while doing almost nothing to protect your downside. 👉 If you've been using cost plus as a safety net, this episode will change how you think about it — and show you what actually keeps you protected. Tune in. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 03:05 Why builders think cost plus limits their risk — and why it doesn't 08:45 Cost plus contracts end up in lawsuits 2-3x more often than fixed-price 12:55 The "just enough to start" trap and how cost plus enables it 17:15 Real legal case study: consumer fraud, treble damages, and what triggered it 24:25 The budget heart attack — what happens at the 60-80% mark 29:20 The microscope effect and the $40,000 Snickers bar 32:25 How billing disputes slow cash flow after your leverage is already gone 36:10 Cost plus limits your upside while barely protecting your downside 38:00 What real transparency looks like vs. open-book exposure 41:20 The three things to do right now if your pre-construction process needs work Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team: HERE ⚡Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information: HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!
- 4 weeks ago51 min
3 Keys to Operating from a Position of Strength in High-End Remodeling with Andy Kolp | EP 440
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE: EPISODE 440: Andy Kolp had clients, projects, and a reputation worth protecting. He also had gaps in his process — vague scope, trade bids coming in by text with no context, and jobs where the client ended up running the show. The projects finished. The clients were happy. But Epic Building Company had bent more than it should have. So Andy set a goal for 2025: operate from a position of strength. In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast, Todd sits down with Andy Kolp, owner of Epic Building Company in Columbus, Ohio, to break down what it actually looks like to tighten up every phase of your construction business — from pre-construction through closeout. Andy shares how he overhauled his scope development and trade bid process, why fixed-price contracts require more upfront work but protect everyone in the end, and how a simple weekly client update called the Epic Weekly Rundown nearly eliminated weekend calls and client surprises entirely. 👉 If you're tired of making decisions from the defensive, this episode shows you what it looks like to get ahead of your projects before they start. Tune in. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 03:05 Meet Andy Kolp of Epic Building Company 04:10 Why Andy made "position of strength" his 2025 focus 08:45 What happens when you let clients run your process 12:55 Why pre-construction is the foundation of every successful project 15:00 The problem with vague trade bids — and how to fix it 17:15 What to say to contractors who skip straight from sell to build 20:15 Why fixed price beats cost plus for remodeling projects 24:25 What clients are actually paying for in pre-construction 29:20 Scope development and the three-part spec system 32:25 Trade partner site visits during pre-construction 36:10 The Epic Weekly Rundown — what it is and why it works 41:20 What freedom looks like after six years of systems work 46:50 What the CEO Alliance is and why it's hard to describe Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading EdgeTeam: HERE ⚡Follow us on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information: HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode! #ConstructionLeadingEdge #PreConstruction #ConstructionBusiness
- Apr 13, 202653 min
3 Keys to Taking Back Control of Your Construction Business with Daaron Yester | EP 439
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE EPISODE 439: Daaron Yester has been framing custom homes in Southern California's Coachella Valley for nearly 30 years. He had loyal crews, a strong reputation, and clients who kept coming back. He was also borrowing money to keep the business alive, undercharging on jobs, and trying to run every part of the company himself. Something had to change. In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast, Todd sits down with Daaron Yester, owner of DYC Framing Inc., to trace the turning point that took him from financial stress and operational chaos to a business with clear roles, tighter numbers, and a schedule that actually leaves room for his life. Daaron shares how getting into his numbers revealed the markup problem he'd been avoiding for years, why clarifying roles for people already on his team was the move that freed him up most, and what it really looks like when your GCs are running your company instead of you. 👉 If you've been in business for decades and still feel like you're holding everything together yourself, this one's worth your time. Tune in. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 00:02:20 Meet Daaron Yester – DYC Framing and 30 years in the Coachella Valley 00:03:05 The scale of high-end custom work in Southern California 00:04:05 Misconceptions about wealthy clients 00:05:15 How Daaron got started in construction 00:07:05 Company size, team tenure, and rebuilding after 2008 00:08:10 Lessons from multiple downturns 00:11:05 How Daaron has kept crew members for 15–20 years 00:13:50 What led Daaron to reach out to CLE 00:16:35 Joining Systematize Your Construction Business – the decision to commit 00:18:25 The moment the program clicked 00:21:00 Clarifying roles: putting the right people in the right seats 00:23:05 Who was actually running the business 00:25:35 Why systems make you more professional with clients, not less 00:28:45 The two most impactful changes Daaron made 00:33:05 How Daaron's daily schedule has changed 00:36:30 Advice for owners who feel like they have to be everywhere 00:39:35 Keys to implementing systems and getting your team on board 00:43:35 What the CEO Alliance has meant for Daaron 00:45:10 Highlights from the Cancun live meetup 00:48:30 What Daaron would tell someone considering SYCB 00:49:45 One unconventional thing Daaron believes about business 00:52:15 Why construction owners try to do it alone 00:53:35 Where to go if you're ever passing through the area Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading EdgeTeam: HERE ⚡Follow us on Facebook Instagram and LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information: HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode! #ConstructionLeadingEdge #PreConstruction #ConstructionBusiness
- Apr 6, 202632 min
Your Customers Experience Your Systems, Not Your Intentions | EP 438
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE EPISODE 438: Why do construction business owners with real integrity still end up with frustrated clients? In this episode, Todd Dawalt breaks down the systems gap between what you promise and what your customers actually experience — and why pre-construction is the fix. ☎️ Schedule a free Business Evaluation Call with the CLE team → https://go.constructionleadingedge.com/qualification You can be a builder with high standards and real integrity and still deliver a customer experience full of confusion, delays, and broken promises. The issue isn't character — it's that your business has outgrown the point where personal integrity alone can carry the load. Todd walks through the trust erosion cycle that plays out on construction projects and explains why most financial surprises on a job weren't really surprises at all. They were problems your process didn't catch early enough. The fix starts with pre-construction. Todd lays out the three pillars every builder needs locked down before signing a contract — a fully defined scope, a real project schedule, and an anticipated cost report based on actual buyout pricing. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 00:50 Your customers experience your systems, not your intentions 06:10 How trust erodes on a construction project 08:05 The avoidance spiral and what silence costs you 11:45 What it looks like when systems support your integrity 16:40 Pre-construction is the lead domino 18:55 Pillar 1: Scope — what are you actually building? 21:35 Pillar 2: Schedule — build the job on paper first 23:20 Pillar 3: The anticipated cost report 26:35 At least 75% of your financial surprises were already there 29:55 Your five-minute action item Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE – ⚡Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!
- Mar 30, 202635 min
What the P-38 Fighter Plane Can Teach You About Business Strategy | EP 437
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE EPISODE 437: In 1937, the U.S. Army Air Corps sent out a design proposal with a set of detailed performance specifications for a new pursuit aircraft — one that didn't yet exist and that no plane at the time could match. That proposal eventually produced the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, a fighter that flew over 130,000 missions and, according to some historians, helped tip the balance of the war in the Pacific. In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast, Todd breaks down the business lessons hidden inside that story — and why the way the Army Air Corps built the P-38 is exactly how successful construction business owners should be thinking about strategy, vision, and delegation. Todd walks through three core lessons: how to establish performance specifications for your business instead of just reacting to whatever comes at you, why the visionary's job is to define the what and then hand the how to the people who know best, and why the time to develop your strategy is long before you actually need it. He also walks through two detailed business examples — including how to design a pre-construction handoff process and how to build an organization chart for a company targeting $13M in revenue. 👉 If you've been running on instinct instead of strategy, this episode gives you a framework to change that. Tune in. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro 03:30 The story of the P-38 Lightning and how it started with a spec sheet 08:50 Lesson 1 — You get to set the performance specifications for your business 12:20 Right-to-left thinking: start with what you want, then work backwards 16:35 Lesson 2 — Define the what, then delegate the how to your team 22:10 Real-world example: designing a pre-construction handoff process 27:15 Real-world example: building your org chart around a revenue target 30:00 Lesson 3 — Develop your strategy before you need it 34:05 The questions every construction owner should be asking about the future 38:20 Free resource: Strategic Planning Guide download Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE – ⚡Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!
- Mar 23, 202647 min
How John Springstead Doubled Revenue While Cutting His Work Hours | EP 436
☎️ Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE EPISODE 436: John Springs has been in construction since 1991. For most of those years, everything lived in his head — no written systems, no pre-construction process, no clear handoffs. He was the first call for every problem, working 60-hour weeks, and couldn't step away without something falling apart. Three years ago, that started to change. In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge Podcast, Todd sits down with John Springs, owner of John Springs Construction in Glen Rock, New Jersey, to break down exactly how he transformed his business from a one-man operation held together by hustle into a systematized company that grew from $1.7M to $3.1M in revenue — with two fewer employees. John shares how implementing a pre-construction process eliminated chaos before jobs even began, how he handed off field operations to his superintendent Jonathan, and why he now leaves the office every day at 4:00 PM. 👉 If your business still depends on you for everything, this episode shows you what's possible on the other side. Tune in. Key Takeaways: Intro John's background and how he got into construction Going out on his own — and why it failed the first time Starting John Springs Construction in 2011 What led John to reach out to Construction Leading Edge The root causes of his profit bleeds The moment he knew the systems were actually working How to handle customers who push back on your process The pre-construction process and the job site hub Learning to let employees do their jobs Day-to-day life before vs. after SYCB From $1.7M to $3.1M with two fewer employees What eliminated the chaos — clarity of roles and pre-construction The non-measurable results: sleep, time, watching his team grow Biggest implementation challenge — and how to overcome it The CEO Alliance and the value of peer accountability One goal he didn't think was possible three years ago Where to find John Additional Resources: ⚡Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team HERE – ⚡Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn ⚡Subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE ⚡Visit The Construction Leading Edge for more information HERE The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time. Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!
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About The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
This podcast is dedicated to helping construction business owners eliminate chaos, maximize profit, and reclaim their freedom.Designed for leaders who are ready to step out of the daily grind and take control of their business, The Construction Leading Edge Podcast delivers actionable strategies on systematization, time management, increasing profitability, and business growth. Whether it's stopping profit bleeds, building high-performing teams, or creating systems that allow your business to run without you, each episode will leave you with practical tools to unlock more profit, freedom, and impact.Join Todd Dawalt every week for solo episodes packed with insights and guest interviews featuring industry experts who've mastered the art of building self-sustaining businesses. If you're ready to stop wearing so many hats and start leading your business like a visionary CEO, this podcast is for you.
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