Inflation is changing the way contractors do business. Material prices are climbing, labour costs are rising, and profit margins are getting harder to protect. Even when revenue is up, the cost of running a business can leave you making less than expected.

In this episode of the Forge Contractor Alliance, Josh and the team discuss the realities of rising construction costs and what small business owners can do to stay profitable. From unexpected supplier increases and missed invoice changes to pricing jobs accurately and protecting margins, they share lessons learned from real experience in the trades.

The conversation also looks beyond day-to-day operations at the bigger picture of business ownership, including real estate, long-term investing, and building something that provides financial security well beyond your working years.

Because staying busy isn't the same as being profitable. And building a successful business takes more than bringing in revenue. It takes a plan.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co-produced by Kalen Wookey

Website: ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797⁠

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#GeneralContractor #RoofingContractor #ConstructionCompany #ConstructionLife #ConstructionManagement #ContractorBusiness #Tradesmen #SkilledTrades #BuildingIndustry #ConstructionLeadership #ConstructionProfessionals #TradeBusiness#BusinessOwner #SmallBusinessSuccess #Profitability #ProfitMargins #BusinessManagement #BusinessStrategy #BusinessFinance #BusinessDevelopment #BusinessLeadership #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessGrowth #FinancialSuccess#Inflation #RisingCosts #ConstructionCosts #CostOfDoingBusiness #EconomicChallenges #MaterialCosts #LabourCosts #SupplyChain #PricingStrategy #CostManagement #FinancialPlanning#RealEstateInvesting #WealthBuilding #BusinessOwnership #RetirementPlanning #LongTermInvesting #FinancialFreedom #AssetBuilding #GenerationalWealth #Entrepreneurship#ForgeContractorAlliance #ContractorPodcast #BusinessPodcast #ConstructionPodcast #EntrepreneurPodcast #LeadershipPodcast #TradesPodcast #BusinessTalk

Why does a customer deadline so often win out over a date night with your own kid? That question keeps coming back for Joel in this conversation with Josh, and it turns into a candid look at what actually decides where an entrepreneur’s attention goes.

It starts with a Friday that was supposed to be a family day and ended up at the office anyway. From there, they get into people pleasing, why urgent work feels louder than a family that isn’t in crisis, and the habit of keeping life in balance by whacking whichever area is lowest this week.

Joel describes a spur of the moment date night with his daughter that showed him how much he doesn’t know about his own kids.

Josh describes a different pull, a daily question over morning coffee about whether he’s about to spend the day on the wrong things, and a working life where his family overlaps with his workday more than most.

They talk through what saying no actually looks like: dropping commitments, selling off animals on the acreage that were taking more time than they were worth, and a recent 48 hour push on a major application deadline that showed both the power of a clear goal and how quickly overload creeps back in.

Along the way they cover Sabbath as a gift rather than a rule, planning the week with a spouse, the idea of meeting with other business owners every Monday morning to set priorities, and why a dashboard full of revenue KPIs and nothing for health or family quietly steers your attention. They also talk about why forming an executive team, with a merger still in the works, was partly about holding each other accountable.

Underneath it all is a simple, uncomfortable point. What gets your attention is a choice, and a lot of us hand it over to expectations we’ve only imagined other people have. This one is for owners who already know what matters most and are still working out how to act like it.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co-produced by Kalen Wookey

Website: ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797⁠

X: ⁠https://x.com/forge_ca⁠

In this episode of the Forge Contractor Alliance Podcast, Josh and Kenton talk about one of the biggest lessons they’ve learned in business: more leads don’t necessarily mean more business. After a slower-than-usual home show, the conversation turns to lead quality, pre-qualification, referrals, and the real cost of chasing customers who were never a good fit.

They discuss the difference between collecting names and numbers and actually finding homeowners who value the service you provide. Josh shares how Ridgeline has learned to recognize quality leads, why referrals can be some of the strongest opportunities a contractor can receive, and how building a strong reputation can naturally attract the right customers.

They also get into the realities of pricing, competition, truck-and-ladder operations, warranties, and what happens when something goes wrong after a project is complete.

The conversation goes beyond marketing and sales into something that matters just as much: the relationship between contractors and customers. From trust and communication to dealing with mistakes and standing behind your work, Josh and Kenton discuss why building a real business means being positioned to take care of customers long after the job is finished.

For contractors, the goal isn't simply to get more leads. It's to build a business that attracts the right customers, delivers real value, earns referrals, and is still standing behind its work years later.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey

Website https://forgealliance.ca/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca

@Forge_CA

In Episode 54 of the Forge Contractor Alliance podcast, Kenton and Josh tackle a difficult question for small contractors: what happens when you invest years into training someone, only for that employee to eventually leave and start their own company?

The conversation digs into employee retention, trust, training, and the real investment that goes into developing people in a small trade business. When you're a small contractor, you're not simply filling positions. You're often taking someone with little experience and teaching them the trade, your systems, your standards, and eventually the business itself.

But what happens when that person becomes one of your most valuable employees and decides they want to run their own show?

Kenton and Josh talk openly about their own history, including how Josh originally trained Kenton in roofing before Kenton eventually went out on his own. They discuss the difference between competition and collaboration, the challenge of knowing how much to invest in an employee, and why highly capable employees can sometimes be the very people most likely to want their own business.

They also explore how employers can better understand an employee's goals, why getting people involved in the business can increase retention, the risks that come with sharing too much, and why business owners can't build their entire company around one or two key employees.

Ultimately, people change. Goals change. Seasons of life change. And sometimes a great employee leaving isn't something a business owner can completely prevent. The question is how you build a company that can handle it.

Forge Contractor Alliance is a podcast for contractors and business owners working through the real challenges of building, leading, and growing a trade business.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey

Website https://forgealliance.ca/ Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca

@Forge_CA

This episode covers a little bit of everything.

Josh and Kenton talk about what it really looks like to build a business, lead a team, and figure things out along the way. They get into communication, the challenges that come with growth, and the things they both know they could probably do better.

They also have a pretty honest conversation about money. Saving receipts, overspending, budgeting, and the realization that sometimes you need someone else in the business to help keep the numbers on track. They talk about bringing in a CFO and how having better financial systems can change the way you make decisions and look at ROI.

The conversation takes an interesting turn when they start talking about mentorship, age, and experience. Getting older doesn't automatically make someone a good mentor. They talk about the importance of self awareness, learning from experience, and actually being willing to help the next generation.

Then things get a little more primal.

A story about a paintball game leads into a conversation about the survival instinct and why people sometimes perform differently when they're uncomfortable or under pressure. They connect that idea back to working in the trades and how having everything too comfortable can sometimes take away some of the drive that pushes people forward.

They also talk roofing, including a historic 1934 Anglican church they worked on using Enviroshake. That leads into a bigger conversation about craftsmanship, quality, volume, and the differences between how roofing is approached in Europe compared to North America.

Josh and Kenton also get into architecture and product selection, especially when expensive materials like metal roofing are chosen without thinking through the engineering, safety requirements, and overall cost that come with them.

On the business side, they talk about where they're taking FORGE next. Instead of jumping straight into pushing long form podcast episodes, they're looking at a softer approach built around real conversations, short form videos, and content that can naturally build an audience across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

There's also an update on the upcoming book, including the publishing process, advanced reader copies, endorsements, and recording the audiobook right in the podcast studio.

To wrap things up, they talk about the upcoming team retreat, the results from a recent home show, some frustration around follow up with potential customers, and a completely unexpected partnership opportunity that could lead to something much bigger.

It's a pretty honest episode about business, people, risk, growth, and figuring things out as you go.

Forge is where contractors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders come together to build stronger companies and become better leaders.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey

Website https://forgealliance.ca/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca

@Forge_CA

What happens when you stop building a business just for yourself and start thinking about what you can build for the people around you?

In this episode, Chris and his partner sit down for a candid conversation about leadership, business, failure, and the evolution of what it means to build something that lasts.

They talk about the lessons learned through running Ridgeline, the importance of taking ownership when things go wrong, building the right team, and creating a culture where people can grow.

They also dive into Forge and the idea behind building a community that gives other business owners the support, experience, and opportunity to succeed. It’s a conversation about putting ego aside, learning from failure, and realizing that a successful business can be about a lot more than the bottom line.

Forge is where contractors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders come together to build stronger companies and become better leaders.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

roduced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey Website https://forgealliance.ca/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca

@Forge_CA

The best systems aren't the ones that look complicated. They're the ones that make complicated work feel effortless.

In Episode 52, Josh and Kenton continue the conversation around building scalable businesses by exploring one idea that sits at the center of great leadership and operational excellence: simplicity.

Using examples from woodworking, contracting, and business operations, they discuss why the strongest companies aren't built on people constantly putting out fires. They're built on repeatable systems, focused work, and clear responsibilities.

Josh shares how Ridgeline is developing new standard operating procedures (SOPs) to simplify roles as the company grows. Rather than expecting team members to wear multiple hats all day, the goal is to create focused blocks of work where each person can concentrate on one responsibility at a time. From sales appointments to scheduling, production planning, and customer communication, every task has a place within a structured weekly rhythm designed to eliminate unnecessary distractions.

The conversation dives into the hidden cost of multitasking and constant interruptions. While some people can operate in chaos, both Josh and Kenton argue that most people perform at their highest level when they're able to protect their focus. They discuss why building simple systems isn't about making work easier, it's about making excellence repeatable. Whether it's planning production schedules a week in advance, reducing operational gaps, or creating better communication between departments, simplicity becomes the foundation for consistency.

They also tackle one of the more difficult leadership challenges: balancing work and family. As businesses grow and responsibilities increase, leaders have to find healthy boundaries that allow employees to prioritize both their careers and their families without sacrificing productivity. The discussion emphasizes creating company rhythms that support healthy home lives while still protecting the focused work that allows the business to thrive.

Episode 52 is a practical conversation for contractors, business owners, and leaders who want to build organizations that scale without becoming chaotic. Great businesses aren't built by adding complexity. They're built by simplifying it.

Forge is where contractors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders come together to build stronger companies and become better leaders.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey

Website ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/⁠

Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797⁠

X https://x.com/forge_ca@Forge_CA

Every business owner dreams about growth, but growth has a way of exposing the weaknesses you didn't know were there. In Episode 51, Josh and Kenton discuss what it really means to build a company that can scale, inspired by Jim Collins' Good to Great and the lessons that have become especially relevant as Ridgeline Roofing and Gott Energy work through their merger.

The conversation centers around one of the book's most important principles: first who, then what. Before strategy, before vision, before expansion, the right people have to be in the right seats. Josh reflects on how rereading Good to Great years later has completely changed his perspective on leadership, accountability, and what it takes to become a Level 5 leader.

From there, they dive into the realities of leading a merger between two growing companies. While the opportunities are exciting, so are the challenges. Legal structures, shareholder decisions, operational systems, branding, and maintaining cash flow all compete for attention at the same time. Josh shares how difficult it can be balancing long-term vision with the day-to-day responsibility of keeping production moving during the busiest season of the year.

The episode also explores how AI is helping streamline operations by creating meaningful KPIs, improving scheduling efficiency, and building standard operating procedures that give teams more ownership while allowing leadership to focus on growth. Rather than simply filling a calendar, Josh explains why strategically scheduling crews, resources, and projects creates healthier businesses and stronger results.

Kenton brings the conversation back to leadership and culture, reminding listeners that as companies grow, communication between the office and the field becomes increasingly important. Larger organizations naturally gain efficiencies, but without intentional leadership they can also lose the connection that made them successful in the first place.

Whether you're running a contracting business, leading a growing team, or simply trying to become a better leader, Episode 51 is a practical discussion on scaling the right way by building strong people, simple systems, and a culture that can grow for years to come.

Forge is where contractors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders come together to build stronger companies and become better leaders.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey

Website https://forgealliance.ca/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca@Forge_CA