If everything in your remodeling business still has to run through you, eventually you become the bottleneck.

This week, Kyle sits down with Curtis Lawson, a Remodelers on the Rise Coach and owner of Crafted Custom Homes, to walk through the Delegate and Elevate exercise and how remodelers can use it to take a closer look at where their time is actually going. Curtis explains how to identify the work you should keep doing, what needs to be handed off, and why even the things you're good at may be holding you back if they continue taking up your time and energy.

They also talk about what effective delegation actually looks like once you decide to let something go, including clearer roles, better job descriptions, training your team, and creating the accountability needed to make sure the work gets done.

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If you're tired of being the person everyone calls and your business still depends too heavily on you, this episode will help you start creating more space for yourself while giving your team room to grow!

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Today's episode is sponsored by Builder Funnel! Click here to learn more about how Builder Funnel helps remodelers and home builders grow through strategic digital marketing.

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Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers. Visit Remodelersontherise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

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Key Takeaways

• The origin of the delegate and elevate exercise from EOS
• How to identify tasks to delegate using the four quadrants
• The importance of organizational charts and job descriptions
• Strategies for effective delegation and feedback loops
• The impact of head trash on business growth and mindset
• Using technology for handwritten notes and client communication
• The role of happiness and work-life balance in business success

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest overview

01:15 Curtis shares the origin of the delegate and elevate exercise

04:01 The importance of removing head trash for growth

09:29 Introduction to the delegate and elevate quadrants

14:24 How to list and categorize daily tasks

17:38 Using the exercise to identify delegation opportunities

22:48 Handling delegation challenges and feedback

36:30 Applying percentages and capacity analysis

44:21 Final thoughts on happiness and work-life balance

Some of the best business ideas come from seeing what other remodelers are working through in their own companies.

In this solo episode, Kyle pulls six ideas from recent conversations and posts inside the Remodelers Community. He shares how one remodeler turned a missed permit into a better process, a different way to think about accountability with your team, and why you might want to revisit an old business book instead of picking up the newest one. He also talks about finding the right place for AI in your business, actually implementing the ideas you bring home from a conference, and taking time to think about where you want your business to be three years from now.

If you’re looking for a few practical ideas to take back to your remodeling business this week, there’s plenty in this episode to get you thinking.

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Running a remodeling company can feel lonely, but you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.

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The Remodelers On The Rise Peer Groups connect you with non-competing remodelers who understand the challenges you’re facing and are committed to helping each other grow.

Learn more at https://remodelersontherise.com/live-training-events-for-remodelers/remodelers-peer-group/

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Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers. Visit Remodelersontherise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

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Key Takeaways

• Process refinement and accountability in remodeling
• Revisiting impactful business books for growth
• Smart use of AI in estimating and project management
• Setting clear outcomes for team members
• Strategic idea implementation from conferences

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and overview of today's insights

02:46 A story about permit process mistakes and lessons learned

06:14 Why you should re-read impactful business books

08:24 Six principles from 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'

11:11 Defining accountability as agreed-upon outcomes

13:33 Using AI for marketing and estimating—when to rely on templates

16:33 Implementing ideas from the Rise Conference effectively

19:24 The importance of focus and follow-up in business growth

21:49 Reflecting on business progress and setting future goals

22:18 Dreaming three years ahead and strategic planning

23:54 Resources and services offered by Remodelers on the Rise

30:56 Closing remarks and next steps for listeners

Do you have an exit strategy? David Lupberger has asked that question in rooms full of contractors and rarely gets more than two hands in the air.

Kyle sits down with David, founder of Contractor Transition Strategies, to talk through what it actually takes to build a business with the end in mind, from identifying your successor to closing the asset gap to understanding what your business is actually worth.

You can join David for his four-part webinar series starting September 30th here!

Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers.

Visit RemodelersOnTheRise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

Key Takeaways

• Timing of exit and transition planning
• Importance of less owner reliance for business value
• Valuation methods using EBITDA and multiples
• Successor development and key employee incentives
• Financial planning including asset gap and retirement savings
• Business continuity planning for unforeseen events

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and guest background

00:10 Kyle and David's history and mastermind experience

00:19 The importance of planning for business transition

00:23 Key questions for transition planning: when, asset gap, successor

00:29 Valuation basics: EBITDA and multiples

00:37 Strategies to increase business value and recurring revenue

00:43 Options for sale: third-party, key employee, owner financing

00:44 Legal and tax considerations in transition

01:14 Designing your retirement lifestyle and planning ahead

01:35 The importance of a business continuity plan

02:03 Final thoughts and encouragement for proactive planning

When good employees leave or your team isn't performing the way you hoped, it's easy to assume you have a people problem. But what if the real issue is the systems behind them?

This week, Kyle sits down with Ryan Englin of Core Matters to talk about what it takes to build a team that can succeed without the owner constantly stepping in. Ryan shares why turnover often starts with the systems inside the business and explains the difference between accountability and micromanagement. They also dig into why traditional performance reviews tend to fall short in the trades and how clearer expectations can make leadership a whole lot easier.

If you want a team that knows what success looks like and can take more ownership without you hovering over every decision, this conversation will give you some practical places to start.

Explore real client results and case studies at Contractor Growth Network Results, learn how they help remodelers build marketing that works at Contractor Growth Network, and check out their Podcast for weekly insights designed to help remodelers grow smarter.

Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers. Visit Remodelersontherise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

Key Takeaways

Turnover as a system problem, not a people problem

Implementing pulse surveys for employee engagement

Defining clear job descriptions and expectations

Difference between accountability and micromanagement

Using KPIs and real-time tracking for performance

The role of systems in reducing turnover

Effective communication and performance feedback

The importance of caring for your team

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Building Better Teams in Remodeling

01:51 Turnover as a System Problem, Not a People Problem

04:02 The Power of Pulse Surveys for Engagement

09:00 Defining Clear Job Descriptions and Expectations

15:53 Understanding Accountability vs Micromanagement

23:03 Using KPIs and Real-Time Data for Performance

30:01 Why Performance Reviews Fail and What Replaces Them

39:01 Introducing Fieldcon.io for Performance Management

43:51 Caring for Your People and Building Trust

This episode is a rebroadcast of a webinar Eric Fortenberry presented for the Remodelers on the Rise community. Kyle is joined by Eric, founder and CEO of JobTread, to discuss practical ways contractors can start using AI in their businesses.

Eric explains how tools like Claude can connect with JobTread and use the information already inside your business to help take repetitive work off your plate.

Throughout the webinar, Eric shares real examples of contractors already using AI in the field and in the office. You’ll hear how AI can help build an estimate before you leave a client’s house, turn jobsite notes into a polished daily log, catch potential issues in your budgets, and help you get more out of the information you already have in JobTread.

The goal isn’t to overhaul your entire business overnight. Start with one task that takes too much of your time and see where AI can help.

JobTread helps remodelers bring estimating, scheduling, job costing, and invoicing into one connected system, so they can clearly see where jobs stand and what’s actually profitable. We’ve watched members move from guessing to confidently knowing their numbers, which leads to better pricing, planning, and leadership. If you’re ready for better systems and better decisions, learn more at jobtread.com.

Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers. Visit Remodelersontherise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

Key Takeaways

• AI integration in construction management
• Practical use cases of AI in remodeling
• Best practices for AI prompting and safety
• Connecting AI to JobTread via MCP
• Using AI for estimating, scheduling, and reporting

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI's impact on construction management

02:08 Kyle and Eric discuss practical AI use cases

04:12 How to connect AI tools to JobTread

07:03 Best practices for prompting and safety with AI

10:13 Using AI for estimating, scheduling, and daily logs

14:57 Creating reports and analyzing data with AI

20:01 AI for vendor management and email automation

25:12 Training and customizing AI for your business

29:57 The importance of human oversight and ownership

35:14 Real-world examples of AI in action

39:57 Next steps for integrating AI into your business

45:06 Q&A and community insights

Budgets can move fast during design, especially once clients start making selections.

This week, Kyle sits down with Audra Von Minden Gossage of LTD Builders to talk about the Budget Roadmap, the tool her team uses to keep clients clear on where their budget stands as design moves along. Audra shares how they account for changing selections and costs without redoing a full estimate each time, and how more planning up front has cut down change orders.

If clarity in the project budget during design is a struggle for your clients, this episode has some great ideas for your team.

Today's episode is sponsored by Builder Funnel! Click here to learn more about how Builder Funnel helps remodelers and home builders grow through strategic digital marketing.

Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers. Visit Remodelersontherise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

Key Takeaways

• Introduction to the budget roadmap concept
• The importance of cycle time measurement
• Managing scope changes and scope differences
• Presenting material selections without markup
• Using the budget roadmap to keep clients informed
• Reducing change order rates to below 2%
• Building trust through transparency and micro commitments
• The role of client control and decision-making

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and overview of the episode

03:50 Introduction to Audra and her business background

06:22 Challenges with scope and budget expectations

12:05 The origin of the budget roadmap concept

13:51 Explaining the budget roadmap to clients

17:44 Presenting material selections without markup

19:49 Tracking budget changes through revisions

27:36 Finalizing the project budget and client approval

30:47 Reducing change orders and maintaining profitability

33:41 Handling scope changes and client control

37:16 Wrapping up and key takeaways from the episode

Running a great remodeling business is not about one magic bullet. It is a combination of a lot of little things done consistently well! Coming off the Rise Conference 2026, Kyle shares several ideas and reminders from the two days spent with 100+ remodelers.

From thinking through what your biggest constraint is right now, to how delegation can unlock growth, to why tracking the right KPIs matters more than tracking everything, Rise 2026 was full of great sessions and ways you can strengthen your remodeling business. 

There was no shortage of great content and even better conversation and Kyle is already looking forward to making 2027 even better!

Explore real client results and case studies at Contractor Growth Network Results, learn how they help remodelers build marketing that works at Contractor Growth Network, and check out their Podcast for weekly insights designed to help remodelers grow smarter.

Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers. Visit Remodelersontherise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

Key Takeaways

• Systematic marketing of projects to local neighborhoods
• Importance of post-project reviews
• Using story selling to build trust
• Implementing EOS for business management
• Tracking KPIs for project success
• Batching tasks to improve focus
• Adjusting gross profit margins for profitability
• Building a strong team through training and delegation
• The power of peer groups and roundtables
• Mindset shifts for overcoming challenges

Finding great people is one of the biggest challenges remodelers face, but the answer isn't posting another job ad and hoping the right person comes along. In this episode, Kyle is joined by Justin Landry of JL Talent Solutions and Peer Group Coach Bryan Sebring for a practical conversation about creating a more intentional hiring process.

Bryan shares how his approach to hiring has changed after working with Justin and why slowing down has helped him avoid costly hiring mistakes. They dig into what a strong recruiting process actually looks like, from defining the role before you start searching to using assessments and structured interviews to better understand each candidate. Justin also explains why the right people are out there, even when it feels impossible to find them, and how looking beyond the usual job boards can open up a much stronger candidate pool.

If hiring has felt rushed, frustrating, or inconsistent in your remodeling business, this episode will help you think differently about how you find people and set them up to succeed!

Running a remodeling company can feel lonely, but you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.

The Remodelers On The Rise Peer Groups connect you with non-competing remodelers who understand the challenges you’re facing and are committed to helping each other grow.

Learn more at https://remodelersontherise.com/live-training-events-for-remodelers/remodelers-peer-group/

Explore the vast array of tools, training courses, a podcast, and a supportive community of over 2,000 remodelers. Visit Remodelersontherise.com today and take your remodeling business to new heights!

Key Takeaways

Building clear role definitions

Implementing a systematic hiring process

Using assessments like DISC and preview

Creating a strong onboarding experience

Fostering a positive company culture

Leadership and conflict resolution in teams

The importance of patience in hiring

Using data and science in recruitment

Onboarding best practices for success

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and episode overview

01:10 Start with the end in mind in hiring

02:07 Justin Landry introduces JL Talent Solutions

04:46 Brian Sebring shares his background and path to Justin

08:25 The importance of patience in hiring

10:15 Justin explains the vetting process and assessments

13:25 Proactive vs reactive hiring strategies

16:34 Best practices for posting and attracting candidates

18:47 Using data science and assessments to select candidates

22:42 Effective interview questions and techniques

30:57 The significance of clear role definitions

35:58 Onboarding best practices and 30-60-90 plan

40:56 Leadership, culture, and team integration

42:46 Continuous improvement and learning in hiring