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

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