Builders, Budgets, and Beers
The Builders, Budgets, and Beers Podcast is on a mission to make project financials less intimidating for commercial and residential builders. We aim to give builders the confidence to take control of their business’ cash flow by bringing on relatable guests who share real stories of financial wins and losses from their journeys in the building industry.
Produced by the team at Adaptive, this podcast is here to help builders build smarter—one budget, one story and one beer at a time.
Builders, Budgets, and Beers
Building a Business With Your Spouse with Cody & Kristen Dawson
Cody & Kristen Dawson share how Patriot Custom Homes grew from a COVID-era handyman hustle into a legit remodel-to-custom operation—with corporate skills, clear lanes, and real systems doing the heavy lifting. They get into the spouse-run dynamics, hiring and delegation, and the call between doing a spec to show your chops or waiting on the right custom client.
Show Notes:
00:00 Cold open & intros
01:09 Meet Cody & Kristen Dawson (Patriot Custom Homes)
05:31 The fork in the road: offshore job vs first remodel
08:32 First time managing subs & the income math
10:00 2023 workload surge & why Kristen jumped in full-time
15:50 Running a company as a couple—communication, lanes, boundaries
20:40 Systems that set you free: client portal/CRM, hiring admin & PM
25:28 Marketing & pipeline: social, site, and partner referrals
38:33 Getting out of the day-to-day: accountability over “I’ll just do it myself”
46:32 Why they left corporate: family time and schedule control
Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano
Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media
Welcome to builders budgets and beers. I'm Reece Barnes and I started this podcast to have real conversations about money in the building industry, the wins, the mistakes and everything in between. I believe builders deserve to feel confident about their finances, and that starts by hearing from others who've been through it too. This industry can be slow to change, but the right stories and the right tools can make profitability feel possible. Let's get into it. Alrighty, Team mics are hot. We're ready to rumble. Thanks for jumping on. I appreciate you. Have appreciate you guys coming on. Yeah, thanks for having us. We appreciate it excited to be here with of course, and for the listeners out there, I think this actually might be the first time we had three people on the podcast joining from different locations. We had Hammet homes on, and they had their team, but they're all in one room. So for some of you out there, we're going to kind of like be orchestrating like how we're talking, so we don't talk over each other, but we've got the husband and wife team here, Cody and Kristen Dawson, so I don't intro you guys for yourselves. Give the listeners a little background on yourselves and a little bit about Patriot custom. Ladies. First, there we go. Yeah. So back in the day, we started as Patriot Home Services, and that was really just Cody doing handyman jobs. So that's within the neighborhood. And to kind of go back in time, it was during covid Actually, Cody used to work for another career. He was with another career, and basically, during covid, everything kind of stopped. And during that time, he was just wanting to keep busy, because that's just how he is. And all of a sudden he's doing little in and out projects at our neighbors houses, and then it just kind of blew up. And then we kind of hit a path where we needed to decide whether we stay with what he was doing, or he decides to go down this path. And it was a big decision. I mean, he made good money, it was stable. The problem that we had with it was he was traveling all the time, so he was away from me and our girls. And so it just made more sense for him to go down this path. And so he did. And then once that happened, it kind of just, you know, turned into something so much bigger than what it is today, you know, from then so and then fast forward to 2023. I left my finance corporate job to help the business full time. And Patriot Home Services evolved to Patriot home construction, and then all of a sudden we have Patriot custom homes. So it's been a evolution that I'm so blessed about. For sure, fast evolution. I love it. I love it, um, and I certainly want to want it again, because that's like I hear two very well off corporate professionals. Covid happened, I imagine I want to hear this from you, Cody, like, what was, like, more of the driving force behind it, but you had enough conviction in construction to quit, not just like, one, stable, secure corporate job, but two, and that's what I mean, we'll talk about this, but, like, what, what? And we have to go into details. But what were like, the financial like cues for you guys to be like, this makes sense, right? Because that's a big jump. But I digress, we'll kind of use that as a little bit of an agenda. Hopefully we hit all the topics. Cody, like, what was it like for you? Like, you were doing handyman work, you were, you were traveling a lot for work. Tell, tell the tell the listeners a little bit about that. Yeah, so like Kristen was saying it was during covid So, you know, I worked offshore, so the quarantines that you had to do and the testing that you had to do, you know, when you, when you go offshore, for what I did, typically it'd be, you know, interesting, two to four weeks when all of that was happening with covid. I mean, easily add an additional four weeks on top of that good, you know, we'd have to quarantine for one to two weeks prior, and then we'd always be going out, you know, one to two weeks ahead of when they actually needed us in case there was any delays or anything like that. And then, kind of the same thing when you, when you come home, you know, you kind of quarantine then travel time. So the the length of time I was gone from from home and Kristen and the girls just it got longer and longer. So that was kind of a big driving force for me to want to, you know, look into doing something different. But, you know, so I was also home for longer stretches of time, and so I started remodeling our house. And then once we got done doing that, and we're like, okay, you know, like nothing else really I wanted to do here, I just put it out there and like our community Facebook page. Like because I need to be busy, I'm like, Hey, is anybody? Need anything, like, I'll change some light fixtures, or, like, put some tile down or something, yeah, and that's kind of how that that turned into the handyman thing. I think, within like, three months, four months, I don't know, I ended up getting, like, my first actual, like, remodel type of project. And that was in that was in November of 21 and it was like we were, like, two or three weeks from starting that project. I got a call from my supervisor saying, you know, the day that we were supposed to start this remodel project that I had. I had to be down in Houston to do two days of training, and then headed offshore. And so that's when I told Kristen I was all like, crap, you know. Like, how are we gonna swing it? What do we do? Like, you know, do I cancel this remodel project? Tell him we can't do it, you know? And, or, or do I tell my boss, like, hey, like, Dude, I love I'm going a different direction. And it was tough. It was really tough. And I was really surprised when Kristen was on board. Dude. What was tough about it? I mean, I think it's obvious, but like, what are the details like, what made this a difficult decision? Well, I mean, the risk, and, I mean, I'd been with this company for like, 13 some years at that time. So, you know, I had a lot of professional relationships. You know, what I was doing offshore was kind of like the peak of where I always saw myself in that industry. So it was like, you know, kindly, kind of got to the top of the mountain that I'd always wanted to get to so kind of like, you know, the thought of leaving that was scary. But also, I mean having three kids at home and sports and schools and, you know, a mortgage and vehicle, paying all that sort of stuff, and putting all that on the line totally. But what made it less risky, and, you know, and less scary at the time, was knowing Kristen still had her stable job totally, and benefits and everything like that. So it made it less scary, but still scary, totally, totally, well, and that's like, that's, I mean, this is, I'm not gonna say this is, like, the standard story, but I think that there's probably a lot of people out there in construction that can identify with that, like being the case, right? Starting with handyman service, and then you get the remodel job, and then you do enough remodel jobs, and then you pick up the new construction, right? You just like, kind of like, move it along. I guess, just not to beat a dead horse here. But when you were looking at the remodel job and you're like, in that decision making window with your supervisor saying, hey, we need you here on this day, and you're like, you and Kristen are like, they either I'm gonna quit or, like, cancel on this job. Was there any like, kind of like, financial decision making on this job that gave you the conviction to be like, okay, like, let's take a step back. I could leave the job, I could leave the benefits, I could leave the celebrity, the status that I've gotten over my career. But it's going to be worth it, because I think I can make 40% margin on this job, and I think if I do enough of them, I can make more money than what I'm doing now, was that conversation? Had definitely not on that job. I mean, at that time it was, it was small, you know, I was going from pretty small, you know, day in, day out jobs, and then this came up and priced it out, and it was going to be like the first project, really, where I was, like, bringing in other subcontractors and managing them. So, I mean, it wasn't big by any means, but it was, like you said, the thought of doing multiple and the potential of like, Man, I could do 567, of these per month, you know, and that that will easily replace my income, if, if not more, you know, then there's a talk of, you know, well, I guess was more when Kristen, she can dive into that part, like when she left, but, you know, talking about, like, all the extra stuff you got to pay for, outside of not having a corporate job, and so, I mean, all those things did come up that was a real adjustment. Yeah, it was. It was definitely a discussion, for sure. I mean, of course, yeah, okay, so you, so you Okay, so you started during covid. Well, I guess, how deep into covid? Because I'm trying to paint a timeline here, November 21 is that? What you said is when this project happened, and you started to make that call. It's been that project happened, yeah, but probably, you know, when I was doing like, kind of side hustling it. It was like, mid 21 mid 21 Okay, so you like, basically, like six months of side hustle. And then you were like, Let's rip this thing. Okay, sweet. And then Krista, did you say earlier that you got involved in 2023 so like, two years after, I think, yeah. So I got involved, you know, fairly early on when it came. Came to, you know, helping with emails and, you know, client communication stuff like that. But once 23 hit, we were overwhelmed, you know, with really good quality projects. I'm doing things before I go to work, while I'm at work after work, and it just became too much for me. You know, I'm still also doing everything with the girls and doing having a full time job and helping with the business. It's not sustainable long term. And obviously I wasn't, you know, completely tied to what I was doing forever. I mean, I liked what I did, I liked the people that I worked with, but I knew, like long term, it wasn't always what I wanted to do. And I knew that my business manager had, you know, made a comment saying, you know, we knew, we knew there was a time you were going to leave. So it just happened sooner than we would have expected. And so once I would say it's around the same time, ironically enough, November of 23 so two years later, yeah, that was it, you know. And so I just get my notice. I knew that I wanted to help with the business, you know, after that, and then, you know, once I left, and I just put everything into it, and realized, oh my gosh, what did I get myself into? But, yeah, it's, it's been the biggest risk we've ever taken. Me personally, professionally, us as a couple, as a family, it's a huge decision. I think our family was, you know, our outside family was very worried, because they're like, oh my goodness, you know you're supposed to have this nine to five job. It's stable. It keeps you this. It does that. But I'm like, once we did, it's just with the work ethic that we have and, you know, how we're organized, and a little bit different than a lot of GCS, it was, like, it was just an easy, yes, you know. And it's only jump so, so many levels since, since I've left, since he's left. So I know that we made the right decision now, you know, but it's still scary in the moment, 100% okay, so I love this. This is great, I guess. And what was okay? So you said, Cody, you were offshore. Were you in the oil industry, or what were you doing offshore? Okay, so and so, it was like a specialized trade. I mean, I dealt with like, downhole fiber optics and tooling. Okay, cool. Yeah, exactly. That's how I felt every time he would, like explain it, unless you're an engineer, you have no idea what he's talking Yeah, yeah. Put yourself. Down. Okay, I love it. And then Kristen, so finance, what was your role? Like? What did you do? Yeah, so I was a client associate for a large finance firm in the Houston area, okay, for several years. Okay. And so, client associate, like, were you like, actually, like, working on, like, accounting and finance stuff. Were you more of like, Yeah, I did everything. So I helped, you know, financial advisors. I facilitated clients. Worked with our business manager. I was also a client associate coach, so I helped other client associates that were starting. So I had a lot of things that I was able to bring to the business on the business management side of it, which I think is really what lacks in a lot of business owners when it comes to construction, they don't have that business management side of it. So I was able to bring that, in addition to the client experience that I had, and the fact that I worked with high net worth families has really helped as well. So I had a whole bunch of things that I was able to offer that I didn't even really even realize until I started doing this. I was like, Oh, hey, this is what we did in our business. This is what we did in our business. And we're able to move that over to, you know, Patriot Custom Homes, which has been great. Yeah, I love that. I literally just did an entire podcast, well, maybe not an entire podcast, but a lot of a podcast with Tyler grace, he's out of Pennsylvania, and we literally just talked about, like, the importance of business acumen in construction companies. To your point, Kristen is, like, a lot of these construction companies come in with a trade expertise, right? And, like, that's where, like, someone like Cody, like, absolutely crucial. But then you have, like, a wife who's more on, like, the business side, the finance side, and like, to whatever level that was, how important that is. Kudos to you guys, because not many business owners in construction catch that stride, and it can take them a really long time to learn and emphasize the importance of it, which frankly, is, like my next question, like, it's pretty clear that Cody is like, the construction, the nuts and bolts, the operations, like building and getting the product going. Sounds like Kristen. You're more on, like, the business side. I don't want to over assume. What is it like working with each other? What are the boundaries? What are the skill sets like? How do you guys, like, make this thing work? Yeah, I wouldn't suggest it for everybody, because I don't think that it's meant for everybody. I think just Cody and I, you know, while we've always done our things separately, when we've worked together, you know, whether it's within our marriage or whatnot, we've always been better together. And I don't mean to be cliche when I say that. I truly do mean that. But. You know, what we can offer together is so much better than what we cannot offer if we're separate. So we've been able to bring that into the business, and it's only made us grow, only challenged us. I mean, there's, of course, there's obstacles and there's things that we go through, you know, whether it's stressors or issues that we don't see eye to eye on, but we have that type of relationship. I mean, we've been together for over for about 20 years, and so we know each other pretty well. There you go, you know? And I feel like, like I said, I mean, there's, there's plenty of people who actually came up to me at my other, my other business, and said, Hey, I did. I had a business with my husband, and we got divorced, you know, and I've known people who've they've owned businesses, they've got divorced. It's not for everybody. I would say a lot of what we do, what has made it easier for us is making sure that we're communicating. You know, if we're having a stressful day, it's like, hey, let's communicate. Like, what was wrong? Like, what what happened? What can we do better tomorrow? And realize, hey, you know, maybe he has 80% he can give and I can only do 20% we try to figure out how that works every day to day. But honestly, in a lot of ways, I feel like it can be easier for us, because we have somebody that we can talk to and we trust each other, not, not all GCS and builders have that, you know, they don't have a competent person that they know that they can trust and confide in, and we have that with each other. And so we can always, like, go around ideas and kind of figure out solutions to problems that we're running into, which is nice, yeah, totally, yeah. And it's good, you know, it's different when, like, you're working with your spouse versus, like, just a partner. Because, I mean, at the end of the day, I know Kristen has the same, you know, good interests in the business as I do, and then ultimately, you know, for our family, and you know, you'll probably take criticisms different from like a partner or something in business than you would from from your spouse, like, you know, understanding that those are valid and help help you improve on what you're doing on daily basis. But yeah, and always being able to bounce ideas off of each other and just understanding it's for the good of the business. But the other hard thing is that took us a little bit to learn was knowing when to turn it off. And so, yeah, we'll we'll hold each other accountable on that. Often I hear that regularly with would it be like couple owned business? Spousal owned businesses? I don't know people that are people that are married and own businesses together, is like, when do you cut it off, right? And I even want to, like, dig in a little bit to like, how does the criticism happen? How do you guys balance professional, personal while in, like, a very, like, you guys are married, right? So, like, in terms of, like, how you guys learn to turn it off, Cody, you mentioned it took a while to figure out, what did it look like before? What was the inflection point to promote change and now? What does it look like? I mean, it's still something I think we're always going to be learning like as the as our business grows, as we get busier, as we take on bigger projects. You know, we're learning how to handle all that constantly. I mean, every month is different. Every week is different. The amount of workload I have, you know, can vary every week, and same with Kristen. So I think it gets to a point where one you're either understanding that, like, Hey, today is just going to be a really long day for me. And you know, we always value like our Saturdays and Sundays, especially those are days when we usually just kind of put our phones off to the side unless there's some sort of emergency happening. But for me personally, like being able to turn it off at a certain time or let go of certain things just came with giving up the I guess, like micromanaging control over every aspect of a project and putting it onto like my subs and my trades and my project managers and our admin and just understanding, like, if I show them what needs to be done, and we put those processes in place, you Know, it's going to happen, and if questions come up, they're going to ask. But, I mean, honestly, I think it was probably a huge one is that we built processes and then we put those processes in place. I feel like that's probably a big thing that helped us, to be able to help me, to be able to, you know, turn it off, you know, at the right time, in the evenings. Totally did you and not to cut you and not to cut you off, Chris, because I certainly want your take on this too. But in terms of, like, building the process again, I keep going back to this, like, Tyler Grace episode, because this is, like, the, I mean, the man, like, almost like, he, like, went into, what is it, anaphylactic shock due to stress. Oh, I can see it crazy. Yeah. He was like, You. Was literally doing that. He was just like working himself into the ground, huge perfectionist, and he was like, processes and systems set me free. Type of concept right with you guys both having more of what I would call maybe, like a corporate background was Cody was were you influenced by Kristen to prioritize processes? Was it a collaborative effort? Did you both recognize the need again, like knowing that the processes helped you build the bear the boundaries. How did that happen for you guys? It was definitely collaborative. I think we both kind of realized it at the same time we realized that, you know, we need systems in place, and so having, like, a client portal and a CRM was a big one. Being able to document things properly was a big one. And then just, you know, as we hired, like our admin, and as we hired a project manager, figuring out how I am able to let go of a lot of the field stuff, and then just have the peace of mind, knowing that they're going to do what needs to be done. Needs to be done, just creating those certain like, you know, go from A to B, from B to C, and then if you know that doesn't work out, then you go to B to c2, and all that, putting stuff like that in place is it was definitely collaborative. But, you know, it's from Kristen's previous work, because it's, I mean, highly organized. And then even from my side of work, with what I did was also extremely organized. You know, when you're dealing with both sides, you know, we're dealing with millions of dollars, either for, you know, people's personal funds, or, you know, for people's business and mechanics offshore, you have to be extremely organized. There's just no, no real room for error. And so us kind of understanding that and realizing that bringing that into our smaller scale has helped a lot. I love it. Go ahead. Would I would agree with that too. I mean, I would say a lot of what we have done with the clients that we have met is we're going in after a lot of contractors, and we're fixing their work or, you know, whatever the case may be, because there was, you know, it wasn't as organized, or whatever the case may be. So we've noticed that that's definitely what's missing from our industry, is having those systems and processes in place. And both Cody and I have gotten involved in, you know, different mentoring programs, you know, within our city. You know, I went to the builder retreat earlier this year, and that was definitely eye opening for me. I was able to walk through a lot of things with the ladies in construction who go through the same issues that I do, and I think having that exactly that's, did you just, did you just say the builder retreat, or the build her retreat? Build her retreat? Yes. Okay, so you said builder I thought you said builder retreat. I started, like, totally kill that frame of thing in there. But you said that I literally just got done talking to Charlotte mustard. Oh, yeah, I love Charlotte. Yeah. Charlotte's Great. Morgan molotar, I mean, all those ladies, yeah, exactly, yeah, of course. So I've heard a lot. You should, you should absolutely talk about your experience there a little bit more, but I'll let you finish your thought if you still have it. Yeah, exactly. So meeting up with, you know, like minded women has been eye opening for me as an, you know, professional individual, all of that, and I've been able to bring that to our business, as well as us getting involved in other things with mentorship as well. It's, it's the community, the community that's involved within construction is is unreal. And so we've noticed that very early on. So we've definitely grasped onto that and been able to really just take whatever we can whatever, whatever we can learn from other people, whether it's the mistakes they've been through or, you know, issues, trials, tribulations, all, all of the above, to be able to help us, you know, make sure that our businesses is growing in the right direction, is invaluable, you Know, so totally, yeah, and it ends up being inspiring. It is, it is, I'm we're very inspired by people, and you know where they're at and where they started. And we just know that there's the possibility of that. And so as long as you know you have the right work ethic, you have those systems and processes in place, and you're like a decent human being, I don't know how you can't be successful, you know, so totally, totally, I think, like on the mentorship side of things, you know, you guys, you mentioned earlier how valuable it was having a spouse run a business with you. Like knowing that their best interest is your best interest, right? It's like having that huge responsibility of running and operating a business is, I mean, a lot rides on the line. How would you say, like, the influence and the mentorship that you gather from these types of communities that you guys are a part of and bringing them back in? Like, how is that received from the other spouse and like, Cody? Are you going to like communities that that Kristen's not in? I guess? How does. How does all that knowledge transfer happen with you guys? Well, like, for Kristen, when she went, I mean, it was, it was nice to hear kind of what she got to learn from other people's experiences, like she was saying and the difficulties that they deal with. I mean, hearing some of their stories that Kristen told me. I mean, it's, it's it's identical, like, it's whatever stressors, whether it's clients or it's money or lack of projects, or marketing or, you know, social media and website stuff. I mean, it's not unique, yeah. You know, every, every person that's working their butt off to be successful and do what they do. They're all experiencing these same things. May, you know, it may be at different times, but at some point, everyone is going through the exact same, you know, issue. So it's reassuring to hear that, because, you know, you get to hear how they made it through, or how they pivoted, or what they did, or who they brought in, or they talked to this person and learned this and it helped them, or what process they brought in place to help, you know, mitigate all those issues. Yeah, so that's invaluable, you know, it could have saved you a lot of time, headache, money, but, yeah, I mean, you know, Kristen, and then, of course, obviously, like, the build her retreat, it was great because, I mean, Kristen got to go. Just great to be able to go to Costa Rica and have a good time. So I was definitely jealous, happy for, you know, like, we go to, like the International builder show, and, you know, get to meet some really cool people there and do some networking. Yeah, you need to do the well, and it's not like mail only, but Mark Williams, he does. Do you know Mark? Have you heard of Mark, the curious builder podcast? Yeah. Do you guys know Mark before? I don't know him personally, but we know him from social media, yeah, yeah, yeah. So he does like, he does like similar events. He did one in Zion. I'm pretty sure I saw that one. Yeah, he has some, he has some good ones. I know I've sent him over to Cody too. Yeah, I think it's part of, like, coalition summit too. Yeah, yep. So we sponsor the contractor coalition Summit. That's where I've known Morgan for a while. We've known Mark for a while. He's been on adaptive forever. But, yeah, that was also a great event. And I think, like, kind of to your point. Cody is when I go to these events, and I, like, hear people talk about them. And the value, a lot of it is networking. A lot of it is to your point. Kristen is, like, the community aspect. And just like knowing that you guys aren't in this fight alone, but also just we talked to a ton of contractors, and it's like a lot of these, like, people have more or less the same problems, right? And it's like, when you can talk to somebody through a different lens that has been through it, and they're like, hey, like, it truly can be this easy. Or like, Hey, you guys are you're just at that milestone. Like, keep going, and this is how you get out of it. Super impactful, yeah? Growing Pains. Yeah. Totally, yeah, totally. So, okay, so you guys are like, we'll just call it Well, I mean, we could call it five years you're getting ready to come up on your five year mark, yeah? Or babies, yeah, your babies, what does the business actually look like? Are you doing all custom homes? Is it a split between remodeling? What? What does your guys's business look like today? Yeah, so right now we're we're still heavily focused on remodels, renovations, additions. Really, what we're focused on is more high end. So every project that we do, I mean Kristen networks and kind of coordinates with a multitude of designers that we've known got to network with. So every project that we do includes a designer. You don't really kind of piecemeal anything together. It's more like full scope projects or full renovation projects. Love it, but we're definitely geared more towards kind of like the higher luxury end of renovations. And then our goal, and what we're marketing hard for at the moment, is to get into the custom home builds. Love it. Love it. I did a, I did a podcast with Garrett Goldsberry, and you guys should listen to it, because him and his wife, similar story, similar situation, kind of they started with, like, the renovation side of the business, and now they're, they just got into the custom home building world. What's your guys's plan with tapping into that market? What's the strategy? What do you think you're going to do? Yeah, so again, that that comes a lot with, you know, the mentorships that we've been talking to, asking how they started, you know, because how else do you do you learn that stuff by just asking simple questions, we've got involved in the Greater Houston Builders Association to really up our networking group, which has been great. In addition, we joined the remodelers Council professional women in building and then I'm also connecting with high end realtors. And then designers and just spreading our name is really all I'm doing, because it's not that we can't build a house. I mean, obviously we know exactly, step by step on what we would need to do. It's just getting that opportunity. And so the more full end renovations that we do, which a full house, or we demo a house and rebuild the better we've talked about doing, you know, a spec build. That's still a possibility, just to showcase our work, and then that way people know exactly what they're looking at. But, I mean, there's a lot of possibilities, but just trying to get in front of the right people, I think, I mean, that's really the best way to start anything. So of course, Cody, did you have something? No, just, okay, cool. I just want to make sure I wasn't getting you off. No, and you said you mentioned the spec thing. That's what I hear as being like, a really common way into going from remodeling into new construction, because then it's like to your guys's points, like, you know this, step by step, you know this, but to build that reputation, if you will, is like such a big piece to do the spec. I mean, what is, what is the difference between just like focusing on just doing a spec, as opposed to kind of keeping your options open? It sounds like to get like a custom home client. How do you guys think about that the spec build to get in or waiting for a custom home client. Well, I would say, you know, the big difference is, like a spec home I mean, we could start that whenever we wanted to, and kind of have full reign on on how the build and the details and the interiors and design and location. But you know, when it comes to waiting for a custom homebuild client, you know, they're going to vet us, we don't. I mean, the portfolio that we have is all based on, you know, remodels. You know, it'd be high end or anything like that. But it's remodels nonetheless. So, you know, we I try to think about it from the perspective of the client, you know, if I'm going to have, you know, this company over here that's been doing it for 10 years building homes, and they have this massive portfolio, and they have plans and semi custom homes, versus this company that you know has been highly focused on more remodels and additions. You know, unfortunately, I feel like the more obvious answer is going to be to go with the guy that's been doing it. And so that's kind of like the hurdle that we're trying to overcome, especially with the type of remodels that we do. I feel like it definitely showcases the product that we put out. But it almost seems like just getting that first client to, you know, more or less, from their point of view, take a risk and say, Yes, you know, totally, totally. So it sounds like that's just like, that's really the decision at hand. Like you guys are at that point in the business where you're like, we've got the remodeling down, we're here, but it's just like, do we take the risk and our spec, or do we go through that custom home process and get someone to take a bet on us. Yeah, I mean, and then, even with the spec, obviously, everyone knows what kind of market we're in. Is it's a, it's a risk of, you know, is that thing gonna sell in two months, or is it gonna sell in 10 months? Exactly, yes, that's a big risk. Totally, totally, no. I love it. I love it. Um, I guess in terms of, like, again, kind of going back. I mean, this has been great so far. I mean, just hearing how you guys do communicate, it's very clear. It's like, of course, you say there's a lot of communication, but you can tell that you guys are, like, very much in lockstep, I guess, for the for the for the professionals that are out there that are maybe thinking about getting into business with their spouse. Obviously, communication is big, but what are any challenges that you guys came across that you would urge them to keep an eye out for or try and prevent from happening? I would say one of them would just be your personalities. I mean, Cody and I balance each other, I mean. And usually when you generally speaking, when you get married, it's you're balancing each other right, and that's why you're a good fit. So I would say, making sure that that's aligned. I would say Cody and I are used to doing our things separately when it came to our professional business. So coming together and realizing, like, Oh, hey. Like, sometimes he likes to micromanage. I don't like to be micromanage. He doesn't, you know, it's not like that in our marriage. It's very different. But professionally, that's how he is, because he knows how to do it. He's good at it, and I respect that. But then I had to kind of, you know, more or less put him in chat and just say, like, hey. Like, no. Like, we're not going to do that, you know. And then explaining to him and showing to him that, you know, this is how I do, and this is why it's a good way, and then just kind of figuring out, okay, that's, that's a good balance, and making sure that people are aware of, you know, just because you're good married might be better just being married than do. Business partner, business together, exactly. Cody, yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Well, I was gonna say, like, it's and it was tough, like when Kristen first came in 23 because, you know, I had been somewhat solo, right face of the business and managing, like the day to day stuff, for almost two years. There was, like, the, I don't remember how long was it? Was it, like, roughly about a year or so before you left that you were helping, like, on the back end. I mean, I would say, here she was, she was involved. Yeah, she was involved. But then when she, like, fully, like, left her job and came into the business, there was definitely, like, this three to five month period where, you know, trying to figure out, like, what she takes over versus, like, what I let go of. And that was hard, but it just comes down to like, trust and understanding, like, this is what she's good at. I know she's good at it because, you know, her corporate job did not want her to leave. And so, you know, it's just, it's, it's hard, and, yeah, I think we both got very strong personalities, which, you know plays well into our business. But like she was saying, how we did our separate occupations for for ever, even in this business that we own together, like we still do our own separate occupation, so, like, understanding those clear roles for each individual is, is key. Yeah, totally question for you. Cody, I mean, this is great, and this is, again, this is like another testament to, like, great communication. How did you respond when Kristen basically told you to kick rocks and not micromanage her? I'm not micromanaging you. You're micromanaging me. Yeah, yeah, no. I mean, I think you know, when it gets to that point, especially with Kristen, I'm like, okay, you know, I'll, I'll just let it happen. That's me letting go, which is really hard to do. And then, you know, thing, things just happen, and it's all fine. And then, then I'm good, you know? And but it's, yeah, it's letting go. Same thing. Like, you know, when I bring on new project managers, it's like, you know, I I'm better at it now, I would say a lot of that too, that I have to kind of, you know, hey, Cody, let's, you know, because Cody's just so used to, you know, if it's, it's easier for him to just do it. That's his mentality. It's always been like that, like, I'll just handle it. I know how to do it. It's quick, it's easy. I'm like, but Cody, we have these things in place. If you make sure that, hey, you're having the project manager, whoever do this role, then you can focus on the business, which is what we need to be focusing on. We want to grow the business. So the day to day operations, he kind of has to, you know, let go of it. And I think sometimes that's been a struggle. But I mean, and it still is, even to this day, because that's just how he is, but he's learning to get better with it, and just making sure that, you know, we we are on the same team when what we need to focus on. So totally, yes, what an asset, dude, dude, to have your wife just like, I feel like ground you with that level of thinking. And I say that because, dude, that that is probably the number one challenge that builders business owners have is getting out of the day to day. That's like that. That's what keeps guys at the same revenue volume, hoping that they're making a margin for years, decades, and they just can't gather way. It's just like, I can just do it myself. I can just do it myself. This guy doesn't do it right? I can't do it I'm just gonna do it myself. And it's like, now your wife's like, wait a minute, Cody, like, we have processes and procedures. We're paying people to manage work. We need to delegate it to them. We hold them accountable to results like this is only going to make us better, and it's going to get you where we want to go. It's huge, dude, yeah, it's huge. Yeah. I mean, I mean, I don't know if it's ego or, like self, like, pride in the work and, you know, getting things done and accomplishing them, but, and that goes back to, like, what I was saying, like, having your your partner, who's also your spouse, be able to give you those criticisms, and, you know, those critiques and not taking it personal versus, you know, maybe if it was like an outside partner that was saying that sort of stuff like, it might come across different, totally, totally. And I think, go ahead, I was just gonna say it's funny too, because when I think about it, you know, the day to day and the grind and all the things that we've done, where we're at, it's actually, ironically, has made our marriage stronger. Learn to, you know, use the tools that we wouldn't have to use day to day, you know, because we're, you know, obviously we're seeing each other at night, you know, at the end of the day. But now we're like in. It all day long with each other. I mean, sure, sometimes we get annoyed with each other, but in general, I feel like our communication has gotten better. You know, the the way that we can separate, you know, work and life and balancing it all. I mean, it's, it's definitely been a blessing for our marriage too, which is great, totally, totally, I mean, and I think that's where, that's why I wanted to ask Cody, like, how you handled, and that could have been, like, too directive an example that you probably didn't remember. That's why I wanted to ask, like, how did you handle or react, like, being told, like, not to micromanage, because, to your point of, like, when you get this feedback from a spouse that is your business partner, you are going to, you're going to respond to it differently. And in your guys's case, it sounds like you guys respond to it pretty well. Yeah. I mean, it goes like you mentioned. It like working in the business kills your potential of, you know, 3x and 5x and 10x in your business, if you're in the day to day forever. And so you know when you learn and you hear things like that, like the conversation with Kristen, in that instance, pretty much goes something like that. And it's like, you know, you don't want to be doing this every day, day in, day out. You know you don't want to be in the field every day. We want to grow the business. We want to sell more projects. You want to, you know, get our marketing and everything else out there, and get into, you know, new custom homes. And that's not going to happen if I'm doing the day to day, you know, field stuff, which obviously for me, like it's just that makes sense, you know. So gotta let these things happen. And, yeah, I love it, I love it. I love it. No, this is great. Um, okay, guys, so if you and we kind of did like that, like, what advice would you give, which is, like, a lot of good communication, but just just some wise words before we leave, if you have anything else to share. What would you leave the audience with? That's a good one. I mean, I would say, you know, definitely getting plugged into different, like, like I was saying before, communities giving yourself a lot of grace. I think sometimes that's what Cody and I struggle with. And I will say, before we got involved with certain networking and the construction communities, there was times where we felt like, are we even doing a good job? You know, is this even like, Should we just quit? You know? I mean, I can't even tell you how many times we've both thought that, you know, and it's just staying the course and knowing that what you're fighting for and the hard work and where you're at today, and then just even reminding ourselves where we started to where we're at today, like that is our force to keep on going. Because I feel like we have something to offer that you know, not everybody has. And so I feel like if you have that within you, and you know what the end result can possibly be. I mean, I feel like that risk is a lot more rewarding, and just kind of balancing that from understanding where you are, where you started at, where you're at today, and the potential of where you can go, but knowing that it, I mean, it's, it's not going to be easy. It just nothing comes easy in life. That's worth it anyways, yeah? But this is not nine to five, Monday through Friday thing, yeah? But I think it's always like, it's like, choose your hard, right? That's kind of like a popular cliche now, right? But it's so true. It's like, telling me, are you telling me, like, one to two week quarantines on and off the offshore was easy to be away. No, it wasn't right. Like, like, even, like, it sounds like you were, like, really, really good at your job, Kristen, but like, are you telling me it was easy to, like, go to the office and like, work for someone else and like, do whatever it else is, right? So it's like, it's always gonna be hard. Like, what like, What experience do you want to get? What opportunity to win Chase. Sorry. Go ahead. Do you have something to add? I was gonna say, you know, sometimes like Chris and I will kind of sit back, we'll think about the business, and you know, where, even though we're a young business, right? But I feel like so much has happened in the last four and a half, five years, and so we'll kind of like reflect back on that where we were and where we are now, and definitely take the time to celebrate your successes. Celebrate what you've done well, pat yourself on the back for what you've done and where you are now and then, obviously, certainly learn from your mistakes and put things in place or processes in place, to make sure you don't make those mistakes again. Because if you don't, you know you're definitely going to be repeating mistakes, and sometimes those can come out. Financial loss. Sometimes it can come at a reputational loss, you know. So I think one thing that is good for anybody out there is, you know, celebrate your successes, and don't forget to pat yourself on the back every once in a while. What does that actually look like for you guys? Like celebrating yourself? Like, is this? Like, wrapped up for a week. We're going out for cocktails. Does this look like dinner? Does this look like stay at home and just like be intentional about applauding each other? What does that look like? How do you guys actually, how do you actually celebrate your successes? Yeah, I mean, that's fair. I mean, I would say anytime that we're able to step away from the business and to just focus on Cody and I and our business, and realize, like, all the hard work and everything that we're doing, you know, even with our girls, when they see, you know, fun things on social media or see our projects, and they're like, wow, you know, and I'm like, Oh my Gosh. Like, I need to remember, you know, like this, what we're doing for our clients and what we're doing for, you know, families is amazing, and so just taking that time to get away and celebrate with our family, I think, is really important to us. So just disconnecting, honestly, disconnecting a little bit is us celebrating. I know that totally sounds weird to say, but no, no Cody. Do you ever throw on and definitely being able to get away with, like, just our family? Yeah, that's, that's one thing that is super important to me. I mean, that's, that's the reason I left my previous job, is to be able to spend more time with my family. So when we were like, That's a great way for me to be able to celebrate successes, be able to take the time off totally I and I think that's like, that's perfect. I example that you use Kristen is like, when the girls see your guys's work on social media, or like, there's like, a chance of like this, this little outside reminder. I think that can that is more than enough celebrating. It's the intentionality. It's it's removing yourself from the, like, the day to day grind. I mean, like, holy shit, we're standing up a pretty cool business. We provide a really cool product, like, we're helping a lot of people. And I think one question, go ahead, do you want to throw on something? Oh, no, no. I was just agreeing. Okay, okay, cool. And then for Cody, like, are you getting more time off than what you had or not? Maybe time off, but more time with your family than you did? Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, it's just nice, you know, now that we have certain people in place as well, you know, we can schedule long weekends or even holidays that come up. It's like being able to take those days off and give those days off to our employees, letting our clients know we're close those days and just kind of having full control of our schedule. But yeah, being able to be at track meets and watch my daughter play volleyball, or, do, you know, go to gymnastics, or go to school events, all that sort of stuff, which just really couldn't plan my schedule, because for well over a decade, you know, I was an on call schedule, so I really had no idea, Dude, that's awesome. That's awesome. Um, yeah, I appreciate you guys hopping on. I a great episode. I thought you guys did an incredible job at articulating what's it like building a business with your spouse. And I thought there was a lot of you guys did a good job with like the tactical takeaways. I think they're applicable even for people that aren't doing business with their spouse. But I do. I hear this trend a lot in the construction world, the small to medium business world, of taking on this challenge, on this, this, this journey with a spouse. And I think your guys's story is a really great example to hear. So appreciate you guys. Yeah, we've been working hard. Yeah, I can tell. I can tell it sounds like it cool. Well, I'll let you guys get back to your week. Thanks for jumping on the pod. And if there's anything that we can do, let me know. But it was a treasure. It was a pleasure to meet you guys and and hear your story. Appreciate it. Thank you so much. Awesome. You bet we'll see you guys. See ya.
