Starbuck Sargent

Twenty four episodes in, Herb and Jimmy go back through the lot.This is the best of Starbuck Sargent: twenty stories told end to end, with nothing in between. Herb Sargent runs a century old civil contractor in Maine. Jimmy Starbuck runs a dirt trucking and civil business in Melbourne. Between them they have lost money in ready mix for ten straight years, bought a fleet in fifteen minutes to dodge a tax bill, moved more dirt on their own than they could with a management team underneath them, hired a unicorn who pulled a crew apart, and sat in a blizzard twenty six feet down with frostbite setting in.Grouped into the five things this show keeps coming back to: money truth, people and culture, iron, leadership craft, and the young operator trying to move up without burning the crew.If you are new here, start anywhere. If you have been with us from Episode 1, you will find out which ones we think were the good ones.Got a question you cannot ask anyone else? [email protected]: @starbucksargentpod

Two listener questions this fortnight.First: do Herb and Jimmy actually use AI in their companies, and where is it going? Jimmy answers in one line, then tells on himself. His own system read three years and a few million data points, decided the money was in the west of the city and sent the trucks there. The company has made more money in the east ever since. Herb splits it into strategic, operational and tactical, builds an altitude spreadsheet in 30 minutes after years of being stuck on it, and both of them land on the same warning: it will take you from 80 per cent to the high 90s, and never to 100.Second: a 22 man site work outfit in central Pennsylvania has one GC at 35 per cent of revenue. They pay slow, they move the schedule weekly, and last year that work ran at 4 per cent while everything else ran 14. Everybody says fire them. Neither host does. Jimmy had the same customer at half his revenue and got them to 5 per cent in under two years without firing anyone. Herb's first move is to go and talk to them, above the people you argue with on site.Also in this one: Caterpillar's share price, 50 solar projects that became none, Blue Light Autonomous, exoskeletons, the robot Olympics, and a possible chimney fire.Starbuck Sargent is a fortnightly construction business podcast with Herb Sargent in Maine and Jimmy Starbuck in Melbourne. Two owners, two hemispheres, real questions from people running crews.Got a question you cannot ask anyone else? [email protected]: @starbucksargentpod

How do you get out of the weeds as a construction business owner without letting everything fall apart?In Episode 23 of the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent tackle two questions that every growing construction company eventually faces: How do you lead from a higher altitude, and when does doing the work yourself start holding the business back?Jimmy and Herb break down what “altitude” really means in construction leadership, why owners can't completely disconnect from the day-to-day, and how to know when you're spending too much time in the tactical side of the business.Herb’s key areas to assess when looking at the overall “altitude” of your construction business: - Workforce - Culture - Backlog - Quality of backlog - Are there any risks hiding in the closet? - Pipeline - What does the market look like? - What could change that? - Relationships - Bonding - Banking - Owners / Engineers / GCs - Crew — how is morale? - Vendors - Community - Internal alignment - Is management aligned 100%? - Balance Sheet Strength - Condition of Assets and Their Ability to Provide a Return - Accounts Receivable Quality - Is the money flowing in according to plan? A useful exercise is to score each area out of 10. The weaker scores show you where your attention needs to go next.Herb shares how he went from being on every job every day to building a team that allowed him to look further ahead, while also explaining the job preparation process he developed to reduce mistakes, improve communication and give foremen the information they need to lead confidently.In this episode:How to get out of the weeds as a construction business ownerWhat “higher altitude” means in leadershipTactical vs operational vs strategic workKnowing when you're too involved in the day-to-dayHow to develop people instead of doing everything yourselfWhen a construction owner should stop operating equipmentWhy strong businesses need strong peopleHow better planning can reduce construction reworkBuilding job packs and pre-commencement processesGiving foremen the information they need to succeedHow communication gaps create problems on construction sitesWhy systems need to evolve as a company growsHow to build a construction business that isn't dependent on one personThe goal isn't to completely remove yourself from the business. It's to build the people, systems and communication that allow you to spend more time looking ahead while still understanding what's happening on the ground.If you're a construction business owner, contractor, operator or leader trying to scale your construction company without becoming the bottleneck, this episode is for you.Got a question for Jimmy and Herb? Send it through and it could be answered on a future episode.Subscribe to the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with another construction business owner.#Construction #ConstructionBusiness #ConstructionLeadership #BusinessGrowth #ConstructionManagement #Leadership #Entrepreneurship

How do you manage a struggling employee? And how do you walk into a construction contract negotiation when six people are sitting across the table from you?In this episode of the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent tackle two challenges faced by construction business owners and leaders: improving employee performance through clarity, coaching and accountability, and confidently negotiating for major construction contracts.They discuss why being a good boss starts with being human, how unclear expectations create resentment, and why accountability should be a structured process rather than simply a threat of getting fired.Jimmy and Herb also reflect on mistakes they made earlier in their careers, including times when they used the “club” instead of taking a more considered approach to leadership. They explore how company culture, communication and consistent expectations can help employees and businesses improve.Later in the episode, they answer a listener question about negotiating a public contract when the client has a much larger team in the room. They share practical advice on preparing for tough questions, understanding the client's concerns, demonstrating your experience and making your case without putting down competitors.IN THIS EPISODE:How to tell whether a struggling employee needs clarity, coaching or accountabilityWhy leaders should be human firstSetting clear expectations, outcomes and deadlinesHow to close the feedback loop with employeesThe difference between accountability for a task and accountability for a roleWhy difficult performance conversations become harder when you avoid themHow communication and company culture affect employee performanceWhy accountability matters as a construction business growsLessons from leadership mistakes made early in a careerHow to prepare for a construction contract negotiationHandling a room full of client representatives with confidenceDemonstrating your strengths without criticising competitorsWhether you're a construction business owner, contractor, project manager, supervisor or emerging leader, this conversation explores practical ways to build stronger teams, improve communication and approach challenging business situations.Got a question for Jimmy and Herb? Send it through using the contact details in the show notes. Your question could be discussed in a future episode.If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to like, subscribe, share and leave a review.#Construction #ConstructionLeadership #ConstructionBusiness #EmployeeManagement #Leadership #Accountability #CivilConstruction #ContractNegotiation

When does loyalty to a long-term employee become unfair to the rest of the team?In Episode 21 of the Starbuck & Sargent Podcast, Jimmy Starbuck and Herb Sargent tackle some of the hardest questions facing construction business owners and leaders: employee loyalty, accountability, workplace culture, leadership and knowing when it's time to move someone on.The conversation starts with Jimmy stepping into an unfamiliar role running a night crew, before moving into a debate sparked by a LinkedIn post asking whether “15 minutes early or you're late” is still a fair expectation in the workplace.Jimmy and Herb then tackle a much more difficult leadership question: when does loyalty to a long-term employee become disloyalty to the rest of the team?They discuss:• When a long-term employee is no longer meeting the required standard • Loyalty vs accountability in the workplace • How technology can leave experienced employees behind • Why effort matters when deciding whether to accommodate someone • The difference between supporting an employee and tolerating poor performance • When a difficult employee becomes toxic to company culture • Why good bosses sometimes have to make difficult decisions • How to approach firing a long-term employee professionally and respectfully • Why you can't keep paying for yesterday's work • How leaders should balance compassion with company standards • Herb's experience buying back his family's much larger company • Why major business decisions should be based on business merits rather than emotion • Why everyone in a company needs to understand where the business is goingJimmy and Herb bring real-world experience from the construction industry to these questions, discussing the uncomfortable decisions that come with running a construction company, managing employees and building a strong workplace culture.If you're a construction business owner, contractor, superintendent, project manager, operations manager or business leader, this episode covers practical lessons on leadership, employee management, accountability and business growth.📩 Send your questions: [email protected]#Construction #ConstructionBusiness #Leadership #EmployeeManagement #ConstructionManagement #BusinessLeadership #Contractor #CivilConstruction