Glorified Carpenter

Today I'm thrilled to have the one and only Erin Stetzer of Erin Stetzer Homes out of Houston, Texas, joining me on the podcast! Erin and her team build some of the most extraordinary homes in the business, with execution to match. We only had 60 minutes, but my big takeaway: Erin is one of us. She knows how to navigate massively complicated projects and understands the ebbs and flows of construction — how to build process, create checklists, and visually communicate with the craftsmen and technicians who bring these homes to life by hand. We hit the following; communication, delegation, focus, systems, sense of urgency, CYA & project staffing & hiring….. Erin knows her systems inside and out, and she teaches them, too, offering classes for builders, project managers, supers, and even clients. Ready to level up your game? Links to Erin's Bootcamp are below. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Learn more about Ep. 45 Guest: @Erinstetzerhomes erinstetzerhomes.com Project Manager Classes: Builder’s Edge & PM boot camp https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-industry-professionals Client Classes: Beyond the Blueprints https://www.erinstetzerhomes.com/lwe-for-homeowners Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com @durationmouldingandmillwork  heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

How do you go from a PM hire to owning the company? That's Preston Miller of Fellow Built. His vision runs well ahead of his years in the business, and what backs it up is drive — plus a real understanding of what it takes to build great things: architect-driven design, and the team of craftsmen who bring it to life. We get into how he found the industry and why he's never left, how he bought out his boss, and how he's put his own stamp on his team and their projects. Such a cool take and thought process. I hope you enjoy Preston's story. Learn more about Ep. 44 Guest: @Fellowbuit www.fellowbuilt.com Project size: $2m-6mil Employees: 7 Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Buckle up — Mike's story is worth tuning in for. Grew up in Worcester & Webster, MA. Started in the trades in high school, swinging sledgehammers and building circus tents on tour with a tent-rental company. Bartended his way through two degrees, walked away from academia at 26 with $130 to his name and $60K in student debt, and built a career out of "figuring it out." We talk starting a company knowing the craft but not the business. The ups and downs. Sobriety. Challenges that hit us all in different forms, at different times — and what it actually takes to accept the bumps and come out the other side. His latest chapter — Cairn Collaborative Design/Build out in California — is just as good as the story that got him there. Hope you tune in, hope you enjoy it, and hope you share this one. 🎙️ Learn more about Ep. 43 Guest: @Cairncollaborative Project size: $350k-$2.2mil Project per year: 4-7 Yearly Revenue: $5.5-6.5m Employees: 9; Principal; Financial Controller; Project Coordinator; Project Manager; Licensed Architect; Architectural Designer; Lead Carpenter; Carpenter; Carpenter; and we are actively interviewing now for a second PM and also an assistant PM Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

Angelica Armitage — Owner/Operator, Armitage Construction Company Ltd. | Sussex New Brunswick, Canada Angelica put in 10 years with her bags on to earn her Red Seal Certification. A mix of great mentors, bad mentors, and hard-won experience gave her everything she needed to hang her own shingle. Today she runs a crew of 5 carpenters — bags on, all day — while wearing every hat in the company: owner, project manager, estimator, business development, and everything in between. Working in a market with real limitations on trade scope, Angelica has kept the majority of work in-house. It's a debate a lot of us know well — overhead vs. quality control — and she's got a strong take on it. We dig into what pulled her into the trades, what's pushing her toward bigger and more challenging projects, and how she's building something worth being proud of in Halifax. Hope you enjoy the convo! Learn more about Ep. 42 Guest: @Armitageconstructioncompanyltd Project size: $50k-800k Project per year: 1-2 flagship projects per year, infill w/ a couple small projects Employees: 5-6 (including Angelica) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth

CJ Nielsen of CNC Electric Co. joins us to share what it's really like running an electrical sub-contracting business from the inside. We get into scaling, systems, crew structure, and how he manages everything from small projects to ultra-high-end builds — each with their own tech stacks, client expectations, and GC dynamics. CJ breaks down what keeps his work consistently sharp no matter the job size. Then we go deep — lighting controls, solar, all-electric (fossil-free) homes, load-shedding panels, and the latest in battery tech. This one's packed. Hope you walk away with as many takeaways as I did. Learn more about Ep. 41 Guest: @CNC_Electric @thebuildshow contributor @finehomebuilding brand ambassador Project per year: 8-15 projects per year Yearly Revenue: $1.5 million Employees: 5-6 (including Dave) Listen • Subscribe • Watch• REVIEW @apple @spotify @youtube Sponsors: www.durationmillwork.com  @durationmouldingandmillwork  www.heavydutypocketdoorframes.com @hdpocketdoors www.shubee.com @shubeeshoecovers Show Merch: upstatemerch.com @upstatemerch Local Sponsor: www.hiresmooth.com for all your spray foam needs! @HireSmooth