Send us a text What happens when a steel dealer, a pandemic, and a 3D configurator collide? We bring on IdeaRoom co-founder and CEO, Dan Van Orden, to unpack how builders and dealers moved from paper quotes to mobile-first design that turns curiosity into committed buyers. Dan shares the scrappy origin story—from woodworking plans to full-blown configurators for sheds, carports, post-frame, and red iron—and why the real breakthrough wasn’t just 3D visuals, but cleaner processes and smarter pr...
Send us a text Useful beats clever, every time. We open with the hard truth about why most content and sales conversations miss: they’re built for the creator, not the customer. From there we get tactical. Shannon and Cord map the journey from problem unaware to purchase-ready, sharing practical ways to qualify buyer knowledge, read heat, and design messages that fit each stage. If you’ve ever watched a good lead go cold after a feature dump, this conversation offers a cleaner path: serve fir...
Send us a text What happens when a family brand treats a shed lot like a destination—and runs it with the precision of a top retail showroom? We sit down with Joe Schneider, Vice President at Kloter Farms, to explore how a single location in Ellington, Connecticut became a regional magnet for sheds, garages, pavilions, and custom indoor furniture. The story starts with horse-drawn carriages and lands in a modern playbook built on transparent pricing, meticulous displays, and a culture that pu...
Send us a text Feeling stretched thin as the season slows and the pressure rises? We sit down with business coach and human behavior specialist Carly Pepin to unpack why burnout isn’t about working too hard, but about working on the wrong things. Carly shows how a simple task audit reveals what fuels you, what drains you, and what only you should keep. From there, it’s all about smart delegation, hiring people who love the work you avoid, and building systems that make the work easier instead...
Send us a text A dependable sales engine in a rural market doesn’t come from hacks; it comes from consistent habits that buyers can see. We sit down with dealer and marketing director Jerald Rhodes of Creative Backyards to unpack a full, repeatable playbook for generating shed demand without overspending on ads. Jerald sells larger buildings outside city centers, and he explains why rural buyers are simpler to serve, more profitable to deliver to, and more receptive to clear, professional bra...
Send us a text Ready to turn slow season into rocket fuel for spring? We dig into the single biggest lever for shed and steel pros—process—and show how a smarter system can unlock more sales, faster delivery, and fewer headaches. With Tristan from CAL, we walk through a clean, unified workflow that pulls orders from Idea Room or Shed Pro, covers cash or RTO in one checkout, and tracks each building from production to delivery in real time. We talk straight about the real pain: corrupted spre...
Send us a text Customers don’t just want a shed; they want a backyard solution. We sat down with Pro Tech Trailers in Eagleville, Tennessee to unpack how utility trailers become a powerful second income stream for shed dealers—without turning your lot into a logistics headache. With decades in high-precision automotive integration, the Pro Tech team translates production discipline into clean welds, consistent wiring, LED lighting, and thoughtful features like fold-flat ramps and setback jack...
Send us a text A single job listing changed everything. Tyler Barrett went from a stressed-out carpenter with six kids and no steady work to a shed builder who runs orders, deliveries, and product development—and along the way discovered a deeper purpose that shaped his leadership, his team, and his community. We get into the gritty parts of the shed business that most people never see: the jump from bench work to managing lumber orders, the “too pretty to scale” $5,000 chicken coop, and the ...
Send us a text Ready for a clearer path through post-frame and metal buildings? We dig into what actually builds trust—real accreditation, transparent design tools, and partnerships you can visit, walk, and verify. Fresh from a plant tour at Graber Post and gearing up for the NFBA Conference, we map out how dealers can stay indispensable while manufacturers inch toward direct sales. We start with the practical: NFBA dates, hotel tips, and why the association’s classes and accreditation raise...
Send us a text Tired of hearing “quality” without seeing the difference? We dig into how small, family-run shed businesses win by diversifying into what rural customers truly need—safe rooms, metal buildings, shipping containers, and even culverts—while keeping service at the center. Instead of chasing every opportunity, we talk through how to add products that align with current logistics, training, and equipment so teams can scale without chaos. You’ll hear why on‑lot displays and side‑by‑s...
Send us a text Your inbox is full, your lot is busy, and buyers are slipping away while messages sit unanswered. We sat down with Velocity360’s Joe Ignace and Brandon Tobin to solve the most expensive leak in sheds, steel buildings, and pole barns: slow follow‑up and scattered systems. They lay out a practical sales equation—leads × conversion × average price—and show how to raise the middle term by reaching new inquiries in 60 seconds, following up for days (not minutes), and keeping your be...
Send us a text The shed world isn’t living in 2021 anymore, and that’s exactly why this conversation matters. We sit down with Tyler Mayhan of Better Barns to unpack what happens when an industry grows up: the easy leads dry up, product mixes shift, and the real work of building sustainable demand begins. From the early days of cordless phones on tool belts to a modern operation where large metal buildings now account for a major share of revenue, Tyler maps a clear arc from hustle to strateg...
Send us a text What if your worth came before your work—and that changed everything about how you lead, sell, and show up? We sit down with JMAG’s Chief Branding Officer, Craig Felker, to unpack “wild leadership,” a simple framework that starts with identity and turns it into action: know your worth, initiate brave conversations, lead with energy that gives more than it takes, and dare to dream bigger than what’s comfortable. From the Shed Expo floor to everyday lot life, we explore culture ...
Send us a text The loudest thing we brought home from Shed Week wasn’t a new tool—it was a clearer mission. After a week packed with the Shed Sale Summit, NSRA meetings, and an expo floor buzzing with real conversations, we unpack what actually moves the needle: the human element of selling, cleaner workflows from quote to delivery, and a community willing to ask hard questions about bias, standards, and growth. We walk through standout moments—Rob Ball’s high‑energy kick‑off, sharp insights...
Send us a text Trade shows can blur together—until they don’t. Knoxville’s Shed Expo and the post frame show in Dayton delivered a clear message: owners are hungry for practical marketing, respectful tech, and partners who actually solve the problems builders face every day. We came home with full notebooks, a heavier contacts list, and a sharper roadmap for how the shed and steel world can grow without losing its human core. We unpack what the Q&A revealed about the state of marketing: ...
Send us a text A former chef turned licensed builder might be the last person you’d expect to challenge big shed brands—until you see how he does it. We sit down with Russell Odom of Shedscape to unpack how a late-career pivot, a deck-builder’s eye for detail, and a relentless focus on SEO created a thriving on‑site shed business in the tight, fast-growing neighborhoods of Greenville, South Carolina. Russell walks us through the practical “why” behind on‑site sheds: fences, narrow lots, AC u...
Send us a text The floor is buzzing at Shed Week in Knoxville, but the most powerful story happens at a table: a Wisconsin “Shed Queen” who sells with sincerity, a first-time dealer who went from camera to copy to competition, and our team swapping honest tactics that turn chaos into clean, repeatable growth. We dive into the real work of modern shed sales—how integrated tools for quoting, contracts, payments, and delivery remove friction, and how a simple 3D configurator plus fast follow-up ...
Send us a text A lot of builder's chase price. We decided to chase standards. We’re joined by Darren Warren of Stor-Mor Outdoor Products to break down a simple but uncommon playbook: build consistent quality at scale, answer the phone, quote fast, train your dealers, and treat permits as value—not a nuisance. When you put people, process, and pride in the product first, customers stop shopping you like a commodity and start trusting you like a partner. Darren takes us inside Stor-Mor’s opera...
Send us a text What happens when life's greatest challenge becomes your greatest stepping stone? In this powerful conversation, Darren Warren, President and CEO of Stor-Mor Portable Buildings, shares his remarkable journey from a 16-year-old cancer patient with a 40% survival rate to becoming an innovative leader in the shed industry. Darren's story begins in 1998 when his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis led his father to start building portable sheds—allowing young Darren to participate in...
Send us a text The metal building industry stands at a pivotal crossroads, and those who fail to recognize the shifting landscape may soon find themselves struggling to survive. In this candid, no-holds-barred conversation, we peel back the curtain on what's really happening with marketing in the metal building space. Facebook Marketplace, once the golden ticket for metal building dealers, is rapidly losing effectiveness. We share our firsthand experience watching costs climb while lead qual...