The Grit Blueprint
The Playbook for Building Unmistakable Brands in the Built World
You can be the best in your market and still get passed over by a competitor who simply shows up better and more consistently where their customers are looking.
The Grit Blueprint Podcast is where visibility, media, customer experience, and creative brand strategy turn trust into growth in the built world.
Hosted by Stefanie Couch, a lifelong building industry expert born and raised in the business, this show explores how companies in building materials, construction, manufacturing, and distribution position themselves to win before the first conversation even starts.
You’ll hear from executives, operators, and decision-makers who are rethinking how they show up in the market. You’ll also hear from Stefanie and the Grit Blueprint team as they share the systems, strategy, and content that make good brands impossible to ignore.
Every episode turns insight into action. Because in this space, great work alone isn’t enough. You have to be seen, be known, be chosen, and ultimately, become unmistakable.
Produced by Grit Media. Powered by Grit Blueprint.
Episodes
94 episodes
How To Win in 2026: Sales Data, AI, And LinkedIn with Eric Knox, Director of LBM Sales at Do it Best
Sales growth is not optional. In this episode, I sit down with Eric Knox from Do it Best to break down what independent dealers must do now to stay competitive as AI, data, and big-box pressure accelerate. We get p...
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47:11
Why Choosing NOT To Sell To Big Box Can GROW Your Business: Jim Powell, Culpeper Wood
Some choices change your trajectory. Jim Powell of Culpeper Wood joins us to share why their team refuses big box volume in favor of independence, relationships, and long-term brand equity, and how that stance fuels growth. We dig into the stra...
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14:44
Authentic Storytelling Turns Independent Hardware Stores Into Community Favorites: Kerry Hasselbach, Do it Best
Want a real competitive edge that big-box chains can’t copy? Start with a story only your store can tell. We sat down on the floor at the Do It Best Market in Indianapolis with Marketing Director Kerry Hasselbach to unpack how independent hardw...
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17:16
This Is The Video Strategy Local Businesses Need: Brent Gentling, Bring Your Own Tools BYOT
Ever wonder why some simple, scrappy videos drive floods of real customers while polished promos fall flat? We sat down with Brent of BYOT, a builder-turned-creator with 20 years on the tools, to unpack how clear teaching, strong hooks, and con...
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32:51
People, Process, And Purpose In A Tech-Shifting Industry: Rick Cross, Account Executive at Paradigm
Fresh off the GlassBuild floor, we dig into the real story behind AI, sales momentum, and the future of windows, doors, and glass. Industry veteran Rick Cross, Account Executive at Paradigm, joins us to separate signal from noise, arguing that ...
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20:42
Pick One Target, Play The Long Game, And Win The Contractor’s Vote: Todd Tomalak at the WDMA Executive Management Conference
A soft market can fool you into thinking nothing’s moving. Under the surface, single-family starts are edging up, mortgage pressure is easing, and homeowners are about to unlock record equity, shifting windows and doors from isolated upgrades i...
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35:58
How Independent Dealers Win With Partnerships And Visibility: Gabe Arnold, Do it Best
Want a practical playbook for how independent dealers can outmaneuver bigger competitors? I sat down with Gabe Arnold at the Do it Best Market to dig into the moves that matter: consultative selling, smarter buying, and turning human visibility...
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17:13
Build Loyalty Like a 76-Year Family Business: Chip Gentry, Chief Legal Officer at Quaker Windows
The fastest way to lose great work is to forget the people doing it. We dive into a candid, high-energy conversation with Chip Gentry, Chief Legal Officer at Quaker Windows, on why relationships still beat automation and how trust turns into me...
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29:29
Build Trust, Lead Through Acquisition, And Keep Customers First: Kristy Labrecque
What does it really take to build a career and a business that lasts in the building materials industry? Kristy Labrecque’s story offers a rare, ground-level answer. Starting as a teenage cashier in a contractor-focused lumberyard, Kristy spent...
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22:12
Designing Efficient Yards And Door Shops For Speed, Safety, And Growth: Scott Morrison, Do it Best
What if doubling your speed didn’t require a new machine, just fewer steps? We sat down on site at the Do it Best Fall Market with Scott Morrison to unpack how simple, evidence‑based changes turn door shops, warehouses, and lumberyards into fas...
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16:12
Partnerships And Visibility Will Transform Our Industry: Lakisha Woods, CEO of National Glass Association
A workforce crunch won’t solve itself, and the answer might be hiding in plain sight. From the floor of GlassBuild, I sit down with the National Glass Association’s new CEO, Lakisha Woods, for a fast-moving conversation about elevating women, t...
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17:15
Stop Competing On Price, Value Is The Real Differentiator: Gary Davidson, Metal Sales
Price pressure is loud at the counter, especially when a local roll former can make a panel that looks identical to a premium option. I spoke with Gary Davidson from Metal Sales to cut through the noise and explain how dealers and contractors t...
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20:35
Build Loyalty Money Can’t Buy And Fix Your Talent Pipeline: Steve Tourek of Marvin
What if one setback could rewire how you lead forever? That’s where Steve’s story begins: a blown knee, a chance conversation, and a walk to a boathouse that forged a lifelong blueprint for excellence, belief, and team-first leadership. From th...
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1:09:29
Turning Industry Wisdom Into The Next Generation’s Edge: Amber Little, Chief HR Officer at Nation's Best
From a live conversation at Rough Creek Ranch with Amber Little, Chief Human Resources Officer at Nation’s Best, we get real about what it takes to support women in a male-dominated industry, attract the next generation, and turn everyday work ...
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23:28
Two Stores, Two Strategies, One Winning Culture: Jodie Brixey, General Manager of Calaveras Lumber & Sonora Lumber
What if the fastest way to grow your business is to stop forcing people into boxes they don’t fit? We sit down with general manager Jody Brixie, whose family turned a 700-square-foot lumber shop into two thriving California locations, one a com...
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34:14
Premium Pays, Here's Why: Future of Millwork Sales and E-Commerce with Terry Bailey, DW Distribution
Want to make more margin where others see only risk? We sat down on the Do it Best Market show floor with Terry Bailey of DW Distribution to map out how independents turn the complexity of millwork into a durable, competitive edge. From deep in...
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19:40
From Policy To Performance: Building A Stronger Window And Door Industry with John Crosby
What if the most overlooked parts of your house are the biggest levers for comfort, safety, and long-term value? I sit down with John Crosby, president and CEO of the Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA), to unpack how high-perfor...
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39:33
Family Mill To Specialty Powerhouse: Lessons In Leadership And Change with Kelley Scott
What does it take to lead a team through real change in an industry that prides itself on tradition? We sit down with Kelly Scott, raised on a lumberyard, seasoned through multiple acquisitions, and now running a complex specialty distribution ...
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21:15
Why Ecommerce Matters More for Independents Than You Think: Allison Flatjord, Do it Best
What if your website quietly drove five to nine times more sales through your front door than it took online? We sit down with Allison Flatjord, Vice President of Marketing and Ecommerce at Do It Best, to unpack how independent hardware and lum...
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25:02
Building a Modern Brand With Community and AI, with Fourth Generation Retailer Meg Walbridge, Taylor's Do it Center
Want proof that local retail can be both high-tech and deeply human? We sat down with Meg Taylor, a fourth-generation leader behind 21 hardware stores in Virginia, to unpack how a family business blends community events, clear messaging, and pr...
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13:58
Smarter Tools, Stronger Teams: AI, Tech & Grit in Sales | Lisa Cooley, VP of MDR Sales at Paradigm
Buyers have changed the rules, and the window and door industry is racing to catch up. We sit down with Paradigm’s VP of MDR Sales, Lisa Cooley, to unpack how AI, data, and a new generation of talent are rewriting everything from product discov...
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18:18
Raise The Bar, Earn Trust, Build Legacy | Bob Taylor, President Emeritus at Do it Best Corp
What if your store didn’t try to be the biggest in town and became the most unforgettable instead? We sit down with Bob Taylor, President Emeritus at Do it Best Corp, a fourth-generation retailer and former Do it Best CEO, to unpack how indepen...
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28:16
Speed, Scale, And The Future Of Independent Hardware with Anthony Bogucki, CEO of Bogucki Enterprises
Speed without soul never lasts. From the buzzing floor of the Do It Best market in Indianapolis, we sit down with Anthony Bogucki, CEO of Bogucki Enterprises, a Do it Best member who grew a family business from a basement startup into a nationa...
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16:14
How TOOLBX Helps Dealers Get Paid Faster with Erik Borstein | Sponsored by Do it Best Group
What if getting paid didn’t depend on business hours, paper checks, or a lucky round of phone tag? In this episode of The Grit Blueprint Podcast, I sit down with Erik Bornstein, Founder and CEO of TOOLBX, to explore how t...
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19:34
The Power of Metrics, Drive & Team Culture in LBM Sales: Eric Knox | Sponsored by Do it Best Group
The market floor in Indy buzzed, but the real energy came from a simple idea: winning sales teams keep score and remove friction. Sitting with Eric Knox, Director of LBM Sales, we pull back the curtain on how a regional structure, clear metrics...
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21:36