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
128 episodes
Renovating Our Studio And Trying To Stay Married: Behind The Scenes & Bloopers | Building Grit E2
I'm Stefanie Couch, and this is Building Grit, the behind-the-scenes story of how we're building Grit Blueprint into a category of one business in the building industry. Follow us through the most hands-on chapters yet of building ...
She Opened a Hardware Store in the Worst Neighborhood. Now It's Worth $55M | Gina Schaefer
When I first met Gina Schaefer, I knew she was one of the more interesting people in our industry, and this conversation proves exactly why. Gina is the founder of A Few Cool Hardware Stores, and she built a $55 million independent hardware sto...
The Relationship Rule That Changes Everything in Sales: Sarah Krey, Merchandise Manager, Do it Best
Sales is not about pressure. It is about people. In this Grit Blueprint Podcast conversation, recorded on the floor of the Do it Best True Value Spring Market in Denver, I sit down with Sarah Krey of Do it Best Corp to talk about the human side...
Inside Luxury Real Estate in the Appalachian Mountains | Burton Community at Lake Burton
Inside Luxury Real Estate in the Appalachian Mountains | Burton at Lake BurtonI'm Stefanie Couch, Founder of Grit Blueprint, and in this episode of Behind the Build, I'm taking you deep into the Appalachian Mountains to the shores of La...
AI, Consumer Trends, And Succession Planning: How A 100 Year Old Family Business Adapts To Change
What does it take to run a building materials company for 100 years and set it up to win for 100 more? That is the question at the heart of my conversation with Will Lummus, fifth-generation CEO of Lummus Supply, recorded inside one of the tiny...
The Proven Technology Strategy All Independent Retailers Should Follow | Adam Gunnett
Technology is moving faster than our industry has ever seen, and on this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast I sat down on the floor of the National Hardware Show with Adam Gunnett, the VP of Business Intelligence and Strategy at Busy Beaver ...
Next Generation Leadership Future Proofs Family Businesses | Brookelyn McClellan, Hardware Sales Inc
What does it really take to carry a legacy business into its fourth generation without losing what made it special? In this Grit Blueprint Podcast conversation, I sit down with Brookelyn McClellan of Hardware Sales, a Bellingham, W...
The Powerful Secret to Career Growth: Embrace The Messy Middle with Sarah Lee of Blish Mize Co.
What does it really take to grow a career inside one company for 25 years? In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I talk with Sarah Lee, VP of Purchasing at Blish-Mize Co., who answered that question by living it. She walked in the door...
Demo, Renovation & Building Our Future: Behind The Scenes at Grit Studios | Building Grit E1
This is where Building Grit begins. In this first episode, I hand you the keys to Grit Studios on day one and let you see the messy, exciting reality of building industry entrepreneurship from the inside. We just signed the lease f...
Consultative Selling Tactics That Customers Actually Love with Merchandise Manager Abeer Saeed
The best dealers in the building industry are not just stocking product. They are guiding people toward the home they actually want. In this conversation, I talk with Abeer Saeed, Merchandise Manager at Do it Best, about how consultative sellin...
Why Betting On Yourself Creates Lasting Financial Freedom with Devonie Hutchinson
Some of the best builders in this industry started with a truck, a trade, and a decision to bet on themselves. In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I talk with Devonie Hutchinson, founder of DGB Developments in Wichita Falls, Texas, a...
From Hobby To Empire: How NataLee Callahan Created An Authentic Brand And Business Around DIY Design
I have spent my whole life in the building industry, and one thing I know for sure is that the best people often stay the best-kept secret. NataLee Callahan refused to let that happen. In this episode she shares how a casual hobby in 2011 grew ...
How Doors Are Made On The Kval Door Machine: Behind the Build at Magbee Contractors Supply, Part 2
Most people who sell doors have never seen one built. That is a problem. The product is more technical every year, the margins are tighter, and the warranty claims come fast when something is installed incorrectly.In this episode of Beh...
Simple Marketing Strategies That Drive Revenue For Independent Businesses | Marketing Panel at Do it Best Spring Market
If you run a hardware store, lumber yard, or building supply business, this episode shows you how to compete without big box budgets. I sit down with Sharona Eiserer of Wood Shed Lumber and Hardware, Ashley Guest of Harbin Lumber Company, and K...
How a 70 Year Custom Millwork Shop Operates: Behind The Build at Magbee Contractors Supply Part 1
Most lumber yards sell what their suppliers stock. Magbee Contractors Supply builds it. In this episode of Behind the Build, I head to Winder, Georgia with owner Bob Magbee, VP of Sales Stewart Brandon, and inside sales manager Melissa McDougal...
Designing The Future: Modular Homes, Custom Millwork, And Walkable Communities with Lew Oliver
Lew Oliver has spent decades doing something most designers never attempt. He does not just draw homes. He plans entire towns. From Seaside to Rosemary Beach to the first expansion of Edinburgh since 1805, his work has shaped some of the most l...
How To Start Using AI In Your Business: Proven AI Tips That Help Businesses Grow with Jason Blair
Most leaders in the building industry know AI is going to change the game. Very few have a real plan for what to do about it. This episode is a working playbook on how to use AI in your business from a CEO who is already doing it.Jason ...
How Custom Design And Millwork Transform Spaces: Inside Chip Wade's Stunning Luxury Treehouse Rentals
In this episode of Behind the Build I'm in Chatsworth, Georgia, with Chip Wade at The Perch Treehouses. The three luxury treehouses are located in the North Georgia mountains and have stunning views of their wild surroundings. The Jenny, The To...
How To Modernize Custom Manufacturing With Powerful Software: Dori Shoshan, Panda Windows & Doors
I sit down with Dori Shoshan, head of Innovation and Business Development at Panda Windows & Doors, inside the Las Vegas showroom of one of the most respected custom luxury windows and doors manufacturers in North America. Dori is a working...
The Four Cs Of Marketing for Building Materials Companies with Ashley Guest, Marketing Manager at Harbin Lumber
Most lumber yards stay invisible in their own market. They sell millions of dollars of product a year and the people next door still do not know their name. Ashley Guest is changing that at Harbin Lumber, a fourth generation, century-old buildi...
How To Build A Local Brand: Small Town Retail Marketing That Works with Sharona Eiserer
Sharona Eiserer bought a struggling 60-year-old lumber yard at six months pregnant and grew it into six Wood Shed Lumber and Hardware locations across rural Missouri. In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, she shares how she saved a dyi...
How To Grow Your Building Material Business with Strategic Use of AI & Clear Goals | Jason Blair
Jason Blair, CEO of Tal Building Centers, joins me to break down how to build a sales culture in building materials where every role drives revenue. He shares the weekly communication cadence he uses with 500 employees, how he reads company cul...
Exit Strategy Tips for Independent Retail Business Owners with Former Founder Gina Schaefer
What does it actually take to sell a $55 million business you built from scratch? In this episode, Gina Schaefer breaks down everything: ESOPs, succession planning for independent dealers, finding the right buyer for your business, and why she ...
Where Building Materials Growth Is Actually Happening with Craig Webb, President of Webb Analytics
The big box giants are buying everything. But independent dealers? They can still win. In this episode, Stefanie Couch sits down with Craig Webb of Webb Analytics, the most trusted data voice in the building materials industry, to break down wh...
Building a Million Dollar Network: How to Make Better First Impressions With Confidence
If networking events feel awkward, this episode will show you how to network with confidence, start better conversations, and build real business relationships that last. Stefanie and Ben Couch break down practical networking tips for rememberi...