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, about how she turned a 2012 weekend side hustle into a full-service construction and junk removal company, and why she walked away from the false security of a steady paycheck to do it.

We dig into the moment she realized she could count on herself more than any employer, and how that mindset shift moved her from hauling junk to running licensed roofing, remodeling, and large commercial demolition projects, including a 500,000 square foot industrial teardown. If you have been weighing how to start a construction business or wondering whether to go all in on your own thing, Devonie offers a grounded, practical look at taking smart risks while surrounding yourself with the right people.

We also get honest about working with your spouse and a business partner at the same time, raising entrepreneurial kids, and giving back to your community. Devonie explains why she believes skilled trades careers are one of the smartest moves a young person can make right now, how apprenticeships can lead to naming your own price, and why AI is changing white collar work faster than it is changing blue collar work. For anyone in windows, doors, lumber, hardware, or the broader building world, this is a conversation about grit, growth, and refusing to stay the best-kept secret in your market. Watch to learn how to bet on yourself, build a business that scales, and prepare the next generation to win.

What you'll take away today:

How to start a construction business by taking smart risks and surrounding yourself with the right people before you ever swing a hammer.

Why betting on yourself is often safer than the false security of a paycheck, because the one person you can always count on is you.

Why skilled trades careers can out-earn a college degree, and how an apprenticeship can lead to naming your own price in four years.

How working with your spouse can actually strengthen your business when you each own a different role instead of competing.

Why AI and blue collar jobs are not enemies, and why the job site will stay human long after white collar work changes.

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🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

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Transcript

[00:00]  Why Betting on Yourself Is Safer Than a Paycheck

Devonie Hutchinson  00:00

What usually keeps you in that job is a false sense of security. What is funny is that the person you can count on more than anyone in the world is yourself. So why does it feel more secure to bet on someone else than to bet on myself? You are already telling yourself, I can take this on myself at 2 a.m. So why am I doing this for someone else? For some people it feels riskier to jump out on your own, but you can count on yourself more than you can count on someone who does not have to live your life or pay your bills.

[00:47]  Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast

Stefanie Couch  00:47

Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I am your host, Stefanie Couch. This is a spot where leaders talk about the stories, strategies, and systems that win in the building industry. We unpack how leaders and brands build their reputations and become unmistakable. Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I am your host, Stefanie Couch, and today I am coming to you live from Las Vegas at the National Hardware Show. We just wrapped up our last day on the floor speaking, and I am here with my guest, Devonie. Welcome to the show.

Devonie Hutchinson  01:24

Hi, thank you for having me.

[01:24]  Meet Devonie Hutchinson of DGB Developments

Stefanie Couch  01:25

I am really excited because we met a few years ago, actually in Vegas at another show. You were in the construction industry, and you and your husband were at a show that I happened to go to that was not related to the industry. We connected and we have stayed in touch. So I am going to do your intro, because everyone gets an intro. You and your husband, Garrett, who we met in 2023, have built something really special in Wichita Falls, Texas. You are a Texas girl, and you started as a weekend side hustle in 2012 with a junk collection business, basically hauling trash out of people's houses. Now you have created something completely different with Junk Busting, a full-service junk removal company. You also do roofing, remodeling, and full-service construction. You are a GC. And as if that was not enough, you have other businesses too. Your daughter is an entrepreneur, and you are a community figure. You have been doing Dancing with the Stars recently with your husband, and I saw all the pictures online. They looked awesome. Your daughter just won Texas Business Entrepreneur of the Year for the Texas Business Hall of Fame, at the high school level. She is a senior in high school. So I am excited to talk about your experience, and about what it is like working with your husband, because we both share that in common. Let's get started.

[02:41]  The Moment She Decided to Bet on Herself

Stefanie Couch  02:41

I want to talk about before you were doing your own thing, because most of us had a job before the entrepreneurship bug hit. What was the moment in your other job when you realized, I need to do something on my own?

Devonie Hutchinson  02:57

I think what usually keeps you in a job is that false sense of security. What is funny is that the person you can count on more than anyone in the world is yourself. I thought I was taking the safer route. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit since junior high. I would sell things and make things. But the turning point came when I was being talked to in a way I did not want to be talked to, and I was working at 2 a.m. That was more in the software sector. Then it took three weeks for my check to clear. So I was already counting on myself at that point. That is when I realized it. Why does it feel more secure when it is someone else than when I have to bet on myself?

Stefanie Couch  03:42

Right, you are thinking, I can work for myself at 2 a.m. Why am I doing this for someone else?

Devonie Hutchinson  03:47

Yes, absolutely. There is far less risk than it feels like. For some people it feels riskier to jump out on your own, but you have to think about it differently. You can count on yourself more than you can count on someone who does not have to live your life or pay your bills.

[04:01]  Going All In From a Weekend Side Hustle

Stefanie Couch  04:01

It is so true. You and your husband Garrett started this as a side hustle, doing things on the side. When did you decide to go all in?

Devonie Hutchinson  04:12

It was right around that point. I had just gotten my last call at about 2 a.m., and it was pretty intense. The boss at the time was an ex-Navy SEAL, so it was intense. Between that and not getting my paycheck in time, and seeing that I was going to count on myself anyway, I thought, why not just jump in? That all happened within about a year, so it was not very long.

[04:45]  Building a Junk Removal Business People Doubted

Stefanie Couch  04:45

I love that you went all in on something where, like you said, you were the only people in your town doing it for several years. People kind of thought y'all were crazy.

Devonie Hutchinson  04:54

They absolutely thought we were crazy. I have been told, you really think you are going to make a living picking up people's trash? It took me a while to earn respect from the rest of the people in the construction world and the trades. But we have it now. It is so much more than just removing a couch. We remove medical equipment. We did a job when Kohl's did a refit and removed all the racks. There are a lot of things in the removal industry that you do not think about. So if you are in that industry, do not limit yourself to what you see on TV, like just removing couches.

[05:31]  How to Work With Your Spouse Without Burning Out

Stefanie Couch  05:31

That is so cool. I would not have thought about that. Let's talk about working with your spouse, because we both know that world. You and your husband work together, live together, and raise a child together. Most people cannot handle business and home life together. Half of people cannot even figure it out at home by themselves, let alone in business too. What makes you able to do it? And what is it in your marriage that helps you survive the business world together?

Devonie Hutchinson  06:01

I think it is recognizing that we are going to have the same challenges as a couple who does not work together. People assume it would be more challenging. But you have to work through it the same way any couple does. When one person has a hard day at work and the other one had a hard day too, and neither of you really knows what the other one experienced, that can still happen even when you work in the same place and the same field.

Stefanie Couch  06:22

And I am sure you are not in the same place all the time, since you are both out on job sites. Ben and I are in the same place at the same time a lot, but we like that. I miss him when I travel without him.

Devonie Hutchinson  06:36

It helps to be in two different parts of the company. We cross paths a little, but having different roles helps. You are not competing with each other or challenging each other. You still expect things from one another, and you can still let each other down, but it makes it a lot easier.

Stefanie Couch  06:55

And pushing each other to be the best version of yourself is fun, because you care about that person more than anyone else in the world. So you want them to be the best version of themselves.

[07:03]  Giving Back: Dancing With the Stars for Charity

Stefanie Couch  07:03

You did Dancing with the Stars recently, so tell me about that. Was it for charity?

Devonie Hutchinson  07:10

It was. It was for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Wichita Falls, and that organization is close to our heart. The director was one of our very first clients. Not only one of our first junk removal clients, but later one of our residential construction clients, and we have since done just about everything for their house. What I love most about owning a small business is the community involvement. If we make more, we can do more, and then give more. That is really our motto. Doing business with other local businesses, volunteering, and funding nonprofits is special to us.

Stefanie Couch  08:00

This was a local Dancing with the Stars event, and you and your husband danced together rather than with other partners. How did it go?

Devonie Hutchinson  08:10

It went really well. I took it seriously. I have a dance background, so I took the choreography seriously. We probably could have joked around a little more, but people really enjoyed it and saw that we took it seriously. I adored it, and it made a ton of money for that amazing organization. I think they raised about 151,000 dollars.

Stefanie Couch  08:37

That is a lot. Wow, that is so cool.

[08:37]  From Hauling Junk to Becoming a Licensed GC

Stefanie Couch  08:37

You went from hauling junk on a day-to-day basis to having licensed roofing and construction. You are doing all sorts of construction projects where you live and beyond. Junk Busting is not low stakes, but compared to being a GC it is very different. How did you go from one to the next? How did you get your GC license?

Devonie Hutchinson  09:02

You have to have a license to do demolition, so that was the way in. But it was really during COVID that things started changing. While people were sitting in their homes, the commercial game was changing too. A lot of work was going to contractors. For instance, the contractor for CPS in the state of Texas started contracting that work out, and they reached out to offices. I do not know if it was because they thought a smaller name would be more affordable, but they took a chance on me. That was my first commercial project of that size outside of demolition. I linked up with an architect, and I never stopped learning after that.

[09:48]  How to Take Smart Risks in a Construction Business

Stefanie Couch  09:48

I think that idea of, I do not necessarily know this is going to work out, but I am going to do it anyway, is something I see you doing in a lot of areas.

Devonie Hutchinson  09:57

You can do that, and some people would frown on it, but they should not, because it is not as if I was going to wing it. I am never going to take those kinds of chances. I make sure I put people in my corner, in the room, and in my space so that I can execute at the highest level.

[10:14]  Inside a 500,000 Square Foot Demolition Project

Stefanie Couch  10:14

What is one of your favorite projects you have worked on in the last few years?

Devonie Hutchinson  10:14

That would be Panda Biotech. It was 500,000 square feet of industrial space, an old factory that used to make GM parts. We worked alongside crane crews. We demoed all the smokestacks and all the old AC units. It was a six-month project, and we were just on the demolition side. We did not even execute the roof. That is how much demo went into it. There was a giant chiller we actually had to crane down and demo like you would demo a house. That is one of my favorites. Some of the other fun ones were Kohl's, and getting to do jobs for Victoria's Secret. I worked at Victoria's Secret when I was very young, so servicing the places I used to work for is a full-circle moment.

Stefanie Couch  11:07

That is a surreal moment, doing it on your own as a business owner. Pretty cool.

[11:12]  Why Skilled Trades Are a Smart Move for Young People

Stefanie Couch  11:12

I want to talk about the trades, because your daughter is actually a welder. I did not know that until this week. There is a really big opportunity for young people growing up in high school to maybe skip college and do something in the trades, and in a lot of cases make a lot more money with a lot more autonomy over their life. What would you say to someone trying to decide whether to go blue collar, especially a young woman? It is not all sunshine and roses, but neither is anything else.

Devonie Hutchinson  11:44

If you can handle the heat, and most people do like to work with their hands and that form of exhaustion, you will always feel fulfilled by it. I used to work with my hands, and now I am behind a desk a lot more. I would tell them to go for it. Even if you did not start in high school, you can link up with an organization in your hometown for whatever trade you want, whether it is plumbing, electrical, or HVAC. If you have the will and the want, they will most likely hire you. Then you can get an apprentice license, depending on your state, work under them for a few years, and you will be making good money. I went to college, and I sometimes wish I would have just jumped in. College helped with some things, but the world is moving toward people who can do it with their hands being able to name their price.

[12:52]  Why Electricians Will Win in the AI Data Center Boom

Stefanie Couch  12:52

I think we are very close to that with all the AI developments, especially in the electrical world. If I were going back to school, or if I had a kid, I would say, go be an electrician, because you can work for any of these AI data centers. You will always be building.

Devonie Hutchinson  13:05

You will be building them, and we are going to keep building them. The other part of it is that AI flipped the script. Everyone had it backwards. They wanted you to go learn to program. But AI has taken over more of the white collar work, not the blue collar work. It will be a while before that changes on the job site. You should see the robots trying to roof.

Stefanie Couch  13:23

It is not an easy feat. Getting roofing up onto a roof is not easy even for a human. A robot can turn a screw, but how long does it take to turn all the screws in all the right places? We are a long way from that. We are not a long way from coding, though. I can vibe-code something on an app in five minutes, and I do not know how to code. So it is here. It is funny that they got it reversed, but that is how life works out sometimes.

[13:57]  Raising an Entrepreneur: The Teen Ice Cream Shop

Stefanie Couch  13:57

Let's talk about this amazing daughter of yours, because I know she is your pride and joy. She has a rolled ice cream shop, which she had when we met. How long has she had it now?

Devonie Hutchinson  14:11

She started as a pop-up at the age of 14. She negotiated being able to set up inside a local pizza shop as a pop-up, and she saved up money there. She learned what it is like when you do not control the real estate, that you cannot control your environment. So she saved up to find a trailer, which ended up being a tiny house that our company retrofitted to fit her needs.

[14:36]  Teaching Your Kids to Bid Jobs and Build a Team

Stefanie Couch  14:36

And now she is doing other things too. She is welding. I cannot believe it.

Devonie Hutchinson  14:40

She is multifaceted. We made sure she can do things with her hands, especially since she has to pull that tiny house for her ice cream business. She can run dump trailers and do just about anything in our business. With her going into welding, we wanted her to learn to bid jobs and execute them. A lot of people want to count out the ice cream, but I have explained to her that with a great team she will not have to pick one or the other. We could all learn how to hire from her, because she has a knack for it. With a great team, one part of her business can run while she executes the other.

Stefanie Couch  15:23

Talent and hiring great talent is the best skill in business. I have learned that quickly. If you have the money to hire great talent, then keeping them happy and building that culture is everything. If she can do that at 18, she is going to be dangerous in the work world.

[15:41]  Lightning Round: Marriage, Karaoke, and Grit

Stefanie Couch  15:41

I want to ask you some lightning round questions. These are my favorite. What is a hill you will die on when it comes to running a business with your spouse?

Devonie Hutchinson  15:49

That you have to consider what the other person thinks is important. Even if it does not seem valid or important to you, you have to consider where they are coming from.

Stefanie Couch  16:00

It is hard to do, isn't it? Question number two. What is your go-to karaoke song?

Devonie Hutchinson  16:05

Kerosene by Miranda Lambert.

Stefanie Couch  16:07

I love that. Another Texas girl. All right, fill in the blank. What does the word grit mean to you? Grit is blank.

Devonie Hutchinson  16:16

Grit is perseverance. I would mix that with consistency too. They are kind of the same thing. You are going to get knocked down over and over. It does not matter if things are going perfectly or not, something can be going great and then blindside you. It sometimes gets me down, but I just do not quit.

Stefanie Couch  16:40

So you can have a bad week, but you have to get back up and go.

[16:51]  The Wildest Things Hauled Off a Job Site

Stefanie Couch  16:51

All right. What is the wildest thing you have ever hauled off a job site?

Devonie Hutchinson  16:51

I was going to say a kidney dialysis machine, but I do not think that is it. It was probably the giant HVAC units and their cases. That was a whole system. We craned it down onto trailers, and we had to have licensed drivers move them because of the weight. We worked alongside the scrapyard, which is my favorite place. I light up there, I am serious. We got them all there and weighed them. One day I will own one.

[17:27]  Why the Dirty Work Builds Real Wealth

Stefanie Couch  17:27

When I lived in Texas, we lived in a place called Heath that has a lot of really nice houses. The first time I drove down a certain road with a guy who had lived there a long time, I saw four huge ranches in a row, 20,000 square foot houses, and I asked what these people do. He said, that guy is a roofer, that guy owns a scrapyard, and that guy owns a porta-potty business. The dirty work is how you get out there, get your hands dirty, and hopefully make a lot of money. Those people had been very successful. It is a reframe, and I think the next generation is going to see that. They already are. With AI, a lot more people are going to see it.

[18:10]  How Apprenticeships Beat a Low-Paying Degree

Devonie Hutchinson  18:10

I just hope the generation that came before them can also see that this is where they need to put their support. The reason I know this is that I hire young people and work with partners to get them apprentice licenses, so they can learn every aspect of every trade, because I have partners in every trade. Sometimes it is the mother or the grandmother who is worried because the apprentice is not making a lot of money right now. But give them four years and they will. A journeyman makes 35 dollars an hour, and they will be able to name far higher than that. It depends on the generation you came from, on whether getting your hands dirty meant much, or whether academia did. But academia will not always deliver.

Stefanie Couch  18:59

You might get a 15-dollar-an-hour job at Chick-fil-A with a master's degree in philosophy, but you could make a hundred dollars an hour in a trade.

[19:37]  Trades vs College: The Real Salary Truth

Devonie Hutchinson  19:10

Absolutely. This is not to knock anything, but go look at a job at a local university and look at the salary and the degree requirement. I know this because my mom went into the workforce after 17 years with the same company. She looked at working at the same university she graduated from, and they were requiring a master's degree for next to nothing. She started a cleaning business instead.

Stefanie Couch  19:37

It definitely makes more. It is something to be thinking about, and it is a real flip of the switch.

[19:59]  The Legacy She Wants to Build in 10 Years

Stefanie Couch  19:37

Last question. I know you are never going to be finished, but what would you like people to be saying in 10 years about what you and your husband have built?

Devonie Hutchinson  19:59

I would like them to say they saw the ethical contribution we made in our industry, how we changed things, especially in our community, and how we put our community first and cared about growth and development locally.

[20:40]  How to Turn Visibility Into Growth

Stefanie Couch  20:20

I love what you are doing. Like you said, you live in a small town, but it is growing rapidly. I know you are going to be building a lot more there, and probably owning at least half the town. I remember telling you when I met you that I thought you and Garrett could be the Chip and Joanna of North Texas. So hopefully that is coming for you, and I am excited to be a part of it.

Stefanie Couch  20:40

Thank you for being on the show today. I have had a great time in Vegas with you, and we will see you at the next conference. We will see you on our next episode. Thank you for listening to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. If this episode helped you think a little differently about how to show up, share it with someone in your building world who needs it. If you are ready to turn visibility into growth, then head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy. Until next time, stay unmistakable.

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