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Know Your Numbers, Not Just Your Craft
Builders, Budgets, and Beers
Tyler Grace shares how he shifted from over-delivering to running a lean, profitable small-shop—tracking every hour, pricing for reality, and choosing lifestyle over headcount. He breaks down T&M vs cost-plus in plain English, why “good enough” (when scoped) beats burnout, and how to design a business that actually pays you back.
Find more of Tyler at "The Modern Craftsman" podcast: https://www.moderncraftsman.co
Show Notes:
0:00 Good enough finally clicked
5:00 How Tyler actually got into the trades
22:30 The over-delivering trap (and not tracking time)
26:00 Burnout and a hospital wake-up call
31:50 Pivot to T&M so the hours finally pay
37:10 T&M vs cost-plus—how he prices it
40:10 Old houses: surprises, budgets, and change orders
44:30 Staying small on purpose—simple tracking & cash flow
58:30 Know your lane—match the work to the budget (don’t scale blind)
1:03:20 Volume ≠ profit (the COVID boom lesson)
1:05:00 The motto: work hard, get paid for your time
1:14:00 Who he is and why—story & perspective
Find Our Hosts:
Reece Barnes
Matt Calvano
Podcast Produced By:
Motif Media
