Builders, Budgets, and Beers
The Builders, Budgets, and Beers Podcast is on a mission to make project financials less intimidating for commercial and residential builders. We aim to give builders the confidence to take control of their business’ cash flow by bringing on relatable guests who share real stories of financial wins and losses from their journeys in the building industry.
Produced by the team at Adaptive, this podcast is here to help builders build smarter—one budget, one story and one beer at a time.
Episodes
69 episodes
When Growth Outruns Cash Flow with Christian and Deanne Lawson
Reece sits down with Christian and Deanne Lawson of Lawson Development to talk about the real cash flow squeeze behind fixed price custom builds, and why draw schedules can quietly force builders to finance jobs. They break down deposits, miles...
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48:48
Strategic Partners That Reduce Risk And Help You Scale With David Werschay
Reece sits down with David Werschay of Werschay Homes to break down how builders can punch above their weight in land development and spec building without blowing up cash flow. They talk strategic partners, exclusive builder agreements, and a ...
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49:25
The Tech Stack Upgrade Contractors Need With Connor Watumull
Reece sits down with Connor Watumull from Miter to talk about the biggest labor money leak most builders miss: getting every hour, burden, and benefit tied back to the right job. They break down what “contractor built” payroll and HR actually m...
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41:21
Why the Design to Bid System Fails with Trapper Roderick
Reece sits down with Trapper Roderick of Roderick Builders to talk about why most custom homes blow up on budget before they ever break ground. They discuss the broken “architect first, builder later” pipeline, and how to pull the builder into ...
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43:11
Price Per Square Foot is Lying to You with Mark Willie
Reece sits down with Mark Willie to break down why price per square foot can wreck budgets on custom homes, and what builders should lead with instead. They get into expectation setting, where costs are really climbing (hint: the envelope), and...
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58:24
Mission Before Margin with Hayden Croxall
Reece sits down with Hayden Croxall to unpack how he built a multi-entity construction group by leading with purpose, not just profit. They discuss why residential work is so emotional, how Hayden thinks about holding companies and cross-servin...
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46:05
Stop Guessing Your Margin with Jeremy Sloane
Reece sits down with Jeremy Sloane of Sloane Construction Company to talk about job costing, cost codes, and why clean data is the difference between protecting margin and getting blindsided. They get into hiring lessons and the simple systems ...
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57:13
The Right People Protect Your Vision with Tim Calderala
Reece sits down with Tim Calderala of Apex Homes Florida to talk about the money impact of hiring, leadership clarity, and building a bench of talent. Tim shares what four acquisitions taught him about systems, KPIs, and why “right people in ri...
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46:13
Successful Projects are Built on Clarity with PJ Antonik
Reece Barnes sits down with PJ Antonik of Oak Development to talk about the real difference between “having a gut feel” and actually knowing your job costs. PJ breaks down how he audits past projects, tightens his funnel, and uses budget vs act...
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52:52
Job Costing Mistakes That Break Trust with Joel Route
Reece Barnes sits down with Joel Route of Mark D Williams Custom Homes to talk about the real cost of messy job costing and how it wrecks trust with clients. They break down how miscoded invoices can turn into double billing, end of job surpris...
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46:51
One Bad Hire Can Break Your Culture with Paul Sanneman
Reece sits down with Paul Sanneman of Contractor Staffing Source to talk about the real cost of hiring mistakes, and why marketing and recruiting are no longer optional if you want to protect profit. They break down how AI is changing the game,...
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36:18
Protecting your Margins with Garrett Goldsberry
Reece sits down again with Garrett Goldsberry of Salt Creek Homes for round two, now that Garrett has been using Adaptive for a few months. They break down what changed after moving from Excel and QuickBooks into real job costing, and why it ma...
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44:39
Making Systems Stick with Matt Brill
Reece sits down with Matt Brill of Bauen Build to break down change management for builders, from new software to new build standards, without losing the team along the way. They talk about what actually drives buy in, how to keep craftspeople ...
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47:34
Fixed Price vs Cost Plus with Chris Kerr
Reece sits down with Chris Kerr of White Oak Home to debate fixed price versus cost plus, and what each model really means for risk, profit, and client trust. They get into the real reason fixed price feels simpler for a small team, why missing...
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49:35
WIP Reports That Tell The Truth About Profit with Miller Bradford
Reece sits down with construction bookkeeper and CFO Miller Bradford from Builder Bookkeep to talk about what WIP reports really do for builders and why they are the difference between real profit and fake profit. They dig into overbilling and ...
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1:00:56
Know Your Numbers Protect Your Margin with Shawn Van Dyke
Reece digs in with construction business coach and Profit First for Contractors author Shawn Van Dyke to show why clean job costs matter more than chasing big revenue. They walk through how Shawn helped a millwork company find its profit sweet ...
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54:03
Construction Accounting Success with Bill Mills
Bill Mills, experienced CPA specializing in construction accounting, discusses the critical role of embracing new technology, real-time financial data, and proactive tax and business management to improve profitability and decision-making for c...
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46:36
The Key to Project Success with Alex Molkentin
Alex Molkentin shares insights from his journey in the construction industry, emphasizing the importance of pre-construction as a means to set clear expectations and effectively manage project costs. The discussion highlights the value of trans...
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47:17
Systems, People, and Profit with Isabel Affinito
Isabel Affinito and Reece discuss the critical importance of having clear job descriptions, robust systems, and disciplined financial practices to drive success and minimize risks in construction businesses. They highlight the emotional challen...
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1:06:39
Building Financial Clarity with Per Pettersson
Builder and tech veteran Per Pettersson discusses how project management and financial clarity are essential for success and efficiency in the construction industry. Drawing on his experience, he shares strategies for better planning, cost trac...
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48:46
Why Most Builders Stay Stuck at $2M with Paul Atherton
Paul Atherton shares why most builders stall until they make an identity shift—from “in-the-field” carpenter to business owner—and how to use return on time vs. return on capital to scale. He breaks down hiring that first PM, simple systems, th...
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44:54
WIP, Job Costing, and Cash Flow with Andrea Gallion
Andrea Gallion shares how builders can use Work-in-Progress reporting, real-time job costing, and clean month-end processes to actually see where their projects stand and protect profit. She and Reece dig into invoices and pay apps, QuickBooks ...
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49:01
Stop Bleeding Talent
Suman Cherry shares a no-BS playbook for hiring in construction. We get into the real cost of losing A-players, the first hires that buy back your time, and how SOPs, EOS-style accountability, and regulated leadership create capacity - not chao...
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51:36
Profit by Design: CFO + CPA for Builders
Allison O’Baker and Priscilla Thomasevich share how a CFO–CPA duo helps builders organize their books, budget with intent, and protect margins. We dig into chart of accounts vs. cost codes, fixed vs. variable spend, tax levers and accounting me...
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51:19
Building a Business With Your Spouse with Cody & Kristen Dawson
Cody & Kristen Dawson share how Patriot Custom Homes grew from a COVID-era handyman hustle into a legit remodel-to-custom operation—with corporate skills, clear lanes, and real systems doing the heavy lifting. They get into the spouse-run d...
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49:21
