Outta the Weeds
I ask contractors what got them out from under it.
I sit down with excavation, land clearing, and site work owners and ask the questions you'd ask over a tailgate. What they charge, what a mistake cost them, how the first hire went, and what changed when they stopped answering every call themselves.
The catalog
Watch an episode
Whether you're buried in Chaos or a hire away from Clock Out, somebody in this catalog already worked through the exact problem sitting on your desk and said out loud what it cost him.
Episode 16
Jesse McGrath: The Business Was Never the End Goal
A backpack, cowboy boots, and nowhere to live to owning an excavation company, without the business becoming the goal.
Episode 17
Mitchell Roberts: From a Domino's Parking Lot to a Business That Runs Without Him
Broke in a Domino's parking lot to a seven-figure lawn and landscape company, chasing freedom over revenue.
32 chapters
Episode 18
Jerod Condit: Building the Business Before He Needed It
Seven years before military retirement, he built a land clearing business that already runs jobs without him.
35 chapters
Episode 19
JR Laborie: Why He'd Rather Work 3 Days Than Chase 7 Days of Revenue
He got bigger and busier and more miserable, so he started cutting, and his profit got better.
25 chapters
Episode 1
Matt Study: Build a Business That Fits Your Life, Not One That Owns It
Designing a business around the life you want, instead of one that runs you.
22 chapters
Episode 2
Shelby Akio Howland: Why the Best Operators Say "No" More Than They Say "Yes"
Protecting your time and margins by turning down the wrong work.
19 chapters
Episode 3
Ryan Deemer: Why I Had to Step Away
An honest update on the pause, where Ryan has been, and what's next.
Episode 4
Christian Lefley: 77th of 77, Now Running the Same School's Contracts
Graduated dead last. Now he's paid by the same school, and built a business off word of mouth.
18 chapters
Episode 5
Nicholas White: He Could've Started at 16. He Waited Until 40.
A vaccine mandate at a Navy shipyard forced a career decision he'd postponed for 25 years.
18 chapters
Episode 6
Daniel Snell: The $4,000 Mistake That Taught Him How Commercial Work Really Works
Started with ~$10K, got burned by contract wording, rebuilt, and landed a Tesla job.
17 chapters
Episode 7
Matt Hobbs: The Guy Who Turned Facebook Posts Into Booked-Out Work
Not a marketing guy, he used plain Facebook posts to book out his land-clearing operation.
Episode 8
Cody Cocas: Why "Nice Customers" Almost Cost Him His Business
From small residential jobs to multi-million-dollar utility contracts, and the accommodation trap.
Episode 9
John Seaman: The Day He Fired His Entire Crew (And Rebuilt a Stronger Company)
Running excavation crews in the mountains of North Carolina, and starting the crew over.
Episode 10
Jack Eso: How a 10-Man Excavation Company Landed $4M in 60 Days (Without Underbidding)
Grew by tightening systems, not grinding harder, $4M in commercial site work in two months.
25 chapters
Episode 11
Nate Morello: Why "More Equipment" Isn't the Same as a Better Business
Lean excavation built on payment schedules, job rhythm, and tech that replaces labor.
23 chapters
Episode 12
Richard Piendak: The Exit Strategy Most Contractors Never Prepare For
Five decades in paving, built, scaled, sold, and kept working anyway.
17 chapters
Episode 13
Caley Stecker: The Quote Is the Quote, Stop Guessing & Start Getting Paid
A straight-up playbook on pricing, scope control, and running your schedule without chaos.
Episode 14
Jeremy Whitson: Why Too Much Work Nearly Broke His Excavation Business
Walked away from a VP role with 208 employees. Bought one excavator. No real plan.
Episode 15
Sheldon Gould: What 25+ Years in a Small-Market Contracting Business Really Teaches You
Twenty-plus years doesn't mean it's been smooth. It means you didn't quit.
11 chapters
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The best episodes come from owners who've been through hell and lived to tell the tale. If you had a year like that and you're ready to share, other owners need to hear it.