Custom home builder Cody Reimer went from a burned-out two-man crew to running a 12-person company that operates without him in the day-to-day. Todd Dawalt breaks down the construction business systems and the paid pre-construction process that moved Cody out of the field and into a real CEO role.
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👉When Cody Reimer reached out to Todd Dawalt, he was close to hanging up the belt. He had a two-man operation and a crew that had left one guy at a time. Worse, he was starting to see that he was the bottleneck. As long as every decision ran through Cody, the business had no room to grow.
The turnaround started with systems. The first real one was a paid pre-construction process, which became Oaken Builders' biggest sales and marketing tool. Instead of giving away free estimates, Cody learned to sell on value. He asks clients about their past building experiences and what they're really afraid of, then shows how planning the house on paper protects both their budget and their peace of mind. Clients say yes. He also built an accountability chart and a CEO calendar so his hours stay on the work that moves the business forward.
The results show up in the numbers and at home. Top-line revenue and margins are both up, and the team has grown to twelve people in defined seats. Cody now works under forty hours a week, and he recently took a full week off on short notice without anything falling apart. A lot of that traces back to a who-not-how shift: stop asking how you'll get it all done and start asking who's built to do it.
Key Takeaways:
00:00 From Two Man Operation to 12 Person Team: Cody Reimer's Story
01:06 Free Assessment: Is Your Construction Business Ready to Scale?
04:02 Introducing Cody Reimer of Oaken Builders
06:00 The Low Point: Close to Quitting and Considering a Career Change
09:16 The Big Realization: You Are the Problem in Your Business
12:36 Why Entrepreneurs Chase New Ideas Instead of Building One Thing
14:48 The E-Myth Light Bulb Moment
15:38 The First Monday the Phone Was Quiet
17:40 The Three Systems That Changed Everything
20:00 Business Evaluation Call
22:28 How Cody Sells Pre-Construction as a Paid Service
25:40 Pre-Construction Happens Whether You Plan It or Not
29:10 How the Business Runs Without Him Now
31:24 Who Not How: Hiring the Right People for the Right Seats
35:00 The Mental Malware That Keeps Owners Stuck
37:10 Keys to Actually Implementing Change in Your Business
40:06 CEO Alliance: What It Is and What It Did for Cody
42:26 From Sanding Nail Holes to Strategic Planning Sessions
Additional Resources:
⚡Is Your Construction Business Ready to Scale [Free Assessment]: HERE
⚡Oaken Builders: HERE
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The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time.
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