In this episode of The Untrapped Podcast, Keith travels to Phoenix, Arizona to sit down with Curt Kempton, founder of ResponsiBid, to talk about building a business around systems, people, and the problems you understand better than anyone else. Curt shares how struggling with sales in his own window cleaning and pressure washing company eventually inspired him to create software that could automate the sales process for home service businesses. He also breaks down how he stays organized, hires people who are smarter than him, builds a strong team culture, and keeps the business moving without trying to do everything himself.

Curt also opens up about self-doubt, profitability, leadership, and one of the biggest mistakes ResponsiBid ever made—a massive software update that created bugs, frustrated customers, and pushed the team to its limits. Through it all, Curt explains why successful business owners need to focus on their strengths, build systems around their weaknesses, and genuinely care about both their team and their customers.

 

"It's my job to make sure that I don't get locked up in the things that I don't know, and maximize and showcase the things that I do know, and hire the people to fill in between." – Curt Kempton

 

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

  • How Curt turned a problem in his service business into a successful software company

     

  • Why surrounding yourself with smarter people can lead to better business decisions

     

  • How simple systems helped Curt stay organized and manage his ADD

     

  • Why the "Who, Not How" mindset changed the way he approaches hiring

     

  • Why your weaknesses don't have to hold you back as a business owner

     

  • Why new businesses should focus on becoming profitable as quickly as possible

     

  • How building and developing a strong team can multiply your impact

     

  • Why business owners should focus on their team, not just their customers

     

  • What Curt learned from one of ResponsiBid's biggest software mistakes

     

  • Why genuinely caring more about your customers can become a competitive advantage

Key Takeaways:
  • You don't have to be the smartest person in your business.

    Curt intentionally involves people who are smarter than him when making difficult decisions. Instead of trying to master every part of the company himself, he focuses on what he understands best and hires people who can fill the gaps.

  • Build systems around the things you already do.

    Curt explains that staying organized became easier when he stopped relying on memory and started putting important tasks directly in the path of his existing habits. From reminders and meetings to workouts, the goal is to make the right action difficult to miss.
  • Move fast, but don't change everything at once.

    After ResponsiBid released one of its biggest software updates all at once, the company faced bugs, confused customers, and months of difficult recovery work. Curt learned that progress needs to happen incrementally so problems can be identified and fixed before they compound.

 

Connect with Curt

 Website: https://responsibid.com/

 

Connect with Keith

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