The Contractors Toolbox Podcast from Certified Contractors Network (CCN) is conversations with experts in the contracting industry. We talk about best practices for scaling a successful home improvement contracting company. We'd love for you to join us at contractors.net
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Roofing and More Marketing Manager Sawyer Guinn to discuss the impact a CCN Membership has had on him and to learn how Roofing and More is using AI in its business. Sawyer reveals a troubling decrease in set rate at the beginning of 2025 and what actions he took to address the issue. You'll learn who Roofing and More partnered with to improve its set rate to over 90%, the role of Artificial Intelligence in their marketing department, and some key benefits of AI that might not have crossed your mind. This episode is ideal for contractors that are considering implementing AI into their businesses but haven't yet taken the leap, or for those exploring alternatives to their current AI-powered solutions.
6/17/25 • 34:57
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Cilio Technologies CEO & President Rick Olejnik. Rick defines workflow management and identifies inefficiencies he sees among most contractors in this area. You'll learn how poor workflow management directly impacts your bottom line, customer satisfaction, and your company's reputation, and the steps you can take to avoid these issues. This episode is ideal for contractors that are looking to scale their businesses but need to improve workflow processes in order to achieve their growth goals profitably.
4/15/25 • 26:28
Marcus Sheridan, author of "They Ask, You Answer" and "Endless Customers" joins CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto for this information-rich episode of the Contractors Toolbox Podcast. Marcus will be the keynote speaker at CCN's Spring Conference in Miami from April 24-27, 2025 in Miami. As a world-renowned communication expert, author, and keynote speaker, Marcus helps brands, sales teams, and leaders build deeper human connections and establish more trust with their audiences. With over 13 years of experience in the speaking industry and 23 years as an entrepreneur, Marcus has honed his craft as a master communicator, helping individuals and organizations transform the way they connect, engage, and influence. His expertise has been tactfully applied across a diverse range of subjects including Sales, Leadership, Marketing, AI, personal development, and trust. In this episode, you'll learn why companies are struggling with acquiring new customers and what they can do about it, why contractors should talk openly—and be transparent—about pricing, take a deep dive into Marcus' four pillars of trust, and much, much more. This is an episode you can't miss!
4/8/25 • 46:06
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Structurely Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer Nate Joens. This is Nate's second time on the program. Nate shares whether AI can be used to build a call center for a company of your size, when the time is right to begin building a call center, the best balance between human call center reps and AI reps, how your call center should be handling aggregator or new form leads and old or rehashed leads, and much more. This episode is ideal for contractors that are ready to grow their call centers, but don't know the best approach for where they are right now. Get answers by listening to this episode of the Contractors Toolbox Podcast!
4/1/25 • 27:27
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto talks with Celebration Marketing Founder & Owner David Michaelson. David has been in the direct mail advertising industry for more than 30 years and has extensive experience helping home improvement companies generate leads and close more sales. You'll learn about the benefits of several personalized targeted direct mail programs, including neighborhood proximity mailings and new mover mailers. Plus, you'll find out ways in which contractors are using website visitor retargeting to create killer marketing campaigns that generate low-cost, high-quality leads. This episode is ideal for contractors that are looking for new lead sources or seeking step-by-step directions on implementing direct mail campaigns that help you dominate your local market.
3/25/25 • 24:38
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto talks with Revin AI Head of Revenue Daniel DeMatteo. Daniel shares his insights on how home improvement and home services companies can best deploy AI in their businesses and what it could look like over the next 24 months. You'll learn about the increasing role of AI in call centers and which elements of a call center should be left to humans, the top ways to communicate with today's customers, and receive an update on the TCPA one-to-one consents laws. This episode is ideal for contractors who are on the fence about trusting AI-based technologies and for those who want to learn more about how AI can help you efficiently scale your business.
3/18/25 • 20:52
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto talks with the creator of Ultimate Rainmaker Lead Generation Services & Rehash Program, Alan Michael. Alan has been in the home improvement industry for 40-plus years and has helped contractors accumulate more than $150 million in additional sales. You'll learn how contractors can add 10-20% in revenue without paying more for leads, best practices and keys to making rehash programs successful, and mistakes to avoid when implementing rehash into your home improvement business. This episode is ideal for contractors who want to close more sales with leads they've already paid for in a market filled with uncertainty.
2/18/25 • 28:56
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto talks with SMA Support Services Director of Ideas & Revenue Chris Diroll. Chris reveals some of the biggest challenges contractors face when it comes to communicating effectively and efficiently with clients. You'll learn how to improve workflows and discover the key metrics contractors should track to ensure their customer experience is delivering 5-star results. This episode is ideal for small to medium sized home improvement contractors that have considered outsourcing client communication tasks but don't know where to get started and how beneficial it can be to your bottom line and productivity.
2/4/25 • 22:28
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by CCN VP Gary Cohen for a discussion on the importance of building a community or network of peers in the home improvement industry. Being a business owner can feel like a lonely existence. Gary and Drew talk about ways in which Certified Contractors Network fosters community and collaboration among business owners who are experiencing many of the same issues and obstacles. Gary highlights CCN's three annual conferences as steppingstones to business success and growing one's network. Drew concludes the episode with a special offer for guest contractors to attend the CCN INNOVATE 2025 Winter Conference from January 9-12, 2025.
11/30/24 • 19:30
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Ken Kelly. Ken took over his family business—Kelly Roofing—in 1993 and grew it to $50 million in annual revenue and 300+ employees. He sold the business in 2020 and retired at the age of 47. Ken shares his expert insight on how to properly grow a contracting business, including tips on what businesses at different revenue levels need to focus on most, five rules for growth he learned from Elon Musk, the importance of discipline, five keys to growing your people, and much more. This episode features takeaways for home improvement contractors with revenue at $1 million, $5 million, $10 million, or $20+ million.
10/29/24 • 26:15
As of January 2025, new FCC lead generation laws will require contractors to have explicit 1:1 consent to call or text leads, impacting how companies can engage with their potential customers. Home improvement companies have until the end of 2024 to freely contact existing leads, making it crucial to ramp up outreach efforts before the laws take effect and then to comply with the rules after that. In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Structurely Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer Nate Joens. Nate has led Structurely to 10x growth in conversations processed and has developed a proprietary conversational AI that users perceive as human. He offers expert insight on how contractors can best prepare for these new laws, how the lead gen landscape may change in 2025, and how AI can help companies navigate these changes.
10/8/24 • 23:05
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Opal Enterprises Co-Owner and long-time CCN member Tara Dawn. Tara shares how she's doing more with what she has and how she uses a mix of traditional and modern marketing vehicles with an ever-growing tech stack to improve sales processes and increase lead flow. Drew and Tara discuss what's working today and which types of offers and promotions are making the phones ring at a higher rate. This episode is a must-listen for any home improvement contractor looking for marketing and technology takeaways that they can implement immediately.
9/17/24 • 29:16
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto talks with MicroMeshGutterGuards.com (MMGG) President & CEO Karen Sager. Karen unveils the benefits of adding low-ticket, high-margin product lines that can be installed quickly to inject consistent cash into any contractor's business. You'll learn details of her fast-to-cash concept and how to take advantage of this approach, indications of positive cash flow that you can track, how to become more efficient with labor costs as a percentage of your business, and much more. This episode is ideal for home improvement contractors—especially roofing companies—that have considered adding new product lines to their business but have been afraid to take the leap.
9/10/24 • 20:55
In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto talks with Renoworks Contractor Channel Partner Manager Jenni McMorran. The discussion is centered around employing effective email campaigns that result in booking more appointments and closing more sales. You will learn best practices for capturing email addresses, creating unique email messages for leads at different stages of the buying cycle, which types of emails are most likely to generate responses from homeowners, and how busy contractors can automate their email marketing process to ensure it gets done regularly. This episode is perfect for contractors who are looking for ways to generate low-cost leads. Contact Renoworks here!
7/23/24 • 20:54
In this episode, Gary talks with CCN's new Director of Member and Partner Experience. The discussion will address many of the new initiatives at CCN, including some changes to our Contractors Toolbox podcast. Other topics will be strategic partnerships, The new L&D branding of CCN University, and changes coming to our financing program, all of which will continuously improve our member experience at CCN. This episode is perfect for members of CCN as well as contractors who would like to learn more about all that CCN has to offer.
7/16/24 • 39:31
In this episode, Gary talks with Neal Christensen, Assistant Vice President and Relationship Manager at Enerbank. Neal discusses the benefits of financing and various payment options. He talks about the impact it has on cash flow, the financing process, how it increases viable leads for contractors, the positive impact on close rates, and more. He also explains the PreQualify and application process, and considerations when choosing a lender. The vast majority of your jobs should be financed because of all of the benefits Neal discusses, so this podcast is one every contractor should listen to and gain benefits for their business.
4/9/24 • 47:21
In this episode, Gary talks with Brad Finck, Senior Vice President at Renoworks Software. Renoworks is a market leader in providing various visualization tools for a more professional and sophisticated demo in the customer's home. Brad talks about how these visualization tools can also be utilized on your website, in social media marketing, home shows, and in other marketing and sales activities. This is a great episode to learn how to raise the bar in your sales and marketing with visualization tools.
1/30/24 • 26:00
In this episode, Gary talks with Isaac Barlow, the Founder of BusyBusy. BusyBusy is a technology solution that raises the bar on field labor management and job costing. Isaac talks about how he created the BusyBusy solution for his own contracting company and the results were so strong after 4 years that they began offering the solution to the industry. Isaac also talks about the positive impact the software has on field labor management and job costing, enabling the team to focus on revenue and profits. He also discussed joining forces with another great tech solution company, ToolWatch, and is on the Board of Directors of the combined company. There will be a joint webinar between BusyBusy and CCN on February 15, 2024 that is focused on job costing and here is the link to register. This is a great episode for any contractor who wants to improve efficiency and accuracy in the field.
1/23/24 • 24:23
In this episode, Gary talks with Pete Scudder, owner of Scudder Roofing in Marino, CA. Pete talks about how he got his start in the industry at 18 years old and launched his own company at 24. With a family to feed, Pete talks about what it took to get his business off the ground, how he learned to become a strong business leader, and how he successfully scaled his business to a $29M roofing and solar business. Pete has some great advice for listeners and his messages will be powerful for all of those who listen to this episode.
1/2/24 • 32:25
In this episode, Gary talks with Jon Qualls, President and Co-Owner of Bo Lacey Construction. Jon talks about how he forged a close friendship with his business partner, Kevin Lacey, after they played football together in college. He talks about how their first 3 years in business were focused on storms and they came close to going out of business in 2015. Jon explains how they learned about CCN while attending a CertainTeed event and they became members. By 2018 they became more active in CCN by attending trainings, roundtables, and masterminds, and this helped them discover and embrace the systems and processes they needed to put in place across their business. From there they continued to grow and expect to exceed $15M in Revenue with a 14.5% net profit this year. This is an incredible success story that will be inspiring to all contractors who listen to this episode.
10/31/23 • 29:37
In this episode, Gary talks with Steve Rennekamp, founder and CEO of Energy Swing Windows and Doors. Steve has a fascinating background. He talks about how he earned an Engineering degree and was recruited right out of school to work for Alcoa. He spent 33 years at the company in various roles and truly learned many functional areas of business during those Alcoa years. He talks about how he and his son, Donny, started Energy Swing from nothing and how they struggled for a while until the business finally turned the corner and started growing profitably. Steve talks quite a bit about the importance of hiring the right people and how this became a game-changer for Energy Swing. This is a fantastic conversation with an industry veteran.
10/24/23 • 33:32
In this episode, Gary talks with Jeff Nunham, Owner and CEO of Precision Roofing Services. Jeff talks about how he started his roofing company in 2001 and it took him 14 years to surpass $1 million in revenue in 2015. As he sharpened his business skills and surrounded himself with the right talent, he was able to 11X his revenue in 8 years. Jeff now has his sights on $20M in revenue, while continuing to generate strong net profits. It is interesting to hear Jeff talking about his thirst for knowledge and learning to be better with each year. He offers fantastic advice to small contractors who aspire to grow their companies profitably, and he has been able to do this with humility. If you are a contractor who wants to grow your business, this is a great episode for you.
10/17/23 • 28:55
In this episode, Gary talks with Jaron Rice, founder and CEO of Magothy Payments. Jaron talks about how he got into the payments industry specifically focusing on home improvement and home services contractors. He then gets into "effective rates" and how to properly calculate them. Jaron discusses funding delays and the ways to avoid them. The conversation then moves to chargebacks, how long a contractor is liable, some things contractors can do to prevent a chargeback from happening in the first place, and what a contractor merchant can do to increase their likelihood of winning if they do happen. Finally, Jaron talks about the workarounds when a contractor merchant's CRM has their own processing or an exclusive partnership with a merchant services provider. This is a great episode for all contractors who accept credit cards.
10/10/23 • 40:18
In this episode, Gary talks with Anson Martin, the founder and CEO of Valley Roofing and Exteriors based in Harrisonburg, VA. Anson talks about how he only has an 8th-grade education and started working for a builder when he was 17 years old. He was drawn to roofing and favored that trade over all other trades within the construction umbrella. Anson decided at 21 that he wanted to start his own roofing company; his focus from day one was servant leadership. He was 100% committed to pleasing his customers and taking good care of his employees. Everything Anson does in his business is based on prioritizing everything for the greater good. Listen to Anson talk about his success story and how he will reach $15M in revenue this year with a strong bottom line and is targeting $30M by 2030. This is a fantastic episode for all home improvement contractors, and you will see how Anson's humility has been a driving force in his fantastic journey.
10/3/23 • 32:40
In this episode, Gary talks with Danielle Jones, General Manager of Hutcherson Construction in Michigan. Danielle shares the Hutcherson Construction story and speaks about their rapid growth over the past several years. She discusses the importance of implementing formal systems and processes and how that transformed their company. With a longtime background in Human Resources and specifically recruiting and retaining top people, Danielle wrote a book called, "Recruiting a Winning Team: Strategies for Building High-Performance Organizations." The book is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats. This is a great episode for those contractors who want to hear a success story about rapidly scaling a home improvement contracting business and learn more about recruiting and retaining top talent to help scale your contracting company.
9/26/23 • 27:56
In this episode, Gary talks with Derrik Shakespear, Chief Revenue Officer for BusyBusy, a technology company focused on improving profitability for home improvement contractors. Derrik talks about the company's founder who owns 5 contracting companies and how his passion for technology, math, and data led him to start BusyBusy to solve job site challenges with payroll and job costing. He discusses the gaps in the areas of time-tracking and job costing on-site and how embracing technology to address these gaps will often lead to a well-run home improvement contracting company seeing significant improvements in their net profits. Derrik went on to share a few case studies of contractors who saw significant improvements in their bottom line and in employee relationships. This is an interesting episode for any home improvement contractor looking to improve their efficiencies at job sites.
9/5/23 • 45:44
In this episode, Gary talks with Greg Bloom, Vice President of National Strategic Accounts for Beacon Building Products. Greg talks about the state of the building material distribution industry, how it was impacted during the pandemic, and how it has fared post-pandemic. Greg also discusses the consolidation in the distribution space and his view of consolidation going forward. He also discusses the impact of Private Equity on distribution and contractors. Finally, Greg talks about the impact technology has had on distribution and the contracting/remodeling space in general. Greg's 41 years in the business give him a unique perspective and all contractors will enjoy listening to Greg speak on these topics.
8/22/23 • 33:41
In this episode, Gary talks with Megan Beattie, an industry veteran who specializes in face-to-face marketing. Megan discusses the various ways contractors are effectively engaging in face-to-face marketing and she zeroes in on 4 of the common ways contractors can effectively engage in this type of marketing. Megan also talks about the importance of creating a lead mix from multiple sources and how face-to-face marketing offers a lead source where a contractor can exercise more control of their destiny. She used the example of today's environment where inbound digital leads are down significantly from where they had been, and with a strong face-to-face marketing plan, contractors can still bring in the leads they need to keep sales reps busy with demos. This episode is great for contractors of all sizes and has some actionable takeaways that can be put in place immediately.
8/15/23 • 43:58
In this episode, Gary speaks with Peter Ingraham, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ingage. Peter and Gary talk about the initiative Ingage and CCN have been building out together, by marrying CCN's proprietary 5P Sales Process with Ingage's proprietary presentation and analytics software. The result is a highly professional presentation that sales reps can learn and follow to drive up close rates and ticket value. The back-end analytics helps sales managers provide meaningful feedback to reps in the spirit of continuous improvement. This episode is for any home improvement contractor who would like to scale their revenue through higher close rates and ticket value. Don't miss it.
8/8/23 • 36:12
In this episode, Gary talks with Jonathan Weinberg, the Founder and CEO of Builder Prime. Jonathan talks about how he was introduced to the home improvement contracting industry and how he initially set out to use his Computer Science degrees to create tech software that supported contractors with solutions for estimation and production, however, he ended up infusing that into a broad-based CRM solution with all-in-one capabilities that offer contractors an option for consolidating multiple tech solutions into their one comprehensive solution that is fully integrated for ease of use. Jonathan talks about his perspectives on the sales funnel that he calls, "The Happy Path." This is a great discussion that should have takeaways for any contractor who listens to the episode.
8/1/23 • 33:36
