Yahara Vasquez owns and operates Built By Her Construction @building_by_her out of Carson, Washington. With a degree in architectural engineering, she’s decided that the jobs that came with the degree were not for her. She loves working with her hands. Between that and wanting to be more available for her children, Yahara built her own home and she started a contracting company. She’s doing some work for the public but venturing into spec home building. While she says her role at home is fairly traditional, her career path is anything but traditional given her Mexican heritage. She  doesn ..read more

Randy Jones revisits @thecontractinghandbook for a quick catch-up on the growth of his construction company @fineremodeling.de in this episode of Mike Knoche’s Furious Fifteen. Randy was my second guest on the podcast back in May 2021… We hit upon: -relying on a sales manager -qualifying subcontractors -challenges to growth -“letting go” -his most challenging project to date   It’s an action packed 19 minutes with a bunch of random, yes/no, non-quantifiables at the end! It’s another great episode with a ton of insights for anyone operating a construction company, be it general contracting ..read more

Post frame builder, Kyle Stumpenhorst @rrbuildings, joins Mike Knoche @thecontractinghandbook where we hit upon, not only always doing our best but: -creating enduring video content that will always help -using social media to link up with the right customers -the incorporation of building science into the workflow and fiscal tradeoffs -having more knowledge than the inspector -why he no longer subs out work -not heeding the red flags   It’s another great episode with a ton of insights for anyone operating a construction company, be it general contracting or specialty trade contracting ..read more

Meet Joe Canning aka @canadiancarpenter and hear the story of how a guy with a degree in 3D graphic arts leaves that life behind for a career in skilled trades. With a wife, four mouths to feed, and no work available in his field, Joe went to work as the laborer under 13 framers..it’s another case of the 4-year degree fallacy. So tune into to hear about Joe as an apprentice and the journey to the beard we all know and love.   Then, we take a stab at the impact of Instagram influencing on the industry as a whole. At the end of the day, Joe wants to make the framing process easier for anyon ..read more

Talk about dedication to team building, creating opportunity to learn skilled trades, and the future of craftsman, carpenter by trade, Joe Mitchell of Finish Point Trim.     Finish Point has an incredible apprenticeship program and, if you think it sounds great, they are happy to share their blueprint with you. A testament to their dedication to recruiting more young people into the skilled trades.     We dive into the idea that some people are unteachable, what it takes to coach, and why it ultimately boils down to our leadership. Joe Mitchell believes in having employee a ..read more

Facilitating new construction company startups, supporting the building community with new ideas and affirmation, and ushering in the next generation of builders is the mission of The Contracting Handbook podcast. Through sharing information about how we operate our businesses and live our construction lives around the world, we elevate the construction life. Please leave us a review on Apple  Podcasts if you have an iPhone or on Podchaser if you are an Android to help spread the word about this 100% Independently Recorded and Produced Construction Podcast! Rate us on Spotify!   Host ..read more

The Contracting Handbook podcast is all about the builders and skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen in the construction industry from all over the world and has recently reached the Top 2% of all podcasts globally. Here you’ll meet the tradespeople who took a leap of faith from working their craft to running the own construction company. You’ll meet people who left lucrative careers to enter the trades. For newcomers to running a construction business, there is a ton of advice on “how to” run your contracting company. For established contractors, you get to meet other industry leaders and get beh ..read more

The Contracting Handbook podcast is all about the builders and skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen in the construction industry from all over the world and has recently reached the Top 2% of all podcasts globally. Here you’ll meet the tradespeople who took a leap of faith from working their craft to running the own construction company. You’ll meet people who left lucrative careers to enter the trades. For newcomers to running a construction business, there is a ton of advice on “how to” run your contracting company. For established contractors, you get to meet other industry leaders and get beh ..read more

The Contracting Handbook podcast is all about the builders and skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen in the construction industry from all over the world and has recently reached the Top 2% of all podcasts globally. Here you’ll meet the tradespeople who took a leap of faith from working their craft to running the own construction company. You’ll meet people who left lucrative careers to enter the trades. For newcomers to running a construction business, there is a ton of advice on “how to” run your contracting company. For established contractors, you get to meet other industry leaders and get beh ..read more

The Contracting Handbook podcast is all about the builders and skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen in the construction industry from all over the world and has recently reached the Top 2% of all podcasts globally. Here you’ll meet the tradespeople who took a leap of faith from working their craft to running the own construction company. You’ll meet people who left lucrative careers to enter the trades. For newcomers to running a construction business, there is a ton of advice on “how to” run your contracting company. For established contractors, you get to meet other industry leaders and get beh ..read more