Andrew left engineering school with $50K in student loans and no blue-collar experience. He went back to Pittsburgh and took a $10-an-hour job sweeping up behind an old-timer who taught him the trade. Fifteen years and a COVID-era leap later, he owns a renovation business in North Carolina and still swings a hammer most days.

He and Brad dig into what it’s like to grow a business without letting quality slip. They talk about the hours a lead eats up before any money comes in, and why Andrew now looks for reasons to say no to a project. Andrew also shares how he defines success, why cash flow beats top-line revenue, the tools he won’t give up, and his plan for starting over with nothing but $10K and a box of donuts.

In this 35-minute conversation, Brad and Andrew cover:

• The messy middle: Running jobs, swinging the hammer, and building relationships with subs so he can step back half the time.
• Disqualifying leads: The 3–5 unpaid hours behind every lead, and the website form that weeds out projects before he gets in the truck.
• Top line vs. bottom line: The number you brag about at the bar, the number you tell the IRS, and the cash flow that keeps you up at night.
• The learning curve: Copy-and-paste texts, QuickBooks estimates, and why committing to a CRM is worth the up-front time.
• Hills to die on: A 20 oz Estwing, a clear tube of Lexel, and an AI tool that turns a house photo into a to-scale addition rendering in five minutes.
• Starting over with $10K: Angie, Google Business Profile, a marketing partner, and introducing himself to subs on custom builders’ job sites.

Key Quote from the Episode:
“For me, the work is the easy part. The business is the hard part.” — Andrew

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