The Builder’s Edge - Mastering the Business Side of Building

One accident can change everything for a contractor, an employee, and their family. In this episode of The Builder’s Edge, we talk with Yvette Kahn about how contractors can protect their crews with affordable supplemental insurance options that help cover out-of-pocket costs, accidents, illness, short-term disability, and the financial gaps traditional health insurance and workers’ comp may not fully solve.

If you own a construction company, painting business, moving company, remodeling company, or any trade-based business, this conversation is for you. Hiring good workers is hard, but keeping them is even harder when employees do not feel protected or supported. Yvette explains how benefits like accident insurance, cancer coverage, critical care, and short-term disability can help contractors build stronger teams, improve employee retention, reduce stress after injuries, and create a culture where workers feel valued.

You will hear how supplemental insurance works, why it can be surprisingly affordable, how it pays employees directly, and why small contractors with as few as three employees may be able to offer better protection without adding heavy overhead.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

→ How supplemental insurance helps contractors close the financial gap when employees get hurt on or off the job

→ Why workers’ comp alone may not be enough to protect your crew or your business

→ How offering benefits can help attract better employees, improve retention, and show your team that you care about their future

→ How accident plans, cancer plans, critical care coverage, and short-term disability can support workers when life happens

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Most contractors are working harder than ever, but still watching profit disappear every month. One reason? Hidden payment processing fees from platforms like Stripe, Square, PayPal, and outdated merchant systems may be quietly draining thousands from your business without you realizing it.

In this episode of The Builder’s Edge, we sit down with Gannon Young, entrepreneur, business owner, and payment processing consultant, to talk about how contractors, HVAC companies, pest control businesses, gyms, restaurants, and service-based businesses can reduce unnecessary payment fees, improve cash flow, and simplify the way they get paid. If you accept credit cards, send invoices, use recurring billing, or rely on online payments, this conversation could help you uncover money leaks hiding inside your business.

Gannon explains how merchant statement reviews work, why many business owners are shocked when they finally see their numbers, and how options like dual pricing, surcharging, automated invoicing, text-to-pay, and better payment workflows can help contractors keep more of what they earn. You’ll also learn why customer service matters in payment processing and how faster funding can make a major difference in your cash flow.

You’ll learn:

→ How payment processing fees affect contractor profits

→ Why Stripe and Square may not be the best fit for growing businesses

→ How merchant statement analysis can reveal hidden fees

→ How smarter invoicing and automation can help you get paid faster without chasing customers manually

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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Are you getting leads but still not seeing the growth, profit, or cash flow your business should have? In this episode of The Builder’s Edge, Deanna Lucas talks with business growth expert Mickey Lyles about why more marketing is not always the answer and how business owners can uncover hidden revenue, fix operational leaks, improve leadership, and build scalable systems behind the scenes.

If you own a construction company, home service business, contracting business, plumbing company, HVAC company, pest control company, remodeling business, or trade-based company, this conversation will show you how to stop staying busy and start building a real business. Mickey breaks down how to identify revenue leaks, understand your market cap, improve your average ticket, raise prices with confidence, track KPIs, build stronger teams, and create systems that support real growth. 

Before you spend more money on lead generation, SEO, ads, or marketing, you need to make sure your business can actually handle and maximize the opportunity.

Highlights:

→ You’ll learn why many business owners are leaving money on the table after the lead comes in.

→ How revenue harvesting can increase profit without adding more customers.

→ Why leadership and culture set the ceiling for growth.

→ How better data, pricing, and operational structure can help you scale smarter.

→ Mickey also shares real examples, including how one pest control company grew from $5.5 million to $21 million, how plumbing companies can increase average ticket size, and why contractors must understand cash flow, labor, pricing, and efficiency if they want to grow.

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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Rising material costs, labor costs, fuel prices, banking fees, and unpredictable market shifts are squeezing contractors harder than ever. If you run a construction business, remodeling company, HVAC company, roofing company, landscaping business, or any trade-based service, this episode is about protecting your profit before rising costs eat it alive.

In this episode of The Builder’s Edge, we sit down with Mike Milligan of One Oak Financial to talk about how contractors can stay profitable, manage cash flow, fix financial leaks, price jobs smarter, and build long-term wealth without just working more hours. We break down why so many contractors confuse cash flow with profit, why old quotes can destroy margins, how banking and insurance relationships may be costing you thousands, and why business owners need better systems, strategy, and key performance indicators.

This conversation is for contractors who are tired of being busy but still stressed about money. Learn how to stop owning a paycheck and start building a real business that creates freedom, stability, and long-term wealth.

You’ll learn:

→ Why honoring outdated bids can quietly drain profit

→ How contractors can adjust pricing when material costs keep changing

→ Why cash in the bank does not always mean the business is healthy

→ How weekly financial check-ins can help you take control without getting buried in spreadsheets

→ How contractors can use AI, smarter partnerships, and better systems

→ Wealth-building habits to create more freedom outside the job site.

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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If your day starts with gas station breakfast, energy drinks, job sites, long drives, and ends with you completely drained, this episode is for you. Today we’re talking about how busy contractors, entrepreneurs, truckers, and working professionals can take back control of their energy, health, discipline, nutrition, and performance without overcomplicating life.

Remi Rory, founder of the MNE Method, breaks down why discipline alone is not enough, how systems create lasting habits, and why your mindset is the foundation for better health. With a background in the Air Force, Remi brings a practical approach to fitness, nutrition, mobility, and daily performance for people who don’t have perfect schedules or easy routines. This conversation is for anyone who feels burned out, lives out of the truck, grabs food on the go, skips workouts, or keeps falling back into the same habits even though they know what they should be doing.

You’ll learn:

→ How to fuel your body better, build small habits that stick, improve mobility, avoid burnout, and stop using your busy schedule as the reason your health keeps slipping.

→ Why gas stations should fuel your truck, not your body, and how busy workers can make better nutrition choices without needing a perfect meal plan. 

→ Why contractors and physically active workers may need more mobility, stretching, and recovery instead of more heavy lifting. 

→ How the MNE Method uses mindset, nutrition, and exercise to create real change.

→ How the FAR Framework helps people build a foundation, accelerate progress, and create lasting results. 

→ The hard truth about health and performance: your results are up to you, and the way you talk to yourself shapes the life you build.

Learn more about Deanna Lucas through the following links:

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