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Well, I think we're gonna have a great year. I think 2025 is going to be profitable for anybody in the residential space. Welcome to the Builder Hacks podcast. Your go to destination for cutting edge strategies, time tested systems, and invaluable insights to revolutionize your construction business and elevate your life. Join your host, Nate Piper and Keith Mills. Seasoned contractors who are not just in the trenches but are also pioneering the future of the industry through Concord University.

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In each episode, we dive deep into the minds of the industry's most accomplished building professionals, uncovering their secrets to success and sharing actionable tips to help you thrive. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or just starting out, our goal is to empower you to build a brighter future for yourself and for America. Tune in. Level up and let's build a better tomorrow together.

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This is the Builder Hacks podcast to build your future. Building America.

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And today we wanted to dive into a topic that is very, very much about what's going on at this time of the year. So you've got everything going on. People start thinking about the next year and what's going to be happening. So what's going to be the hot things? What are the pieces that you really need to pay attention to?

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So Nate and I sat down well and we ran through some things and we're like, you know what? How do we see the remodeling industry going in 2025? You know, if you're going to be involved in the construction, especially on the remodeling side, what are the hot things you really want to keep in mind? So whenever you're a business owner, because it is there's so many things that change consistently.

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You want to be on top of those trends, because the challenge is if you find out about them after it's gone, your competition a lot of times has already started to implement these pieces, and that's the last thing you want to have happen. So what do you think about Nate for 2025? So what kind of year you think we're going to have to get started with?

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Well, I think we're gonna have a great year. I think 2025 is going to be profitable for anybody in the residential space, regardless of who becomes the next elected president. and I and I think the, the first one, that's going to help a lot of residential remodelers is increased digital presence. I think the construction industry is now, which has always been considered a dinosaur industry is now evolution izing into the digital space.

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making people aware of who they are. And so whenever you say increase the increased digital presence, what do you mean by that? What does that. Well, I think everyone's kind of made the transition. And every construction company now has a, a Facebook page or an Instagram page or, or something in the social media presence. But I also think that they're moving into things like, educational pieces on Instagram or YouTube.

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kind of like what we're doing here with this, our podcast, by being able to, educate and enlighten people of our industry and let them know what's going on. And I think that's going to increase, even more as we go forward into 2025. And I think it's the new marketing age, which used to be, door hangers.

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Right. We would go around and hang door, door hangers all over the place. and I think digital marketing and, and a digital presence is going to be the new door hanger, the new flier. Because I know for me, I get those door hangers still, and I still work, but I don't put a lot of effort into it.

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Most of the time I take it and put it right into the trash. Just because it doesn't, it doesn't engage. Yeah, it doesn't engage with me like it did, you know, 15 years ago. And so I think the new increased digital presence is going to be there. is the new staple. And I think that's going to continue in 2025.

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Okay. I mean, I see that I definitely see that in my business already. I mean, it's one of the things I was out last week. I mean, with a couple of homeowners for the first time, and as we were wrapping everything up, he's like, oh, and I want to let you know I love your website. He said the information on there is great.

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He said that it was really impressed me as far as that goes. It is something that people, more and more people go to look at by the time I get there now. So on someone's site for the first time. Part of this is driven by us and our marketing message on the front side. But part of this also happens because that's just the type of homeowner nowadays is they're doing some research on it.

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They want to see what's going on. They want to see how many projects you're doing, what kinds of projects you're doing. You know, how long have you been doing this? And that's one of the reasons why, like, I mean, we Nate and I are both in and one of the groups that weren't together. So they always talk about going ahead and putting things out on social media, like we should be putting things out every day at least.

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So is what they talk about at least once a day. And what it does is it just establishes you as someone who's in the industry. It establishes you as an expert, is what it does. And that's the thing that people love. I have so many. My homeowners follow me. So I make comments on what I'm doing. And that's and they love seeing all the different types of projects.

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And it really does help when people go to look. And for me, they go back and they can look, they have years worth of of, you know, many, many years worth of, posts and things like that on social media. It makes a huge difference whenever a homeowner seems like, well, they've been around for a while and they've been doing these kinds of things for a while.

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So they feel a lot more comfortable, really helps out on the credibility side. that I agree with you. One of the biggest things. So you definitely have social media. We just got the website re created this year. So that was a newer piece for us to get that back up. But we used to live off of just the social media side of things because that's where so many homeowners go nowadays.

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You know? So anyone that's listening to this, whether you're a brand new contractor or whether you're someone who's been in the industry for 20 years, get your social media presence set up and post on it, not just set it up. So you have to be active on it. So which includes post things and includes responses and paying attention to DMs because I get a bunch of people.

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Then the last part of this year, we probably had somewhere between 20 and 25 contacts with through direct messages and social media to come out and talk to people about projects. So those things are happening now. People are using that a lot more. So I agree with you as far as that part goes, the digital presence is huge and I think it's just going to continue.

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And and contractor is that adapt and do it now or going to be have a little bit more of an edge. So I agree. I know one of the big things that you and I have talked about before, and I think it's a huge piece for anybody who's in this industry, and this is the way the industry is adapting also.

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So is a customer focused experience. what that means. So whenever you hear those kinds of things, customer focused experience means that when you're doing everything decision wise, so you are always focused on how it's going to come off to the customer, how it's going to relate to the customer, how it's going to affect your customer. So that means everything.

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Like we do the simple things right from the beginning. Whenever we go out to meet with them the first time, I have shoe covers on my truck. So as soon as I get to the front door, as soon as I step inside onto the whatever rug they may have in their foyer. So I go ahead and put shoe covers on right away.

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You have no idea how many people have made comments to me, so that that was one of the biggest reasons that they chose to work with us. Well, that and the fact that we're on time. So which is also the name of the company, kind of amazing. but what have you got those two pieces like that? Homeowners love the fact that whenever you're focused on taking care of them, what's showing up on time is taking care of them.

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They're not. You're not wasting their time. They're used to contractors never showing up or showing up late. So, you know, without any calls or anything like that, and they have to sit there and wait for you. That is so frustrating. All of us have experience that at one point or another waiting for somebody, whether it's the cable guy.

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So or, you know, whether it's a contractor, you know, or whether it's someone that you're meeting. So to go out and do something with either way that waiting is frustrating. So, you know, look at those little things. It's the little touch points with homeowners that make a huge difference. So being on time, putting the shoe covers on, whenever you go in there, carry a notebook and take notes or record digital notes while you're walking.

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That way, they feel like you're paying attention whenever you're in there. You know, the biggest thing I tell my team is the one thing homeowners judge us on. So is how clean the project is. So those are the little things, you know, putting down walkways. So for areas we're going through an area that we're not touching. It's a finished area already that they already have in the home.

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Put down walkways for your team to be going across to get to the areas that they're working on. You know, all of those little pieces like that dust wall. So putting it up, keeping them informed on what's going on with lots of communication. So that's the texting, whether it's texting, whether it's talking to them on the phone, whether it's emails, whatever it is, those types of all of those pieces, everyone thinks, oh, it's not a big deal.

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It's huge to a homeowner that has no idea what's going to be going on in their project. So it goes ahead and establishes you above everybody else is what it does, and you'll have a much better result by the time they're done. And they'll be a lot happier with the result, which is key. You know, our whole company focus is around the customer experience.

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And and I think that's going to be a big, component kind of going forward as, as all of these different, home improvement companies are starting to, to make their edges and move forward into 2025. I think, you know, a big focus on the customer experience, you know, how do they feel, what is the result that they want?

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Do they know what what the result is? you know, it's one of the things that's forefront in our company. And it's one that we talk about every in every meeting about what is our customer getting? Are they getting the best service? how can we improve that service? And, you know, it's not always perfect, but that needs to be a focus and a drive that that pushes you forward.

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Had a customer this past week where we failed and, we were thinking one thing and they were thinking something else, and, and, that never happened, you know, but it was it was lessons learned. Right? And it's like, okay, what could we have done different to give this customer the greatest service that they needed so that the mistake didn't happen and that we didn't have to repeat it?

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And it's a it's a learning opportunity. And I think that's the that's the key to, you know, our 2025 and everybody's 2025. Is that okay. Let's focus on the customer service experience. And if someone didn't have a perfect experience why not. And what do we need to do to be able to, better improve upon that customer service?

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So at the end of it, five years from now, in 2020 2020, what is it 2030 and how is it already there that the customer service experience, what they get to experience during that process is just flawless, and I think that's going to be a big focus for 2025. And I agree. And it's one of the like you brought up a key point Nate.

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So is going back and reviewing those things whenever they happen. Because there's always something new that can be added that can make the process better. and that's you know, whenever you think, hey, I've got this good we're doing, there's always going to be something that's going to show up that it can be better and that they'll be happier with, you know, pay attention when the homeowner has a frustration.

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If they get angry about something. Is there anything that we could do to make that different for the next time so that that goes ahead and takes care of it? It's a constant process. It will never stop. So there'll always be something that we can go ahead and do differently or more effectively for the homeowner. And keeping that in mind, I think is huge.

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Awesome. What do you what we come up with next, Nate? adoption of the technology was our next. And I think this is going to be a key role in 2025. We've been moving in that direction. And as a as an industry, we've always been hesitant to be able to kind of like move into this technology space, and it's been a slow grind to get us there.

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Unlike other industries where they adapt to technology right off the bat and got there, I can still remember five years ago we were still doing, handwritten orders. Right? And now we switched over to using iPads, and we switched over to using instead of a, a filing cabinet. Now we have Google Drive. Right. And so we put a slow component in our industry to kind of move over into technology.

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But what I'm seeing for 2025 is that we're really moving into the virtual reality space, right where we have goggles that we can put on and show in real life, like, hey, this is what your house is going to look like when we finish this remodel, right? And and that's just this is one of many new adopted technologies that both the customers are expecting.

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And the contractors willing to provide. And I think both of those pieces are going to come together in 2025. Yeah, and I agree, there's no question. It's a it was a slow adaptation to technology. I mean, I remember when I first started working in the field for my own business, I was one of the few people who would be out there with a laptop.

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So everybody else was like, well, what are you doing here with the computer? and it's because of the fact. For me, it was it's the efficiency. So there's no question about it. I still, I, I'm not a big iPad person myself. I prefer a little bit, you know, I get a little older, prefer a larger screen. So that goes down to and I do a lot of heavy lifting whenever I'm out there too.

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I'm on the computer, which is a lot easier with a laptop than it is with an iPad, and using whatever that technology is to be able to use that. I mean, my team, there's so many times now where I, one of my project managers on one of the sites and they won't know how to go ahead and solve a challenge.

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We might have, and I'll say, FaceTime me. Well, and they can literally walk me through it right there and can help out and take care of whatever the challenges. So where they can send me pictures or both, whatever it may take. Usually they start with pictures. I can identify what they're talking about in the picture. I can give them a solution.

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If not, then we hop on the phone. So do a FaceTime call and I can see video, whatever. Everything is going on. I do the same thing with my homeowners. We do video calls most of the times now whenever we're not meeting in person. So just because of the fact that it's it's there's more connection to it is what it comes down to and so many more.

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I mean, Covid, the one good thing that came out of Covid was so many people got used to being on video that it is now very accepted and very easy to get most people to hop on a video call with you. so you're utilizing those things and that's right about the virtual reality piece. So that's one of the great things.

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Throughout the years we've used, 3D tours. So already on something like our new build projects and things like that, we'll have guys that go ahead and actually just take all of our blueprints on and the choices they've already made selection wise, and pop them on there and then let them, the homeowner, be able to walk through that, see that video on their computer or whatever device they're watching it on.

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to go ahead and actually get a better idea of what's going on, what it's going to look like. So it's the more you can adapt to that or adapt to that is a good. I know a lot of my subcontractors. I mean, most of the time now, whenever we're talking about like, paper estimates stuff, I still have some of the guys who go ahead and write it out on a notebook and take a picture of it and send it to me, which works, but I'm okay with that as long as they get it to me.

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But a lot of them have switched over to using a lot of the apps now where they can go ahead and put it right in there, because once they put it in the app, they can go ahead and send me the estimate that they've gotten. So then they can go ahead and do their billing later on off of it, including multiple raws.

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and do they're posting right in there for their accounting. So as far as that part goes. So it makes their lives a lot easier than having to try to keep track all that paperwork. So at some point during the year we make a couple great points. I'll just add a few other technologies on there. Google Translate, right?

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I'm a big fan of Google. I like Google, so I like to stay in all those categories. But a translation device, right. Because a lot of times we're we're hiring people. Then there might be a language barrier, right? Or we're having a conversation with a homeowner. There's a language barrier, right. And being able to use a translator in real time, it's amazing.

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I, I love that technology. And, you were talking about earlier about walkthroughs, you know, a big one. And I'm not a big fan of it, but it is making an impact. It's Matterport right. As they kind of come through and they take pictures and you're actually able to walk through a space and see it from that, that vantage point.

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So I really like some of these technologies that are coming out and I think they're going to improve. And I think we're going to grow in 2025. And and there's going to be some more cool ones. I think AI is going to play a big component over the next 2 to 3 years. and so the great thing about AI is it'll make it it'll make it faster for all of us and more cost effective at the same time, which means that a lot of the people who are newer getting in and getting started, will be able to do a lot of the same things that only the big guys could do before, because only

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the big guys are able to afford the fancy softwares that were able to do these things. And that's the exciting part, for everybody that levels that playing field are just like, like a lot like the internet did. So for business owners is the ability of people to get out and actually do business and conduct business. So AI is going to be one of those field leveling things.

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So I think as we go forward. So for the for the big and the small guys for sure. All right. Awesome. one of the other things that I know that I've been hearing more and more about, and I know that we tend to focus on whenever we're doing any project, whether it's a remodel or whether it's new construction.

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So it's sustainability. So I whenever I say sustainability. So there's a couple different things that go into this for us. So a lot of conversations I've had over the last probably 5 to 10 years. So about more eco friendly products and things along those lines. no question about it. going ahead and taking care of the environment.

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So taking care and it's like one of the biggest things I always hated when I work production was we had so much stuff that we would literally throw away as we were going ahead and cleaning out our house. As we were finishing up a project, especially whenever you were leaving a community and you didn't have another house to take things to, that was literally boom, straight into the dumpster.

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And I was one of the most frustrating things. And even now, whenever I'm doing remodeling, so I still look at that like things that were taken out of the houses if somebody wants to take it. I offered up to all the guys that are on the job sites doing anything. I ask the homeowner if they want to go in and do something with it.

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Some of the homeowners come to us and ask us if we can donate. So things like habitat for Humanity or Habitat for humanity and things like that. So any of those types of of resources that'll take things. so we always look for ways to go ahead and repurpose that or have someone take it home and give it another life as opposed to just pitching on the dumpster.

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No question about it. we also look at and for us, one of the big things our homeowners want is something that's going to be relatively low maintenance. I mean, down here, we've got the Mediterranean style was huge down here in the late 90s and early 2000. and you have a lot of, wrought iron railings outside and outside in the state of Florida has wrought iron railings.

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homeowners typically do not stay on top of their maintenance as far as those go. So those things start to rust out so they end up causing, you know, challenges. So they've got to be replaced. And it's like now whenever I make any of those recommendations, I look at something that is going to last in the elements that you're in, and that's going to be different around the country.

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Wherever you are now for down here, it's definitely going to be the the heat, the humidity that we've got. If you're on the ocean so, or on the Gulf, you're going to have to take care of the saltwater as best you can, because salt water is always going to kill everything, no matter what. over time. but you look at those pieces and get things that are more, more long lasting.

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So overall, it's like down here, people come down, especially from up north. I'm like, yeah, I want a wood door. I'm like, do you know what that means in the state of Florida? Well, wood door in the state of Florida means that every year you're going to need to clearcoat it. So and if you don't clear coat it every year, you're going to get swelling in your doors.

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So as what went up happening it'll also leave a little fade which then don't get into your stain which will fade and now becomes a much larger project to go ahead and keep that the way it is now. And it's one of those pieces that you can if you don't want to do that. So you can go into the vinyl products, the PVC type products to go ahead and take care of using that instead, you can get the same looks felt with a whole lot less maintenance on that end.

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It's just those are the types of things you always want to look at for your homeowner, because they'll appreciate that. Get them a as low a maintenance home as they could possibly have, especially if they've dealt with those challenges in other homes. Yeah, you know, sustainability is one of those things that, you know, hits me to the core.

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I didn't always have this same feeling. So when I was starting out, it was, oh, if you don't need it, throw it away. But now there's been so many times where I would try to find and and do historical builds and things of that nature. It can't find any of the old materials ever. that is driving me nuts.

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And so, a big part of what we're always trying to do, it whenever we're doing a project is like, if we're if we're taking something, if we're not doing a ground up build or we're remodeling something, we try to see what can we use and what can we donate and what can we move into, you know, a sustainability pile.

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And there's a there's been a lot of movement in that space, especially over the last few years, where most cities now have a place where they have a, a resale, warehouse somewhere inside the city where they collect all of these old cabinets, old hardware, old doors, and they have them there for reuse purposes. And so if you're doing a project like that, I highly support it.

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We support it. we're also just like Keith was saying, that if we have a something that we have that's over, we're trying to either make sure the homeowner wants it or uses it, or one of our trades can take it or we donate it to, habitat for Humanity or Wounded Warrior projects or things of that nature where we can support the next project.

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it's so important for those, we also try to use a lot of, you know, green products, trying to be sustainable for our for our environment and what we're trying to move forward. So highly encourage that. I think it's going to grow. I think it's been growing. and so I, I love seeing some of the new, greener products coming out.

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I mean, biggest thing where I have to wait for and I know it does to a certain degree, to so is those products have to be able to get for us Florida approval down here by the state, which means they're rated for hurricanes. and that's one of the biggest things that we've got to wait for. But there's so many products out there now that are really exciting, that can then make a huge difference.

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Well, on both the, you know, labor side, which is what we're going to be talk about soon now. And also on the on the impact on the environment, you know, going ahead and recent I mean, they're making they're already making blocks out of things like recycled plastic. Now I'm going ahead and making building blocks that are actually stronger so than what concrete block is at this point, you know, so that those things are cool.

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It's just like, all right, now you got to figure out how we keep them all together for the storms that we have down here. And it's coming. I know they're working on those pieces, but like seeing and watching that gets exciting because then you get to make a bigger impact all over the place. I'd be interested to see kind of what the products are going to be like in 2030 for ten years.

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Oh, it'll be awesome. It'll be great because it's been so different than what it was, you know, ten years ago now. Yeah. All right. Awesome. What's next? Well, we've got, the same thing that we talk about all the time. I think it's going to continue in 2025, which is the skilled labor shortage and is a big one.

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We can't talk about it enough. But I'm telling you, it's there and it's real and it's going to continue to grow. And we need to figure out what this is going to be like. for every, you know, and, and you ask different people and you get different stat. But I can safely say somewhere between 5 to 7 people every year that are leaving this industry.

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Only 1 to 2 people are coming in. Right. That is a huge. Yeah. Huge huge huge might be an understatement on that side Nate. Yeah. Well and here's the thing. The guys that are leaving aren't the young guys. They're the old guys. They're the ones with the knowledge. They're the ones that done it. They're the ones who have mastered this industry and they're leaving because of a few different reasons.

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A they're just tired. Be their their body can't do it anymore. they they're just they want to do something else with their life. And we need to be able to bring more people into the industry and, and off balance this, this kind of component. We're really going to see ourselves in a, in a huge deficit here shortly.

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And so you know trade schools apprenticeships and just go in and pick it up a broom and a shovel and go into work. help out any way you can encourage people to get into the trades. and I think that part three, you said right there, Nate, I think is one of the biggest things. and it when people look at it, we had such a lot we had a narrative for the longest time that you had to go to college and get a degree to go ahead and be successful.

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So in your life and be able to make the kind of money that you want and, you know, and our, our, our whole generation bought into that. So there's no ifs, ands or buts about it because that's what was being programed to us was that was the way to go ahead and succeed. And the challenge was they totally ignored things like people who are better at going out and doing things with their hands that want to be, active so that want to go ahead and build or, you know, and make and create and do those types of things.

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And that's that isn't the person that may not want to go to college, so they're not going to succeed there. It's not going to be the highest and best use for their skills. So and I think you frustrated a lot of people. And I actually built up a boatload of debt, which drives me crazy for people that they got there and they found out it wasn't the right thing yet.

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Unfortunately, they put a whole lot of money into finding that part out. You know, now it comes down to you've got to go ahead and get that message out there so that it's okay whichever way you want to go. So if you want, if you like working with me and you like being outside, you like going ahead and doing those kinds of projects, that's awesome and encourage the younger people.

00;24;49;08 - 00;25;07;25

And that's one of the biggest things that I do all the time. I mean, my daughter works with us. She's 22 years old, so her boyfriend works for a different construction company doing, heavy equipment stuff. So he's 23, you know, I so I tell them I'm like, stay in this industry. You know, if you're looking to go ahead and build something really big or even just be an employee who does really well.

00;25;07;29 - 00;25;24;21

So if you're in construction now, you're that's going to be you. There's no question about it. with the the wages that we've seen coming into the industry, no matter what you're doing, learn it. Now, put the time in now while you're young. Put the effort in now so you can either be the very viable employer or go ahead and start your own company and create something even bigger.

00;25;24;26 - 00;25;42;06

So if that's where your your desire is, and doing those kinds of things I think is huge. and that's one of the ways to go ahead and get more people into this industry. And if you're a parent or you're around younger people, you know, encourage them. Look at all options, not just one option, you know, if you if they want to go and be a lawyer or a doctor, I got it.

00;25;42;06 - 00;25;59;01

That's college. But if they don't know what they want to do, that's how page started out working for me. She didn't know what she wanted to do, going, Michael, come and do this and figure out, you know, you can take your time figuring this out. Well, and she's now been with me for four years now. And we'll see how that all goes, whether she stays in it or not or whether she find something else.

00;25;59;04 - 00;26;22;07

But either way, right now it's a great opportunity for her. She's making great money. Her boyfriend's making great money. those are the types of of opportunities are there. And at least you get to sample the buffet and see what's out there. but there's a huge gap right now. And unfortunately, like they talked about. So the fact that so many of the older, knowledgeable people are retiring, that's the scary part, because then even as the younger people are coming in, they don't have the people with the knowledge that teach them, which that means that they don't.

00;26;22;07 - 00;26;40;22

They have to learn it on their own by mistakes if they ever learn the same ways. A lot of times that knowledge just totally disappears. And that's the frustrating thing to see, is that it just goes out. Yeah. And that actually brings me to the thing that that I like that we do already, but I think would work really well with some of the older people.

00;26;40;27 - 00;27;01;05

So that's remote project management. So we do this already because of the fact that we can't be everywhere where we need to be. I don't have enough construction managers, project managers to be able to handle everything that we do, which means that I have to have the right for me. I have to have the right subcontractors on the side so that can work without us having to be standing over them to give them direction.

00;27;01;14 - 00;27;18;21

and a lot of times for us, that means we're working with the smaller contractors, and it's usually people that have been in the industry a little bit longer because they're already experienced. So they know how to troubleshoot a lot of things. They get to know me like the majority of my contractors, my subs have been with me for over a decade, so they know how I build so they know what I expect.

00;27;18;24 - 00;27;43;12

They know how I solve challenges because they've seen it before, and they're not afraid to reach out whenever they've got something that pops up and they'll usually reach out when they reach out to reach out with solutions. But that remote project management for me means on the phone, like I talked about with page before. So going ahead and doing FaceTime calls, you know, just hopping on a phone, call them, sending me pictures, they can usually explain it well enough that I can go ahead and make whatever decision we need to do to make for, or have enough information to talk to a homeowner if the homeowner needs to make a decision.

00;27;43;12 - 00;28;07;24

Either way, to be able to go through those pieces, those older workers that are retiring, especially the ones when Nate was talking about their get their retire because their bodies are unable to handle it anymore. This is something that's perfect. So if you've got a company where you've got some people who are older, who are unable to be out and do it in the field the same way, setting it up, that they can be the resource for the younger people that are in the field, you know, they can be the person going out and checking up on projects.

00;28;07;24 - 00;28;22;24

If they can get out there to do that, they can be the person that's on the phone. They can be the person has their own video chat to go over those things, because that's going to become a bigger and bigger piece of being able to train the next generation of people. And that's one of the huge pieces. And again, it comes down to embracing technology.

00;28;22;24 - 00;28;38;26

So embracing different ways of doing things, you don't always have to be on the site, you know. And by the fact that I started doing this, I started doing the remote piece 15 years ago now. And it's because of the fact that I had a I had my coaching business so that I had at that point, and I was traveling for that all the time.

00;28;38;28 - 00;28;50;04

And whenever I'm traveling for that, I need to be able to go ahead and remotely manage my team. So it gave me a leg up because it forced me to go ahead and get good at this really fast and bring in the right team to be able to. They can do the same thing and that's what's actually happened.

00;28;50;04 - 00;29;10;08

But I definitely say figure that piece out for your team, whatever it may look like. So and there's so many different ways to do this. Yeah, I'm I'm a big proponent of remote project management because you can't be on every jobsite all day long sitting there like we used to. So we have to be able to we have to do more projects and less amount of time.

00;29;10;11 - 00;29;35;07

And the other way to do that is to kind of spread it out. And, you know, it also helps on, some of the financial stresses. Right. having to pay for gas and, and vehicle maintenance and things of that nature from driving and going to job sites, job site. I really think remote project management, and the software and this is kind of where we get back into technology and how technology is coming in for 2025.

00;29;35;10 - 00;30;06;24

People are figuring out how to use, different communication tools, whether it be Asana or Slack or Monday or Trello or some of these other project management skills that that work for corporations are now starting to translate over into the construction industry, and they're using these things to be able to stay on task and to communicate and to, be a remote project manager, but also stay, in line with the expectations of the project.

00;30;06;26 - 00;30;32;05

And I think it's just going to grow and continue into 2025. And I think more people are going to be coming on board. Agreed. So no question about it. You're up Nate. What's next? Well, this is one that that I do very well. It's, diversification of services. Right. It used to be that you just picked one lane and you stood in that one lane and that one facet, and just do that thing, right?

00;30;32;08 - 00;31;06;09

For instance, if you were a drywall or you just did drywall, you didn't do tape, bed texture paint, right? You just did a driver. Well, I think for 2025, we're starting to realize that we're going to have to be able to come together and do more services. I think that, the overall state of where we're at with also having less people that can actually do the actual work are now being asked and required that they have to do more service than what they originally did.

00;31;06;14 - 00;31;36;23

Now, this is great for the fact that somebody gets to learn more facets of the construction industry, but it is also a learning curve that we have to be aware of, that not everything is going to be perfect every time out, so it's good and it's bad. I think the the three big, categories that are going to be a part of the diversification of services are going to be, wholesale materials wherever you can get them.

00;31;36;23 - 00;32;01;06

You got to get those and you got to be able to, group around that. I also think that, your labor for these pieces are going to be, they're going to have to be diversified into what all they can do inside those services. And number three, I think some hard core, services that are going to be required in 2025 are going to be restoration services.

00;32;01;21 - 00;32;31;22

I think as we kind of look at the next few years, we have been having increasingly storms. I don't care if you're, a climate change person or not. The reality of it is, is that it's a necessary, service that has to be had. And especially if we're talking about sustainability and we're talking about as the ages of homes are getting older, restoration services are just going to be a part of the next generation, capstone that they've got to put on to their diversification.

00;32;31;25 - 00;32;46;28

We built way too many homes in places that they should have been built in. The first place is what it comes down to and how to go ahead and keep them working appropriately so, and weathering those storms and things that tend to come up. So there's no question about it. huge, huge opportunities. I mean, I've seen lots of new industries pop up.

00;32;47;05 - 00;33;00;24

You know, even like I'll give you an example down here. We just had a couple of hurricanes that came through Florida. Big surprise at summertime. It's hurricane season in Florida. but we had a couple come through and they're actually they have in companies. They go in now to communities that didn't used to get wet, but are now seeing more and more water.

00;33;00;24 - 00;33;16;27

And a lot of that's from development and systems are unable to handle the increased runoff now or storms are just either way. So but whenever they do that, they're actually going in and they're literally we used to do this more up north than what I've seen down here, but they're literally going ahead and lifting up homes, including the whole slab.

00;33;16;29 - 00;33;31;22

So and building them up higher, putting them on piers, putting them on a stand wall. So one of the to just to go ahead and get them the elevation that they need. That way they're they don't have to go through every 2 or 3 years having to go ahead and rebuild after a hurricane, which is nobody wants that.

00;33;31;22 - 00;33;44;23

So as far as those kind of pieces go, but yeah, being able to offer things like that and or and I here's the one thing that I'll, I go ahead and put out there. You don't have to bring all of these things in underneath your company. You just have to know who to call. Yeah. and that's, that's diversification right there.

00;33;44;23 - 00;33;59;25

Also, I mean, one of the things you can go ahead and offer, it's it's no different than like, everything that we do, all of our homeowners, we asked for leads. So who do they know that would love to have us take care of them? That they've got a project. So take us take care of their friends the same way we took care of them whenever we were doing this.

00;33;59;27 - 00;34;17;25

You know, we asked for referrals and whenever we get referrals and they move forward, we go ahead and give a present. So a gift to our homeowners is what we end up doing. So the same thing when a referral for a business. So business is going to go ahead typically and go ahead and give you something for that referral, or make sure they're sending referrals back to you to go ahead and take care of things.

00;34;17;25 - 00;34;33;02

Because, you know, in those instances, like the example I gave, they go ahead and move a house. They lost a house. Guess what? There's going to be work inside that house whenever it's done. So because they're not lifting that thing without going ahead and cracking corners, cracking flooring. So there's gonna be a lot of different work that needs to be done to go ahead and put it back in the shape that they want to have it in.

00;34;33;05 - 00;34;47;21

I wonder if they go ahead and do those types of things. So that's, you know, it's good to go ahead and and create those relationships. create additional services that are in line with you. I mean, one of the big things that I've talked about with Nate, I know Nate's got multiple different verticals in his business, for things that he does.

00;34;47;21 - 00;35;09;00

I mean, obviously does restoration. He does remodels, they do new construction. So he does cabinets sell all of those pieces all fit within other businesses that he's got. So they all tie into each other, which is a good thing if you're looking at doing things like that for diversified services. You know, the things that I'm looking at, I want to go ahead and add an electrical company, a plumbing company, an Hvac company underneath my umbrella.

00;35;09;02 - 00;35;26;12

So obviously multiple reasons. So they're going to do really well for a long time. And at the same time, that makes my job easier because I've got those those trades to be able to kick right into my projects when I've ordered them. So I become number one. So as far as that part goes, you know, going ahead and adding maintenance programs, you know, the Hvac guys, the pool guys are excellent at this.

00;35;26;14 - 00;35;40;02

So they're the ones in the industry lead this. But going ahead and looking at those types of things to create with your business. So how can you get something that's recurring revenue and that's what that is. You know when they're going out and doing, you know they're going out in service in the units. They're going out and changing filters.

00;35;40;07 - 00;35;58;22

So they're going out and checking the pool chemicals. So they're going ahead and and change their cleaning the filters there for the pool pumps, all of those things. Look for those things in your industry that you can turn into a recurring revenue source, because then those are long term clients who will think of you whenever they need something, and they'll more likely refer you out when somebody asks something just because you're more familiar to them.

00;35;58;25 - 00;36;05;28

That all builds your business without you having to put more money in the marketing.

00;36;06;01 - 00;36;23;22

So love that. So diversification of services. I know one of the big things that helps us on the diversification of services, and so that are far apart for homeowners, because this is something that we do differently than everybody else. So is being transparent with your pricing? we work on a cost plus basis. So which for if you don't know what that means, that means whatever.

00;36;23;22 - 00;36;38;02

My subcontractors go ahead and charge us. So they actually get to see it. So my homeowners see it on the estimate or on we we call them quotes on our own because it's not an estimate. We actually get hard pricing. So based on what we're doing in the home. So but on our quotes they actually see the price.

00;36;38;04 - 00;36;58;19

Well and then they see what we're making on top of that. So it's very transparent. So you have to learn a different skill set to be able to present that. because usually one of the highest ticket items is us. So I wonder if we're managing that process. And you've got to be able to go ahead and, and let them know the reason why that is the way it is and have it make sense for them, because that'll be the first thing that they come after.

00;36;58;26 - 00;37;17;03

because everybody else and stuff gets aggregated and then you put your markup on top of that. So your number usually ends up being relatively large in comparison. They love that though, because they don't. They know what's coming. They know how it's being figured out. Well, they see all the numbers, so they feel like they've got more control over things.

00;37;17;09 - 00;37;35;00

And then it isn't the big mystery of, hey, it's going to cost you $250,000 on this renovation. Well, where did those numbers come from? You just make that crap up. You know that they love to see that you've actually got that and have that set up that way. And I'll give you all a little tip. So whenever you're going ahead and doing pricing for anybody, this is something that we do.

00;37;35;00 - 00;37;52;22

This came from whenever I started out as a real estate investor. You never, ever, ever give a rounded off number. Anything that ends in 500, 100 zeros all across the board and stuff like that. Then the homeowner knows you've gone ahead and created a number. You just made this crap up. So it's what it comes down to.

00;37;52;22 - 00;38;15;18

Every one of my numbers that goes on there is down to the cent. Oh, and that sometimes means I'm like, my drywall guy may give me a price of $7,000 to do this renovation. It'll be 1703 27, whatever. It goes on to the estimate. So under the quote. So those types of things, whenever homeowners see those pieces, they question you less whenever you do those kinds of things.

00;38;15;18 - 00;38;27;29

So because of the fact they're like, wow, they've actually got this thing figured out to the penny. So it's not just a rounded off number of I in real estate investing. I used it all the time. I'd give bids so on houses that we were going to go ahead and buy and fix and flip. So I would go and do that.

00;38;27;29 - 00;38;48;08

I never gave them, you know, $210,000 from my offer. So my offer was always 209. Three 7642 how the hell did this guy come up with this? So he's spending some time doing this? Yeah, I spent about 30s and the extra numbers on the end, so it was what it came down to. It's all psychology. So not knowing how to go ahead and get people to move forward.

00;38;48;11 - 00;39;05;24

So the things you learn over time as you go ahead and educate yourself. but having that piece where you're very upfront with everything, they appreciate it. So I get that comment all the time too. So that's one of the reasons why they choose us, even whenever we're higher price than somebody else's. At least they knew how we came up with our numbers.

00;39;05;27 - 00;39;27;19

Yeah, we're we're a little bit different in that, in that fashion where we, kind of do all the work on the front end by, you know, calling all of our suppliers and getting, pricing from them. And then we put it into a model in which we, we run calculations off of that model. And so, we do it by, like, square footage or linear foot, to kind of get there.

00;39;27;19 - 00;39;51;07

And so it's like, okay, we plug in a room of ten, ten feet by 15ft. And this is what we want. We want baseboards. We want carpet, we want painting, we want lighting, we want whatever. And it takes us out of number just based off of what our suppliers, our are providing for us and what our labor cost is.

00;39;51;10 - 00;40;21;09

And we just kind of do that off of basic number. But it's still it's transparent pricing where we're saying, hey, look, here's our pricing per square footage, here's our pricing per linear foot. it just makes it easier for us to be able to, put together a number quicker than having to call out everything angle, trade to be able to come out and give their bid, which I love your pricing model, I have used it in the past, still do a couple of projects projects a year on a cost plus, average.

00;40;22;11 - 00;40;45;29

but we're doing more quick ins and out, kind of pieces and bathroom turnarounds and kitchens around where you're doing a lot more, complete home renovations. But I think, you know, going forward in 2025 that every contractor needs to be on the same page of transparent pricing because as we move forward, our industry has lost trust with our general contractors.

00;40;45;29 - 00;41;23;00

And over the last few years, we've been trying to gain that trust back. But in doing so, it starts with being transparent of like, hey, this is what labor cost, because I'll tell you to do a bathroom today versus doing a bathroom in 2010. We're double the cost and it's not my fault. I can't help it. It's like the labor went up, materials went up, and one of the biggest challenges that we have and that we come across quite a bit, is when we're talking to a customer who hasn't done a remodel before or has done a remodel in the last ten years, they're looking at their thinking in their mind, oh, for me to

00;41;23;00 - 00;41;44;00

do my guest bathroom or my kid's bathroom, this should be about 7 to $8000. and I have to come back and tell them, like, I can't even touch your shower for $8,000. And then their response is, well, on HGTV, they could do the entire thing in three days for six bucks. And I'm like, yeah, not HGTV.

00;41;44;00 - 00;41;59;28

And that's fake reality and not real real. I don't have a whole bunch. I don't have a whole bunch of people kicking me money to go ahead and keep these, these prices down and people donating their labor and their time just so they can be on the show. Exactly. And so, a lot of it's just educating our customers.

00;41;59;28 - 00;42;21;29

And the best way to educate them is being transparent about your pricing. And the more transparent you are. The more trust they have it needed to be able to do the job. So, I encourage everybody in 2025 and I think, everybody is is starting to move that direction anyway. But transparent pricing is going to be a huge one.

00;42;22;02 - 00;42;42;17

And and if you're in this industry, you'll, you'll have that same, hatred of strong word but strong dislike. So for things like the HGTV shows, because of the fact that unfortunately, it paints a very unreal picture to people who are watching it now. And the challenge is a lot of times when people see those shows, they don't realize, like Nate's talking to like ten years ago, the prices were a lot different.

00;42;42;23 - 00;43;07;27

A lot of these shows were recorded eight, ten years ago, and they're still being replayed. And the channel is going to look at that. And there's no I mean, even those people couldn't get that project done that, that investment anymore. It's just not possible even if those are given to them. If they had even. Yeah. Even if even if all the supplies were given, all the supplies were given, all of the materials were given, all the labor is done it like they they don't understand how much goes into these like, yeah.

00;43;07;29 - 00;43;41;29

So I guess that leads us into the next thing, of 2025 pricing. Pricing is going to be a moving target. It has been it will continue what people think. Oh well we have inflation now. We're not going to have inflation or inflation is going down and we're no longer need it. The reality of it is, is that most people understand what inflation is and inflation is just the price keeps going up or the the cost of things are increasing.

00;43;42;03 - 00;43;59;06

Right. And people are talking about, oh, well, inflation is going down. Okay. That means it's not rising anymore. Does it mean that it's going to go from $10 back down to $6? It just means that in the next quarter, it's not going to go from 10 to 11. It means it's going to go from 10 to 10 and a half.

00;43;59;06 - 00;44;22;26

It just means it's going to it's going to slow down. It might go to 10 to 10.25. Yeah. So understand that we have different pricing. And and it's a moving target on all material and labor. So only 25 is going to be this moving target. And you're going to have to stay on it if not monthly. You know that at least quarterly.

00;44;22;28 - 00;44;46;14

And I do even advise people staying on top of their material pricing, if they can weekly and just try to figure out, okay, what's moving in what direction, you know, keep them out. We're talking earlier, that had some of the drywall guys are talking about, drywall is going to be going up in January, which that makes sense due to the fact that he's in Florida.

00;44;46;17 - 00;45;09;25

There's two hurricanes that have come through, and not everybody is taken advantage of of rebuilding yet. They're also kind of in the impossible of taking advantage of it. Yeah. So they're there. There's a bunch of drywall still sitting in warehouses. But at the moment that those warehouses get empty or get down to less than 20% of capacity, guess what?

00;45;10;03 - 00;45;31;13

The cost is going to start to skyrocket, and we can't make it fast enough in order to produce it. So you're going to see a lot of these things moving in 2025. I think it's going to be a, a moving target that has to have some focus, and I agree. I mean, whenever we look at things like that with, the weather, things that happen.

00;45;31;16 - 00;45;46;21

So even like we even look at it nowadays, whenever you're talking about the labor forces, I mean, our suppliers have the same challenges that we have in the field as far as with skilled labor out here, to be able to do the work for all the different trades, they've got the same challenge in their warehouses whenever they're going ahead and creating all these products.

00;45;46;23 - 00;45;59;11

And that's what you saw. A lot of this happened during, for those of you who were working during Covid, and if you weren't working during Covid, if you didn't weren't in construction at that point. So there were shortages based on the fact that they just couldn't get enough labor in there because of the restrictions that were in place at that time.

00;45;59;15 - 00;46;14;14

You never know when those kinds of things are going to pop up and the challenges. A lot of times in those industries, people left that industry and didn't come back. So because they're like, I'm not working in that manufacturing industry anymore, which means they're now behind the eight ball of trying to keep up with the supply. They've done a pretty good job.

00;46;14;20 - 00;46;32;21

Yet all you need is a curveball or an increased demand. So which, you know, like we said, we just had that between what we experienced here, what the Carolinas and Georgia and Tennessee and everyone experienced. So for all those pieces, there's tons of products are going to be diverted to those areas. But that increased demand so means that you're going to have higher prices.

00;46;32;21 - 00;46;48;00

So I mean, you could get a lot of go out of stock on things. And that's the part like Nate was talking about, you know, even if you only pick a few key items. So like if you're talking lumber, you know, have a few key items that you go ahead and talk to your supplier about every week and just email em, hey, we have any price increases.

00;46;48;01 - 00;46;59;29

Yeah. They usually know ahead of time. Every once in a while they'll get one dropped on them just because of the fact that that's just they got a big price increase that they weren't expecting. All of a sudden they've got to go ahead and pass it along. those are the people that you want to keep in contact with.

00;46;59;29 - 00;47;16;08

I mean, I keep in contact with my Masons. I keep in contact with all of my trades. Whenever I say trades, that means that the maps, the mechanical, electrical and plumbing, I, I keep in contact with them. I keep in contact with the drywall ers, you know, those are in my roofers. So those are the ones that are my biggest cost differences.

00;47;16;08 - 00;47;32;21

So typically live and go ahead and happen. You want to keep in contact with your window guys. But the window pricing has been relatively stable which is good. for us you know, that's like the big key, the big key to remember. So is there have been so many people waiting on the sideline, they're like, oh, I'm going to wait for prices to come down.

00;47;32;24 - 00;47;55;04

And Nate was talking about the inflation piece, which is a really good distinction. whenever inflation gets lower, that just means that it's not rising as fast. That's all it ever means. Very rarely do things go negative as far as the prices start to drop on the price. and it's because that, whether you like it or not, the suppliers will control the amount that they've got so that they can go ahead and hold pricing as much as they possibly can.

00;47;55;13 - 00;48;06;03

so that's what happens. That's what if you own a business and supply things, that's in your best interest to go ahead and do that. There's no question about it, because you've got some cost that you've got to go ahead and take care of. so they go ahead and do those kinds of things. So that just is where it is.

00;48;06;03 - 00;48;24;05

You've got to be able to watch those pieces and stay on top of things like that. And that's where if you if you're not doing that so you can end up in that challenge like we preorder things. So I've got right now even with after all the hurricanes came down through here, I talked to my Tracy guy. We had a couple projects coming up, but Mike ordered my stuff on both my compressors, my air handlers.

00;48;24;05 - 00;48;38;23

I want them ordered up. We'll figure out a place to storm for the time being, but I want to make sure they're here. You know, I tell my homeowners I start projects, order your appliances now so you can keep putting the delivery date off on that. Oh, but you need to get them ordered right now. That way we don't have to worry about it whenever it comes time to install them.

00;48;38;23 - 00;48;51;10

That. Oh no, they don't have it now. Or, you know, four weeks or six weeks from getting something that we can put in there or they didn't want to go ahead and change whatever the appliances. And all of a sudden when they change the appliance, that changes the sizes in my cabinets now, and all of a sudden I've got a big issue.

00;48;51;16 - 00;49;05;01

So which is going to get passed on to the homeowner now, because there's nothing else that I can do with those types of things. Staying on top of that information. So is your I look at it as it's your duty as a professional now to go ahead and be on top of those things and to let the people you work with know about it.

00;49;05;01 - 00;49;19;24

You know, if you're a plumber or an HPC guy, an electrician, let the builders that you work with know, hey, we're going to see price increases. My suppliers told me that, and that's what my lumber guys usually reach out to me. My drywall guys reach out to me. So my concrete guys let me know. that way we can kind of go ahead and factor some of that in.

00;49;20;01 - 00;49;36;05

So an even on a cost plus basis, I mean, the first thing it says first line item on my contract that they've got to initial off on the literally tells them. So all of that prices will fluctuate. So we will do our best to hold these prices as long as we can. And if they move that, that difference in price will be passed along to them.

00;49;36;09 - 00;49;52;10

So they've got to sign off on that. It's unfortunate that's the way it is, but it just is the way it is. So in this world, I one of the other big things that we talked about so that Nate and I were talking about whenever we looked out over these, these top ten, predictions that we've got for 2025.

00;49;52;12 - 00;50;08;17

That was one of the things that you're starting to see come back around a lot more. It's always been here. So. But one of the things you're starting to see more of, I think over the last year, and I think it's definitely going to accelerate in the next year or so, is being a part of your community. So being engaged in your community?

00;50;08;28 - 00;50;26;12

we definitely got to a point in the United States where everyone was kind of like doing their own thing and didn't worry about going out and being a part of that community as much. And I think you're starting to see a little bit of that happen now. whenever I say being a part of the community, what that actually means then is that means you're going out and doing public events.

00;50;26;12 - 00;50;52;13

So if there's, if there's a home fair in your neighborhood, so or convention, you're going to that as an exhibitor. So you're going to that if you're not going to exhibit, you're going to that as a participant to go ahead and meet people and talk to people there. So, you know, one of the couple of things that we do, I mean, we go ahead and sponsor events with our one of the mortgage brokers that we go ahead and use so that those financing for some of our projects, we also have realtors that we work with, that we'll go ahead and sponsor them whenever they're doing certain things or they're doing promotions out to their

00;50;52;16 - 00;51;18;19

existing client list. so there's little pieces that we go ahead and do like that they'll do celebration events. So we go ahead and pay for something at the celebration. And then, and they go ahead and talk about us, you know, going out and doing that networking piece, becoming part of organizations. So and when you become part going and participating and being active in it, you know, when there's a need in the community that they're looking for people to do things on the building side of things, you know, volunteering your team to be able to go ahead and help with that.

00;51;18;19 - 00;51;33;25

I've done that before with other companies that we've worked with, or we've gone out and we've painted, you know, they were there was one of the ones was always a youth facility for kids who were in danger. So from whatever was going on their home. So they were taken out of the home. So we went out and painted.

00;51;33;28 - 00;51;48;29

Our whole team went out and painted. Their whole building was like, like 6000ft². So we went out and painted the whole interior of the building. You know, those types of things like that are priceless because people remember that stuff. And those for all of you who are looking on the marketing side of things and the publicity side of things.

00;51;49;02 - 00;52;02;18

So whenever you do those kinds of things. So and there's anything that's written up about it. So make sure to grab that. If there's video, it's even better. So if they had someone there who was videoing things or if they had a news crew there or something like that, that was doing the grab those pieces, those are the kind of pieces that you pop on your website.

00;52;02;18 - 00;52;22;08

You pop on your social media that we were talking about earlier that make a difference. People want to know that they're working with companies who are looking out for the community that they live in. because that's another important piece. And that's one of the things I think you're going to see a lot more of in 2025 is people looking and asking you about those things, and when they see those kinds of things, making the comments that you're doing, those.

00;52;22;11 - 00;52;48;24

Yeah, I agree 100%. I think the, increased digital presence plus community engagement is a great strategy to help, get your name and your company out there. and I also think that it's important for these communities to either be created or to be join. And if you can't find one that is already there that you want to join, create one.

00;52;48;26 - 00;53;22;09

And and what I mean by that is, there's so many people that need to interact with one another, especially in our industry, but in all the other industries that need our services, right? Whether it's realtors, whether it's property managers, whether it's, you know, consumers. Right. And you can you could do it in a various amounts of ways, but you need to get out and communicate with them and be a part of what they're doing, so that they all want to be a part of what you're doing and find some connection.

00;53;22;09 - 00;53;43;02

Ground and find some people that you want to interact with. And so when it's time for them to figure out, oh, I want to do a roof. Oh, I know, Joe Blow over here has those roofing. Let's give him a call. It's a way to connect your community along with your social media. And it's just about giving back.

00;53;43;02 - 00;54;16;22

Right. And being a part of something. There's so many people that are. And I think that's part of the problem that we have as a country society is that we all live on individual item, islands and those islands are just kind of floating around, but nobody's really connected. I'm making it a point in 2025 to make some, strategic connections, both, in my community and the communities that some of my, my fellow, supporters kind of community are or their communities.

00;54;16;22 - 00;54;41;26

Right? Not just the normal, you know, Breakfast Club kind of things, but with church groups with school groups, with retirement homes, with other contractors, with suppliers. That's going to be a focus of my 2025 is like, how many other groups can I be a part of, and how can I lend a helping hand for them? Not that I want to get anything back, but how can I?

00;54;41;29 - 00;55;05;18

How can I be a part of their community? How can I support their community? And and my hopes are that, hey, I can get, you know, some feel good stuff on the inside for me, but be I want to be a brand ambassador for my company. Right. And the best way to do that is through giving. And so, community engagement is going to be a big part of my focus for 2025.

00;55;05;21 - 00;55;20;15

And that brings up a key piece of that. So whenever you're doing the community engagement, would we like to see something come of it? Yes. But when you do that though, so when you do the community engagement, do it because you want to do it. So do it because you want to be a part of the community. People can tell the difference.

00;55;20;21 - 00;55;34;12

So especially whenever you're there and the way that you're interacting with people, I mean, one of the big things about it and it does the same type of thing. I'm a resource. So whether it's somebody, you know, any of the trades that I work with, any realtor that I may or may not have ever worked with can call me and ask me a question.

00;55;34;19 - 00;55;53;15

Designers call me all the time to go ahead and get, you know, ideas, so on what might work in a situation. So I'm always a resource. I never ask for anything. So whenever that happens, I still have to this day, coaching students that I've worked with 15 years ago who still reach out and ask me questions, if I can help somebody out, help them out.

00;55;53;17 - 00;56;08;29

So and that it goes so far. And like Nate says, one of the best things is how it makes you feel. So I guess, which is you getting something no matter what. and I'm okay with that piece there. So it's it's being a part of something bigger and greater. I mean, it's one of the reasons why we started Concord University.

00;56;09;02 - 00;56;28;11

So it's because that's giving so back to the community, that's getting people trained in the trades, how to do things effectively, how to do things correctly. So how to go ahead and create businesses that they can go ahead and do this and help and serve their communities over, over the rest of their lifetime, and their families, you know, those are the types of things that we like to go ahead and do.

00;56;28;11 - 00;56;43;17

And the more of those things you can find for yourself, a life gets a whole lot more fulfilling, which is nice, but you feel a lot better about yourself. Your community grows, other people see you do that same thing, and they go ahead and join in and do that same thing and help out. And it just becomes that cycle.

00;56;43;22 - 00;56;59;17

So of everybody being lifted up. So in one way or another, and I always encourage going ahead and doing that as much as you possibly can. So I love that piece for 2025 for you. And I'll take that piece on, on into those going ahead and doing more of that, just to be able to help build that area down here.

00;56;59;17 - 00;57;25;11

So build that community down here in Central Florida outside of what we're doing with Concord. Absolutely awesome. Anything else? I don't have a sleeper pick for 2025. I just think that, we're moving in the right direction. I think as a, as a, as a company is as a, a country, I think coming together is going to be the important part of 2023.

00;57;25;13 - 00;57;43;01

And so, I'm going to be supporting all kind of people that are, that are moving in those directions. And that's definitely a great way to look at it and a great way to wrap this one up. So if you want to go ahead and support your community, help your help the people out that you know, help people out that might be interested in getting into the construction trades.

00;57;43;08 - 00;57;55;11

So make sure to go ahead and share this podcast with them to be the greatest thing that we can ask from you. So there's the go ahead and like and share this. Leave some comments. So if you want, if you've got questions or you've got something that you think is going to happen in 2025, go ahead and leave that in the comments.

00;57;55;11 - 00;58;09;17

We'll be happy to see those, possibly revisit them on another podcast in the future, or reply to you back in the comments. Either way, know we love to see that interaction. I'll make sure to go ahead and share this on all your social media platforms. Listen to it on iTunes, Spotify, wherever you might be able to go ahead and listen to this podcast.

00;58;09;20 - 00;58;19;28

So we look forward to seeing you on the next one. So talk to you next week.