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Build to Win

Build to Win

Written by: Jonathan Weinberg & John Kolbaska
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About this listen

Tools and tech for the smart contractor that save time, win more jobs, and boost their profits. Do you feel like your home improvement business is stuck? Are constant delays and unexpected challenges creating chaos in your day-to-day? Some say it’s just part of the business. We know there’s a better way. Welcome to Build to Win—the podcast where industry veterans Jonathan Weinberg and John Kolbaska share expert insights to help you thrive. Here, you’ll learn how to unlock new levels of efficiency, streamline operations, generate high-quality leads, and improve the quality of your work. Everything you need to create a trail of happy customers as you grow your business and drive higher profits. Make sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a new episode.

Build to Win 2025
Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How This One Call Center Fix Drove 50% Growth
    Jan 23 2026

    What if the one thing holding your contracting business back was sitting right in front of you, but you just weren’t tracking it?

    John Kolbaska reveals the huge impact of overhauling his call center, slashing speed to lead from 43 minutes to under 60 seconds.

    The result was a 50% increase in appointment set rate and the company's best December ever.

    You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how separating new and veteran reps in training avoided confusion and burnout, and why his rehash strategy now closes 50% of lost sales.

    This is the tactical episode you don’t want to miss. 🎧 Listen now.

    Key Takeaways:

    Introduction (00:00)

    Call center metrics and improvements (4:58)

    Sales department strategies and training (25:26)

    Rehash appointment setting and script (34:08)

    Marketing and lead generation (49:52)

    Sales revenue and growth projections (50:47)

    Additional Links & Resources:

    🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23

    ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/

    📱 Connect with us on social media:

    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/
    • Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/
    • John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/

    Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

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    53 mins
  • This Forecasting Tactic Grew His Company to $44M w/ Josh Blickley
    Jan 12 2026

    Josh Blickley launched BathWorks of Michigan just before the pandemic. Fast forward, and he's built on pace for $44.8 million in 2026. Part of the reason for his huge success is his forecasting, budgeting, and hiring strategies.

    In this episode, he reveals exactly how he plans his year, starting in Q3 of the previous one.

    You’ll learn how he builds alignment across departments, sets aggressive yet realistic goals, and plans staffing well in advance. Plus, his “money-is-no-object” marketing method might just change how you budget forever.

    👉 Listen now to learn how to forecast smarter, scale faster, and stop letting slow months crush your growth.

    Key Takeaways:

    Introduction (00:00)

    Forecasting and budgeting for business growth (04:56)

    Good rate of growth per year (18:41)

    Seasonality and market trends in contracting business (26:34)

    Key performance indicators (KPIs) and daily monitoring (34:54)

    44.8M sales target for 2026 (42:43)

    Additional Links & Resources:

    🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=23

    ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/

    📱 Connect with us on social media:

    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/
    • Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/
    • John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/

    Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
  • How to Forecast Like a 9-Figure Company
    Dec 26 2025

    Stop me if this sounds familiar. You run a home improvement business. You know your busy season, it’s spring. March, April, May. The weather is warming up, and people are thinking about home projects.

    That’s what John thought, too. However, his assumption was based on gut feeling, as it has always been.

    Then he looked at three years of his CRM data. He fed it into a simple spreadsheet tool from the Wealthy Contractor Success Society and let ChatGPT analyze it all.

    The results blew up his entire business model. It turned out that his assumption about spring was completely off.

    If you’re still budgeting like most contractors, you take your annual revenue goal and split it evenly across 12 months.

    But your business doesn’t work like that. It has peaks and valleys. When you budget evenly, you end up overspending on marketing in slow months, and you're dramatically understaffed during your real busy season.

    Tune in now to hear the full conversation about using AI, managing sales reps, and building a data-backed plan for the year ahead.

    Key Takeaways:

    Introduction (00:00)

    Business compass planning tool (01:16)

    John shares his $1.9m to $5m growth story (03:12)

    Using ChatGPT to identify sales seasonality (06:31)

    Marketing spend adjusted based on slow months (17:52)

    Demo count is marketing’s most important KPI (24:44)

    Headcount planning for sales and production (33:52)

    Business plan timing advice (42:26)

    Additional Links & Resources:

    🔥 Watch our **FREE** on-demand webinar and learn how to drive 20% net profit with systems and processes: https://www.builderprime.com/webinars/on-demand-webinar-drive-20-net-profit-with-systems-processes?utm_source=RedCircle&utm_medium=Audio&utm_campaign=22

    ⚡ Learn more about us: https://www.builderprime.com/

    📱 Connect with us on social media:

    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/builderprime/
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/builderprime/
    • Jonathan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanweinberg/
    • John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kolbaska-a271a757/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderprimecrm/

    Build to Win is a podcast for contractors where we give you the tools to grow your home improvement business. Follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts!

    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
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