In this episode of Climbing the Ladder, the Safety Bros sit down with Jon Ruiz, a seasoned consultant with over 20 years of experience building businesses, advising executives, and solving complex problems across a wide range of industries.

Jon shares his real-world journey into consulting, breaking down what it actually takes to succeed beyond theory, covering leadership under pressure, relationship management, problem-solving, and why being “comfortable being uncomfortable” is a requirement, not a slogan. This conversation dives deep into consulting as a viable career path and highlights lessons learned from working with startups, small businesses, and large corporations.

Here are key takeaways for anyone considering the leap into consulting or looking to level up their game:

🔹 Consulting is about relationships, not reports. Trust, clarity, and follow-through matter more than frameworks.

🔹 If you’re not comfortable being uncomfortable, consulting for innovation isn’t for you. The ambiguity never goes away.

🔹 Great consultants solve problems, they don’t just point them out. Execution beats theory every time.

🔹 Safety and construction consulting mirror executive consulting: risk management, leadership, and decision-making under pressure.

🔹 Compensation models matter. Hourly, project-based, retainers, each fits different clients and stages.

🔹 New consultants should prioritize experience over rates. Early projects are investments in long-term credibility.

🔹 Executives value clarity. Summarize decisions, define next steps, and never leave meetings misaligned.

🔹 Listening is a leadership skill. Effective consultants meet people where they are, not where they think they should be.

🔹 Long-term clients are built, not sold. Trust compounds over years, not invoices.

Segments:

00:00 Started 1st business in college, started a furniture and cabinetry business, managed projects and teams.

04:40 People can achieve amazing things when they trust and support each other.

08:40 Solutions emerge from combining unconventional ideas.

10:01 Corporate dynamics often overshadow individual efforts, leading to projects being abandoned despite significant personal investment.

15:25 I advise founders and executives on strategic decisions like launching, pivoting, or rebuilding brands.

16:04 Effective project collaboration requires understanding leaders' urgency, pressures, and clear communication, especially summarizing action points concisely.

20:49 Focus on the goal, clarify the endpoint vision, then work backward to create a strategy.

25:28 Set a minimum workload, manage outsourcing efficiently, and account for additional costs.

27:40 Small businesses often lack the capital to fund consistent, full-time consulting efforts, leading to slower, part-time progress.

31:38 Experience is invaluable; invest to gain it.

34:42 Winning bids is tough; early lessons come from losing, and transparent client relationships help navigate rates effectively.

36:59 Shoutout to BuildBetter Earth and Aquatic Futures—innovative efforts in sustainable materials and dive training inspire my consulting work.

40:10 Embrace challenges and mistakes; excitement fuels success.

42:44 Safety Bros focuses on innovation, AI, and collaboration, valuing experts and newcomers to improve together.

DM me or reach out at info@thesafetybros.com or @safety.bros, we love sharing ideas that move the industry forward!

If you want to run a safer, more efficient business, daily planning is key, especially in construction. In this episode of Safety Bros, we break down how simple pre-task plans don’t just keep your crews safe, but drive productivity, cut down on costly mistakes, and build future leaders on your team.

On the latest episode of the Safety Bros podcast, we dove deep into one of the most overlooked but impactful tools for construction crews: daily planning. Whether you’re leading a field crew or running operations from the office, integrating daily planning with safety isn’t just a paperwork exercise, it’s a game changer for productivity, culture, and incident reduction.

Key takeaways you can implement today:

• Bridge the Gap Between Safety and Operations: Don’t let safety planning and operations work in silos. Making pre-task planning part of your daily workflow drives both safety and productivity—no extra “busywork,” just smart, proactive coordination.
• Simple > Complicated: Forget the endless checkboxes and intimidating forms. A five-minute crew huddle, an email, or even a phone note can set clear expectations, identify hazards, and get everyone on the same page without the paperwork burden.
• People Development and Engagement: Daily planning conversations expose emerging leaders, improve communication, and create team ownership. When you engage your crew, you’re not just reducing incidents—you’re building future foremen and supervisors.

Start small: Pick the format that fits your company, commit to consistency, and focus on the conversation—not just the documentation. Your team (and your bottom line) will thank you.

Want to learn how to tailor daily planning for your operation? DM me or reach out at info@thesafetybros.com or @safety.bros, we love sharing ideas that move the industry forward!

Segments:

00:00 Daily Task and Hazard Plan

04:07 Pre Task Plan Challenges

08:50 "Boosting Professionalism through Engagement"

10:11 Daily Session Planning Builds Leaders

14:46 "Fostering Future Leaders in Trades"

20:27 Streamlined Communication Strategy

22:04 Ownership Through Personal Initiative

25:42 "Start Implementing Standard Procedures"

29:09 Evaluate Your Project Processes

Thanks for tuning in!

Excited to share some insights from the latest episode of the Safety Bros podcast! We had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Goodwin, an EHS manager, about the journey and challenges in the world of construction safety.

Here are 3 key takeaways:

• Leadership Through Action: Kevin emphasizes that true leadership comes from actions, not words. Leading by example sets the tone for others to follow in maintaining safety standards.
• Adaptability and Learning: The construction safety landscape is dynamic. Being open to learning from both successes and failures helps professionals anticipate risks and innovate safer practices.
• Building Relationships: In the safety profession, fostering relationships is crucial. It's not just about issuing orders; it's about engaging with the team to build trust and advocate for a safer work environment.

Want more info?

Here are other key highlights from Kevin:

The Reality of Planning: "When I applied at Berkeley, one of the questions they asked me, you know, in the interview, they said, you know, do you, you know, do you have a crystal ball, you know, like, can you just see every scenario and know what's going on? I say, you know, that's. Anybody who tells you that's lying to you."

— Kevin Goodwin [00:11:27 → 00:11:42]

"Fostering Open Communication: Let's have a talk about, is there a better way to do that? Technically, what you're doing doesn't follow our requirements. But let's talk about it."

— Kevin Goodwin [00:20:29 → 00:20:37]

"The Importance of Ethics in Life-Saving Work": "The only way to do this job is to be unmercifully attached to your ethics and your Morals, Right. To know that I am responsible for that person going home safe just as much as they are."

— Kevin Goodwin [00:23:17 → 00:23:29]

"Your Best Ability is Availability": "I tell my people that all the time. Like I, you make mistakes, I don't care. You know, you, you make poor decisions, I don't care. But if you're not available, if you're not engaged, if you're not ready to put in the work for the job, then I just, I got no use for you because you're gonna get calls in the moment in time when you could help somebody."

— Kevin Goodwin [00:25:19 → 00:25:40]

"Embracing the Next Wave in Industry": "Well, this next wave is a whole different animal. And it has to be because the industry's changing, right? Everything these days is about real time data, upstream, understanding, kind of task by task level, kind of risk and hazards and controls."

— Kevin Goodwin [00:27:06 → 00:27:25]

The Power of Active Listening: "A lot of times I may have been listening to someone tell me something and I'm already kind of crafting why it's wrong or what I would do instead. And oftentimes it's better to listen."

— Kevin Goodwin [00:32:43 → 00:32:56]

"The Coming Knowledge Vacuum in the Safety Profession": "Yeah, rely on the young people, right? Pass your knowledge on, first of all, right? Because you know there's going to be a vacuum here real soon because the safety profession kind of started, so all those people who filled all those jobs are all retiring, like we talked about earlier. There is going to be a vacuum there and if you don't transfer that knowledge, it's like starting over."

— Kevin Goodwin [00:36:15 → 00:36:43]

Spotting Leadership Potential: "Everybody on my team's a potential leader. But you see certain things in people that you realize, okay, that was a hard spot, and this person really navigated it. That's a leader, right?"

— Kevin Goodwin [00:37:54 → 00:38:04]

Thanks for tuning in!

info@thesafetybros.com