In this episode of Forge, Josh and Kenton dive into a deeply personal story from Kenton’s early years in business. In his twenties, Kenton was heavily involved in real estate investing, building momentum with multiple properties, partnerships, and ambitious development projects.

It was a time marked by optimism, energy, and the feeling that anything was possible. Deals were working, banks were lending, and every step forward seemed to open another opportunity.

But life has a way of testing even the most confident seasons.

Within a short period of time, several major events collided. A large development project in northern Alberta fell apart at the last moment. Seven rental units over half of his portfolio, suddenly became vacant at the same time.

At home, Kenton and his wife were navigating the emotional weight of losing two grandparents within weeks of each other while also expecting their first child. What had once felt like unstoppable momentum quickly turned into overwhelming pressure.

Faced with that perfect storm, panic set in. Instead of leaning on his partners and the relationships he had built, Kenton made decisions in isolation, fire-selling properties and stepping away from opportunities that, in hindsight, could have changed the trajectory of his life.

The lesson wasn’t just about business strategy. It was about pride, communication, and the weight leaders sometimes place on their own shoulders.

Throughout the conversation, Josh and Kenton reflect on the tension many entrepreneurs experience: the instinct to shoulder responsibility alone versus the humility required to ask for help. They explore how assumptions about what others are willing or able to do can quietly shape the decisions we make in moments of stress.

They also discuss how failure affects different personalities. For someone used to succeeding, a major setback can cut deeper and take longer to recover from. The optimism and confidence that fuel early success can also make failure feel like a defining moment rather than simply part of the journey.

This episode is not about dwelling on the past, but about understanding how pivotal moments shape the way we lead, take risks, and build trust moving forward. It’s a conversation about leadership under pressure, the importance of honest dialogue with partners, and the long process of rebuilding confidence after a major setback.

Original theme music composed and performed by: Ben Smith

Produced by: Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by: Kalen Wookey

Website: https://forgealliance.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca

In this long-distance episode of the Forge Podcast, Josh and Chris sit down nearly 800 kilometers apart and do what they’ve done for almost two decades challenge each other. What starts as a simple catch-up turns into a raw reflection on friendship, ego, business, faith, and the question that keeps surfacing in both of their lives why do we really do this?

They rewind to the beginning dating roommates, early impressions, quiet competition, and the arrogance that often hides inside young entrepreneurs trying to prove themselves. Roofing didn’t sound like much of a career. Egos were big. Perspectives were narrow. But time, hardship, and business have a way of refining people.

What grew out of that rough start became a deep friendship built mostly in the trenches of entrepreneurship long conversations about risk, leadership, family, pressure, and the weight of responsibility. A defining chapter in their story was the Pay It Forward build, a dream to rally contractors together to build a home for a family in need. No TV cameras. No spotlight.

Just tradespeople proving they are more than a stereotype. The project took years. It tested patience, partnerships, and perseverance. It nearly fell apart more than once. But it also revealed something powerful when purpose is clear, people show up.

From there, the conversation shifts into something deeper how do you take your personal why and translate it into an entire organization? How do you build a company that is not just chasing revenue but forming people?

They reflect on ideas from Good to Great by Jim Collins, leadership principles popularized by Simon Sinek, and even the scale of purpose driven vision seen in entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, but bring it back down to the trades, to real crews, real payroll, and real pressure. They wrestle with uncomfortable questions. Is money enough?

Why does entrepreneurship feel so lonely? Why do some teams buy into vision and others just clock in? Are we building companies or are our companies building us? This is not a polished leadership talk. It is two friends shaped by twenty years of shared experience admitting they are still figuring it out.

Still evolving. Still asking why they get out of bed every morning. If you are in the trades, leading a team, building something from nothing, or quietly questioning whether the grind is worth it, this episode will feel personal.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey

Website https://forgealliance.ca/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca @Forge_CA

This episode is raw and real. We unpack what it is like to sit at the table with another fast growing company and seriously explore a full fledged joint venture in a brand new market. Valuations. Ownership splits. Hard conversations. Big vision. Even bigger responsibility.

We just walked out of a meeting that felt like a dream come true. But here is what stood out. There was no greed in the room. Instead of asking how do I win, the question was how do we all win. We talk about why collaboration over competition is the future, and what it actually takes to blend two companies, two trades, and two cultures into something unified.

Roofing and solar under one vision. Shared systems. Shared leadership. Shared risk. Building something that goes beyond profit and creates real impact in the communities we serve. We break down the balancing act of scaling without losing focus on your core business. The operational realities of training roofing and solar teams to create real efficiency.

The importance of alignment in values and why that matters more than the opportunity itself. And the nerves that come with jumping off the diving board before you know how deep the water is. We also dive into leadership growth, travel, and personal development. Why expanding your comfort zone, even socially, sharpens you as a business owner.

From lessons learned at the International Roofing Expo to conversations around solar innovation, roofing systems, and the future of integrated trades, this episode captures a pivotal moment in real time. This is not just about merging businesses. It is about merging vision.

We are stepping into a season where collaboration becomes the norm, not the exception, and we are bringing you along for the ride. If you are building, scaling, or considering partnership at any level, this one is for you.

Original theme music composed and performed by Ben Smith

Produced by Seth Steward Productions

Co produced by Kalen Wookey

Website https://forgealliance.ca/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

X https://x.com/forge_ca @Forge_CA

Sometimes the biggest chapters in your life start in the most ordinary places.

This episode goes all the way back to a random moment in a Walmart parking lot, when Josh was still in high school, pushing carts, with no real plan for what came next.

That one conversation turned into a job, then long days on rooftops, brutal winter projects, and years of learning what hard work actually looks like.

Josh and Kenton reflect on those early seasons, hiring green kids, surviving sketchy roofs, freezing out-of-town jobs, and the kind of shared suffering that quietly builds brotherhood. They talk honestly about leadership, motivation, grit, and why mindset matters more than talent.

It’s a real conversation about:

- Growing up through hard work.

- Learning resilience the painful way.

- Building teams that actually care about each other.

- Why money isn’t the main motivator.

- How momentum is created and destroyed.

- And what it means to walk through hard things together.

This one isn’t polished or scripted. It’s raw stories, lessons learned the hard way, and a reminder that some of the most meaningful growth happens when you show up, embrace the suck, and refuse to quit.

Original theme music composed and performed by - Ben Smith

Produced by - Seth Steward Productions

Co-produced by - Kalen Wookey

Website: ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/

⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797

⁠X: ⁠https://x.com/forge_ca⁠ (@Forge_CA) / X

In this episode of Forge, we dive into the unseen weight of leadership: decision fatigue, opportunity overload, and the pressure of making calls that affect employees, families, customers, and entire companies. Joel and Josh unpack what it really feels like to be in a season of expansion joint ventures, partnerships, new markets all while trying to stay anchored to who you are and why your business exists.

They talk openly about the fear of getting it wrong, the temptation to chase every opportunity, and how saying “yes” too often can quietly pull you away from your purpose.If you’ve ever felt the urge to swerve when business gets tough, this conversation is for you. Learn how to hold the wheel steady, lead with intention, and grow with purpose. Through community and mentorship, FCA shares real stories and hard-won wisdom from the field, no gurus, no fluff, just practical guidance.

Grounded in trench-level experience, FCA is more than a program, it’s a movement to help contractors build sustainable businesses, strong cultures, and legacies that last. You’ll hear practical frameworks for navigating uncertainty in this episode, including:

- Why growth always puts you in unfamiliar territory.

- The danger of letting dollar signs dictate direction.

- How “decision fatigue” creeps in and what to do about it.

- The Hedgehog Concept (from Good to Great) and why clarity beats opportunity. - Learning to say no even to great opportunities.

- Creating organizational clarity so your team can make decisions without you. - Why fear is the worst motivator for leaders.

- The difference between distraction and evolution.

- How speed of execution often matters more than perfect information.

- And why purpose has to come before profit if you want something sustainable.

Original theme music composed and performed by - Ben Smith

Produced by - Seth Steward Productions

Co-produced by - Kalen Wookey

Website: ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797⁠

X: ⁠https://x.com/forge_ca⁠ (@Forge_CA) / X

Winter is usually the slow season in roofing. Fewer crews, quieter phones, time to breathe and reflect. But this January feels different.

In this episode, we talk about what it looks like when years of groundwork finally start to show up in real ways producing revenue in what’s historically been our slowest month, watching a second market gain traction, and realizing that growth often arrives quietly before it feels obvious.

We unpack the realities of expanding into a new market: how it truly feels like starting a business from scratch, the trust gap you have to earn, and why the first few locations are often the hardest. We reflect on lessons learned from the International Roofing Expo in Las Vegas, from new technologies and CRM systems to leadership-focused seminars that had nothing to do with shingles and everything to do with people.

The conversation moves deep into personal development: books that have shaped our leadership, why reading without applying is a trap, and how true growth requires sacrifice, focus, and humility. We talk about organizational clarity, values that actually get lived out, and the challenge of communicating vision all the way down the ladder.

We also zoom out beyond business into marriage, family, and relationships. How personal growth can be jarring for the people closest to you. Why trust, sacrifice, and intentional investment matter at home just as much as they do at work. And why leadership that only focuses inward eventually collapses.

At the core of this episode is a simple but demanding idea: real success isn’t built by chasing more it’s built by growing deeper. As leaders, as partners, and as people.

Original theme music composed and performed by - Ben Smith

Produced by - Seth Steward Productions

Co-produced by - Kalen Wookey

Website: ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797⁠

X: ⁠https://x.com/forge_ca⁠ (@Forge_CA) / X

What’s the real difference between generosity and waste and why does it matter in leadership, trades, and everyday work?

In this episode of the Forge Podcast, the guys dig into a tension most leaders feel but rarely name: how generosity, efficiency, waste, stewardship, and gratitude all collide in real-world operations.

From roofing crews and tools, to company culture, entitlement, and maturity, this conversation gets honest about what actually happens when resources aren’t clearly valued or when generosity is misunderstood.

With stories from the trades, lessons learned the hard way, and reflections on maturity, entitlement, and stewardship, this episode challenges both leaders and workers to think deeper about how they treat resources and each other. If you care about leadership, building strong teams, and creating a culture that values both generosity and responsibility, this conversation is for you.

Original theme music composed and performed by - Ben Smith

Produced by - Seth Steward Productions

Co-produced by - Kalen Wookey

Website: ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797⁠

X: ⁠https://x.com/forge_ca⁠ (@Forge_CA) / X

In this episode, the Forge team welcomes Chris into the conversation for the first time. Chris steps in by sharing an unfinished, vulnerable moment from his leadership journey, reflecting on one of the most difficult decisions he’s faced: stepping away from a business partnership.

Chris opens up about how, overtime, he became convinced that staying would limit not only his own growth, but the growth of his partners as well. What he intended as an invitation to discern the future together was communicated poorly and received as a declaration that he was leaving. That gap exposed immaturity in his communication and leadership, creating confusion and emotional strain for everyone involved. Rather than rushing the decision, the partners took time to process it together.

Each ultimately received their own confirmation that the separation was both right and timely. For Chris, one of the clearest indicators that the decision was rooted in faith rather than ego was the unity he experienced at home. His wife was fully on board, bringing peace to what could have been a deeply divisive season.

The conversation expands into the unique weight of leadership transitions when you’re not just changing jobs, but stepping away from something you helped build. Partnerships carry shared history, equity, identity, and responsibility. Even when growth is the goal, letting go can feel like tearing something apart without certainty of how it will land. The Forge group reflects on how real growth often requires disruption.

Entrepreneurs tend to grow through pressure, and while Chris can now see things he would handle differently, he trusted that the challenge itself would force growth for everyone involved. Central to that trust was his decision to fully release control, removing his influence so others could step into leadership without his shadow.

The Forge Team acknowledges how nearly impossible it is to communicate a partnership separation without triggering emotion. From both sides of similar experiences, the hosts note how easily insecurity, self-doubt, and fear can overpower even the most thoughtful intentions.

The episode closes not with bitterness, but gratitude. Despite imperfect communication and real tension, Chris expresses thankfulness for where relationships stand today, recognizing that clarity, healing, and growth often only come after the hardest decisions are made.

Original theme music composed and performed by - Ben Smith

Produced by - Seth Steward Productions

Co-produced by - Kalen Wookey

Website: ⁠https://forgealliance.ca/⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/forgecontractoralliance⁠

Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575541841797⁠

X: ⁠https://x.com/forge_ca⁠ (@Forge_CA) / X