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What does it take to build a contracting business that customers still recommend decades later? Bob Carmack of Carmack’s Quality Aluminum joins The Critical Path Podcast to share lessons from 38 years in business: master one trade, protect your standards, treat your employees well, and build a reputation that keeps the phone ringing.

Bob talks about growing an aluminum construction company, specializing in pool cages and screen enclosures, personally training his crews, and refusing shortcuts. He explains how a retiring contractor helped him get established, why some talented installers struggle as business owners, and what he learned from reaching burnout and taking a year off with his daughter.

The conversation also takes a remarkable personal turn as Bob recounts surviving a lightning strike in 1991, his memories of emergency treatment, and the role of faith and family in his recovery. He reflects on commercial fishing, the 2010 oil spill, saving and building income-producing assets, and why he now wants more time with his wife and grandchildren.

For contractors, tradespeople, and small business owners, this episode offers a candid look at craftsmanship, employee retention, customer referrals, entrepreneurship, and the meaning of success beyond work.

What lesson from Bob’s story will you take into your own business? Share it in the comments, and subscribe to The Critical Path Podcast for more conversations with people building businesses and lives in the trades.

00:00 Introducing Bob Carmack and his decades in aluminum construction

01:50 His father’s advice: master one trade

05:11 Burnout, a growing crew, and two different ways to sell

07:31 Taking a year off, family time, and starting again

10:29 Keeping employees through respect, pay, and hands-on training

11:58 Quality standards and recognizing your own workmanship

13:59 Training future competitors and setting crews up to win

16:49 Hands-on training and enforcing standards against shortcuts

19:30 Word-of-mouth referrals that last decades

20:43 The day Bob was struck by lightning

23:25 Getting to the hospital and emergency treatment

25:03 Bob’s recollection of resuscitation and wanting to live

28:47 Recovery, follow-up care, and faith

32:07 Hair changes after the strike

33:56 How surviving changed his priorities

35:27 Starting his own business and believing in himself

37:20 His father’s advice and learning to listen

39:16 A hard first year and a mentor’s help

41:24 Growth, developer work, and reaching capacity

43:13 Investing in yourself without losing focus

44:37 Shrimp boats, charter fishing, and commercial grouper

48:18 The oil spill and leaving the fishing business

50:24 Taking a break and spending time with family

51:12 Returning to aluminum work through reputation and integrity

52:54 Plans for the future

55:17 His father’s saving advice and income-producing assets

57:09 Working toward freedom and enjoying life

58:16 The possibility of selling the business

59:40 Thank you and closing

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Contractors get reviewed everywhere. Lee Burns wants them to have a voice, too. On The Critical Path Podcast, Lee joins Brad to share the story behind C-Square (Contractor Square) and why construction business owners need a place to connect, share knowledge, and review the customers they work for.

From unpaid invoices and difficult clients to underbidding and the challenge of finding reliable subcontractors, Lee and Brad discuss the problems that can hold a construction business back. Lee explains how C-Square grew from real contractor experiences into a community built around one mission: connecting and protecting contractors.

In this episode: • Why contractors need customer reviews, including zero-star ratings • The real stories that inspired C-Square • Why helping other contractors can make more sense than tearing them down • Pricing questions, underbidding, and sharing business knowledge • Construction calculators, community feedback, and ideas for a future GC/subcontractor marketplace • The value of skilled trades and the administrative work behind every successful project Whether you’re a general contractor, subcontractor, remodeler, or construction business owner, this conversation explores what becomes possible when contractors stop working in isolation and start helping each other.

Learn more about C-Square: https://csquare.app/ LeeBurnsGames.com

00:00 Introducing Lee Burns and C-Square

00:51 Why helping people drives Lee’s work

02:58 How Lee and Brad connected and became partners

05:33 How unpaid jobs and homeowner warnings inspired C-Square

10:03 Researching the need for a contractor community

12:49 Jokes, showcasing work, finding subs, and a marketplace

14:44 The mission and Lee’s decision to lead the company

17:45 The value of contractors: turning jobsite disorder into a home

21:57 A town square for contractors and customer ratings

22:56 Brad’s unpaid $28,000 invoice and first zero-star review

26:19 Review concerns, retaliation, and positive customer reviews

28:38 Why Brad joined C-Square and chose the family business

31:13 The struggle to turn hard work into a stronger business

34:05 Why contractors stay small and compete against one another

37:28 Joining forces and building the contractor community

40:40 How customer information reduces uncertainty

43:44 Pricing questions and a possible market-rate channel

46:40 Undercutting, new contractors, and sharing what jobs really cost

48:36 Competition, scarcity, and helping other contractors

50:24 Mike Rowe, the trades shortage, and the industry’s future

53:11 Why Lee still loves hands-on construction work

54:10 Calculators, feature ideas, development costs, and feedback

56:06 The proposed GC/subcontractor job marketplace

59:10 Construction’s administrative bottlenecks

1:00:15 Regional availability, the waitlist, and rollout plans

1:01:18 The team’s strengths and childhood construction memories

1:03:14 Where to find C-Square and closing thanks

#tools #socialmediamarketing #business

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Great construction work doesn’t automatically build a profitable business.

Alex Simon of Simon Remodeling and Construction joins Brad on The Critical Path Podcast to discuss what it takes to grow from a solo contractor into an owner-operator with a team.

Alex shares the lessons behind his growth: hiring reliable subcontractors, pricing remodeling projects, attracting customers through social media, and understanding the real costs of running a construction company.

From a $500 job that led to three whole-house remodels to a subcontractor mistake that cost him tens of thousands, he explains what worked—and what he learned the hard way.

In this episode, we discuss: - Contractor pricing, markup, gross margin, and net profit - Construction marketing that builds trust and brings leads - Managing subcontractors and customer expectations - Why you shouldn’t judge a customer’s budget by appearances - Taking off the tool belt and building a business beyond your own labor If you’re a general contractor, remodeler, or construction business owner working toward your next stage of growth, this conversation offers practical lessons from someone making that transition.

Website: Simonrc.com Email: asimon@simonrc.com IG: @Simon.Remodel YT: @Simon.Remodel #business #businessgrowth #businessnews

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Alex Simon

00:42 Alex’s first construction job and path into real estate

02:33 From doing every trade to using subcontractors

06:04 Moving to Florida and losing a job during COVID

09:27 House-flipping profits, the 2008 crash, and mattress sales

13:19 Cold calling and the voicemail that got callbacks

15:42 A detour into chocolate, MrBeast, and philanthropy

17:49 Why Alex wants to build and hold fourplexes

19:28 Apartment appraisals and wild property inspections

22:45 How the 2008 market shaped Alex’s investment decisions

23:29 The $500 job that led to three full remodels

25:48 Don’t prejudge a lead or a customer’s budget

27:57 Content that builds trust and ads that bring calls

31:25 Google reviews, missed appointments, and follow-up

33:34 Customer service, credibility, and construction content

36:04 Flood-driven growth and a costly subcontractor mistake 4

0:27 Trusted subs, homeowner expectations, and discounting

43:04 An after-hours customer complaint over hot water

44:09 Rating homeowners and comparing contractor pricing

46:15 Learning what other contractors charge for bathrooms

47:10 The real costs of running a construction business

48:13 Four stages of growth, markup, and net profit

51:15 What helped Alex take off the tool belt

52:29 Advertise for the projects you actually want

53:29 Physical limits and a future beyond doing the labor

54:17 Undercharging, family, and pricing every role

56:14 Choosing profitable work and moving into higher-end projects

58:17 Closing advice: visibility, reviews, and networking