I'm Todd Miller of Isaiah Industries, manufacturer
Todd Miller:of specialty metal roofing and other building materials.
Todd Miller:Today my co host here on Construction Disruption is Ethan Young.
Todd Miller:Ethan, how are you doing?
Ethan Young:I'm doing pretty good.
Ethan Young:Todd.
Ethan Young:How you doing?
Todd Miller:I'm doing well also.
Todd Miller:So you had the experience, hope it's okay if I share this, you had LASIK surgery.
Todd Miller:So, Mr.
Todd Miller:Ethan no longer has glasses when he's on the podcast, which is kind of cool.
Todd Miller:You wore contacts a lot too though, didn't you?
Ethan Young:No, actually the last time I tried contacts was probably
Ethan Young:like middle school and I just didn't like putting things in my eyes.
Ethan Young:So if I had glasses for a long time,
Todd Miller:Okay.
Todd Miller:Okay.
Todd Miller:Cool.
Todd Miller:So everything's going well with your surgery, though.
Ethan Young:Yeah, yeah.
Ethan Young:It's a bit weird not having glasses.
Ethan Young:I keep wanting to reach up and like adjust them or like take them off when
Ethan Young:I go to bed and they're just not there.
Ethan Young:So I don't know
Todd Miller:That would take some getting used to, I bet.
Todd Miller:Interesting.
Todd Miller:So I have a joke to ask you.
Todd Miller:One of my, one of my dad jokes.
Todd Miller:Why did the bicycle fall over?
Ethan Young:something about the kickstand.
Ethan Young:I don't know.
Todd Miller:That's a good, good guess, but wrong, because
Todd Miller:it was two tired, two tired.
Todd Miller:Okay,
Ethan Young:That's good.
Todd Miller:Yeah, well, let's go ahead.
Todd Miller:Okay, so as a reminder to our audience, we are doing challenge words in this
Todd Miller:episode, where each of us and our guest has accepted a word that we are
Todd Miller:challenged to try to work into the conversation as seamlessly as possible.
Todd Miller:So the audience members can be listening to figure out
Todd Miller:what our challenge words are.
Todd Miller:And at the end of the show, we will discuss our success or lack thereof
Todd Miller:in using our challenge words.
Todd Miller:So let's get this thing going here.
Todd Miller:So, as we look at it, I think communication is something that
Todd Miller:seems to plague everyone in business and really just life in general.
Todd Miller:And the construction industry is no exception to that, whether it's between
Todd Miller:co workers of a contracting firm or maybe a construction company and their clients,
Todd Miller:things like, why didn't you tell me that?
Todd Miller:Or if I'd only have known are frequently said and frequently lamented.
Todd Miller:So today's guest, actually a repeat guest is someone who is trying hard to end
Todd Miller:those communication problems, as well as to simplify construction projects
Todd Miller:by keeping everyone connected and organized through his app, BuilderComs.
Todd Miller:And that person, our guest today is Ron Nussbaum.
Todd Miller:Now you may remember Ron because he was a guest on the show nearly two years
Todd Miller:ago, talking about his app, NuttNest.
Todd Miller:Today, we're going to learn how that morphed into BuilderComs and also learn
Todd Miller:a bit about the positive role that BuilderComs is playing for its clients.
Todd Miller:Ron, welcome back to Construction Disruption.
Todd Miller:It's a pleasure to have you here today.
Ron Nussbaum:It is great to be back and thank you for having me back.
Ron Nussbaum:I appreciate it.
Ron Nussbaum:I love what you guys do and I'm excited for our conversation today.
Todd Miller:Well, we're excited too to learn more about some
Todd Miller:updates and what's going on and how you're meeting folks needs today.
Todd Miller:So, I, I know, of course, we talked about the first time you are on the
Todd Miller:show, you served in the Marines.
Todd Miller:Thank you again for your service, and you also then worked in
Todd Miller:construction and home services.
Todd Miller:So as a result, who better than you to come up with a useful app for contractors?
Todd Miller:Tell us a little bit about this metamorphosis or this change from
Todd Miller:NuttNest to BuilderComs and what that means to your clients and all that.
Todd Miller:I'd like to hear a little bit about that.
Ron Nussbaum:Absolutely.
Ron Nussbaum:So, NuttNest is what everybody on here would remember me from.
Ron Nussbaum:We have morphed into BuilderComs and how that came about was.
Ron Nussbaum:I like to say, like you said, I'm a Marine I was in construction,
Ron Nussbaum:like that's who Ron is.
Ron Nussbaum:Like I was in the infantry.
Ron Nussbaum:I've done everything from running the jackhammer to running the
Ron Nussbaum:company and going into software.
Ron Nussbaum:I tried to get a little too pretty with it.
Ron Nussbaum:I tried to get a little too Silicon Valley, like what's cool.
Ron Nussbaum:And we're going to revolutionize the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:And we're going to have this really cool name.
Ron Nussbaum:There's like all this other stuff you see, like, you know, Facebook and all the stuff
Ron Nussbaum:that just changed how stuff is done and about six, seven months into our launch,
Ron Nussbaum:I realized, like that's not Ron that the construction industry doesn't need that.
Ron Nussbaum:Like the construction industry could care less is if we're
Ron Nussbaum:NuttNest or we're BuilderComs.
Ron Nussbaum:And I just, it wasn't a fit.
Ron Nussbaum:It didn't feel right.
Ron Nussbaum:And to be honest.
Ron Nussbaum:I really got tired of spending the first five minutes of every call
Ron Nussbaum:I was on explaining what NuttNest meant and how it came about.
Ron Nussbaum:And, I felt this real, I felt like we had disalignment with
Ron Nussbaum:the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:Like, I'm trying to be in this pilot seat, flying in this plane.
Ron Nussbaum:In NuttNest, we had this disalignment.
Ron Nussbaum:It was like I was the co pilot of that.
Ron Nussbaum:And I wasn't able to really steer the plane where I wanted it to go.
Ron Nussbaum:And I felt it so much in my gut that I was, I almost was getting sick.
Ron Nussbaum:It's like, we just had such disalignment.
Ron Nussbaum:With what we wanted to be and what I felt the company was in.
Ron Nussbaum:I wrote out, I just like, this is what the company is.
Ron Nussbaum:This is what it should be.
Ron Nussbaum:This is what it looks like.
Ron Nussbaum:Everything about it.
Ron Nussbaum:I call it a manifesto, whatever you want to call it.
Ron Nussbaum:Like the BuilderComs, who we are, what we are, why we're that.
Ron Nussbaum:And I gave it to my CMO and I said, this is the company I'm Building.
Ron Nussbaum:It's not NuttNest.
Ron Nussbaum:This is the company.
Ron Nussbaum:This is the brand that we're building.
Ron Nussbaum:This is what the construction industry needs.
Ron Nussbaum:This is who I am.
Ron Nussbaum:Let's put it together.
Ron Nussbaum:And go with it.
Ron Nussbaum:So we spent a few months, three, three, four months
Ron Nussbaum:completely rebranding everything, completely changing everything.
Ron Nussbaum:The software, what we build at its core is the same.
Ron Nussbaum:It's still a super simple piece of software for the
Ron Nussbaum:construction industry to use.
Ron Nussbaum:But we got alignment with that and we got alignment with the
Ron Nussbaum:construction industry and that brought us into becoming BuilderComs.
Ron Nussbaum:And it's one of the greatest, you know, you don't like to say like
Ron Nussbaum:major highlights in your life.
Ron Nussbaum:Because you don't know what's to come still, but making that decision was one
Ron Nussbaum:of the greatest things that I've done on this journey of being a software founder,
Ron Nussbaum:because that was really a catalyst.
Ron Nussbaum:We soon after that were awarded a top 20 startup at the
Ron Nussbaum:International Builders Show.
Ron Nussbaum:I was on Veteran Shark Tank, and I, I think that stuff wouldn't have came under
Ron Nussbaum:the brand guise of NuttNest, because we had that disalignment, but once I found
Ron Nussbaum:alignment with the brand and coming to the, coming to market, and we relaunched
Ron Nussbaum:this in October of last year, it really was, like I said, this catalyst.
Ron Nussbaum:We started, people understood it.
Ron Nussbaum:And when I went, when we took the brand live, I probably got over a hundred
Ron Nussbaum:messages from people that I knew that was like that right, there's it like, that's
Ron Nussbaum:the missing link to what you're doing.
Ron Nussbaum:Like you just got it right.
Ron Nussbaum:Not that it's still, I mean, I'm in construction software, it's still an
Ron Nussbaum:uphill battle, but it makes it a lot easier when people go on your website
Ron Nussbaum:or they hear about you or even the listeners, when they hear BuilderComs.
Ron Nussbaum:They probably have a rough understanding of what we do as a company.
Ron Nussbaum:And that goes a long way.
Todd Miller:No, I, I love that explanation and you're right.
Todd Miller:BuilderComs, you know, starts to give me a pretty good idea that
Todd Miller:that's, that's something to do with construction and something to do with
Todd Miller:communication and all that type of stuff.
Todd Miller:So that's good.
Todd Miller:Well, what types of construction build businesses is BuilderComs designed for?
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah, absolutely, and great question.
Ron Nussbaum:So, we are kind of construction agnostic.
Ron Nussbaum:It's really construction business.
Ron Nussbaum:So when you think remodelers, roofers, custom home builders,
Ron Nussbaum:even builders, because we start to create a way to document projects.
Ron Nussbaum:Whether you're dealing with a customer or not, we need to
Ron Nussbaum:have documentation on projects.
Ron Nussbaum:We need to understand what's happening on every project and BuilderComs
Ron Nussbaum:gives a simple solution to do that.
Ron Nussbaum:We are starting to move upstream into the commercial realm of things as well.
Ron Nussbaum:It's not where I come from, but we're kind of being pulled that way because
Ron Nussbaum:there's not necessarily a good job site communication and management tool, and
Ron Nussbaum:BuilderComs can fill that void there.
Ron Nussbaum:So we really fit construction businesses.
Todd Miller:Okay, well, give us an overview of what the app does.
Todd Miller:What is the functionality for your clients?
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah.
Ron Nussbaum:So we're, we're a communication platform.
Ron Nussbaum:Like that is what we came to market as to be really, really good at.
Ron Nussbaum:We get all your communication in one place.
Ron Nussbaum:So no more emails, no more text messages, no more digging through
Ron Nussbaum:your phones, all of that in one place.
Ron Nussbaum:And then we add in the channels of communication in there.
Ron Nussbaum:So we make sure the right people are always talking to the right people.
Ron Nussbaum:Your conversations are organized and in our transition into becoming BuilderComs,
Ron Nussbaum:having our users on here is we found out.
Ron Nussbaum:That communication is our backbone of what we do, but we do two other things
Ron Nussbaum:really, really well, and that's document management and photo sharing and storage.
Ron Nussbaum:So that right there is BuilderComs, and the best way to think about it is a Slack
Ron Nussbaum:and Dropbox hooked up on a weekend and had a baby for the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:That would be BuilderComs.
Todd Miller:That is just entirely too visual for me.
Todd Miller:Okay, I like it though.
Todd Miller:Okay, so how does a client get started with BuilderComs?
Todd Miller:Is it kind of plug and play?
Todd Miller:Or is there some sort of integration and extensive training involved?
Todd Miller:What does that look like for your clients?
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah.
Ron Nussbaum:So.
Ron Nussbaum:We have two different kinds of clients at BuilderComs.
Ron Nussbaum:We have the client that's never used any technology and is looking
Ron Nussbaum:to get started into technology.
Ron Nussbaum:That onboarding process is a lot more intensive.
Ron Nussbaum:As you can imagine, when you're taking people from using a pad and a pen or not
Ron Nussbaum:even using email, and now you're going to start teaching them to use technology.
Ron Nussbaum:So we do that very well.
Ron Nussbaum:We're, we're good hand holders.
Ron Nussbaum:Across that you get to work with me.
Ron Nussbaum:My wife is our director of customer service.
Ron Nussbaum:We are here to help you be successful and implement our technology into
Ron Nussbaum:your everyday business because that's how it starts to have the impact.
Ron Nussbaum:Now, our other user is somebody that's coming from other technologies.
Ron Nussbaum:That is looking to simplify what exactly their tech stack looks like,
Ron Nussbaum:or say they use a big legacy player, but they don't use everything and
Ron Nussbaum:they just want something simple to organize their communication, their
Ron Nussbaum:documents and their pictures for those users were very plug and play
Ron Nussbaum:because we're going to be the simplest piece of software that you ever use.
Ron Nussbaum:What we hear on a daily basis from our customers is thank you for just
Ron Nussbaum:building something easy to use.
Ron Nussbaum:The buttons are where I feel like they should be.
Ron Nussbaum:And that's from day one has been what I wanted to build.
Ron Nussbaum:I learned to tell the developer no early on and just said, let's
Ron Nussbaum:just keep this super simple.
Ron Nussbaum:Cause if it's not, people won't use it.
Ron Nussbaum:And if people don't use it, they're not going to have the
Ron Nussbaum:benefits that BuilderComs offers.
Ethan Young:I did want to chime in here.
Ethan Young:So we talked a little bit about there, about like the client experience.
Ethan Young:What's the homeowner experience like when they interact with BuilderComs,
Ethan Young:because I know it's not like a full out, like social media platform, but what's
Ethan Young:it, what does it look like for them?
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah.
Ron Nussbaum:So homeowners operate within the BuilderComs app, and it's very simple.
Ron Nussbaum:You go in there and you can click on each one of your projects.
Ron Nussbaum:What we found out was like people don't want to do something besides
Ron Nussbaum:text message or email unless they can do it in the same amount of clicks.
Ron Nussbaum:So you can open the BuilderComs app and be messaging somebody about
Ron Nussbaum:your project within two clicks.
Ron Nussbaum:But one of the big differences is you're going to be messaging the right person.
Ron Nussbaum:So we have those channels of communication.
Ron Nussbaum:So as a homeowner, when you go in there and you open up that project, or you
Ron Nussbaum:could have multiple projects going on, but when you go into that project, and
Ron Nussbaum:you go into messaging, you're going to see sales, scheduling, project management.
Ron Nussbaum:You're going to see the channels of where, when you're reaching out and talking to
Ron Nussbaum:somebody, you're actually talking to the person that can answer your questions.
Ron Nussbaum:So that's, that's one of the big things that we provide for that
Ron Nussbaum:homeowner, that customer, that's having the work done on their house.
Ron Nussbaum:Is that direct, I like to say it's like air traffic control for
Ron Nussbaum:contractors and homeowners, making sure that the right conversations
Ron Nussbaum:are happening with the right people.
Todd Miller:So I know that when you first go to BuilderComs dot com, you
Todd Miller:immediately have a couple of options.
Todd Miller:You can either try it for free dive right in, I guess, or you can schedule a demo.
Todd Miller:What, in your opinion, is the best way for someone to approach that?
Ron Nussbaum:Absolutely.
Ron Nussbaum:So if you're somebody that's familiar with using technology, I would dive
Ron Nussbaum:right in there, and set up a time.
Ron Nussbaum:If you're somebody that's not 100 percent familiar with using technology,
Ron Nussbaum:I would set up a time to meet and, you know, we do that one on one.
Ron Nussbaum:You can always start your free trial.
Ron Nussbaum:We do a 30 day free trial.
Ron Nussbaum:So you can come on, utilize our software for 30 days.
Ron Nussbaum:Take it for a spin and see what that looks like.
Ron Nussbaum:But I always recommend if you're new to technology, like let's have
Ron Nussbaum:a conversation, because I want to know what, like, what's your needs?
Ron Nussbaum:What are you looking for with technology?
Ron Nussbaum:And how can I best set you up for success?
Ron Nussbaum:We build in a pretty extensive YouTube video training.
Ron Nussbaum:Like that's why I put all of our training videos.
Ron Nussbaum:Cause as an industry, like that's where we go if we need help.
Ron Nussbaum:So I build out a lot of our help videos and everything on how to on YouTube.
Ron Nussbaum:So we use that as an asset to help guide people through that, but if you're
Ron Nussbaum:somebody that's familiar with technology, start that free trial, but still book
Ron Nussbaum:a time or book an onboarding call.
Ron Nussbaum:So as soon as you sign up, it also then gives you an option to book an
Ron Nussbaum:onboarding where we'll walk you through the onboarding process, help get you
Ron Nussbaum:set up so it's not, not like that demo.
Ron Nussbaum:It's not like I need to understand how the software works and everything.
Ron Nussbaum:This is like, let's get you set up, answer questions, walk through
Ron Nussbaum:all the different use cases.
Ron Nussbaum:What does this look like?
Ron Nussbaum:If I need to do this or that, and we're always available to
Ron Nussbaum:do that stuff along the way.
Ron Nussbaum:I'm very focused on our customers because I used to be our
Ron Nussbaum:customer and I'm not anymore.
Ron Nussbaum:So like what I built.
Ron Nussbaum:Was the, here's this solution, but what does BuilderComs continue to
Ron Nussbaum:evolve and turn into will be dictated by our customers and what that
Ron Nussbaum:feedback looks like, because I work in service of the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:Now I don't work in construction, so I don't just want to be rolling
Ron Nussbaum:stuff out there that I think is cool, but no one's even interested in.
Ron Nussbaum:So we try to keep as open of a line of feedback and conversation with
Ron Nussbaum:our users as they would let us.
Ron Nussbaum:And being in construction software, dealing with construction businesses,
Ron Nussbaum:it's not as much as you would think.
Todd Miller:I gotcha.
Todd Miller:I understand.
Todd Miller:But I love the fact that, you know, your commitment is to
Todd Miller:make sure that your clients are going to be successful with it.
Todd Miller:And, you know, that's that's what means success for you as well.
Todd Miller:So that's great.
Todd Miller:Seems to me where you need to be.
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah, my goal is to continue to build the communication
Ron Nussbaum:platform for the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:And like, as long as I focus on that, we'll continue to win.
Ron Nussbaum:It's when you get distracted, you see people get distracted by trying to
Ron Nussbaum:do other things or try to offshoot.
Ron Nussbaum:And from day one, my focus has been less is like, how do we solve this
Ron Nussbaum:problem in the construction industry?
Ron Nussbaum:It's been a problem for too long.
Ron Nussbaum:We don't have any good technologies to do it.
Ron Nussbaum:So let's fix it and let's focus on that and not get distracted by all the noise.
Ron Nussbaum:So if you do start using our software and you come and we, we have a, a
Ron Nussbaum:conversation about where you think the platform could go and you bring up stuff
Ron Nussbaum:like scheduling or CRM or this, like, that's not where the platform's headed.
Ron Nussbaum:We're doing integrations with the best players in the game for that stuff.
Ron Nussbaum:Because that's just what makes sense is like, that's focused on being
Ron Nussbaum:really good at what we're good at and not muddy the water across the board.
Todd Miller:Well, I'm curious.
Todd Miller:Are there any comments you've heard from your clients and users?
Todd Miller:comms helping them?
Todd Miller:What are some of their feedback they give you once they get up and running with it?
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah so, one of the big things that I have noticed is
Ron Nussbaum:guys use it in the sales process.
Ron Nussbaum:I, I had inherently not thought about it as being a sales tool, but I was wrong.
Ron Nussbaum:So it's a major differentiator.
Ron Nussbaum:Guys can say to their customers to begin with is, hey, we understand
Ron Nussbaum:communications and issue.
Ron Nussbaum:Don't worry about it.
Ron Nussbaum:We have made the investment in BuilderComs, you're going to download this
Ron Nussbaum:app, all of our communication is going to go through there and it immediately
Ron Nussbaum:eases the customer's concerns with that.
Ron Nussbaum:And then from a contractor perspective, it's the ability to be able to get a
Ron Nussbaum:hold of your homeowners in a timely fashion, because now when they're
Ron Nussbaum:receiving a message on the BuilderComs app, they're getting that notification.
Ron Nussbaum:They know it has to do with their project.
Ron Nussbaum:They might want to respond to it faster.
Ron Nussbaum:It's not like an email hitting the email box or a text message
Ron Nussbaum:hitting where, you know, people have thousands of unread emails.
Ron Nussbaum:They might not check their text messages for hours because they're like, oh,
Ron Nussbaum:it's just a text message, but there's something intuitively that happens
Ron Nussbaum:when you, when you have a project going on at your house and you know, this
Ron Nussbaum:communication is specific to that.
Ron Nussbaum:So we start to save that time.
Ron Nussbaum:And I think the most powerful thing that happens is the fact
Ron Nussbaum:that we empower homeowners to have conversations with their builders and
Ron Nussbaum:contractors prior to the conversation.
Ron Nussbaum:Because before BuilderComs, a lot of times homeowners would just say, oh, wait till
Ron Nussbaum:the guys get here, because they'll know that sales rep don't know that whoever
Ron Nussbaum:was out there, they were too busy, they won't be able to get back to me.
Ron Nussbaum:But by having that project management, that general, channel homeowners know
Ron Nussbaum:if they ask questions in there, they're talking with a production manager, a
Ron Nussbaum:field superintendent, a foreman, somebody that can actually answer those questions.
Ron Nussbaum:And a lot of times those questions can delay the job, can change the job
Ron Nussbaum:and need to be talked about prior.
Ron Nussbaum:They don't because the homeowner is not empowered to reach out because
Ron Nussbaum:they're afraid they're going to get an answer of, Hey, sorry, I don't know.
Ron Nussbaum:Let me figure out who the person is and get you in touch with them.
Ron Nussbaum:And then that's where sticky notes are typically made.
Ron Nussbaum:And we all know where sticky notes go in construction.
Ron Nussbaum:It's the death of it right there.
Todd Miller:Very interesting.
Todd Miller:Well, I'm curious as you and again, you kind of came up in this industry.
Todd Miller:You're very familiar with construction as you look at construction.
Todd Miller:There aren't particular challenges you see out there that maybe you hope.
Todd Miller:BuilderComs can help with even beyond communication.
Todd Miller:You brought up some great examples there with property owners who, you
Todd Miller:know, now they know, okay, if it's my BuilderComs, this is important and
Todd Miller:I've got to respond or check it out.
Todd Miller:But I'm just kind of curious, are there any other challenges you're seeing out
Todd Miller:there that you're thinking, gee whiz, someday maybe we can go after that also.
Ron Nussbaum:That is a great question.
Ron Nussbaum:And it's something I have become very passionate about, in doing this
Ron Nussbaum:process and talking with so many people in the construction industry,
Ron Nussbaum:there's one plaguing thing within software that everybody agrees around.
Ron Nussbaum:And that is the fact that nothing talks to anything.
Ron Nussbaum:And it's so fractured.
Ron Nussbaum:Construction software is just a fractured, it's either you go out and you get one of
Ron Nussbaum:these, somebody that offers all kinds of stuff and you only use a small fraction
Ron Nussbaum:of it, or you get a couple of different pieces and nothing talks to anybody.
Ron Nussbaum:And what we're building at BuilderComs, we're currently working on building out
Ron Nussbaum:integrations because we're going to become the piece of software that connects the
Ron Nussbaum:industry, that can help bridge the gap.
Ron Nussbaum:And start getting software to talk to software.
Ron Nussbaum:So when I say I'm not going to build out a scheduling software, it's because
Ron Nussbaum:I'm going to go partner and integrate with the best out there that does that.
Ron Nussbaum:So then our customers can utilize them if they want to schedule or if
Ron Nussbaum:their customers want a communication platform, they can utilize BuilderComs,
Ron Nussbaum:and we all talk together in creating an environment where a picture is a picture.
Ron Nussbaum:A document is a document and a conversation is a conversation.
Ron Nussbaum:That's how BuilderComs is going to link all of the construction industry
Ron Nussbaum:together with all the different softwares.
Ron Nussbaum:We're going to become this singulized place where all this data can move
Ron Nussbaum:through and either push it to, one of the best examples is say, a very
Ron Nussbaum:complex piece of software like a Procore, that big construction companies
Ron Nussbaum:are running, but most people don't understand how to operate that software.
Ron Nussbaum:You can take a BuilderComs integration into Procore and empower everybody
Ron Nussbaum:on your job site, a simple piece of software to, to do their
Ron Nussbaum:communications, to take pictures, to have access to all the documents.
Ron Nussbaum:Super easy, super simple per project, but all that data that they
Ron Nussbaum:then put in there can back feed.
Ron Nussbaum:In the Procore and say the controllers, the executive team, the management team
Ron Nussbaum:can look at it on their diagrams, but they don't have to worry about what is the data
Ron Nussbaum:we're actually getting in here because now people are using a simple piece of
Ron Nussbaum:software that can be utilized anywhere.
Ron Nussbaum:And I typically say within 10, 15 minutes, anybody can use our software.
Todd Miller:You know, as you talk there, it reminds me a little bit
Todd Miller:of, I think it was Truett Cathy, I believe was the founder of Chick fil
Todd Miller:A and, you know, he said, you got to stick to your chicken sandwich.
Todd Miller:You got to know what that is.
Todd Miller:And so, you know, what's your chicken sandwich is, and you're making it work
Todd Miller:with all the other necessary parts and tools, parts of the picture and tools
Todd Miller:that your clients are using as well.
Todd Miller:So it makes every bit of sense.
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah.
Ron Nussbaum:And you know, I don't look at it as, you know, a lot of people say, oh,
Ron Nussbaum:it's all this competition and stuff.
Ron Nussbaum:And what we do is where every piece of software always fell short for me.
Ron Nussbaum:And it's still falls short because it's not a focus.
Ron Nussbaum:It's a hard thing to do.
Ron Nussbaum:Communication is hard.
Ron Nussbaum:And most people don't want to do it.
Ron Nussbaum:Most software companies would just rather not do it.
Ron Nussbaum:And I used to just say this and then I had some conversations with them and they
Ron Nussbaum:just, straight toed me is like we offer this service because if we get asked for
Ron Nussbaum:it, it's not something we want to do.
Ron Nussbaum:So I know this might be the hardest road to go, but at the end of the day,
Ron Nussbaum:there's an impact that I want to have.
Ron Nussbaum:And a reason I set out to do this is like, I want to fix
Ron Nussbaum:communication in construction.
Ron Nussbaum:So I got a hold to my guns.
Ron Nussbaum:And not, like I said, get distracted with all this other stuff and not
Ron Nussbaum:say, hey, these people, we're partners in this because we can do more
Ron Nussbaum:together than we can do on our own.
Ron Nussbaum:Like BuilderComs is more powerful having alignment with all this other software and
Ron Nussbaum:all the other software is more powerful by having alignment with BuilderComs.
Todd Miller:Very good.
Todd Miller:Very interesting.
Todd Miller:Well, I know that you also have a podcast, Construction Champions.
Todd Miller:Tell us a little bit about what you're doing through your show.
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah.
Ron Nussbaum:So Construction Champions Podcast is that's, that's become a passion
Ron Nussbaum:project of mine, because it really is.
Ron Nussbaum:I love the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:When I got out of the Marine Corps in 2010, and I ended up in residential
Ron Nussbaum:construction, like to me, it was one of the best things that happened.
Ron Nussbaum:I had no plans.
Ron Nussbaum:I didn't know what I wanted to do.
Ron Nussbaum:All I knew was the Marine Corps is no longer an option.
Ron Nussbaum:And I just, I fell in love with working in the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:I fell in love with the people, the processes, everything about it.
Ron Nussbaum:But what I didn't fall in love with was the mindset and the reputation
Ron Nussbaum:of the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:And that's what Construction Champions is about is about changing that
Ron Nussbaum:perspective, changing that mindset and going out and being a champion in
Ron Nussbaum:every part of your life, not just at your construction business, but with
Ron Nussbaum:your kids, with your significant other, with your employees, with your family.
Ron Nussbaum:With everybody around you is like we have to be a champion in every aspect
Ron Nussbaum:of our life and that's how we change the mindset around the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:So I release two episodes a week and we talk to anybody in the construction space.
Ron Nussbaum:Like when I say that, like I bring on health people, I bring on business coach.
Ron Nussbaum:I bring a gamut of whatever, if you're trying to move the ball in
Ron Nussbaum:the construction industry, I want to have you on my show because I want
Ron Nussbaum:those conversations to be out there.
Ron Nussbaum:And that is how we change the mindset.
Ron Nussbaum:Is we start to get people to realize that the 3 percent of bad
Ron Nussbaum:seeds in the construction industry does not need to control the
Ron Nussbaum:narrative for the entire industry.
Ron Nussbaum:Like there's bad doctors and lawyers, but they don't control the narrative
Ron Nussbaum:for the entire, their entire industries, but in construction.
Ron Nussbaum:For some reason, like, we find that to be okay.
Ron Nussbaum:It's like, yeah, well, you know, it's the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:And I call it BS on that.
Ron Nussbaum:I believe we can do better and I believe we are doing better,
Ron Nussbaum:but we accept that narrative.
Ron Nussbaum:And we let it play out instead of just nipping it in the butt with our customers
Ron Nussbaum:and just saying, hey, I understand you might've heard this or your cousin's
Ron Nussbaum:sister might've had this experience with a builder, but I'm not them.
Ron Nussbaum:I'm a professional and I'm here to do this project for you and do it right.
Ron Nussbaum:I have a family, I have employees that depend on me, and I'm here to do the
Ron Nussbaum:right thing and do your construction project how it was meant to be done.
Ron Nussbaum:You can see I get off track.
Ron Nussbaum:I get fired up when I start talking about this because like I said, it
Ron Nussbaum:truly has become a passion project.
Ron Nussbaum:Wasn't something I was going to start, and It wasn't long after I think I was
Ron Nussbaum:on your guy's show is I had somebody just straight look at me and go,
Ron Nussbaum:Ron, why don't you have a podcast?
Ron Nussbaum:Like you have the network, you have the passion about the construction industry.
Ron Nussbaum:And I was like, well, I don't like my voice and I, I'm not interested in that.
Ron Nussbaum:And they're like, that's not a good enough excuse, go start a podcast.
Todd Miller:Ha ha ha ha
Ron Nussbaum:It wasn't somebody I was going to say no to.
Ron Nussbaum:So I went and started it and we've done what, about 160 episodes at this point in
Ron Nussbaum:time, and I just keep rocking and rolling.
Todd Miller:That's awesome.
Todd Miller:And releasing two shows a week is a pretty ambitious goal as well.
Todd Miller:So, kudos to you.
Todd Miller:You, you keep playing your trumpet out there for our industry.
Todd Miller:You're going to let everyone know that, yeah, good, good enough isn't
Todd Miller:good enough, we can always be better.
Todd Miller:So I love it.
Todd Miller:So, What advice do you have for someone who may be new to the construction
Todd Miller:industry and getting into it?
Todd Miller:Any sort of overarching advice for them or how they get a career started?
Ron Nussbaum:Oh, podcasts, podcasts, podcasts.
Ron Nussbaum:The amount of free information out there right now, and it's not
Ron Nussbaum:even a lot like it's not there.
Ron Nussbaum:There's a, like what you can go learn off a podcast.
Ron Nussbaum:Like I, it blows my mind, the stuff that people come on my podcast and talk about.
Ron Nussbaum:And I, if not just my podcast, podcasts in general, like people come and they,
Ron Nussbaum:they are an open book of knowledge.
Ron Nussbaum:And I watch Tommy Malo do it all the time.
Ron Nussbaum:The dude has a 250 million a year business and he just gives it away.
Ron Nussbaum:Like it, the knowledge is out there, my biggest advice
Ron Nussbaum:would be, be an action taker.
Ron Nussbaum:Like that's where I won in construction is I showed up, I was a Marine,
Ron Nussbaum:I didn't have any construction experience and everybody around me
Ron Nussbaum:had construction management degrees.
Ron Nussbaum:And I was like, I have to learn fast.
Ron Nussbaum:And I have to take action.
Ron Nussbaum:So I just dove in, I started learning everything I could about residential
Ron Nussbaum:construction, just the fastest learner I could be and then taking action on it.
Ron Nussbaum:We can all listen to all of the great podcasts.
Ron Nussbaum:But if we don't do anything, if we don't take any action,
Ron Nussbaum:it's, it's not going to matter.
Ron Nussbaum:So I would say if I was once again, start like, because I'm doing this now, I'm
Ron Nussbaum:reliving it because I'm in software now.
Ron Nussbaum:So like I'm restarting a career in software after being in construction
Ron Nussbaum:and all I can do is go absorb all the great knowledge that's out there.
Ron Nussbaum:And then take action on it, like actually do the shit that needs to be done.
Ron Nussbaum:And that's the same as if you're starting in construction right now, like if
Ron Nussbaum:you're literally day one on your way home and you're listening to this, amazing,
Ron Nussbaum:cause that's what you need to be doing.
Ron Nussbaum:You need to be listening to podcasts just like this.
Ron Nussbaum:The knowledge is out there, but then take some action.
Ron Nussbaum:Like take one thing.
Ron Nussbaum:I ask everybody at the end of my podcast, always take one thing and do it.
Ron Nussbaum:Because that's how change starts to happen.
Ron Nussbaum:So just start doing it.
Ron Nussbaum:We know what has to happen.
Ron Nussbaum:We can get free access to all the knowledge, just take action on it and then
Ron Nussbaum:you're going to find yourself in rooms and around knowledge that will blow your mind.
Ron Nussbaum:Construction is an industry that rewards people that are willing to
Ron Nussbaum:do the work and take the action, and I don't think that will ever change.
Todd Miller:I love that.
Todd Miller:I know my big word the last couple of months has been encouraging people to
Todd Miller:be curious, and to learn things, but you're right, you can't just be curious.
Todd Miller:You got to do something with it then also.
Todd Miller:So.
Todd Miller:Great advice, Ron.
Todd Miller:Well, this has been a great time talking together.
Todd Miller:really enjoyed it.
Todd Miller:We're close to wrapping up the end of what we call the business,
Todd Miller:sort of side of things here.
Todd Miller:Is there anything we haven't covered yet today, that you'd like to share with our
Todd Miller:audience about yourself or BuilderComs?
Ron Nussbaum:No, I think we had a really good, a really good dive in and talk about
Ron Nussbaum:how we've gotten to where we are at today.
Todd Miller:Great.
Todd Miller:Well, before we do close out, I want to do something we
Todd Miller:call our rapid fire questions.
Todd Miller:So these are seven questions we'll ask you, which are completely out of the blue.
Todd Miller:Ron has no idea we're going to ask.
Todd Miller:So we're not even going to give you a choice.
Todd Miller:We're just going to ask you these, and, and I made sure we are not asking you
Todd Miller:the same questions we did the first time
Ron Nussbaum:I knew you were going to do that.
Ron Nussbaum:I almost went back and reviewed the questions and I was like, ah, he's
Ron Nussbaum:not going to ask the same ones.
Todd Miller:Would not have helped you at all.
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah, it doesn't even matter, I didn't.
Todd Miller:Okay.
Todd Miller:Well, Ethan, you want to ask the first question?
Ethan Young:Yeah, I can start us off.
Ethan Young:Question one, have you purchased a product or service recently that
Ethan Young:was a real game changer for you?
Ron Nussbaum:I'm getting ready to do a bunch of webinars and I just purchased a
Ron Nussbaum:webinar, not probably became a subscriber of a webinar platform that seems like
Ron Nussbaum:it's going to really simplify it.
Ron Nussbaum:I don't know.
Ron Nussbaum:I haven't done my first one on it yet.
Ron Nussbaum:But that's the most recent thing that I've become a subscriber to a
Ron Nussbaum:purchase that I think is going to be a really simplify my workflows.
Todd Miller:Cool.
Todd Miller:What, what's the name of that platform?
Ron Nussbaum:It is Webinar I am
Todd Miller:Webinar I am.
Ron Nussbaum:My bad.
Ron Nussbaum:I brought it up in my, I might, I might need the eye surgery.
Ron Nussbaum:It's a Webinar Jam.
Ron Nussbaum:J-A-M.
Todd Miller:Well I will check that out because we've been actually
Todd Miller:talking about such things off and on.
Todd Miller:So cool.
Todd Miller:Thank you.
Todd Miller:Question number two.
Todd Miller:Would you rather have the power to be invisible or the
Todd Miller:power to read people's minds?
Ron Nussbaum:I would say the power to read people's minds.
Ron Nussbaum:And I don't know if I haven't.
Ron Nussbaum:I just, I think like that would be better.
Ron Nussbaum:I don't necessarily have a reason or a rhyme.
Ron Nussbaum:I just feel like that would be because you're present.
Ron Nussbaum:Like if you're invisible and you know what's going on, it's hard to control
Ron Nussbaum:the situation or control the outcomes.
Ron Nussbaum:But if you're present and you can read, you know, like you read, it's
Ron Nussbaum:the same thing by being able to read people's minds, you would be
Ron Nussbaum:able to control the outcome better.
Todd Miller:Good answer.
Ethan Young:I feel like it could be a blessing and a curse to
Ethan Young:be able to read people's minds.
Todd Miller:No doubt.
Ron Nussbaum:You want to want to be in big rooms full of a lot of people.
Todd Miller:That might be a little overwhelming.
Ethan Young:Alrighty, next one.
Ethan Young:What's your bucket list vacation?
Ron Nussbaum:Ooh.
Ron Nussbaum:I would say mediterranean on a private yacht
Ethan Young:Ooh, sounds great.
Ron Nussbaum:For 30 days.
Todd Miller:Sounds good.
Todd Miller:Well, I hope you get there someday.
Todd Miller:Next question.
Todd Miller:So I know that you love what you do, and so that really can't be
Todd Miller:your answer to this question.
Todd Miller:If you could have any job in the world, though, other than the one you have, which
Todd Miller:you dearly love, what would that job be?
Ron Nussbaum:Oh, man, this is gonna, this will sound crazy, but I was
Ron Nussbaum:literally just thinking about this earlier is, you know, if somebody came
Ron Nussbaum:and wrote me a check for BuilderComs today, like what would that look like?
Ron Nussbaum:And I was like, you know, I could almost go back and work at a
Ron Nussbaum:construction company for like a year.
Ron Nussbaum:To re get my feet wet and like, cause there's got, there's other stuff out
Ron Nussbaum:there, like I have a, such a different perspective and I love the work, like
Ron Nussbaum:to go and be able to do that same thing.
Ron Nussbaum:But with the perspective and understanding I have now, I think
Ron Nussbaum:would be super powerful and it sounds crazy, but like, yeah, I could go back
Ron Nussbaum:and be like a foreman on a job site.
Ron Nussbaum:Like I don't, I love the work I have.
Ron Nussbaum:I'm not afraid of hard work, and you know, if you make it not about the money
Ron Nussbaum:and about what you can actually get done, And like figure out, I think it
Ron Nussbaum:would, I just have such a different view than I did back when I was doing it now
Todd Miller:Yeah,
Ron Nussbaum:that I think I would be light years ahead of how good I was before
Todd Miller:Very interesting.
Todd Miller:Good answer.
Ethan Young:So, well, I guess we talked about what you'd be doing working wise
Ethan Young:if you weren't working at BuilderComs, but what's your favorite thing to do
Ethan Young:when you're not working on BuilderComs?
Ethan Young:What's your favorite way to relax?
Ron Nussbaum:I spend time with my family, like I don't, we live, We live
Ron Nussbaum:over by the coast in North Carolina.
Ron Nussbaum:And yesterday was the 4th of July.
Ron Nussbaum:We golf, golf carted it up to the ice cream shop.
Ron Nussbaum:I have a six year old son and like, that's what I love to do.
Ron Nussbaum:That's, you know, I've built this life around being able to spend time with my
Ron Nussbaum:family because that's the one thing I didn't do when I was in construction.
Ron Nussbaum:I didn't, I did that really, really badly.
Ron Nussbaum:And now I give my family as much as I give my work.
Ethan Young:Awesome.
Todd Miller:Love that.
Todd Miller:Good, good, good.
Todd Miller:Next question.
Todd Miller:If aliens landed tomorrow and they were here to take you to their planet,
Todd Miller:what earthly possession would you insist that you had to take with you?
Ron Nussbaum:I don't know.
Ron Nussbaum:Cause they've, they've got better stuff.
Ron Nussbaum:I would probably be like let's rock and roll and whatever I think I'm
Ron Nussbaum:going to need, I probably won't.
Ron Nussbaum:Cause you guys probably have better things.
Todd Miller:Was going to say it's interesting.
Todd Miller:We asked this question of someone once and they had a very practical response.
Todd Miller:They said, I think I would take my food and water because they
Todd Miller:may not like the things to eat and drink that I like to eat and drink.
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah, that is, that's a good one.
Ethan Young:Very true.
Ethan Young:Alrighty, last question.
Ethan Young:what's a valuable lesson you've learned from a failure or
Ethan Young:something that didn't go right?
Ron Nussbaum:I think we can go back to rebranding the company, and you
Ron Nussbaum:know, it's something I've learned a couple of different times in my life
Ron Nussbaum:when it was either leadership or with having a business is be as true to
Ron Nussbaum:yourself in who you are as you can be.
Ron Nussbaum:And you're probably not going to be wrong.
Ron Nussbaum:That right there, like I said, from a leadership perspective, from a
Ron Nussbaum:business perspective, and of course, from a branding perspective, just stay
Ron Nussbaum:true to who you are and just be that.
Ron Nussbaum:And like, that's what people want.
Ethan Young:I think that's great.
Todd Miller:Very good.
Todd Miller:Well, Ron, thank you again.
Todd Miller:This has been a pleasure.
Todd Miller:So for folks who may want to get in touch, perhaps directly with you, or maybe they
Todd Miller:want to learn more about BuilderComs, tell us some ways they can easily do that.
Ron Nussbaum:Yeah, you can find me everywhere and anywhere on social media,
Ron Nussbaum:Ron Nussbaum, and then BuilderComs, C O M S dot com is our website.
Ron Nussbaum:If you want to go on there and check us out or book a time
Ron Nussbaum:on with me on there as well.
Todd Miller:Very good.
Todd Miller:BuilderComs.com.
Todd Miller:Excellent.
Todd Miller:So, guys, did you get your challenge words in?
Ron Nussbaum:I absolutely did.
Ethan Young:I did,
Todd Miller:You both did, you know, that's weird.
Todd Miller:I got so focused on mine.
Todd Miller:I wasn't paying attention to you guys.
Todd Miller:So, Ron, your word you worked in was
Ron Nussbaum:Co pilot
Todd Miller:Good job.
Todd Miller:I'm I'll have to go back and listen to the show to figure out where you worked it in.
Todd Miller:But,
Ron Nussbaum:Right, right at the beginning, why I was talking about
Ron Nussbaum:have to, you know, I felt like I was the co pilot for my own company.
Todd Miller:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Todd Miller:Oh, tricky.
Ethan Young:That was good.
Todd Miller:Very good.
Todd Miller:Ethan, your word was,
Ethan Young:Mine was more of a phrase full out and I fit it in
Ethan Young:when I was talking about customer experience with, BuilderComs.
Todd Miller:I do remember that now, and I had trumpet, which
Todd Miller:I worked in there near the end.
Todd Miller:I was getting a little panicked.
Todd Miller:So good time.
Todd Miller:Well, thank you very much, Ron.
Todd Miller:This has been great.
Todd Miller:Enjoyed having you on the show again.
Todd Miller:Appreciate it.
Todd Miller:And all best you and keep up the great work.
Ron Nussbaum:Awesome.
Ron Nussbaum:Thank you.
Ron Nussbaum:And I had a blast.
Ron Nussbaum:I loved it.
Todd Miller:Well, very good.
Todd Miller:And thank you to our audience for tuning into this very special
Todd Miller:episode of Construction Disruption with Ron Nussbaum of BuilderComs.
Todd Miller:Please watch for future episodes of our podcast.
Todd Miller:We always have great guests.
Todd Miller:Don't forget to leave a review on Apple podcasts or a thumbs up for us on YouTube.
Todd Miller:Until the next time we're together, though, keep on disrupting and challenging
Todd Miller:those in your world to better ways of doing things and don't forget to have a
Todd Miller:positive impact on everyone you encounter, make them smile and encourage them.
Todd Miller:Well, God bless and take care, this is Isaiah Industries signing off until the
Todd Miller:next episode of Construction Disruption.