Find My Cones

06/19/2026

Free cash!!!

If you're not taking your employer's 401k match you are literally working part of your week for free.

Let me break down what a 401k match actually does because I don't think enough people fully understand what they have.

Here's what it looks like in real numbers.

We match 100% of the first 4% you put in. Dollar for dollar. That means if you're making $60,000 a year and you contribute 4% — that's $2,400 out of your check — we put in another $2,400 on top of it.

You now have $4,800 growing for your retirement and half of it cost you nothing.

That is an instant 100% return on your money before it even gets invested anywhere.

It gets better.

The match is 100% vested immediately. That means the money we put in is yours from day one. You don't have to wait years for it to become yours. It's yours the moment it goes in.

You also have the choice between a traditional pre-tax 401k and a Roth 401k. The Roth option means you pay taxes now and never pay taxes on that money again — including all the growth. For younger guys especially that is a massive long term advantage.

And if you're 50 or older you can make additional catch up contributions on top of the regular limits.

This is not a complicated benefit. It is free money that disappears forever if you don't take it.

27 years in business and offering this match is one of the things I'm most proud of. But it only works if you use it.

👇 Does your employer offer a match? Are you taking it? Drop it below. And if more people need to hear this — you know what to do.

06/17/2026

Unpoplular opinion incoming!

A skilled asphalt paver, CDL driver, or equipment operator can out earn most college graduates. And nobody wants to admit it.

Here's what the numbers actually look like:

Four years of college. $50,000 to $150,000 in student debt depending on where you went. Four years of zero income while you're in school. Then you graduate and start at $45,000 to $55,000 a year if you're lucky — and spend the next decade paying back what it cost you to get there.

Now let's talk about the trades.

You start earning day one. No debt. A skilled equipment operator in Michigan is making $65,000 to $85,000 a year. A CDL driver with experience is clearing $70,000 to $90,000. A foreman running a crew? Even more. And if you're good enough to start your own operation the ceiling disappears entirely.

No student loans. No entry level grunt work for three years while you wait for someone to notice you. No degree required to prove you know what you're doing. The work speaks for itself.

So why does nobody talk about this?

Because somewhere along the way we decided that a kid in a hard hat wasn't as successful as a kid in a cubicle. We sold an entire generation on the idea that college was the only path to a good life.

And now we have a shortage of skilled trade workers and a surplus of people with degrees they can't afford working jobs that don't require them.

The trades built this country. They still pay like it.

27 years in asphalt and I wouldn't trade it for any degree on any wall.

👇 Do you agree or am I wrong? Drop it below. And if this is something you wish more people said out loud — you know what to do.

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

Every industry has them.

The guys who have an opinion on everything and a solution to nothing.

They’ll tell you how they’d run the crew better. How they’d bid the job differently. How the owner doesn’t know what he’s doing. How they could do it all better if they had the chance.

And then they clock out at 4pm and go home.

No payroll to meet. No equipment payments. No insurance. No customers calling on a Sunday. No slow weeks that keep you up at night wondering if you can make it through the month.

Just an opinion and a timecard.

Here’s what I’ve learned about those guys after 27 years:

Talking is easy. Signing the front of a check is hard. Carrying a crew through a bad season is hard. Betting your savings on a piece of equipment is hard. Eating a job that went sideways to protect your reputation is hard.

Owning something is hard.

The guys who’ve actually done it don’t spend a lot of time telling other people how to do it. They’re too busy doing it.

I’m not saying workers don’t have a voice. The best feedback I’ve ever gotten came from guys on my crew who saw things I missed.

But there’s a difference between constructive input from someone invested in the outcome and noise from someone who goes home when the whistle blows and has never once lost sleep over a business decision.

Build something. Then talk.

👇 Every crew has one of these guys. Drop a 👷 if you know exactly who I’m talking about. And if this hits home — you know what to do.

06/15/2026

Running one job site is hard enough.

Running three, five, ten at the same time will expose every weakness in your operation fast.

I’ve been there. Here’s what I learned:

Communication has to be airtight — You can’t be everywhere at once. That only works if your foreman knows exactly what’s expected, what the timeline is, and who to call when something goes sideways. If your communication system is a phone call and a prayer you’re already behind.

Every site needs a leader — not just a guy who shows up first. Someone who takes ownership of that job from start to finish. The biggest mistake contractors make when scaling is spreading their best people too thin instead of developing new leaders.

Your equipment has to be tracked — nothing kills momentum on a multi site operation faster than not knowing where your stuff is. Trucks, equipment, cones, barricades. When you’ve got three crews moving you cannot afford to be hunting down gear that should already be on site.

Schedule conflicts will happen — equipment double booked, materials showing up at the wrong site, crew sent to the wrong address. Build buffer into your schedule before you need it not after something goes wrong.

You have to let go — this is the hardest part for most owners. You built this thing by being hands on and now you’re being asked to trust other people to run it while you manage from a distance. The owners who can’t make that shift stay small forever.

Your systems have to work without you — scheduling, equipment tracking, invoicing, crew accountability. If any of those only work because you’re physically present they will break the moment you’re not.

Running multiple sites isn’t just a logistics problem. It’s a leadership problem.

The contractors who crack this code don’t just get bigger. They build something that can actually run without them being everywhere at once.

27 years taught me that the job site that scares you most is always the one you can’t see.

👇 How many sites are you running at once right now and what’s your biggest challenge keeping it together? Drop it below. And if this hits close to home — you know what to do.

06/12/2026

Not too many years ago I did something most contractors think is crazy.

I gave equity to my top employees.

Not a bonus. Not a raise. An actual ownership stake in the business.

Here’s why I did it and why I’d do it again:

The guys who ran my crews weren’t just employees. They were the reason jobs got done right whether I was there or not. They showed up early, solved problems before I even knew there was a problem, and treated the business like it was theirs.

So I made it theirs.

Here’s what changed:

They stopped thinking like employees and started thinking like owners. Decisions that used to come to me started getting made on the job site — the right decisions, because now it was their money too.

Turnover stopped being a worry. Why would they leave a business they have a stake in?

They started looking for ways to make the business better, not just get through the day. Cost savings, efficiency, customer relationships — all of it improved because they had skin in the game.

I’m not saying give equity to everyone on day one. This was earned over years by guys who proved they deserved it.

But if you’ve got someone on your crew who runs things like they own it already — maybe it’s time they actually did.

The biggest mistake most contractors make is thinking they have to do everything themselves to protect what they built. The truth is the fastest way to lose good people is to never give them a real reason to stay.

27 years in this business and giving away a piece of it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

👇 Would you ever consider giving equity to your top people? Drop it below. And if this is something you don’t see other contractors talking about — you know what to do.

06/11/2026

Not missing any cones today!!!

06/11/2026

The job market for trade workers has changed. The contractors still offering the same package they offered ten years ago are wondering why nobody is applying.

Here’s what actually matters to trade workers today:

Consistent steady work — nobody wants to guess whether they’re working next week. The contractors who can offer a full season of predictable work have a massive recruiting advantage over the guys who call when they need a body.

Health insurance — this is the single biggest differentiator right now. Most trade workers are one injury away from a financial crisis. The contractor who offers health coverage gets loyalty that money alone can’t buy.

Paid time off — it sounds simple but most small contractors don’t offer it. A few days of PTO signals that you treat your people like adults with lives outside of work. That matters more than most owners realize.

Equipment that works — nothing demoralizes a crew faster than being sent to a job with broken down equipment. Guys want to take pride in their work and you can’t do that with tools that don’t work.

Respect and communication — this one costs nothing. Knowing what’s happening next week, being treated like a professional, and having a boss who listens goes further than most compensation packages.

Performance based pay — guys who work harder than the guy next to them want to be recognized for it. A flat rate for everyone regardless of effort is a slow leak on your best people.

The contractors who figure this out aren’t just building better crews. They’re building businesses that can actually scale.

Your people are your product. Invest in them accordingly.

👇 What’s the one benefit that would make you stay at a job even if another offer came along? Drop it below. And if this hits home — you know what to do.

06/10/2026

06/09/2026

Five contractors bid the same parking lot job. Same square footage. Same materials. Same process.

So why does one guy win it every time?

It’s rarely the price. Here’s what’s actually separating the winners from the guys who never hear back:

They show up to the walkthrough like a professional — on time, prepared, asking smart questions. First impressions in this business happen before you ever submit a number. The contractor who shows up sloppy to the walkthrough is already losing.

They submit a proposal that looks like a business sent it — not a number scribbled on a piece of paper. A clean, detailed, professional proposal tells the customer you run a tight operation before the first machine rolls in.

They explain what’s included and why — instead of just a number, they break down the prep work, the materials, the process, the timeline. Customers who understand what they’re buying are far less likely to go with the cheap guy.

They follow up — most contractors submit a bid and disappear. A simple call two days later saying “just wanted to make sure you received everything and answer any questions” wins more jobs than any discount ever will.

They have proof — photos of past work, reviews, references. In a world where every contractor claims to do great work the ones who can show it win the argument before it starts.

The job doesn’t always go to the best contractor. It goes to the one who made the customer feel most confident.

Be that guy.

👇 What’s the one thing you do that you think separates your bid from everyone else’s? Drop it below. And if this is helpful — you know what to do.