Built The Hard Way
Season 1
by Joshua Pies
Most business content shows the outcome but hides the cost. In this episode of Built the Hard Way, Josh sits down with Kevin Birky, founder of RoofSource, to talk about what it really takes to build a successful construction company from the ground up. Kevin’s entrepreneurial journey started long before roofing. From working in construction as a teenager to helping grow an equipment rental business from 7 employees to 95 employees across multiple markets, he learned the realities of scaling operations, managing people, and building something bigger than himself. But eventually, Kevin realized something every entrepreneur faces: he was building someone else’s company instead of his own. That realization pushed him to take the risk and launch RoofSource. With limited capital, no guaranteed path, and a willingness to bet on himself, Kevin used relationships, reputation, and relentless execution to build a roofing company in one of the most competitive markets in the country. After moving from Minnesota to Florida, Kevin rebuilt again — navigating hurricanes, insurance changes, labor challenges, and a shifting roofing industry. Instead of relying only on storm restoration, he strategically moved RoofSource toward commercial projects, government contracts, high-end residential work, and long-term relationships. Connect with Joshua Pies 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuapies/ Connect with Kevin Birky 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-birky-a7b38628b/ Want to be a guest? Sign up here https://c47films.com/about/bu-business-podcast-network/built-the-hard-way/ 00:00 — Why Most Business Content Doesn’t Tell the Truth 01:20 — Growing Up Around Entrepreneurs and Construction 04:30 — Scaling a Company From 7 Employees to 95 Employees 10:10 — The Moment Kevin Realized He Was Building Someone Else’s Dream 12:45 — Buying a Roofing Company That Fell Apart at Closing 15:30 — The Yellow Pages Gamble That Started RoofSource 18:30 — The Tornado That Changed Everything 22:30 — Moving RoofSource From Minnesota to Florida 27:00 — Why Storm-Based Roofing Businesses Fail 31:00 — The Power of Referrals and Building Trust 35:00 — Building Crews and Taking Care of Your People 38:00 — The Hardest Part of Scaling: Letting Go 42:00 — The Long Game of Entrepreneurship 45:00 — Kevin’s Advice for Entrepreneurs Building From Scratch 🔔Follow Built the Hard Way on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartradio, Deezer and etc., for honest conversations with founders, operators, and builders who know success is never as simple as it looks online. Because behind every great business is a story nobody talks about enough: what it cost to build it. #BuiltTheHardWay #ConstructionBusiness #EntrepreneurJourney #RoofingIndustry #SmallBusinessGrowth
Most business content celebrates the exit but rarely talks about the decades of discipline it took to earn it. In this episode of Built The Hard Way, Josh sits down with entrepreneur and former CoolToday founder Jaime DiDomenico to unpack one of the most methodical business-building stories you'll hear. Jamie didn't start with investors, a groundbreaking idea, or a shortcut. He started earning $4 an hour stocking HVAC technician bins while putting himself through college, believing his future would be in corporate accounting. Instead, he found opportunity in the skilled trades. After nearly two decades climbing from warehouse employee to executive, Jaime took the biggest risk of his career by purchasing a struggling HVAC company that was losing money every year. Rather than chasing quick wins, he built a 15-year strategic plan, established clear company values, invested in culture, and committed to long-term execution over short-term growth. Fifteen years later, that failing business had grown from $1.7 million in annual revenue to nearly $39 million, ultimately becoming part of one of the largest home service organizations in the country. Throughout the conversation, Jamie shares why entrepreneurship demands discipline more than brilliance, why company culture isn't optional, how strategic planning creates freedom, and why building a business that's valuable to others requires thinking decades ahead instead of quarter to quarter. Whether you're running a home service business, leading a growing company, or dreaming of one day selling what you've built, this conversation offers practical lessons from someone who truly built it the hard way. Connect with Joshua Pies 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuapies/ Connect with Jaime DiDomenico 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaime-didomenico-819147b/ Want to be a guest? Sign up here https://c47films.com/about/bu-business-podcast-network/built-the-hard-way/ 00:00 Introduction to Entrepreneurship Mindset 03:02 Journey from HVAC to Entrepreneurship 06:02 The Transition to Business Ownership 09:09 Strategic Planning and Growth 12:00 Selling to Wrench Group 14:56 Navigating Challenges and Market Changes 18:08 The Importance of Service in Business 21:02 The Value of Trades and Education 23:59 Embracing Technology and AI in Business 26:47 Transformational Phases in Entrepreneurship 30:32 Community Engagement and Philanthropy 32:36 Curating Company Culture 36:16 Learning Through Experience 39:40 The Reality of Entrepreneurship 42:44 The Secret Sauce of Success 46:33 Books and Resources for Entrepreneurs 53:48 The Call to Action for Community Involvement 🔔Follow Built the Hard Way on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartradio, Deezer and etc., for honest conversations with founders, operators, and builders who know success is never as simple as it looks online. Because behind every great business is a story nobody talks about enough: what it cost to build it. #BuildTheHardWay #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #BusinessExit #HVAC
Most entrepreneurs spend years building a business but almost no time preparing to sell one. In this episode of Built The Hard Way, Josh sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and M&A advisor Carey Sobel to unpack the lessons learned from building, operating, buying, and selling businesses across multiple industries. From launching a college media company and owning restaurants, bars, and marketing agencies to helping founders navigate business acquisitions and exits today, Kerri shares the wins, mistakes, partnerships, seller-financed deals, and hard-earned lessons that shaped his career. The conversation goes deep into what most owners get wrong when preparing to sell a company, why private equity buyers often have an advantage, how deal structure can matter more than price, and the practical steps every entrepreneur should take long before they ever consider an exit. If you're building a company, thinking about selling one, or simply want to understand how real wealth is created through business ownership, this episode delivers a candid look at the realities behind successful exits. Connect with Joshua Pies 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuapies/ Connect with Carey Sobel 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/careysobel/ Want to be a guest? Sign up here https://c47films.com/about/bu-business-podcast-network/built-the-hard-way/ 00:00 The Cost of Business Success 01:21 Founder's Journey: Carrie Sobel's Story 05:01 Navigating Mergers and Acquisitions 10:01 Lessons from the Restaurant Industry 16:30 The Evolution of a Business Mindset 22:14 Future Vision: Exit Planning and Beyond 25:31 Navigating the Business Brokerage Landscape 28:20 Maximizing Business Value for Sale 30:43 The Emotional and Financial Aspects of Selling 35:07 Preparing for a Successful Business Exit 41:10 The Importance of Integrity in Business Transactions 44:15 Strategizing for Future Business Success 🔔Follow Built the Hard Way on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartradio, Deezer and etc., for honest conversations with founders, operators, and builders who know success is never as simple as it looks online. Because behind every great business is a story nobody talks about enough: what it cost to build it. #BuiltTheHardWay #RoofingBusiness #Entrepreneurship #HomeServices #BusinessGrowth #ContractorLife #RecurringRevenue
Most roofing companies make money replacing roofs. Mike Feazel saw a completely different opportunity. In this episode of Built The Hard Way, Josh Pies sits down with the founder of Roof Maxx to break down how he built one of America’s top roofing companies, exited successfully, then came back to reinvent the industry through roof rejuvenation, maintenance, and recurring revenue. Mike explains why modern shingles fail faster, how Roof Maxx discovered a way to restore aging roofs instead of replacing them, and why the future of roofing may look more like HVAC maintenance than traditional construction. The conversation dives deep into private equity entering home services, scaling dealer networks nationwide, building virtual companies, AI inside operations, consumer trust problems in roofing, and how entrepreneurs can create entirely new categories inside old industries. This episode is packed with real operator insight for contractors, founders, blue-collar entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in scaling a service business the hard way. 00:00 – Why most business content hides the real cost 02:12 – Mike Feazel’s roofing journey starts in the 1980s 05:44 – Building one of America’s top roofing contractors 09:53 – Selling the company and struggling with “retirement” 13:01 – Discovering the Roof Maxx opportunity 18:24 – Why modern roofs fail faster today 23:41 – The hidden economics of roof replacement 28:10 – Building a nationwide dealer network 33:26 – How Roof Maxx spends $20M on marketing 37:52 – AI agents, automation, and the future of business 43:30 – Running a fully virtual company across the world 47:05 – Private equity entering the roofing industry 52:08 – Why maintenance is the future of roofing 56:21 – The long-term vision for Roof Maxx 58:11 – Final lessons on entrepreneurship and innovation Connect with Joshua Pies 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuapies/ Connect with Brandon McCraney 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmccraney/ Want to be a guest? Sign up here https://c47films.com/about/bu-business-podcast-network/built-the-hard-way/ 🔔Follow Built the Hard Way on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartradio, Deezer and etc., for honest conversations with founders, operators, and builders who know success is never as simple as it looks online. Because behind every great business is a story nobody talks about enough: what it cost to build it. #BuiltTheHardWay #RoofingBusiness #Entrepreneurship #HomeServices #BusinessGrowth #ContractorLife #RecurringRevenue
Most business content only shows the outcome. The revenue. The growth. The success story. But almost nobody talks about the cost. In this first episode of Built the Hard Way, Joshua Pies sits down with Brandon McCraney, founder and master whiskey blender behind Old Raleigh Distillery, to talk about what it really took to build a craft whiskey company from scratch. Brandon shares the full journey: leaving corporate leadership behind, risking his family’s future on an SBA loan, renovating a distillery during COVID, nearly running out of money before opening day, and ultimately building one of the most unique whiskey brands in the country. This conversation goes far beyond bourbon. It’s about entrepreneurship, resilience, creativity, leadership, craftsmanship, community, and the mindset required to keep building when failure would cost you everything. If you’re an entrepreneur, operator, creator, or founder trying to build something meaningful, this episode will resonate deeply. 00:00 – Why most business content is misleading 01:25 – Meet Brandon McCraney & Old Raleigh Distillery 04:40 – Chamber of Commerce & community leadership 09:15 – Leaving the corporate world behind 14:52 – Discovering whiskey blending 20:18 – Starting a whiskey company 25:40 – Construction delays during COVID 32:05 – Running out of money before opening 38:40 – Opening Old Raleigh Distillery 44:15 – Building an audience through virtual whiskey classes 49:50 – Founder resilience & adaptability 55:12 – Why Brandon focused on blending instead of distilling 1:00:40 – Creativity, artistry, and long-term vision Connect with Joshua Pies 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuapies/ Connect with Brandon McCraney 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmccraney/ Want to be a guest? Explore Built The Hard Way Podcast https://c47films.com/about/bu-business-podcast-network/built-the-hard-way/ 🔔Follow Built the Hard Way on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartradio, Deezer and etc., for honest conversations with founders, operators, and builders who know success is never as simple as it looks online. Because behind every great business is a story nobody talks about enough: what it cost to build it. #BuiltTheHardWay #Entrepreneurship #FounderStory #BusinessPodcast #WhiskeyBusiness #StartupJourney #CraftWhiskey
Most business content shows you the outcome. Not the cost. This show is different. 🔥 🎙 Built The Hard Way Coming soon. 😎