Rebuilding the Business Every Time You Outgrow ItWith Canon Baldridge of Integria Construction

Eric Fortenberry: [00:00:00] Welcome to the podcast where we take a deep dive into the stories behind construction business leaders. We will share how they got started, how they found success, and the lessons learned along the way. I’m your host, Eric Fortenberry. Welcome to Builder Stories

Eric Fortenberry: Welcome back, everybody. Today, I got an awesome guest with us, Cannon Baldridge. He’s the owner of Integra Construction. They’re located in South Orange County, California. Really excited to have you on the show. Welcome to Builder Stories.

Canon Baldridge: Thanks so much, Eric. Thanks for having me.

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah, absolutely. Well, look, why don’t you, uh, kick us off here, a little bit of background, how’d you get into construction, what led you to, to own your own construction business, and, and what do you guys do?

Canon Baldridge: Yeah, absolutely. Well, um, I got into it just by kind of watching my dad. He was a general contractor. Um, he did it before I was born, and then always did it on the side, was always doing remodels, even some new builds. And despite his best efforts to point me in a different direction, I [00:01:00] ended up working my way back to construction.

Canon Baldridge: I went to, uh, school, got my degree in business, and then just, uh, found my way back. Um, I did a little bit, uh, during COVID. Uh, I d- I climbed cell towers to get, get through the, you know, essential, you know, shutdown thing, and then, um, m- made my way back out here to South Orange County. Um, I’m from Texas originally, so, uh, when I got married, I moved back out here and, uh, someone offered to s- you know, be a partner in a business with me to start a construction company.

Canon Baldridge: Made it about six months in that partnership before deciding it wasn’t a good fit, and then just kind of took off on our own. So that’s how I got into it, yeah.

Eric Fortenberry: That’s awesome. So that’s where the cowboy hat comes from. The, the- Texas, huh?

Canon Baldridge: That’s right. I’m from a small town in Southeast Texas called Willis, and if you believe the population sign, th- there’s 6,000 people there, so...

Eric Fortenberry: Nice.

Canon Baldridge: Yeah.

Eric Fortenberry: Well, uh, you know, it, it, it was real interesting right before we hopped on, you’re, you’re sharing with me how you actually had just listened to another Builder Stories episode with, uh, Brian Sebring, and how he was talking about his, [00:02:00] his design build process. So why don’t you, why don’t you fill in everyone just kind of about, you know, what you learned and, and, and what challenges you were having and, and what changes you’re now making.

Canon Baldridge: Oh, absolutely, man. Okay. So for the last, I would say, um, well, ever since we started, we’re about three years old, and we’ve been growing, uh, pretty consistently. Um, when we first started, it was just me, and I was hands on tools, sales, one man show, you know, and then I hired a helper, and, um, after that first hire, um, we got slow and, um, that guy ended up moving on.

Canon Baldridge: And so, you know, we, we started getting some referrals from some restoration rebuild guys, and I was getting too busy to hire in-house, so I decided to go the subcontractor route. So, um, ever since that, we’ve been growing and I’ve been bringing more people on the team, and every time I bring someone on the team, uh, my job changes drastically.

Canon Baldridge: You know, I brought in a superintendent, now I’m doing project management. Then I brought in, you know, an office project manager, now I’m doing other things. [00:03:00] So at this point, there’s about four people on our team, and so my next step was to move towards marketing and sales. So as I started to focus on that and as my much more, uh, detail-oriented wife started taking over operations, there were some holes that were revealed, uh, just in our process and, and then how we get our clients and the issues with the change orders.

Canon Baldridge: And so, um, I heard Brian Sebring’s episode is super helpful, um, and, uh, tracked him down on, on Facebook and gave him a call, and he was super gracious to talk to me. So the three problems that we were experiencing were change orders, material selection, and finding new clients With change orders, we would get a set of plans from an architect or a designer.

Canon Baldridge: They did a great job. I’m not bashing, you know, their work at all. But as we got into the, the rough out, maybe the homeowner would say, “Oh, I, I didn’t want a ceiling fan there. I actually wanted lights in this room.” And so essentially we’d have to give them change orders for that. Or e- even more recently on a job, um, we found out after doing demo that the roof was truss framed and not conventional framed.

Canon Baldridge: Well, the beams that were [00:04:00] put in the house were, were rated for, uh, the, the ... They weren’t rated for the weight that the trusses were holding, so we had to upgrade the beams, and now it’s a $5,000 change order. My clients are just kind of getting exhausted. They already signed, you know, a $500,000 contract with us, and now they’re getting, you know, 5,000, $3,000 change orders, and it’s just a bad experience for them.

Canon Baldridge: And without being involved in the desi- in the design process, we’re basically just beholden to whatever they give us. The other thing was material selection. You know, how do I, how do I bill against allowances? How do I do all that? It just was kind of a messy process of once we sell the job with allowances, now we’re basically trying to keep the client on those allowances, but they’re always going over, and then they’re getting change orders and, and that’s just not a good experience for them.

Canon Baldridge: And then finally it was, as I’m moving into marketing and sales, where do I find these jobs? We’ve been getting a lot of referrals, but if you wanna grow, you can’t just go to your referral sources and ask for more work. You have to either expand your referral network, or you have to go directly to clients.

Canon Baldridge: And what I realized was unless I do design, unless I offer design, I’m [00:05:00] basically gonna have to keep chasing architects and designers to get referred their projects, and then we’re still gonna have those change order issues. So, uh, after speaking with Brian, and I think just a lot of time, a lot of prayer, um, just trying to figure out how to solve these things, it kind of hit me after my conversation with Brian, like, man, I gotta go.

Canon Baldridge: I just gotta do design build. I gotta jump in. I gotta make the transition. So we are Integria Construction. Um, we’re making the transition to Integria Design Build, and, uh, yeah, it’s exciting. My superintendent has design background, so he’s pumped, and, uh, we’re gonna be looking to add some more talent onto the team.

Canon Baldridge: So that was, that’s our big change coming up.

Eric Fortenberry: Man, that’s, that’s awesome. I, I, I love hearing, uh, you know, again, just this, the podcast making such a big update- So good, man ... uh, have an impact for you. So, so you’re- So good ... you’re, you’re also changing the, the, the name of the company?

Canon Baldridge: Yes, sir. We are. Yeah, we’re doing a rebrand.

Canon Baldridge: Uh, just, just, just the construction to design build, we’re keeping Integria, ’cause that’s- So tell- ... that’s kind of who we are

Eric Fortenberry: Where, where did, where did Integria come from?

Canon Baldridge: Okay. So, um, my first construction [00:06:00] company that I started in SoCal, you know, I was at a point where I was, I was, I was freshly married. I had just

Canon Baldridge: We got married pretty quick. Uh, my wife had some medical issues that I wanted to be around for. So, um, we got engaged, and I just flew out and got married, ’cause I wanted to be here for the stuff she was going through. So I just moved to town. Uh, I kind of took a sales position, did that till my base salary, uh, ran out after a year, and, uh, it was in auto finance during COVID, so no cars, um, in any lots.

Canon Baldridge: So, uh, uh, at the time, uh, just a friend of my wife’s family said, “Hey you know, you’ve got all this construction experience. Um, have you ever thought about getting your contractor’s license?” So I had to pick up the phone and call my dad, ’cause I’m like, “Dad, do you have a contractor’s license?” And he’s like, “Not in Texas.”

Canon Baldridge: Like, they don’t do the GC thing in Texas. So, so I looked into it and I qualified, did my test, took all that, had the partnership. Um, like I said, about six months in we kind of decided it wasn’t a good fit. Uh, just partnerships can be tricky. Um, just communication’s important, and just, just visual alignment of, of that.

Canon Baldridge: And so we ended up, um, deciding to leave that and [00:07:00] start on our own. And so it gave me a chance to say, “Man, what do we wanna be? Like, what, what’s our identity as a company?” And, um, it’s, it’s definitely... W- what my core values was is that if you do the right thing, then everything else will work out. Like, do what’s right, be honest, um, uh, treat people the way that you would wanna be treated, um, and, and then the money will come.

Canon Baldridge: And that’s, that’s proven true, like, over and over again. And so Integria kind of just came from h- we wanted something integrity focused. Um, Integra was taken, um, so it became Integria. Also just has like a cool, I think like, uh, it j- it’s a little more, uh, corporate sounding than, than like the mom and pop kind of name, so I like that.

Canon Baldridge: Um, so yeah, that’s where Integria came from. Our core values are, uh, quality, clarity, and integrity, and so we really cling to those. So that’s where Integria’s from.

Eric Fortenberry: I love that, man. That’s, uh, that’s, that’s a cool story.

Canon Baldridge: Yeah,

Eric Fortenberry: thanks. And definitely, uh, y- you know, I think having, having meaning [00:08:00] behind, you know, your company and your brand, like it just, it helps everybody show up, you know, and, and, and sort of share that, that same, that same core values that, that you clearly have, have defined real well.

Canon Baldridge: Absolutely.

Eric Fortenberry: What do, what do you think’s been, like, the biggest challenge for you in, in, in terms of, you know, again, start- starting from scratch, you know, building the team?

Canon Baldridge: Hmm. Yeah. So I would say when we first got into construction, like with that partnership, um, the reason we did was because my, my old business partner had a connection set up.

Canon Baldridge: And I think if you can... I mean, any time you’re starting a business, you ideally wanna have something that, that pushes. Like, why do construction and not something else, you know? And so when you’re starting a company, you wanna have that. So after we ended the partnership, I had nothing. I had just moved to California.

Canon Baldridge: Um, I didn’t know anyone in the industry. Um, I didn’t have any experience running my own business. So it really was, like, from the mud, um, just Facebook, you know, groups. Uh, people would say, “Oh, we need this done.” And so I, like, get on there and comment. I’m [00:09:00] like keyboard warrior. I’m like, “I’ve got a contractor’s license,” ’cause I’m thinking all these people commenting don’t have it, so I’d always post my number and, and try to get jobs that way.

Canon Baldridge: And so I mean, that, that got me a few. We were, we were just doing, like, you know, deck builds and, you know, kit- little bath stuff. And then, um, so I think just, just growing from that has its own set of challenges. And if anyone’s out there that’s doing that, um, it is an absolute grind, but, like, if you do a good job and you, you keep your head up and you keep moving forward and, and looking for opportunities, they’ll come.

Canon Baldridge: Like, for example, the... one of the things that helped us kinda hit that next level was, um, I, I saw a plumber in my area, and I loved what he did. Um, they posted their pricing f- on their website so that anyone can go online and, “Hey, what’s it gonna cost me for a toilet replacement?” They show the pricing on the website, and they even made a cool, like, shopping cart feature where you could, like, add the toilet, add the sink, and then, like, have a cart, and then schedule the job.

Canon Baldridge: And I just thought, “Man, that’s so cool.” Their name was Integrity Plumbing, ironically. Um, [00:10:00] I was thinking how great that they are being transparent with clients. I love that. And then I just so happened, obviously by, by God’s grace, to be at a gas station, and I saw one of their vans. So I hit him up, and I was like, “Hey,” I, you know, called him, “Hey, I wanna, I wanna meet with your owner.

Canon Baldridge: I wanna hear about what you guys do.” And, and at first I talked to him on the phone and he was like, “Yeah,” like That’s cool. You know, we’ll, we’ll, we’ll, we’ll be in touch.” And then, like, a day later he calls me and he’s like, “Hey, actually, we’re starting a restoration arm and we need a rebuild referral partner.”

Canon Baldridge: And I was like, “Amazing.” And so that, just keeping your head out ... keeping your head up, looking around, trying to put your feelers out there and see what’s available, I mean, that’s, that’s just been everything. Um, you know, they say it’s not what you know too, you know, it’s so true. Um, but it, it’s not like you need

Canon Baldridge: You don’t need some connection in the upper echelon of, like, the world. You just need to find good people that are out there and that, you know, like, you know, that are doing what you’re doing. So that’s been huge, and then, um, I, I joined a networking group. It’s called Building Trades Network. It’s, it’s exclusive to SoCal, so they’re not like [00:11:00] BNI, but, um, it was really cool.

Canon Baldridge: During the, um, housing crisis or the housing bubble, ’08, um, there was a GC who started a networking group just for construction and construction related trades. So I joined that group, um, and that’s been so helpful. Just as a small business owner, it’s b- it’s lonely at the top. Uh, and so just having other business owners in construction that I can, like

Canon Baldridge: We meet once a week, uh, so it’s a little bit more in- intensive than some networking groups, but it’s been so good. I’ve gotten a lot of work referred that way, and then also just, like, the relationships you build, the friendships, uh, it’s really made, um, the ups and downs more bearable. And then last but not least, um, my wife is incredible.

Canon Baldridge: She’s my business partner. She owns 51% of Integria, so sh- I work for her. Technically she’s my boss. Uh, and we’re a woman-owned company, in case that ever becomes important. Um, and she’s Italian, so she consider herself a minority. Um, so so, but the, uh, the cool thing about that is, uh, we’ve been able to, like, work together and, and as she’s, you [00:12:00] know, come from her, her...

Canon Baldridge: She had a corporate job. She was absolute boss. Worked for big lighting manufacturer. She’s worked her way in, and just having someone that, I mean- Having a partner is huge, um, and my wife’s a great partner, so all those things have helped us as we’ve just, you know, blazed the trail. And then just never stop learning.

Canon Baldridge: Read good books. Um, listen to podcasts. Uh, it c- you know, hit up Eric and try to get on the podcast. You know, like, I’m three years in, we’re under t- like, we’re under 2 million, but, like, hey, I can offer what I can offer, and then learn from other people constantly. So just be hungry. Yeah, agreed. You

Eric Fortenberry: know? I, I, I love that.

Eric Fortenberry: I love everything about what you just said. I mean, that’s, uh-

Canon Baldridge: Yeah,

Eric Fortenberry: man ... su- super awesome that you get to work with your wife, and, uh, you know, I, I, I think when, when, when you can make it work with family, like, it, it is so awesome. I mean, my, my dad is- Yeah ... he was my CFO of my last company, CFO of this company, or he was, but he’s- It’s all good

Eric Fortenberry: he’s now kind of stepped out of the, the CFO role, but still, still involved. But, you know, it really is such a blessing to be able to spend your time, you know, with family and, [00:13:00] you know, working on your career, working on your business. Yep. So super awesome that, that y’all have, uh, been able to do that. Yeah, for sure, man.

Eric Fortenberry: Uh, you know, and, and, and look, I, I, I totally agree with you. I mean, you know, a lot of times it can feel, you know, lonely at the top, but, like, when you can surround yourself by others who are going through that same thing, you know, the networking aspect of, of, of running a business is so powerful and, you know, I just, I love that you found a community to, to get involved with, meet with others, network, win some new business.

Eric Fortenberry: Yep. You know, pretty, pretty awesome.

Canon Baldridge: Yeah,

Eric Fortenberry: it’s good. Um, I’m, I’m curious. You, you know, I, I, I, I know you got, you know, kind of a lot of technologies, a lot of tools. You know, you work with a lot of our partners. Like, can you kind of walk us through, like, what, what’s your tech stack look like, and how have you pieced all these, all these things together?

Canon Baldridge: Yeah, man, it was a, it was a long path. Um, I’ve tried a lot of things, uh, especially being, like, in the younger... I mean, there’s, there’s younger guys than me doing it, but just, you know, in the younger, uh, category of, of owners. Um, we started out with... I mean, I will j- I will just say this, man. Really am thankful for JobTread.

Canon Baldridge: Uh, I, I, I preach it [00:14:00] like it’s the gospel, man. I tell everyone, I’m like, “You gotta get on. Like, it’s totally worth it.” I mean, just- What you guys are creating at the price point that it’s like the barrier for entries was removed. ’Cause I was messing around with a bunch of smaller, um, you know, like service industry apps trying to make them work, and just nothing fit.

Canon Baldridge: Um, and then, um, I, I had one that kinda fit but just was a bad UI. And then, um, dude, my-- one of my guys from my networking group was like, “Um, have you heard of JobTread?” Yeah, I looked it up, like hit the button for the call. Five minute-- like, like 30 seconds into the call of whoever was selling me, I was like, “Yeah, I’m in.

Canon Baldridge: Just stop talking. Just sign me up.” It was like the take my money thing. Um, so really appreciate JobTread. Uh, that has been so good for us and just for the... We are all about cl- you know, part of our thing is clarity, and clarity can only be achieved through, uh, processes that are communicatable and repeatable.

Canon Baldridge: So for our clients, for our in-- for like our, our staff, like just having something where we can reliably, uh, depend on, on [00:15:00] what’s there. And in a sense, like if it’s not working, it’s not ’cause of it, it’s ’cause you’re not committing to it. You’re not-- You haven’t bought in. So it’s like we keep buying into JobTread.

Canon Baldridge: So enough of my JobTread soapbox. Uh, so that’s, that’s my favorite piece of the stack. And then, um, we do integrate with Claude, so I’m not, I’m not like an AI ninja. Um, I just, you know, we-- I do have some consulting that I’m getting help with just to figure it out. But if you’re not using AI and integrating it, there’s no reason not to.

Canon Baldridge: It’s, it’s just to, just to even do the, do the dirty work of creating the rough drafts of your estimates and your schedules. So we use Claude to do, you know... Um, I also use Plaud. So if I’ll-- Sometimes I’ll do job walks and, and meetings, and I’ll take the information from Plaud. It’s like a wearable AI note taker, and I’ll add that to Claude, and then, you know, we’ll add it to the project, and we’ll have it, you know, add, create estimate rough drafts, create schedule rough drafts.

Canon Baldridge: Um, and then you can teach it, and it can learn. So we do that. Um, and then, um, like I said, Plaud is the wearable AI note taker. It’s really cool [00:16:00] for meetings. Um, my wife has one. I have one. We literally bought one from one of our subs because we’re like, “Bro, you need, you know, use this.” So and then, uh, we have Trust for payment processing.

Canon Baldridge: That’s my new recent excitement. I just tell everyone, you know, it’s like JobTread and Trust right now. Um, and so, uh, that new integration is so sweet. Um, and then we partner with, uh, August Castle Bookkeeping, so they’re on the marketplace. So we, um, they’re based out of Virginia, but he’s, he’s like- He’s like a ref- he, like, is certified on JobTread, certified on Trust, and certified on QuickBooks.

Canon Baldridge: He’s, like, in with Trust. Like, like whoever owns Trust, like, they refer people to him, so he’s ... He knows every integration that we use, and so it’s like a hack just to have him on board. And then we, uh, we have a VA through ConstructAid. So Zach LeCore came on. He did the show, and, um, he... We have a... We... So we, we consult with them.

Canon Baldridge: So they gave us the VA. They source the VA, and then they also consult a little bit to help with operational solutions. So I think that’s it. QuickBooks [00:17:00] integration. Um, that’s pretty much the tech stack. If I think of something else. Uh- Yeah ... uh, Microsoft, Microsoft Suite. So not... We didn’t, we didn’t do Google.

Canon Baldridge: My wife’s, my wife’s like an Excel ninja, a Microsoft girly through and through. Um, so, so we use Microsoft, yeah. So.

Eric Fortenberry: Gotcha. I’m, I’m curious, so with the, with the VA, like, what, what in particular are, are you, are you having them focus on, and, and how does that, how does that work for your business?

Canon Baldridge: You know, it’s funny.

Canon Baldridge: Um, when you’re small and you’re young, you think you’re gonna do something, and then it turns out being completely different. So we thought that we were gonna get someone to do our estimating, but she’s more of, like, an office manager role. And so, um, she primarily... Like, like when I... When we were growing and we were getting more, um, more, you know, either leads or, like, uh, we’re selling, I look at my pipeline and I’ve got, like, f- I’ve got, like, 10 or 15 proposals out, you know?

Canon Baldridge: Like, who’s gonna [00:18:00] really follow up on those and make sure that there’s movement? Who’s going to... Now, what I’ve learned s- in the last, like, two weeks as I’ve read, um, uh, Brian Sebring actually referred me to s- Selling to Homeowners, the Sandler method of sales. Like, you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t have a thick pipeline of proposals sent.

Canon Baldridge: You should get those people in and out. So I’m even learning that. Like, okay, it’s not about hiring someone to, like, chase your proposal follow-up. Like, you shouldn’t even need that much proposal follow-up if you’re pre-qualifying correctly. So, but she... Anything that’s, like, like, like, like grooming our, our current jobs, uh, you know, uh, like, when we send out bid requests and, and, um, purchase orders and following up on those det- details and reminding people of, like, when their jobs are coming up and, like, all that stuff.

Canon Baldridge: Like, anything on a computer. I think I suffer from what many self-starters suffer from, which is a, a, a allergy to delegation. And so having her has really helped because I just, it’s like, it’s almost like a muscle [00:19:00] you have to exercise to learn to hand things off. And it’s become less of an allergy and more, I think, of like an addiction where I’m like, I wanna hand everything off, you know?

Canon Baldridge: Like, and maybe I’m going too far, but just the practice of, okay, do I need to be the person doing this? Usually the answer is no. And so she just kind of is like, uh, you know, she’s only been on for, I don’t know, like 60, between 60 and 90 days. So she’s still very new, learning our process, learning our company.

Canon Baldridge: Um, and like I said, we’re, we’re dynamic, we’re growing, we’re changing. Obviously, we’re changing our whole name and like half of our offerings. So she’s hanging tough. She’s so great. We love her, and we love Constructed. They’re, they’ve been a great partner. Um, thankfully, Zach, the owner, is local to me. Like he li- like we go surf together.

Canon Baldridge: Mm-hmm. So, um, after we, after we started working together. So, um, it’s, it’s been really good

Eric Fortenberry: So he helped essentially find you the right, you know, VA, and then you- Mm-hmm ... were able to... You, you interviewed her, decided she was the- Yep ... one, brought her on, and have you, you been, like, training her? Like, it w- did she already know how to use JobTread, or did [00:20:00] you train her on your processes?

Eric Fortenberry: Did you train her on your company’s SOPs?

Canon Baldridge: Yeah, so again, one of the things you learn when you... It’s like when you first hire, and it just exposes, like, we have no training plan, like, at all, you know? Thankfully, she was our second hire or third, and so by the time we got to her, we kind of knew how to train a...

Canon Baldridge: I mean, I, um, we didn’t actually know. We thought we knew how to train. But, but training a VA is very different, um, than, than an in-person, um, employee. And so w- she did come, like... So, so ConstructAid sourced options, and they gave us, like, two to three, and then they were... Though they would keep, keep looking if none of those worked.

Canon Baldridge: But we liked, we liked her. She was a strong culture fit. We’re big believers in hiring the right kind of person and then equipping them and teaching them, um, everything they need to know. Um, and so my wife read a book called Snakes in Suits, um, kind of early in her career, and the idea is, like, you know, y- you hire someone or you [00:21:00] work with someone that you would, like, trust your kids with almost.

Canon Baldridge: Uh, you don’t trust the per- you don’t hire the person that has, like, all the qualifications and knows everything but, like, just you don’t trust them. So, um, we hired her on because she’s high trust, and that’s proven absolutely true. And sh- so we’ve done a fair amount of, like, training. Um, she came... They, they trained her on JobTread, and then ConstructAid, it’s nice.

Canon Baldridge: Some things that are, like, company specific, we’ll train her on, but then s- other times I’ll tell her, like, “Oh, just hit up ConstructAid,” and then, like, we’ll meet with them and they’ll say, “Okay, like, she needs to be developed in her, like, AI, like, um, intelligence or, like, like, just how she, like, learns and manages AI.”

Canon Baldridge: So then they create the training plan and, like, they train her. Right. So it’s like a partnership, and if you, like, work with them and engage with them, then they’ll help you, like, maximize. So in a sense it’s the VA and also, like, I’m getting coached on and assisted with managing a VA, which is awesome because I’ve never had one.

Canon Baldridge: So-

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah,

Canon Baldridge: that’s awesome ... totally worth what they charge, for sure.

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah. Uh, well, shout [00:22:00] out to, to, to Zach and ConstructAid. Nice. Yeah, they’re killing

Canon Baldridge: it, man.

Eric Fortenberry: That’s awesome. So i- it’s interesting though, you, you know, you kind of bring up that, you know, she’s also been using AI for you guys. I mean, like, te- tell me a little bit more about- Mm-hmm

Eric Fortenberry: your AI journey because, you know, I, I do see a lot of times people are like, “Well, do I still need a VA when I’ve got AI?” And, you know, how do you decide who does what? And I mean, you know, you originally thought- Yeah ... estimating, but then now you got Plaud, you got that dropping into Claude, and then that’s- Yeah

Eric Fortenberry: you know, drafting out your, you know, your, your budgets and proposals and things like that. So, like, what’s, what’s your journey been with AI? How, how did you find out about it, and how do you, how do you use it today in a daily, daily basis?

Canon Baldridge: Yeah, man, it’s so funny. I think back to when ChatGPT first dropped and everyone’s like, “Whoa, you can, like, ask it Whatever, you know?

Canon Baldridge: Ask it, like, what it thinks about something and it’ll tell you. It’s, like, so much cooler than Google. And just now, like, what it can do is amazing. Um, so I mean, the journey was kinda like I, uh... Once I f- I, I, I’ll just put my benchmark of my journey when I found Claude, just ’cause that’s, that’s what we use, that’s what I [00:23:00] like.

Canon Baldridge: Um, brother, I’m gonna say it was another, uh, podcast from you, that one of your guys that you interviewed. I was, actually. He was talking about the Chr- I can’t remember who he is. He’s on the East Coast, masonry guy. But, um, anyways, he was talking about the, the Claude plug- or the, uh, the Chrome plugin, and I was like, “What?”

Canon Baldridge: So then immediately I’m, like, jumping on, I’m buying the $20 version, I’m doing the cl- the Chrome plugin. Um, and I’m like, I- I’m like, it’s so funny. I was, like, in a gas station getting gas, and I would, like, give it a command and, like, put it in my passenger seat and drive. And then I would, like, get to where I’m going and I would look and I’d be like, “Oh my gosh, it did it.”

Canon Baldridge: So it’s kinda like just exploring like that. And then, um, just learning about, like, cowork. Um, now we’re doing Claude Code on BSC. Um, so just trying to, like, uh, self-educate with the time I do have because AI feels like a bit of a wormhole, and it feels... AI is almost like taking s- it’s almost like using steroids, I think.

Canon Baldridge: Is you get these, like, immediate results, but then the question is, like, A, what are the side effects of that? Like, what’s the downside of [00:24:00] this? ’Cause everything has a cost. And so the cost of AI are not immediately apparent. You have to, you have to suss that out. And then also, like, um, you have to take responsibility.

Canon Baldridge: Like, you at the end of the day are the person. So, um, that’s what the journey’s been. So we do... I h- I’ve gone through, like, phases of using it more or less, like, trying to give it more. Because in some ways, if you make AI do something, you almost have to spend the same amount of time you would have done that thing cleaning up what it did.

Canon Baldridge: And so, and, and there’s, like, growth potential there where you can train it and teach it. I just, um, my goal with the, with, with the VA was that I have AI, and AI is going to be my VA’s, like, best tool. So the VA is still the person, is the human being responsible for checking and monitoring the outputs of the AI.

Canon Baldridge: Mm. And so, um- I just think that like, man, like [00:25:00] there’s no, there’s no reason, a- a- and I mean, as thr- as thrifty as we can try to be, like there’s no reason not to put a human being on the, on the, on the other side of the AI to make sure that the outputs are right and to like fine-tune it. And, you know, that’s kinda what we ended up doing, was basically saying, “Hey, look, this is your tool.”

Canon Baldridge: She’s, she’s still like training on it and we’re all learning together. But, um, currently with AI, the thing that I’m, i- with the design build is I basically just gave it like, um, a bunch of data from like our old stuff, people that we like what they do, um, just some website. Just was like, “Hey, like these are some things we like.

Canon Baldridge: Uh, let’s workshop together and figure out how to like create our process.” So that’s what we did. We have a big project of trying to c- clarify our offering, clarify our process, our sales process to really get to the design build side of things. So, um, so we do the hybrid AI, VA, and then, you know, everyone else on the team, so.

Eric Fortenberry: I, I love it. And you know, I, I picked up on how you said, you know, you, you use it to create a rough draft.

Canon Baldridge: Mm-hmm.

Eric Fortenberry: You know, that’s, that’s, that, that is the exact right way to think about it. This [00:26:00] is, this is just a draft. It’s not, it is not final by any means, you know? No. Consider it’ll get you 70% to 80% of the way there, but it is so important that people, you know, don’t forget to double check their work.

Eric Fortenberry: It’s, it’s, at the end of the day, like you said, like you are still responsible for whatever you put out there. And, and that is my biggest concern too, is that-

Canon Baldridge: Yeah ...

Eric Fortenberry: people are gonna get lazy. Yeah. And, and they’re just gonna make assumptions that, well, it did it right last time, I’m sure it did it right this time.

Eric Fortenberry: And you know, my, my, my biggest fear is like people are gonna get into a fixed price contract, you know, AI forgot something, they didn’t catch it, and now they’re just sitting there, you know, trying to scramble to figure out- Right ... well, what do I do? Because I sold the project, but I forgot a big key, you know, key item.

Eric Fortenberry: And it’s like, uh, you know, that, that, that’s on you.

Canon Baldridge: Yeah. There’s another side to it as well. I think about that, and then also it’s almost like, um, like, like a simulated maturity that it gives us. Because even with this design build process, like I could sit down and journal for like hours and really think, “Man, what do I want my [00:27:00] process to be?”

Canon Baldridge: And, and at the end of like all that time of like trying to, um, you know, create something with my own, uh, my own thoughts- At the end of that road, I will have, like, worked through a bunch of stuff, and I’ll have, like, a really robust understanding of what we’re doing. When I’m using AI, when it gives me the output that it gives me, I have to stop and recognize I don’t actually own this, like, in my mind.

Canon Baldridge: Like, I don’t understand what it just put out. So I even, um, I reached out to our consultant, and initially I was like, “Hey, I’ve got a, I’ve got a rough draft for the business plan. Like, let’s meet. Let’s see if we can put this together.” And then I had a moment where I was like, I need to print this on a piece of paper and just stare at it for, like, like two, three hours and just really sit with it and really try to, like, internalize what this thing...

Canon Baldridge: It just produced, like, 15 pages of data and information and case studies and all this stuff, and it’s super cool, but, like, I, as the owner, I need to really understand what this [00:28:00] thing just put out so that when I go to that meeting, I’m not just saying, like, “Oh, look at these...” Like, I can’t expect him to read what it output and me not to have.

Canon Baldridge: So that’s the thing, is I’m trying to discipline myself the more I, I see AI outputs to actually stop, read, process. It’s okay. Like, take some time with stuff, man. You’re still, you’re still outpacing what you would have done before, but you’re just... You have to not let it run away from you. Yeah. So that’s, that’s the thing I’m trying to learn about and discipline myself for.

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah. That, that is, uh, that, that is so important. I mean, it’s like, you know, I, I see some people have connected it to email. They’re letting it send out all their messages and updates and everything. It’s like, man, but, like, you gotta remember, you know, if you’re face to face with that client, and they start asking you about that stuff, and you don’t even realize, you know, what, what you have and haven’t communicated- Yeah

Eric Fortenberry: like, you’re gonna end up looking foolish- Yeah ... and not being in the loop. And so, like, that... You, you’re so right. Like, everything needs to be reviewed and, and, and, and processed and digested-

Canon Baldridge: Yep ...

Eric Fortenberry: you know, so that you, you don’t end up kind of letting this thing run, and then you getting put [00:29:00] into a bad situation where you looked uninformed and, you know, uneducated.

Canon Baldridge: Yeah. I would say delegate, and this is the... It’s funny. It ties back into delegating. Delegating to a human is way different than delegating to AI ’cause a lot of times, like, the more people we bring on the team, the less connected I am to everything, and that’s okay. Like, it scared me at first when I was like, “I don’t know what’s happening on this job site.

Canon Baldridge: I don’t know,” like... But when I think about, like, who’s responsible for that, like, I know my wife. I know my, my superintendent, Mario. I know Anne. Like, these are people that I, like, can have one-on-ones with and conversations and meetings and, like, I can understand, like, who they are as a person and where they’re at.

Canon Baldridge: And so when, when I look at a project, and I’m like, I may not have my finger on the pulse as much as I used to, but in a sense, I trust who, who’s on it, and I know because of, like, the connection I have with that person, in a sense, that’s my connection to the project. AI is not a person, and AI, you can’t know who it is as much as you might feel like you do.

Canon Baldridge: So when, when AI’s producing and doing things, you can’t [00:30:00] be in touch with it the same way that you can a person. So like I said, delegation is good, and, and, and you have to do it right, but when you do it with humans- There, it’s, it’s different than delegating to AI. And separating that for me has been super helpful.

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah. Now, you also mentioned, uh, Trust, which is, you know, one of our newest integration partners. You know, we, we, we’re now, you know, fully hooked up. We can, you know, kind of have all the, the, the paint out buttons on your invoices go directly to Trust. Like-

Canon Baldridge: Sure ...

Eric Fortenberry: how, how’d you find out about them and, and, and what’s been your experience with them versus, you know, however you were doing it before?

Canon Baldridge: Trust, man, for the life of me, I want to say it was probably your podcast. I just get a kick reading builder stories, man. I’m a fan. It was either that or it was, um, I think maybe, uh, I heard about it from someone. I, I genuinely can’t remember where we heard about it, but as soon as I, as soon as I looked into it, I was on like a family reunion trip, and I was like immediately like bust my laptop out.

Canon Baldridge: I’m like, you s- like, like, call them. Like I’m like, “I gotta know more [00:31:00] about this.” And, um, when I called my bookkeeper and anyone I tell, I, I’m like, “Do you know what a payment processor does? They take the money, they do this.” And I say, “Trust, they literally are the bank.” Like that’s what I always say about them.

Canon Baldridge: I’m like, “They are the bank,” and so they can give you access to funds sooner. They don’t, they’re not throttled by... And it was tough, man. My payment processor before, like I had a great relationship with them, and I was like, I’m like, “Look, bro, like this is what they got. Like I’ll let you take a shot at it.”

Canon Baldridge: And they’re like, “Well, we have these maximums, and we have these fees.” And I was like, “I, sorry man, I gotta cut y’all loose.” So I, I did. Still good friends with them though. Um, but yeah, man, I mean, it, it, it’s been, it’s been huge, uh, you know, just, a- and helpful for my subcontractors. I will say the one downside about the instant nature of Trust is that, um, we need to be okay as small business owners that are working with small businesses There should be an expectation that it’s gonna take a week to get paid.

Canon Baldridge: You know, like, it’s okay. Like, when your, uh, carpenter finishes and he’s standing on the job site, [00:32:00] you shouldn’t be writing him a check at that moment, you know? And you shouldn’t, like, feel the pressure to, to make that money instantly appear for him. That being said, Trust is a great, like, middle ground, because I’m not gonna pay him the day he finishes.

Canon Baldridge: Like, we still have to process things as a, as a, as a company. But Trust makes it that much faster and, um, and I mean, like, they’re, they’re integrated with, with Plaid, which is a great, like... Uh, from a client-facing thing, it’s like, it’s, like, industry-leading as far as client ex- ex- experience and u- user experience.

Canon Baldridge: So I mean, it’s pretty great and, and in a sense, to be able to pay directly out of that account, too. I mean, it’s kinda become our operating account. I think that’s what’s gonna happen for a lot of people. Yeah. Um, but I mean also- Yeah ... just the, the background that they have, they have, like, I wanna say, like, five years in Canada, and then they came down here.

Canon Baldridge: So I, I talked to the, some of the, um, you know, uh, you know, leadership team there and just kinda got to know them a little bit. But a great, great company. Um, really love what they’re doing. Yeah.

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah. So have you, have you actually been getting your [00:33:00] subs on there as well so that, you know, you’re, you’re basically going from, from Trust account- Mm-hmm

Eric Fortenberry: to Trust account?

Canon Baldridge: Yeah, pretty much. We’re trying to. It’s, you know, it’s hard to get anyone to change anything a lot of times, you know? But- Yeah ... but they always hear it from me. I’m always pushing them, like, all... E- every one in my life and, uh, hopefully everyone, like, that, that hears, I’m always pushing people to, to, like, be a learner.

Canon Baldridge: Don’t be stagnant. Like, be willing to change, be willing to grow. Uh, and so they’re used... Like, people are used to hearing that from me, and so, um, it’s just one ... I mean, I’m always saying, “Oh, try, try JobTread. Try Trust,” you know? But I think- ... I think I’m, I’m like bangers only over here. I, I, I don’t share garbage, you know?

Canon Baldridge: And so, uh, so I, yeah, I’m, I’m trying to get them on. I’ve got a few adopted. Uh, a couple others that are, you know, I’m just like, “Come on, man, you gotta do it,” you know? I, I just, I think they’re gonna become, because they’re construction-specific, like, they’re gonna become an industry standard over the next, like, two, three years probably, so.

Eric Fortenberry: Oh, yeah. Well, they’re certainly, uh, you know, getting connected to JobTread. We’re, we’re, uh, we’re seeing a lot of, [00:34:00] lot of raving- Well- ... fans just like you, so we, we, we love seeing that feedback, that customer experience. People, people, uh, really excited about it, so we’re- Yeah ... happy to, happy to help, help support them.

Canon Baldridge: That’s it, man.

Eric Fortenberry: Uh, you know, and, and you also mentioned, uh, August Castle, you know, your, your, your bookkeeping. You know, what, at what point did you decide to, to hire, you know, uh, an outsourced bookkeeper- Sure ... somebody that, you know, had that experience in. You know, what, what’s, what’s that decision been like and h- how, how do you guys

Eric Fortenberry: You know, how do you work that relationship? How often are you meeting with them? Like, are they, are they doing everything? You know, from your job costing, you know, filing receipts, tying it all- Yeah ... into JobTread? Or do you kinda just let them do the month-end closeout? What, what’s, what’s your bookkeeping process look like?

Canon Baldridge: Yeah. So our journey, uh, I’ll ... I, I studied finance, um, and- In, in, in college. And I pretty much left everything there. Like, I learned it, and then I just, like, went back to blue collar, climb and cell towers, you know, s- whatever, and it just... That information didn’t live very long. [00:35:00] And, and I know it’s there, and if I needed to, I could drudge it up.

Canon Baldridge: But the books, man, like, it’s such an easy thing to out- to, like, hand off to someone. We’ve, we’ve had an outs- outsource bookkeeper forever. Um, our first bookkeeper, we actually didn’t keep tabs on and kind of got hosed because- Mm-hmm ... uh, they kept charging us, but, like, they weren’t s- they were sending us our stuff late, and then, like, they were filing, like, our tax stuff late, and we kind of like at the end of it, we ended up finding out like, oh my gosh, like that’s why we moved is we were like, “This person’s been...

Canon Baldridge: Like, we trusted this person way too much,” you know? And so you still gotta, you still gotta stay on top of people, so that’s a lesson learned. Um, but with, with August Castle, uh, we f- we, we basically, um, w- I mean, I’ll communicate on like a, I’m not gonna say daily basis, but definitely, like, shooting text questions.

Canon Baldridge: Um, w- they actually helped us clean up our books because when that last bookkeeper, when we, when we let them go and switched, there was like, it w- our books were a total mess. So he actually helped us, um, catch everything up, um, and, and get everything [00:36:00] accurate. So he’ll go back and, and, like, reconcile stuff.

Canon Baldridge: So he, he helped us out a ton. But, um, yeah, I mean, but we mainly, once you set up the system, uh, like, like, there’s always some fine-tuning that needs to be done, so we just, we stay in touch for that. Um, but he’s just doing, like, the basic... Like, he’s not doing, um, he does, like, a fractional CFO thing for some companies, so he does consulting, like, for, like, vision stuff.

Canon Baldridge: But for us, it’s mainly just, like, the bookkeeping. But again, like, books are super important. Uh, you know, your taxes, your finances are really important. I’m not gonna play the game of trying to do it myself. It’s just really easy to hand off to someone, especially because he’s so in- he’s so, uh, invested in, like, the software we use.

Canon Baldridge: So he’s- Yeah ... you know, knows QuickBooks, knows JobTread, knows Trust. And, and, like, to me, it’s like, yeah, no, absolute no-brainer. So if anyone’s, like, trying to juggle books and, and, and op- owner/operator type stuff, i- to me, it’s a really easy one to hand off. And, and the, the risk/reward thing is what it is, is you, [00:37:00] you know, get...

Canon Baldridge: hand off that risk, ’cause it can hit you hard if you don’t have your books right. So.

Eric Fortenberry: Could, couldn’t agree more. And, you know, that- Yeah ... that’s, that’s why we love the, the, the marketplace that we put together. Yeah. You know, when, when your partners have that in-depth understanding of how you’re operating your business, the software that you’re using.

Eric Fortenberry: Like, I mean, you know, he, he can even be in there. He knows. You’re not having to teach him and show him things. Yeah. Like, you know, just i- it’s, it’s so valuable to have those partners who just get it, you know? And, and- Absolutely ... and they, and they can probably share a lot of best practices and tips and tricks, too.

Eric Fortenberry: So it’s, it’s super powerful.

Canon Baldridge: True. True, man. Absolutely.

Eric Fortenberry: So did I, did I, uh, hear right, too? I mean, are... You’re, you’re, you’re digging into marketing and getting into video and stuff, too. Is that, is that right? You’re teaching yourself that while, while you’re also running jobs?

Canon Baldridge: Yes. Yeah. So I started, um... I s- I kinda made a commitment to start, uh, recording and posting long-form content.

Canon Baldridge: So, um, we made a YouTube channel, and then we’re doing a playlist. So basically, every project will get a playlist. Um, and then we’ll [00:38:00] basically try to create some long-form educational content targeted towards homeowners to, uh, educate them on the process. So in a sense, it’s kind of like a authority builder type, you know, thing where, hey, we’re, we’re not...

Canon Baldridge: We’re, we’re showing up, and we’re trying to actually, like, bring you in because, I mean, the days of, of the, of the gatekeeping, uh, specialists are over. Like, if you... You know, people think, “Oh, well, I don’t know anything about fill in the blank,” they, they can find out in a heartbeat. You’re not gonna keep any secrets from your homeowners.

Canon Baldridge: Also, why would you want to? You know? Uh, uh, you know, rising tide, you know, brings up all ships. So consider your homeowner. I consider them part of our team, you know, for the times that we work with them. So I’m like, I want them to be educated. I want them to know what’s happening. And so, yeah, so we just create these, uh, long-form video content.

Canon Baldridge: I make, uh, my superintendent or my wife follow me around with the gimbal and, uh, you know, rock the DJI, uh, equipment and, uh, just, just, just film So, you know, been doing that for a few months, [00:39:00] um, just trying to educate people and, you know, got a drone, taking some drone footage. It’s just... The thing was we were, we were doing it, and then, um, we got, we got busy on a couple projects, and I got behind, but then because my wife came on full-time, uh, it’s kind of freed me up.

Canon Baldridge: So, so yeah, we, we were using it primarily to create a place to send potential clients so they could get to know us, and then on the personal side, uh, Builders of Authority you had on a while back, they mentioned creating the personal brand as well. So I, I am starting to do the personal branding, and the personal brand side is just gonna be like, um...

Canon Baldridge: I mean, I came, I came up from the, from the, from the mud of, of... I mean, I- don’t get me wrong, I have a great family life. Like, I’m not like, I’m not like, I’m not like, uh, a poverty, you know, s- success story or anything. But just on the, like, business, like I had no connections and kind of felt like really struggled through, like, the early stages of entrepreneurship.

Canon Baldridge: So I wanna reach people who are starting something of their own, even if they’re not starting a business, even if they’re just, like, maybe they’re [00:40:00] taking on like an, like an independent role in their company. Uh, they’re gonna do sales. They’re gonna do, you know, something that they... uh, account management where it’s like, “Hey, it’s on you.”

Canon Baldridge: Anyone that wants to, like, step up and, like, take the mantle on, I wanna, like, encourage those people and kind of just create a resource and a place where people can come and, like, hear like, “Hey, bro, you got this.” Like, you’re... You know, stick in there, keep your head up, just the, the lessons that I’ve learned that we all need to learn and be reminded of.

Canon Baldridge: So that’s the personal brand side, and then on the company brand, that, that, that was what we were doing. Um, we recently, um, jumped in with a marketing company, uh, GC Sherpa. They’re based out of East Coast. All my, all my people are on the East Coast. It’s so funny. Um- ... but, uh, they’re, they’re helping us start to run, do the running ads.

Canon Baldridge: And, and, and this all came about because I was trying to figure out my... Again, my wife Just absolute brilliant, um, process, uh, person. Um, it’s so funny, people, when I say my wife works for me, they’re like, “Oh, does she, like, do office stuff?” I’m like, “No, no.” I’m like, “She’s, she’s, she’s [00:41:00] going back to school to get her building inspector’s license,” ’cause she was like, “I wanna know everything the inspectors know.

Canon Baldridge: I’m gonna go take the education they got,” you know? Just so she can know and, like, train our people. She’s incredible on the op side. So that freed me up a lot, and so now she’s like, “Hey, you need to go sell some jobs.” And I’m looking around going like, h- h- how do I sell a job when every homeowner I have to, like, say, “Do you have plans?

Canon Baldridge: Well, here’s a architect referral, here’s whatever”? So, um, started chasing, like I said, those architectural and, and designer partnerships, and then was like, “Forget this, man. We’ll just do design build. We’ll go straight for the homeowners.” And so, so yeah, so we’re creating some marketing, like, campaigns. Uh, some a- we’re buying ads for the first time, some initiatives.

Canon Baldridge: I bought my seller... I got my seller’s permit in California, and then we’re looking at some, uh, commercial space. So in this, in this state, um, a lot of the, um, wholesale, like, the rets, uh, the manufacturers, they don’t wanna sell to you to resell unless you have, like, a showroom. Um, it might be the same other places.

Canon Baldridge: So, um, basically we’re trying [00:42:00] to get all that set up even though it’s small. We’re doing it on a budget, so I’m like, really small space, uh, subletting if I can, uh, get our seller’s permit, and then essentially set that all up. So the marketing side of things is brand new, like, fresh off the press. Pretty sure we signed, like, Tuesday with them, um, to basically say, I told them, “Look- I know a thing or two.

Canon Baldridge: I don’t need, like, turnkey. I need direction, and I need, like, someone else to manage the, like, to-do list. And, like, so they, they kind of have, like, their own platform, uh, you know, similar to JobTread but for their deal. And so they are managing that. We’ve got our to-dos. Uh, I’ve got the- the- the- the shots they need from me, everything, and then I go out, I- I film it, I send it to them, they produce it and put it out.

Canon Baldridge: Um, I’m a social media certified addict, so I try to stay off of, like- ... apps as much as possible. Like, I just get sucked in, man. So, uh, I just try to stay away from it and, uh, let someone else handle all the- Sure ... the posts and the short-form content and all that. So, so yeah. So we partnered. [00:43:00] Again, we- we’re big on partnering with people.

Canon Baldridge: Until you can, like, really justify a full-time hire- Yeah ... um, just, just outsource it, partner with them, and then, you know, eventually, like, everything in-house. I’m sure you can relate, so yeah. But anyways. Yeah.

Eric Fortenberry: No, I mean, look, I- I- I love it. You are making all the right moves, making all the right investments, partnerships.

Eric Fortenberry: I mean, this is exactly how you build a business, and I’m gonna go ahead and go out on a limb saying you’re gonna build it a whole lot faster than so many other people that I talk to because, like- Come on ... you’ve already figured out, like, who are all the people, who are all the partners, the pieces that I need, and you’re pulling them together, you’re getting them riled up.

Eric Fortenberry: I mean, I feel real jacked up right now. Let’s go, brother. You got me real excited, like motivated. Come on. Like, I’m like, man, like, let’s- let’s go do this, you know? Like, that’s- Let’s hit it ... that’s just so exciting, man. So, uh- Yeah, I’m gonna say

Canon Baldridge: too- I’m- I’m curious, like, what- ... the, the, like... We’ve, we have totally flubbed so much.

Canon Baldridge: Like, we have failed so miserably on so many th- I tr- I, like, I, like, hired a business coach who then, like, that fell apart, and I tried, I tried a cour- like, I’ve tried, I’ve tried so many thing... Like, if I can just [00:44:00] say, like- It is an absolute grind, you know, and it is an absolute, like, slog. But you know what?

Canon Baldridge: It’s okay. Like, you’re totally gonna screw up, you’re totally gonna fail, you’re totally gonna feel insecure, but you know what? You just keep at it, and you... And, and you know what? Everyone else is out here trying to learn, too. Like, I just, I play golf. I play golf, and it’s like the big secret to golf is everyone sucks, and it’s okay.

Canon Baldridge: And you just don’t take yourself that seriously, and you have so much fun. Well, the moment you start to think you’re somebody, it stops becoming fun. You stop... You start trying to, like, put on for people. It’s okay, man. Like, no one... Like, we’re all out here just doing our best. So yeah, I have, I have totally failed on a lot of things, and I’m thankful for all those, so.

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah. Yeah. Well, look, you’re, you’re, you’re clearly learning from those experiences. Yes. And I think that’s, that’s the important thing is you’re not making the same mistake over and over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Like-

Canon Baldridge: Trying. ...

Eric Fortenberry: you’re, you know, you’re, you’re, you’re, you’re saying, “Hey, here’s what happened.

Eric Fortenberry: Here’s what I need to do differently, and here’s how we’re gonna keep going and push [00:45:00] forward,” and like, you know, like I, I just... I, I don’t see you sitting around, kinda, “Oh, woe is me,” like head- No ... head hung. Like, man, you’re, you’re, you’re charging forward, and it’s, uh, t- it’s just about doing a little bit better every single day, and

Canon Baldridge: I can- The, the harder- I can appreciate you

Canon Baldridge: you work, the luckier you get, baby.

Eric Fortenberry: That’s right. That’s right. So I’m curious, what’s the... what, what’s the, the three, five-year long, long-term vision here? Where, where do you wanna build the company and take it?

Canon Baldridge: Gosh, man, that’s a great question. Like I said, I mean, it’s crazy to think that when we started in 2023, we were, like, building people’s patio covers.

Canon Baldridge: We were, like, um, we were doing, like... I remember we, we were, we were picking up jobs, like somebody’s like, “Oh, I had to fire my contractor mid-job,” and I’m, like, bidding this entire bathroom, like tile and whatever. And I’m like, “7 grand,” you know? And she’s like, “Great.” And then like then three weeks later, I’m like, “I don’t know how to price a job.

Canon Baldridge: I just spent... I just worked for free,” you know? So, um, from that to here, man, I’m telling you, like, it’s changing, like, monthly. So right now, obviously it changed a week ago. Since we [00:46:00] signed up, we decided to go design build. So, uh, that’s a new directive. So the idea is to target, um- So South Orange County, lot of houses.

Canon Baldridge: Uh, there’s a community called Coto de Caza, which is right, um, like next to where I live. Um, for any... The, the only reference I know of for it is that it’s, it... where they filmed The Real Housewives of Orange County. And so like, you know, that’s the kind of like clientele, and it’s, it’s like a gated city. So it’s its own city, but it’s fully gated.

Canon Baldridge: So, um, that’s, that’s, uh, that’s the kind of stuff we’re working with. San Clemente, Dana Point, you know, all the beach cities are right there. So our goal is to find people, I kind of jokingly say that they have money and they aren’t afraid to spend it, you know? And to really, uh, find someone that says like, “Hey, this is what I want.

Canon Baldridge: I just need someone that’s gonna like help me get there and that I can trust.” And so that’s what we want, is we want to go to homeowners who want to do, you know, a substantial remodel, a full home. Um, you know, [00:47:00] we’ll do some kitchen and bath if, if needed, but our target client is someone that wants like, “Hey, I bought a house,” or I’m, or I’m, you know, wanting to build and I want to redo everything.

Canon Baldridge: I wanna, um, I want to add on a second story. I want to, you know, add square footage in my backyard. I want an ADU. And, and it, and in this, and where I live, I mean You guys should just Google, like, LA and Orange County on the map and just see how dense it is. It is so dense with just, like, homes upon homes upon homes, and so there’s just so much out there, but, like, there’s no more room to build.

Canon Baldridge: So people either have to buy something and redo it, or they have to, like, add square footage, and that’s what we’re seeing is, like, multi-generational living even, where they’re saying, “Hey, um, we want our kids to live here, but we need more space,” and so... or, “Hey, we want our parents to live with us.” And so adding square footage is like we really wanna be in that space of, like, hey, like, you wanna add square footage and remodel everything.

Canon Baldridge: Hey, you wanna, you know, those bigger projects, and so we’re gonna go after it. Um, I’m gonna say, uh, we’re shooting to [00:48:00] sublet some space from a subcontractor we work with and just get, like, a tiny little office and then start, like, like, build, like, a mini showroom in there. But I mean, it’d be nice in a few years to, like, have our own space, um, have a place where we can meet with clients.

Canon Baldridge: You know, I, I forget the name of that big giant board that you can, like, touchscreen your plans on. Like, have one of those up, meet with clients, bring them in, really, like, uh, uh, give them a really clear process as to, like, what we’re doing and, uh, walk people all the way from, you know, “I have a dream,” to, “Man, uh, what a great experience we had with Integra.”

Canon Baldridge: And so, uh, yeah, so, you know, homeowners in the area, we’re in South Orange County, North, um, San Diego County. We’d like to kind of target that coastal Orange County as well. So it’s the blessing of living where I live is I don’t have to go very far, you know- Yeah ... to get, like, the kind of clients we want.

Canon Baldridge: And so, um, that’s the goal. I’d like to have, um, kind of like positionally filled. Uh, there’s a great-- there’s a content creator, um, who kind of, for general contractors, he has, like, five key roles: office manager, super, [00:49:00] project, marketing, sales. And so kind of building out, like, those frameworks for each of those roles, um, I think would be nice.

Canon Baldridge: I think it’d be nice to... We’d, we’d like to bring in, like, a salesperson to, uh, like, like, drive the business. Um, so yeah, that, that’s the, that’s the idea, um, is to have a team built out, um, ha-have a little more clarity on, like, our clientele, and then, like, smooth out our process. Because like I said, as we make these changes and, and we push in these new directions, we’re having to revamp the vision.

Canon Baldridge: But I think right now we’re pretty set on residential. Um, we’re pretty set on design build. We’re pretty set on, like, larger projects that may include some structural, and I would love to get into, like, a new home build at some point. There’s some fires that took out a bunch of houses. It’s a little bit of a drive for me, but, like, if we got some new home builds up where those fires went down, that’d be cool, too.

Canon Baldridge: So...

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah. No, that’s, that’s awesome. And, uh, we’re, we’ve got our, uh, it’s, uh, September 22nd, you know, we’re doing a regional, uh, workshop in, in LA, so- Oh, really? ... hopefully, uh, you and, [00:50:00] and anyone else, uh, listening to this who’s in the area, love, love to have you there.

Canon Baldridge: Oh, I gotta, I gotta look that up. I’m already planning for JobTread Connect.

Canon Baldridge: I’d like to get out there for that. Awesome. Yeah. So, um, but if we can, if we can come to the regional one too, that’d be great. That’s another thing I wanna step up too is, like, conferences, home shows, that kind of thing. Um, we’re, we’re trying to do our first home show in, uh, I wanna say it’s end of the year.

Canon Baldridge: So, um, try to get out there. Just again, it’s like I said, try something, you know? Yeah. Uh, y- go on YouTube. Home show, you know, low budget home show booth for remodelers, and just, you know, just figure it out, so. Yeah. And then also too, on the content side of things, I would like, like Lord willing, the creek don’t rise, we’ll have like a whole, like, arm of it, which obviously with what you’re doing with Builder Stories and stuff, like the, you know, to develop that content arm because I think that, I think that people’s desire for more, um, I, I would say like mom and pop media is gonna grow.

Canon Baldridge: Like, they wanna know you. They wanna s- you know, the, the, the, the legacy media has had it today, but I think the, I think there’s still a ton of [00:51:00] room. Like, like we didn’t miss the content creator wave. Like obviously if you didn’t get into it like early, early, then you’re not gonna like have that kind of like meteoric rise, but I think still, like, just deciding now, like, “Hey, I’m gonna start putting out some good stuff.”

Canon Baldridge: Like, and put out good stuff that people can like actually benefit from. Don’t just put out fluff. Like- Yeah ... put out something real. And here’s the deal. Every single person has Like something real that they’ve gone through or that they’re experiencing right now. Like, even if your realness is, “Man, I feel like I’m not doing what I should be doing.

Canon Baldridge: I sh- I, I feel like I’m just kind of languishing in this job, in this 9:00 to 5:00. And you know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna pick up a hobby.” Like, there’s one guy I love, he, he’s terrible at golf. He was like, he’s shanking every other shot, but he’s, like, kind of showing people, like, “Hey, this is where I’m at.”

Canon Baldridge: And, uh, if you see it and you’re like, “I can relate to that.” Like, he doesn’t even... You know? It’s not like he’s this amazing golfer, so just what- You know? So if you’re, if you’re, you know, thinking, hey, you know, as a business, to get on that, um, content kind of like machine to create that, uh, it’s good. It makes dis- it disciplines you to learn yourself and to [00:52:00] always grow, and then to just share that with whoever wants to hang out.

Canon Baldridge: Yeah. So I think that’s the other arm that I wanna grow, so.

Eric Fortenberry: Yeah. Well, awesome, man. I’d lo- love to see you at Connect. Uh, yeah, also the, uh... We, we’ve, we’re doing our inaugural, uh, women’s summit, uh- Shut up. Really? ... the day before Connect, so I think your, your, your wife- Oh my God ... would really, uh, enjoy that, just- That’s so cool, man

Eric Fortenberry: being around all the women-run businesses. So yeah. Heck yeah. Check that out for sure. That’d be awesome. I’m curious, so how, how do you, how do you and your wife manage the, the, the, the work-life balance? Like, is there a time where you come home and we’re gonna shut it off? Or do we just keep working all, all day, all night?

Eric Fortenberry: Is this a life-consuming, or do you guys have some sort of way to sort of separate, uh, life and, and family from, from work?

Canon Baldridge: So we, we, we actually, at this point, we just live in different states. No, just kidding. We don’t do that. Uh, no, we, we, we, we actually have a lot of fun. So, um, we have a little bit of structure to it.

Canon Baldridge: Um, you know, at first... So she, her experience, like I said, is in... She... I, I wanna just harp on her a little bit. Uh, she had a [00:53:00] really amazing career that she was really doing super well in, and she was, like, in middle management for this, like- Really successful company and, um, when we had our, our daughter, so I have a nine-month-old daughter, um, and she decided to not go back to work and, uh, just to...

Canon Baldridge: ’Cause she was dri- she was, like, nine to five, driving in an hour to work every day. And so, uh, she just, we just decided to, like, try to make the, um, the company work so that we can both do it and both parent our daughter and, and however many kids we end up having. So, um, she, she really made a sacrifice, and I’m, I’m forever grateful for it, and she also, like, footed our family bills while I started the company.

Canon Baldridge: So, like, if it wasn’t for her, none of this would be possible, man. And, uh, and she’s very gifted. Um, she’s very intelligent and very social and, um, is able to do... Like, she’s a cheat code, you know, really. Like, like, if I could hire, like, 10 people like her, if I could hire one person like her, I would, like, move heaven and earth to do it.

Canon Baldridge: So just having her on the team is a huge asset, and I think just, like, the starting point is, like, respecting what she has to [00:54:00] offer and respecting, like, who she is as a professional is, like, huge. ’Cause it’s not just, like, even if you work with your family member, like, they still... Like, anywhere else that they worked, they would be, like, a huge asset.

Canon Baldridge: Like, don’t forget that that’s who you have on your team and, and to just remember that and have respect for that. And then from there, like, just creating, like, some, some rhythms, you know. Um, for us, I get to watch my daughter every Thursday, so that’s my day on. And so, um, I’m, I’m out of the field. I’m full-time taking care of her, and then we have a Our sister, my wife’s sister, uh, lives nearby, and she has a baby, and so they swap a day.

Canon Baldridge: So my wife works in the field Tuesday, Thursdays. So like Tuesday, Thursday is her day to work, and then, um, Monday, Wednesday, Friday is kinda her day to, like, work and, and parent. And we also do fostering, so we have a couple foster boys right now. And so, uh, that’s... We picked ’em up, uh, a couple weeks ago, so it’s been kinda crazy.

Canon Baldridge: But, um, but yeah, so she’s just, um... I, I don’t know, man, to be honest with you. It’s so fresh. I feel like my wife has been really full-time, [00:55:00] I would say, like with the company, like really working probably, like four months. So we’re still trying to feel it out. Yeah. Um, we tend to like each other and what we do.

Canon Baldridge: Yeah. So it’s not like, it’s not all-consuming. And also, like, my wife’s always been really good about making me have hours. Like, when I first started the company, I’d be working like 12, 15-hour days, and she would just be like, “Hey, I don’t, I don’t want this for our life. Like, I actually want to, like, have a husband and not just, like, a guy that works a- and, like, is around sometimes.”

Canon Baldridge: So she, like from the jump, she was really good about being like, “You need to figure out how to get the stuff you need to get done inside of work hours.” You know, because everything, it will grow to fill. Like, your company will grow to fill however much time you give it. Yeah. So she’s probably the, the, the driver in making sure that we...

Canon Baldridge: You know, and then, like, just conversations about stuff, uh, we do. Um, there’s a format of meeting called an L10 format, level 10. Um, I’m not sure if you’re familiar with it. We’ve been doing those. She’s been doing them at her companies that she worked for. So we have an L10 [00:56:00] every single week, and, um, we have a d- we have an L10 with our team and an L10 with each other.

Canon Baldridge: Um, and so, uh, we actually have an agreement with her sister where if we miss our L10, we pay our, her sister $200. We just, like, yell it to her. Nice. And so, um, in the, like, two years I think we’ve been doing it, we’ve had to pay her, like, two or three times. So it’s cost us, like, 600 bucks, but we’ve met every week for, like, two years.

Canon Baldridge: You know? That’s incredible- Yeah ... to, like, have that dedicated meeting where, like, anytime something comes up and we’re like, “We have an issue we need to resolve,” just put it on the L10 agenda. And it goes on the L10 agenda, and it lives there, and then we deal with it. Right. So I think that’s probably huge.

Canon Baldridge: And the, and the, the accountability payment, it’s so funny, man. It’s, it’s, it’s great because I think our first year we didn’t miss a single meeting, but we still gave her, we gave, we called it her Christmas bonus. We still paid her 200 bucks ’cause we’re like, “Hey, because of you and your faithfulness to, like, keep us accountable, we’ve had meetings all year.”

Canon Baldridge: So anyways- Yeah ... that’s, that’s what we’ve been doing. So.

Eric Fortenberry: That’s awesome, man. Well, look, I, I, I, I love hearing your story, your journey, you know, how, how [00:57:00] well you and your wife and your family have been able to, to work together to make this happen. It’s, it’s... man, it’s, it’s exciting, dude. I, I feel- Yeah, dude

Eric Fortenberry: just, like, real jazzed up right now, so- Let’s go ... you know, appreciate you, uh, you, you coming on and, and, and- Sure ... sharing all this. I’m curious, kind of one, one final piece of advice, like, what, what would you tell, you know, others out there who are earlier on in their journey? Like, what, what’s the best piece of advice you ever got or, or- Sure

Eric Fortenberry: something you wish you would’ve known earlier on that, that you now know?

Canon Baldridge: Yeah, I would say, uh, two things, like, humility and dependence, you know? So humility in the sense that, like, um, humility drives us to, to do a lot of things. It drives us to learn. It drives us to ask questions. It dri- it drives us to not be afraid to look like we don’t know what we’re talking about.

Canon Baldridge: Obviously, you have to be careful about who you do that in front of. You don’t wanna really do that in front of clients, but you can still, like, be honest with people. So a- and it, and it also drives you to not take yourself too seriously so that when you do fail, you’re not, like, shattered by it. Um, y- you know, uh, I read something recently that said, uh...

Canon Baldridge: I, I have some [00:58:00] newsletters that I ... just good quotes, but it says, “If you’re going ... If you’re on the right path, then failure is continuing forward, and, and, and success is ... and, like, success is stopping moving forward.” If you’re on, you know, uh, depending on what kind of path you’re on, you either need to keep going or you need to just leave it, and it’s okay.

Canon Baldridge: Like, if you try... I’ve tried so many things. Like, we’re gonna do this. We thought we were gonna do, like, apartment, um, maintenance. Like, we were trying to get in with, like, B2B, and I was like, “Oh, yeah, like, uh, business owners are so much more emot- so much less emotional than homeowners. It’ll be so cool.” Well, after, like, three months of, like, chasing and investing all that time and, like, all these leads, I’m like, dude, HOAs and, like, apartment managers are way worse than homeowners at, like, pulling the trigger on decisions.

Canon Baldridge: So our pipeline was, like, totally empty because I had just spent all this time chasing these apartment companies. And so, you know what? We ga- we, we, we looked at it. We said, “You know what? We’re not doing it anymore. Uh, count it, count it as lost and just move on.” So just have humility. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Canon Baldridge: And then dependence. Um, being self-reliant is good in the sense that you, you have to do it. Like, like, no one [00:59:00] else. You can’t look around at ... Like, when you start your own thing, the buck stops with you every time. But at the same time, like, you are not the end-all, be-all. First of all, like, m- the number one lesson I’ve learned is just dependence on the Lord, and so, like, knowing that God, like, is in control of all these things, like, I don’t have to try to, like, manufacture my own destiny.

Canon Baldridge: Um, and then also just dependence on other people. Like, like, there’s so much for you to learn from, from other people in the industry, from just good books. It’s just that idea that, like, I’m not a big shot, and I can learn from other people, and I can rely on other people. Like, that’s okay, and it makes it more fun.

Canon Baldridge: So those are the two things, humility, dependence. Learn them, love them, live them. It’s good stuff, man.

Eric Fortenberry: I love it, man. I, I really appreciate you coming on, bringing this energy, bringing this insight- Yeah, man ... sharing it with the community. Can’t wait to watch all of your future success. I have no doubt you’re gonna create something really special, so awesome job, man.

Canon Baldridge: Thanks, Eric.

Canon Baldridge: Appreciate you, man.

Eric Fortenberry: Thanks for joining us for this episode of Builder Stories. We hope you enjoyed the [01:00:00] conversation and gained valuable insights that can help you in your journey along the way. Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and leave us a review. And as always, if you or someone you know has a story to share, please contact us at builderstories.com.

Eric Fortenberry: We’d love to hear from you. I’m Eric Fortenberry, and remember, every builder has a unique story. Keep building yours