After spending his career working for production builders, Todd Klippa struck out on his own in 1999 as a trim carpenter. Today, Klippa’s TK Construction specializes in high-end projects, often additions, ranging from $100,000 to $700,000.

Many companies, he says, use up a lot of their time going back and forth in the design process without getting a contract. Instead, Klippa often makes a site visit and then creates a basic design with a price range. “It’s easier for me and the customer if they know on the upfront what they’re getting so we’re not wasting each other’s time,” he says.

Klippa meets other remodeling company owners at a Starbucks every month for an informal idea-swapping session. It’s given him some of his best systems and processes.

TK signed on for BuilderTrend two years ago. “[It] gives me a chance to be on top of the job every night,” he says.

Takeaways

  • Klippa meets with three or four other remodeling company owners at a local Starbucks every month for an informal idea-swapping session over coffee, out of which, he says, he has gotten some of his best systems and processes.
  • The company signed on for BuilderTrend two years ago, which, he says, “gives me a chance to be on top of the job every night looking at daily job logs, photos, change orders, blueprints, selections, and any documents.” Klippa says that he “put up a little bit of a fight” at the idea of implementing it, but the transition has “helped me relax more than anything we ever implemented.”
  • Klippa makes a point of being on a jobsite three or four times a week. Those site visits are part of a transition whereby company foreman took on more responsibility for managing the project and the homeowner.
  • TK provides prospects with a reference list that includes the names and contact information of two homeowners whose relationship with the company didn’t end well. He invites prospects to call them.
  • The staff refers small job prospects to a former employee who specializes in handyman projects and does great work. They often come back for bigger remodels.
  • More than a year ago Klippa hired a business coach—Action Coach—and “we meet with him weekly, in our office. That’s been a huge benefit.”