Alex Lelchuk joins us for the second Live Curious Builder Podcast from his event venue The Lowlands in Saint Paul, MN. He shares his inspiring story of immigrating from Belarus to the US as a young child and growing up to start his own Audio and Video company, Lelch. Alex discusses his journey as an entrepreneur and the challenges of running and growing multiple businesses.

Christine Marvin discusses Marvin Windows' history starting with her great-grandfather moving to Warroad, Minnesota in 1904. She explains Marvin's product innovations over the decades and how they focus on sustainability. Christine also talks about Marvin's marketing strategies including partnerships, social media presence, and supporting local home tours.

Ryan Jones joins Mark to discuss his passion for construction and breaks down the multi-faceted aspects that are involved in it’s process. Ryan shares how his background has benefited his work, and what he continues to learn from the community around him. As many others in the industry can attest, self-educating is almost standard for construction. Ryan discusses the pros and cons to this, and why networking and building a stronger community is necessary to the success of your company. Ryan also shares his experience prioritizing his time and energy, and how saying no can help your business grow. Tune in to hear more!

Danielle Yegge and Joe Braun of Style and Structure discuss their marketing strategies on social media that have helped grow their brand, including creating fun videos. They also talk about their building process, working with clients, writing a book, and producing a podcast to help educate homeowners. Danielle and Joe describe how they continue learning in the industry through seminars, code books, and seeing what other builders are doing.

James Vagle, CEO of Housing First Minnesota, discusses the state’s shortage of 60,000-90,000 housing units with builder Mark Williams. Vagle explains how modernizing zoning regulations and increasing land supply could help address high construction costs and the shortage. He also outlines Housing First Minnesota’s efforts to promote careers in the trades and increase awareness of opportunities in the industry.

Mark Ostrom joins to discuss The Joy Collaborative. A nonprofit that designs therapeutic spaces for children with disabilities or life-limiting conditions.

Jordyn DiOrio discusses her journey starting a side hustle jewelry business that eventually led to venture capital funding and a partnership with Nordstrom. She shares the reality of scaling a retail business and lessons learned along the way. Jordyn also discusses her Consulting business and her changing definition of what it means to be successful.

Rich tells us his story of wanting to go to he marines, framing homes, learning the ropes of remodeling, working in a cabinet shop, a rustic reclaimed wood shop and starting a business during a recession to make ends meet. One thing is clear, the american can do spirit is alive and thriving in the Hipp household and tempered with the heart of an honest craftmsan who loves his craft and his clients.

Barak Steenlage a custom home builder in Minnesota joins Mark to discuss the evolution of Anchor Builders. They discuss the challenges of custom home design and keeping projects on budget. Barak describes his involvement with NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) and how it has helped him grow as a builder. They also cover topics like company culture, land development, and the future of the industry.

Desi Creswell, an interior designer turned life and business coach, shares how experiencing a career burnout from trying to balance her new life as a mom with her business helped reclaim her spark. She discusses how the switch flipped once she made the transition to coaching, and why this path was a more fulfilling option to her. With the mindset of giving the advice she needed herelf when she was first starting out, she guides her clients to what's right for them and a healthier mindset to view their work with. She reminds us to approach relationships like the real people we are, with an open perspective and without selfish intentions. Tune in to the episode to hear more of Desi's story and the role interior design has in the building process.

Chad and Ryan Hanson have loved architecture since they can remember. After establishing their start in real estate by flipping houses, they left their corporate IT days behind and have never looked back. With the knowledge gained from their flipping experience as well as the following they developed because of it, they soon made the transition to building clients their own custom homes. Realizing there was not a market for sustainable building in their area, they founded Sustainable 9 Design + Build. Their company is dedicated to utilizing greener building science techniques to build healthy, sustainably focused, energy efficient housing. Tune in as they break down why electric is the more sustainable option and specific changes you can make to start building greener. They also address the problem of green washing and how to identify false sustainable marketing, so be sure to tune for more!

Ian Planchon, half of the two person team of 515 Productions, discusses how he and his wife, Lynn got their start in the world of media, and how this led them to found their own production company. He shares the growth devolopment their business has seen over the past 20 years by continuing to follow their passion and constantly learning along the way. There is power in telling your story, and Ian proves that by documenting the values and visions of the people he works with. Tune in to hear more about Ian and Lynn's journey!

Lance Anderson, CEO and founder of Admit One Home Systems, joins Mark to share his journey from IT to founding his own company. He discusses how he found his niche in custom home technologies, and how essential it ito empower himself and his team to work confidently and independently. With a focus on the luxury residential market, Lance and his team are hands on with essentially all aspects of technology in a home, including audio/video media rooms, security systems, lighting and more. They install seamless, easy to use technology for the homeowner to have full control of their needs and make their home fully customizable. Listen in to hear more of Lance's journey and how Admit One continues to benefit homeowners.

Ryan Lipchek visits Minneapolis to discuss bringing CB USA to the local market. He shares how the purchasing group model benefits both builders and suppliers through increased buying power and access to new customers. Lipchek also explains CB USA’s process for launching in a new city and developing critical mass among contractors.

Julia Miller gets into the other half of the world of design and explains why it is not just about the creative side. As a current designer for Yond Interiors, Julia shares what got her started in the interior design industry and what pushes her passion for her work. She shares an inside look of her business, with how many projects at a time she takes on, and how she finds the right clients for her. Pitching your product and service is a proven psychology, and Julia breaks down how she gets her vision across. She also discusses how to save money as a business owner, sourcing fixtures abroad, and most importantly, giving yourself permission to fail. Problem solving is part of the process, and Julia gives you the tools to do so in this episode.

Rick and Amy Hendel are the team behind Hendel Homes, they join Mark this week to share their story and how they got their start in the industry. As a married couple turned business partners, Amy and Rick discuss how they manage their business and personal relationship. They work to support each other and let us in their separate roles in the company. Emphasizing the importance of creating strong and reliable relationships, they share key team-building advice and how to create connections along your journey. They also delve into the technical aspects of business ownership, including how to deal with difficult clients and how to allocate your resources and time. It's all about planning and making intentional decisions. If you're looking to start a new business or grow an existing one, this episode is for you!

After helping his parents build their dream home, Daniel has since used his entrepeneural spirit and building knowledge to help others upkeep the safety and wellbeing of their own homes. With houses becoming more complex, people just don't know what they don't know. Daniel and his team are there to help the unseen factors making the air in our homes polluted, and helping to create a safe and comfortable living environment. Also diving into the ins and outs of his company, Daniel shares how he balances his work load with clients and the software he uses to stay on top of his business logistics. This episode has it all, so check it out!

Bookkeeping for Builders - Understanding construction accounting and utilizing technology to stay on top of your financial gain!

Kate is the owner of The Scout Guide, Minneapolis and is the president of Cities Management. Her philosophy can be summed up with "you don’t build a business, you empower people and people build the business”. We discuss the process of buying a marketing magazine (The Scout Guide) and turning on its true potential through brand awareness, social networking, and connecting people in local markets.

Kim Senn joins the show to discuss her journey starting working for creative agencies to owning her own ad firm. She shares her background and her process with clients, specifically how she gets to know a brand and what they stand for. Kim and Mark also chat about what gets them into a creative space, and how Inspiration doesn’t just come to you. It’s acting on an idea and trying it out. Kim helps her clients form their ideas into reality and tuning into this episode will help you do the same.