- The Path Less Traveled
- Topics
- People & Talent
#25 Five Things I Stopped Doing That Made Me a Better CEO
This edition covers the discipline of subtraction -- what I stopped doing that made me a better CEO, and why the gap between a marketing tactic and a business model decision is worth understanding before it costs you a decade. We go honest on AI: what it actually means to say "people first" when the technology requires fewer people, and what fourteen months of real implementation looks like when the pitch deck version runs out. And for roofing operators, the insurance market is shifting faster than most sales processes have adjusted -- this one has the data and the argument for why financing is no longer optional.
#23 Growth Is Great. Profitability Is the Point.
2026 is shaping up to be the year the work compounds. We're up 13% on the top line through April, EBITDA has improved by $2.65 million year over year, and the decisions we made quietly over the past two years, on technology, operations, people, and discipline, are showing up in the numbers. This issue covers what's driving the results, what summer financing readiness means for your close rate, why the mountain doesn't care how busy you were, and what it actually means to build a company where only the best can thrive.
#22 Build vs. Buy: A Framework for Thinking About AI
This issue covers the build vs. buy decision in AI — a framework from venture investor Mike Volpi that cuts through the noise: only build if it creates a real competitive advantage, buy everything else, and never confuse a prototype with a production-ready tool. We also go deep on the service wrapper — the six-step system around the technical work that our customers actually write reviews about.
#21 Your company's budget is lying to itself
This issue covers the discipline of honest budgeting, why overhead commitments deserve more scrutiny than most operators give them, and how smart technology configuration is turning lost calls into booked jobs. We also look at what PE-backed competitors figured out about financing long before most independents did, and why Pantheon 2026 belongs on your calendar. The through-line across all of it: the gap between good operators and great ones is usually found in the details they choose not to ignore.
#18 The $10M Growth Trap Most Contractors Fall Into
In this week’s issue of The Path Less Traveled, we explore two patterns I’ve seen repeatedly in the trades. First, why the best service companies aren’t flashy—they simply execute the fundamentals better than everyone else. Second, why many contractors stall at $5–10M in revenue, and what separates the businesses that break through from the ones that plateau.
#9 Profit vs Purpose. You Don't Have to Compromise.
Profitability and purpose aren’t opposing forces—they’re mutually reinforcing. In this edition, I share why strong financial results are what enable us to invest in our people, pursue growth, and stay independent. Purpose without profit is fragile—but when the two work together, that’s when a company becomes unstoppable.
