Struggling to scale your excavation business? Trey Bohannan, President of Design One Contracting the most-viewed construction podcast guest of 2024, returns to reveal the exact steps he took to go from small residential jobs to landing major commercial projects – and how you can do it too.
Trey shares his unfiltered, no-BS approach to growth, including the crucial "lucky phone call" that changed everything, how to navigate the pitfalls of commercial work, and why maintaining your core values is the ultimate key to success.
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🎯 KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS:
❌ REALITY CHECK [06:10]:
"They need to have a little bit of capital built up, whether that being your grandma has $10,000 in the bank and can help you out, you know, whatever it takes to get there...if you’ve got any quit in you, you might as well go to Dollar General and just Stockbridge, because that's where you’re going to be the rest of your life."
Trey lays down the hard truth about the financial cushion you must have to survive (and thrive) in the commercial excavation game – or face the consequences.
🚀 NEGOTIATION SECRETS [15:12]:
"A lot of our jobs seem like the last five years are negotiated... They'll say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a budget.’ I'll say, ‘Hey, I want to get every bit of that.’"
Learn Trey's powerful negotiation tactics for maximizing your profits on commercial projects and why GC relationships are your golden ticket to bigger deals.
🔑 TRUE SUCCESS [32:46]:
"If you start a business and you run it for 10 years, 15 years, it changes you from who you were 15 years before…And if you ever act like you're better than somebody you have totally lost."
Trey's insights regarding staying grounded, true success, and the most important thing to have to offer: being a good human being.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Trey Bohannan: From TikTok to the Most Listened-to Podcast of 2024
01:07 - Turning Loss into Leadership
02:52 - The Most Common Questions Aspiring Excavators Ask
04:26 - Breaking into Commercial Construction
06:10 - The Financial Realities of Commercial vs. Residential Work
07:57 - Learning from Mistakes
09:20 - How to Handle Construction Change Orders & Get Paid on Time
10:49 - Why Trey Runs a 100% Commercial Business & How He Manages It
13:00 - Running Multiple Projects Smoothly
14:52 - Estimating Right
17:57 - Smart Growth
19:50 - Building a Lean, Versatile Crew for Maximum Efficiency
22:18 - Mentorship & Giving Back: Supporting the Next Generation
24:36 - Handling Financial Struggles
26:08 - Business Stress is Real
29:22 - The Power of Patience
33:12 - Staying Humble
34:54 - Work Hard, Play Hard
38:28 - Relationship Building
39:25 - Looking Ahead to Con Expo 2025
🔗 CONNECT WITH TREY:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@treybodirt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treybodirt/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@treybodirt
Design One: https://www.design1landscaping.com/
#ConstructionPodcast #CommercialConstruction #ExcavationBusiness