How Losing It All Sparked a New Beginning with Joseph Scaretta

What if losing everything became the very thing that unlocked your biggest growth?

In this episode, Joseph shares how he grew Empire into a $42M company, navigated private equity partnerships, reinvented himself during the pandemic, and built enduring business relationships with his wife and longtime partner Moses. His story is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and the compounding value of meaningful relationships.

With more than 20 years of experience in facilities management and construction, Joseph Scaretta has co-founded and scaled two national facility maintenance companies — exiting both, including his tenure as co-CEO of CS Hudson. Today, he's challenging the status quo again with Mason Made, building innovative niche services and customer-focused team cultures

 

[00:04:40] – Setting Context: Mason Made

• Joseph introduces his current company, Mason Made.

• Focus areas: facilities management, construction, and software.

• Vision: solving gaps in data, infrastructure, and technology.

[00:07:04] – First Entrepreneurial Venture

• How Joseph met his business partner Moses.

• The leap from working at a small construction firm to starting Empire.

• Scaling Empire to $42M revenue and over 100 employees.

[00:09:44] – Growth, Sale, and Private Equity Lessons

• Selling Empire and transitioning into CS Hudson.

• Expanding into essential service industries (medical, storage, finance).

• Learning KPIs and data-driven operations from private equity.

[00:12:06] – Second Private Equity Experience

• Partnering with PE again to accelerate growth.

• Key lessons: asking better questions, knowing when visions diverge.

• Transition into Mason Made with a stronger foundation.

[00:14:05] – The Power of Relationships

• Kevin poses the core podcast question: who changed Joseph's journey?

• Joseph highlights his wife Stephanie as his greatest support.

• Her resilience, career pivot into nursing, and parallel journey with him.

[00:18:01] – Honoring His Business Partner, Moses

• How Moses taught Joseph the industry from scratch.

• Why partnerships accelerate success (when done right).

• 20+ years together, across 3 companies and multiple acquisitions.

[00:24:27] – A Defining Client Story

• Landing Sprint/Nextel as a client.

• Moses' cautious approach prevented overpromising.

• How balance in partnership protected their reputation and fueled growth.

[00:27:55] – Lessons From 20+ Years in Business

• Why humility and asking for help matter.

• Recognizing when to pivot and reinvent.

• The long-term value of nurturing both personal and professional relationships.

Key Quotes

"Relationships and referrals have gotten us to where we are today." — Joseph Scaretta<