How Cody Scaled His Custom Home Business, Built a 12‑Person Team, and Won Back His Life
From nearly quitting construction to taking a week off while projects ran without him – how Oaken Builders used our systems and coaching to grow revenue, increase profit, and finally get freedom.
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- Business: Oaken Builders – Custom Home Builder
- Location: Rosenort, Manitoba
- Specialty: Custom homes
- Before: Owner doing everything, crew turnover, 50–60 hour weeks, constant stress
- After: 12‑person team, higher revenue and profit, paid pre-construction process, real time off, present with family
The Situation: “I Was What Was Wrong With My Business”
When Cody first reached out, he was at a breaking point.
He had:
- Tried multiple times to step off the tools and grow
- Built a crew, then watched one person after another leave
- Ended up back on the tools with one guy left
- Seriously considered walking away from construction entirely
He was working 50–60 hours a week, doing estimates and emails at night, and mentally checked out at the dinner table.
Like most contractors, his business wasn’t designed. It just happened. And it happened to be designed around him.
“I realized my business was structured in a way that it was impossible to scale. I was what was wrong with my business. The reason it couldn’t grow was because of me.”
The Shift: From Building Houses to Building a Business
Cody started listening to The Construction Leading Edge Podcast and read The E‑Myth. That’s when the lightbulbs went on:
- He knew how to build houses.
- He did not know how to build a business.
He joined Systematize Your Construction Business and then the CEO Alliance to change that.
Key shifts:
- Redefining entrepreneurship: not “starting lots of new things,” but building one thing well.
- Designing the business on paper: using an accountability chart to define every seat and responsibility.
- Clarifying his role: moving toward CEO instead of chief firefighter.
What We Implemented Together
1. Paid Pre-Construction: “Nail the Handoff”
We helped Cody build and roll out a structured pre-construction process that:
- Plans the project on paper before construction
- Aligns budget with expectations
- Minimizes surprises and chaos on site
- Gives clients peace of mind and a clear path
He didn’t hide it. He turned it into one of Oak Builders’ biggest marketing and sales tools.
“We talk about it on our website. We present it. It’s become a huge value proposition in our company. We’ve had almost no pushback on it.”
Instead of free estimates, his ideal clients now pay for pre-construction and are happier for it.
2. Strategic Planning & Accountability Chart
Cody learned to step back and think like a CEO instead of a foreman:
- Built a 2–3 year vision for Oak Builders
- Created an accountability chart to define every seat and responsibility
- Used that clarity to know exactly who to hire and when
This gave him a structure that could actually scale beyond himself.
3. CEO Calendar & Weekly Pulse
Through our CEO Alliance, Cody:
- Built a CEO calendar focused on high-leverage, “important but not urgent” work
- Installed a weekly pulse rhythm to review goals and priorities
- Stopped letting chaos dictate his schedule
“The weekly pulse has been a massive tool. Every week I step back: What are my goals for this month and this quarter? And I make sure my calendar reflects that.”
4. “Who Not How” and Key Hires
Cody stopped trying to solve every problem himself.
He shifted from “How am I going to do this?” to “Who is going to do this in my business?”
With our help, he:
- Identified the roles he was a bottleneck in
- Hired a project manager once the systems were in place
- Recently hired a COO/integrator
- Delegated more of the planning and operational work
“Two years ago I was sanding nail holes. This morning my COO and I spent three hours in a strategic planning session for the rest of the year.”
tHE rESULTS
Team & Capacity
- Grew from Cody + 1 in the field to a 12‑person team
- 4–5 people in the office
- Remaining team in the field
- Multiple projects can run without Cody’s daily involvement
Revenue & Profit
- Top-line revenue increased
- Profit margin increased as systems improved efficiency and financial management
Time & Freedom
Before:
- 50–60 hour weeks
- Nights spent on estimates and emails
- No mental capacity left for his family
After:
- Some weeks under 40 hours
- Can attend kids’ track meets and school events
- Recently took almost a full week off as a last-minute decision – and nothing fell apart
“It was the first time I took a breath during the work week. I finally felt like maybe I own a business, not just a job.”
Family & Identity
- Present and engaged at home instead of staring off thinking about work
- Able to take his kids fishing on a weekday
- His wife told him he is a completely different person than he was two years ago
“The capacity increase has allowed my entrepreneurial mind to actually think about who I want to be as a dad and husband. My wife says I’m a different person.”
In Cody’s Words
“Email Todd right now because you’re missing out. Every day you don’t do it, you’re a day behind.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to quantify the ROI. Ask me in 10 or 20 years. It’s set something in motion I couldn’t start on my own.”
“My business, my family, my life… it’s all changed because of it.”
Want to Be the Next Success Story?
If you’re a construction business owner (custom homes, remodeling, or general contracting) and you:
- Feel like everything depends on you
- Want to grow but worry your systems can’t handle more work
- Are tired of long hours and chaos eating into your family time
Then your next step is simple.
Book a free Business Evaluation Call.
On this call, we will:
- Look at how your business is currently designed
- Identify the biggest bottlenecks holding you back
- Map out what it would take to scale profit and freedom safely