Alex Larson of TL Decks on Niching Down, Business Growth & Systems | F&D Mastery Podcast #57

Alex Larson grew up as a painter's son juggling two or three jobs, fell in love with construction over a planned chef career, and after years of side work quit his union job mid-pandemic in 2021 to go all-in on what became TL Decks.

Rebranding from A. Larson Carpentry to TL Decks came from realizing decks and outdoor spaces were all they did; he preaches that 'the riches are in the niches' and that focusing simplifies training, lifts profit and makes every workday better.

He keeps a lean three-person in-house crew rather than subs because Illinois labor rules make it hard to direct a 1099 crew's schedule, and in-house control protects both build quality and the family-style culture he's building.

Hiring a local (not overseas) VA named Christine was transformative — she answers every call, submits permits, handles invoicing and scheduling — freeing Alex from taking calls fifteen feet up a ladder and letting him focus on production and sales.

With a strong hiring funnel he now hires primarily for culture fit and coachability over raw skill: anyone who shows up on time, can read a tape measure and follows the playbook can be trained to build a deck.

His crew co-wrote the SOP 'playbook' from a skeleton he provided, and he's moving toward QR-code video guides so field crews can lean on documentation instead of calling him for answers.

Alex credits personal development — a sacred early-morning routine, daily workouts and 'starting small' with tiny habits — for changes that bled from himself into his family and business, echoing that the way you do one thing is the way you do everything.