From Basements to Deck Builds: Josh Steinman’s Growth Journey | F&D Mastery Podcast #62

Josh started EJS during COVID with his brother, first doing unlicensed basement-finishing work, after his wife got pregnant forced them to 'get real and make real money'; the business grew and rebranded around decks and outdoor living, now roughly 75% of the work.

He deliberately moved off the tools to focus on sales and running the business, applying 'who not how'; every time he tried to step back he'd get pulled to a job site until he found the right foreman, ultimately changing out his entire crew within a month to reset the culture.

Hiring friends early failed for lack of accountability, with guys on their phones, because 'it's easier to call in sick to your friend than your boss'; hiring people who actually applied and interviewed for the role worked far better.

Delegating time-draining tasks is the roadmap to growth: adding a floating laborer with a company truck to run materials and move tool trailers freed up huge blocks of Josh's day.

Company Cam transformed documentation and quality control; end-of-day photo checklists let him verify cleanup and progress remotely, and one deck went from 20-30 photos to 250, which also feeds the website and social media.

A low-tech postcard play works: before each job Josh uses Zillow to target about 100 comparable-value homes nearby with a courteous 'we don't want to bother you' note plus a QR code, yielding three to six calls each mailing.

He treats Angie / Home Advisor as a starter that helped launch the brand but is now scaling it back to a couple of wealthy zip codes as SEO delivers cheaper organic deck leads and, unlike lead services, builds a differentiated and sellable brand.