The Secret to Navigating High-Stress Projects
The Secret to Navigating High-Stress Projects
How can business owners incorporate faith into their business?
Everyone wants to build something they can pass on to their kids—that’s not unique. What sets us apart is that we’re faith-based people. Church is a big part of our lives, and we want to make a lot of money so we can give a lot away. Being outrageously generous is important to us because we’ve seen how it can change lives. That’s powerful for us.
We also want to provide opportunities for our team members that they might not get with a traditional employer. Beyond building wealth for ourselves, we aim to create something we can pass down to our children and future generations. We’ve learned from others ahead of us, both locally and nationally, who are doing the same. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
How does reinvesting in people and infrastructure help businesses scale?
When you're just starting out, especially when it’s just you and maybe an assistant, you have to do everything yourself until you reach the point where you have no more bandwidth. Many entrepreneurs experience that plateau where they realize they can sell more but can't take on any more work. The key is recognizing when you’ve maxed out your capacity.
At that point, it comes down to reinvesting in your infrastructure, which could mean hiring more people, adopting new technology, or getting a bigger office. Yes, it will hurt your profits in the short term, but it's only temporary. Once you staff up or expand your infrastructure, the business tends to take off. I've seen this happen multiple times in my business.
When I first hired a project manager, he took over the most time-consuming parts of my job, allowing me to focus on more high-level tasks. As a result, our business doubled. I built a team around him, freeing up his time even more, and our business grew further. Today, we have several business units, and each one follows that same model—building small teams around key performers.
Another important thing is to keep your finances clean. Early on, I paid myself as little as possible to reinvest in the business. Now, I have a decent salary, but I’m not the highest-paid person in the company. This gives my team the incentive to bring in more business. If you can’t handle the finances yourself, hire someone who can.
In the first three to four years of my business, focusing on hiring key people and keeping finances clean were critical to our growth.
What strategies help business owners make better decisions?
When I have big, important decisions to make, I try to get more input than just my own. There’s wisdom in seeking advice from others, but it’s important that the counsel is relevant. Someone might be smart in education or academics, but they might not be able to offer valuable insight into my construction business. I look for people with wisdom in the specific area of my life or business where I need guidance.
If I present the situation in an unbiased way to a few people and see a pattern in their responses, that’s usually the wisdom I’m looking for. You have to be open to hearing things you might not want to, as it could still be the right answer.
People often talk about listing pros and cons, but I take it a step further. I weigh each pro and con on a scale of 0 to 10 based on how important it is. Having three pros and three cons doesn’t help much if one con weighs more than the others. This method helps me quantify emotions.
We also try to use our faith as the foundation for decision-making. It’s not always easy, but it gives us a clear lens to view our choices. Finally, if I’m doing well, I align decisions with our monthly, quarterly, or long-term goals to see if they move me toward where I want to be in the next three to five years.
How can entrepreneurs actively grow and improve as leaders?
While I’m probably not as formal as I should be, I do focus on growth and networking. I attend a couple of conferences each year—some in my industry and others focused on real estate investing. I also network naturally at church, and since Texas Tech University is here, I meet people at events like football games. My brother is even more extroverted than I am, and he always emphasizes using your everyday environment to network.
In terms of personal growth, I’ve always been a lifelong learner. I believe in finding five or six people you admire and learning from them. If you approach them humbly, most are willing to share their insights. They often remember what it was like to be in your shoes and are happy to help.
This year, I hired a leadership development coach to help me manage and lead better. I’ve never run a company this large, so I’m trying to be open to learning and improving. My coach always says, “The bottleneck is at the top,” which reminds me that our company’s growth depends on my ability to lead. I also read constantly, aiming for at least one or two books a month.
How would you run your business with only one hour a week?
I would start by measuring what my teams are doing—either last week or this week—and compare that to our company’s goals. This would quickly show whether we’re on track or if we need to adjust, save money, or make other changes. I also try to get each division to provide a summary of what’s happening and how it aligns with our quarterly or annual goals. We’re working on improving that process.
I’m a big believer in goal setting. It not only keeps you focused but also creates a mental shift that helps you work toward those goals on a subconscious level. If I only had an hour a week, I’d focus on aligning our actions with our goals, though that wouldn’t be enough time for me.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
