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RISK TAKER
Welcome to the Risk Taker Podcast—the podcast that celebrates the stories of daring individuals! Join us as we dive into the inspiring stories of successful risk-takers, those extraordinary individuals who fearlessly embraced opportunities and reaped the rewards. Get ready to be motivated, uplifted, and empowered to take your own leap of faith.
RISK TAKER
S4 EP.04 Met Online. Built Offline
In this episode, we sit down with the owners of BTM Construction Inc, a family-owned business known for high-quality decks, screen porches, railings, and three-season rooms. Founded in 2019 as a father-and-son operation, the company shifted in 2025 when Bryan Murphy became the full owner and his wife joined after a 14-year career in banking. With Bryan’s 25+ years of deck-building experience and her background in small-business development, they’ve grown BTM into a strong, locally trusted team of 15.
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Website: btmconstructionde.com
Facebook: @btmconstructionde
Instagram: @btmconstructionde
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Today we have a power couple in the house, man. It's gonna be fun. It's gonna be uh amazing. Um so let's get to this episode.
SPEAKER_00:Welcome to the Risk Taker Podcast, made for those who've taken the lead and those who are ready to bet on themselves and taste their dreams. Christine and Brian.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you for having us. How are y'all guys doing? Good? Great, great.
SPEAKER_04:Welcome, welcome, welcome to our podcast, our pillow to pillow talk series. Profit. Pillow to profit. Pillow talk to profit.
SPEAKER_05:Pillow talk to profit. There you go, we got it. It's the peas. They got me. So before before we start, let the can you let the audience know who you guys are as a as a couple, what your guys do, uh, and we get we get into the episode.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, sure. We are BTM construction. Um, my husband actually started the company uh with my father-in-law about seven years ago. Um, and then we basically specialize in decks, three season rooms, screen porches.
SPEAKER_07:We do a lot of a lot of the builders on uh Sussex County. We do uh K Even A Homes, Dan Ryan Builders, Ryan Homes, NB Homes. Uh we do that's a majority of our work. Uh we do the work when the house is getting built, but we also do homeowners after the fact. People that wait and want their decks or screen porches later, we come in and do that as well.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so I would say probably 70% of our business is through the contract of builders, and then the other 30% is through our homeowners that reach out to us. A lot of it is word of mouth, and just being in the neighborhoods and seeing um BTM in there uh and what we can do, um then we get the follow-up calls from homeowners asking us to come out.
SPEAKER_05:Well, off camera, we was just having a conversation, and uh um it was uh it was a funny conversation. How did y'all guys meet? You know, how did y'all guys meet?
SPEAKER_07:So I was living in uh Southern Maryland. My father had already moved to Delaware. Uh work had we were working for another company at the time. Um work was starting to pick up here, so I knew eventually I was moving here, so I started looking around on Match.com and found her on Match.com. We had her, I think we had like two dates before I actually moved to Delaware.
SPEAKER_02:Um, you know, I was at that stage in my life. I was 20, 27, and I'm like 28, something like that. And I thought, I'm never getting married. I just want to work. That's me. I just want to work, provide. I I don't need to get married, don't need a man. Um, but uh I was I had lived in Virginia for a couple of years and was running a couple restore retail stores out there and then moved back to to Delaware, to Dover, where my family's from. And um, all my friends are married and had babies, and I'm like, so nobody wanted to hang out with me. Um so I went to Match.com and I'm like, I'll just find somebody to go hang with, spend some time with, you know, no big deal. And I came across his picture. Now, mind you, I did not have a picture on my profile. I only wrote it. That's why I never found the rubber because if they didn't have a picture, there's a reason.
SPEAKER_07:Keep scrolling.
SPEAKER_02:So I had my whole thing up there, and I'm like, you know, take it or leave it. This is me, this is who I am. And I came across his picture one night, and I was like, oh, he's a little cutie petities with some blue eyes. And um, so I reached out to him and he reached back out to me, and then a conversation started. And uh about 30 days later, we decided to go on our first date. And um uh we we went out together, we went down to um Rehoboth, went to Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday's when it was still there. Um, and then after we had dinner, we both ordered the same thing. I know, chicken fingers and french fries with honey mustard and a little light. That's what we got. And uh after we were done, we were like, okay, we kind of don't want this to end. So we I took him down to 2nd Street in Lewis, we walked over the little bridge, you know, just kind of carried on. Um, and we started dating and never left each other at that point. So four months later, we both were like, we know this is it. Like, we know this is for us. So he called me one night um and he said, Could you, you know, I want to kind of relive our first date. So I said, All right, cool. So we went down to Ruby Tuesday's, did the same thing. We ordered the same thing, then we took a walk down on 2nd Street and um coming over the bridge. I thought he bent down to Ty's shoe. Hey fam!
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SPEAKER_02:And as I stop and turn around, cars are honking, and I turn around and he's down on one day. Yeah. And he had a ring, and we got engaged, and we were married two months later. So literally, from the day we met, um, six months later, we were married, and we're gonna be celebrating 19 years together.
SPEAKER_05:So that's really big.
SPEAKER_02:Match.com works.
SPEAKER_05:You heard it, you heard it from the podcast. You heard it here. But that's that's that's amazing. Yon, how did you know that she was the the right spouse for you?
SPEAKER_07:It just it just felt right. I was I was married previously, and when me and my uh wife divorced was final, I'd made up my mind I wasn't gonna get married again, just date, but uh everything just clicked and it was it was everything I was looking for.
SPEAKER_04:Oh nice, man.
SPEAKER_05:Now, now let's let's how did your guys took a risk? Like to you, you took a risk, both of your guys took a risk to work together. Yeah, like what made you guys decide to take a risk to work together as a husband and wife?
SPEAKER_02:So I'm gonna let him start that out because I'm gonna back up a little before that.
SPEAKER_07:So me and my father both work for the same company for about 18 years doing this this work. So I've been doing this work since like 2000. Um the owner of the company, so their main office is over in uh Clinton, Maryland, over by Andrews Air Force Base. The owner retired, his son took over, and his son didn't want to he wanted to minimum downsize the company and not have to worry about over here on the Eastern Shore. So they gave us the option, they told us they were going to shut down the Eastern Shore Division. We could still work for them if I wanted to go over there, but or we could try to start our own. So basically, me and my father went and talked to all the contractors that we already had. It was like a flip of a switch the next day, just basically a name change, we got our insurance to get going, all that. And we already had I didn't have to go out and hunt for work like a lot of people trying to go on their own. I had some contracts already, which helped out a lot. Um, I guess it was six years strong, me and Dad. Yeah. And then uh my father had a couple strokes. Um he's doing good, he didn't lose no mobility or anything. Um and it just got to the day day of the day. He handled like all the accounting, all the banking, I handled all the crews and stuff like that. And um that's when me and her just talked about it, and she said that she'll just come and take over his position basically and get everything back on track. So it I always wanted to start my own business, yeah. But again, I was always afraid of that risk. Like I'm leaving a Monday through Friday, yeah, 40-hour check a week. Do I want to take the risk on my own and can't make it? And then I'm but I was up we were almost forced into going on my own when the other company shut down.
SPEAKER_02:Um I think it's really s important that you know, as as the spouses, is when that happened in in at the tail end of 2018. It was right around Christmas when we found out that information and Brian and dad started moving forward. And um, you know, me coming from the financial background that I had, I know and understand those risks of taking on a business. And and then when you involve family, oh, that can be a little bit tricky too. Yeah, it can be a little shaky at times. Um but uh, you know, just being that supportive voice with my mother-in-law as well, um you know, they have the knowledge, they have the know-how, they have the experience. Um, and we we were starting out of the gate in a in a better situation than most small businesses because of the contracts that were already had and the relationships and the branding that was already done from our end, that you know, that that part of it switching over into running your own business was almost seamless. Um and so just being really supportive and and knowing that there's gonna be some ups and downs. You know, I still had my career, um, so I still had that solid paycheck if we had a little something we needed to fall back on or what have you to get through. But um that's that's more or less how everything kind of started and streamlined over. When my father-in-law's uh health started to um you know take a turn, um you know, the decision on his end was to kind of back away from the business, and that opened up okay, well, it can't just be him. Yeah, you know, um we're very lucky in that we have our this is a family operated business. So we have my husband as a hundred percent owner. Um my brother-in-law and our cousin um are the production project managers, um, Christopher and DJ, and then we have Matt, my other brother-in-law, um, that's a crew leader, and we have a very close family friend that's also another crew leader, and then we have the rest of our support team. So um we've been able to build and develop um, you know, through the through the last couple of years, and um it's worked out well. Not to say that there have not been challenges and struggles, because there most certainly has. And I think that's really important for another business to understand is um, you know, everybody should have a dream. And if your dream is to run that small business, it's it is about um making sure that you have your right resources and understanding and knowing. You're not going into this like making big bucks, like that doesn't happen for most right away. Right away, that's true, and you gotta you gotta find um you've gotta have the right resources, you gotta have the right people in your back pocket, and you just have to have the right support system. Yeah. Um, and I think if you have those basics, um you'll be able to face whatever challenge is coming your way.
SPEAKER_04:So you did mention like there's some like struggles and stuff like that. I know like for Ebenz and I, when we first started working together in the beginning, it was a huge struggle working with him. I mean, I love him. You know what I mean? But did you love him? But but through it out, through it out, we were able to communicate. I think that was one of the huge barriers for us. But like, how was it working with each other in the beginning? Or was it like a seamless transition? Everything flowed, or was it like some bumps? Like, we want to know.
SPEAKER_07:I think it went pretty smooth for the most part. Um, like I said, Sherry had a lot of background. Um she's definitely in the office 24-7. I'm in the office maybe 40% of the time. Um, I'm out meeting homeowners, doing estimates, so it's not like we're together 24-7, but um she has her own, like I said, she handles all the financing, the invoicing, billing, all that. So our our departments are separate.
SPEAKER_06:Advertising, marketing, branding, all that all that good stuff.
SPEAKER_07:Well, for the most part, I mean I I feel like it went pretty smooth. I mean, yeah, once you came in and learned the system that we already had set up and all that, how to everything went and right, right.
SPEAKER_02:And that that's not to say there aren't times where I'm like I need a burning. No, but for for the most part, no, we communication 100% is the key. Whether you're talking about being in business, whether you're talking about your marriage. If you stop talking, there's a problem. Yes, yes, there's a serious problem. And God knows, you can probably tell already, I am quite the talker. So there ain't nothing getting by. And if I have questions, I mean I I I know a little I knew a little bit about construction coming into this just from conversations that we would have, you know, when he would come home and be like, uh, you know, I did this today or that today, and would show me pictures and you know, or hear him and dad talking about, you know, all the different things that they were doing and structures and permits and you know, all that kind of stuff, inspections. I've learned a tremendous amount in the last year of being there a hundred percent, um, whether it's learning it from, you know, hearing him talk with uh my brother-in-law, my cousin as the production managers or the crews or or what have you, or just him explaining to me the breakdown of you know when I'm putting those invoices again. What am I invoicing? What does this mean? Um so I'm not afraid to ask the questions. And he's really good about um, you know, making sure that I have a good understanding and explaining that back to me. And um, you know, we we certainly have those open conversations with our with our crews and our team. Um, and they're they're a huge support of why we we are where we are right now. Um and I think it's really important to understand that too. Um it's not just us, it's the team that we've got behind us or walking alongside of us that helps to build us and get us to where we're going. Um but 100% communication i i is the key.
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SPEAKER_02:Do we do we have we had a couple of spats? Of course, because you're you know, your husband and wife. Hello. Yeah. But uh, but for the most part, uh it we've always been very communicative. And I I I think being able to bring that into the business and and really be there a hundred percent for each other and and have that plan in place and know that we have the goals of where we want to go. Um, you know, you gotta have your short term and you gotta have your own.
SPEAKER_07:Um and make sure that the goals are realistic, not long shots. Yep.
SPEAKER_02:100%.
SPEAKER_07:You start making a lot of long shots and not meeting them, it's gonna get you down quick.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. Right, right. Um, you know, and it's and it's not like we win every job. Yeah. You know, so there's the oh god, what could be but that's where you take that experience and you turn that into a learning, uh, you know, a learning tool. You know, what can we do next time? What can we do better? Um, but for the for the most part, we've we've we've been pretty good. Yeah. Pretty good. I still love them.
unknown:That's good.
SPEAKER_05:That's good. That's good. That was gonna be my my my question. How do you divide responsibility? Like, like know your roles. Like as a as a couple running a business, you gotta know each other's roles, right? Yeah. What's your strength, what's your weaknesses. Um, and like my wife and I, she know, she know my strength, and I know her strength, and she knows my weakness weaknesses. Uh, so how do your guys, do your guys talk about that? Like, how do you, on your role, like did you say, you know what, I'm gonna come in, this is what I'm gonna, this is what I'm gonna be doing. Did y'all have a talk about that? Like who's gonna be doing what?
SPEAKER_02:We did.
SPEAKER_07:So like I said, the way it's set up, my my brother and cousin, we have we have probably 20 plus neighborhoods that we do work in, contract work. And my brother has half the neighborhoods pretty much, my cousin has the other half. Um, they they that's all on them. They get the POs out of the system, they delegate which crew's doing what for the day. Um, like I said, she hand she's got probably 20 titles. She she handles everything in the office, paperwork-wise, invoicing. Um, I handle all the homeowners. Uh, I go out and do estimates, um, stuff like that.
SPEAKER_02:Uh we just had a we just had a recent conversation the other day. Uh again, this this one of my strengths is just having the knowledge in small business and having the resources in my back pocket. Um but you know, listening to him and his conversations, um uh, you know, we were talking about another another builder, um, and it had been a few years since uh they've reached out and had a conversation, and a lot of things have shifted with our business. Um so you know, again, when you have that plan in place, the plan in place is to grow and get better and and find what works for you um and develop that. And so when you know that you haven't had a builder conversation in about three years, you know, my conversation back to him was okay, so it's been three years since you talked to him. A lot's changed for us in three years. So, you know, I I think it would be beneficial and a good idea to reach back out to him, invite in for a meeting, um, and let them know what the differences are now. We maybe we didn't work out for you, you know, a couple years ago, whether that was pricing or what have you. But now things are a little bit different. Um, we have strategized and moved our business forward, and we have some things that are in our back pockets that are actually very helpful for our builders and our turnaround times and things like that. So now would be a really good time to reach out, end of the fiscal year for a lot of businesses. Um, we're planning for 2026. Let's take the step. And like I was so proud of him the other day because he was like, I, you know, I reached out and I talked to so and so, and um, you know, I got the name of the the next person that I need to speak with, and I'm like, dude, like this is yeah, you know what I mean? Like this is this is great.
SPEAKER_07:Like even though we're only been in business. I'm so proud of him. Yeah, we've only been in business technically seven years. The relationships I have with some of the builders and people out there that have gone from one builder to another. There's some of these people I've known 15, 20 years. So there's every every construction company out there, well, builder-wise, I'd I probably know someone in that vicinity, yeah, in that vicinity where it's just nice having that reputation. Uh all of our customers, our customer service is top-notch and not bragging, but every I've had multiple homeowners tell us that.
SPEAKER_04:You need to pat yourself in the back.
SPEAKER_07:Anytime there's the smallest issue, we we take care of it right away, and then the word of mouth through the neighborhood just gets around, and that's how we get a lot of the homeowner work. Yeah. It's all strictly just word of mouth. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Nice. Yeah. How's like how is um your fate, your guy's fate, got your um like through business, having business decision? Like, how's your fate? Because we know as couple running business, sometime you don't know, we always say that. Sometimes you don't know how you're gonna pay this invoice. You don't know how you're gonna make this payroll. You don't know how you're gonna buy this supply. Like, you don't sometimes like worrying about the cash flow 24-7. 24-7, how do you where's your faith? Like, how do you keep going? Why keep you keep going? Like we always say that I have a quote that I wrote is that I say that my faith in God creates success in me. Because if it wasn't having faith in God, the the the success that we have, um, we wouldn't have it. Because we we strongly, every decision that we make, we always pray about it. We always make sure it's the right decision. Uh so how do you guys do that, like when it comes to faith?
SPEAKER_02:So I grew up in a very strong faith-based um household. Uh, and there's nothing that we do in every step that we do that I feel like wasn't God driven. Um one of the verses that I use quite a bit that I think about all the time is greater greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. And I think if you understand that and you take a moment and you you take that in and you you be still and you know the world's yelling, God's whispering. And if you're still and you're quiet in that moment when you're going through that struggle, whether you're celebrating successes or you're dealing with that struggle, be still. And just just know that God is watching, God is guiding, um, and you know, there's there's nothing that we can't overcome with without having that faith.
SPEAKER_04:Um so this is a question that I don't know if you guys get this question a lot, but when working with your spouse, the question that we get is like, how do you separate the business and the and the spouse, you know? Um like I know sometimes um I'll be like in the room watching my TV, watching my Netflix, and sometimes events will come in the room and be like, babe, you know what we can do for this client? You know, and I'm like, you know, now is not the time. Like, now this is this is Gigi time. It's so hard.
SPEAKER_07:But yeah, but how do you it is it is a workaholic?
SPEAKER_02:No lie. I've worked since I was 12 years old, and I'm proud of that. I'm proud of that work ethic. Um, that is definitely a struggle for me because my brain is constantly going. I'm up at two and three o'clock in the morning, and the ideas and the thoughts are running through my head, and it's not just about what needs to get done at home, but it's about I got this and this and this and this and this to get done today and do today, and what are the top priorities? And by the time he wakes up at five, five fifteen, five thirty in the morning, I'm like, we need to do this, this, and this, and you know, and it's like you just probably need to back off something, you know.
SPEAKER_07:No, it doesn't it doesn't bother me, but I've I've always been at the end of the day, I I tried to shut just shut down. Now, when you know, a few years ago we had a lot of struggles, work was getting real slow, that's a totally different story because then I mainly because we have family working for us, it's not just my life I'm affecting if the business doesn't make it. I got a bunch of family members too, so that definitely is on your mind a lot. But when the business is cash flow is fine, all that, I can pretty much shut a lot of it out on off time as much as I can.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. And I think that's important to you know to to to mention too, is is again kind of going back to the struggles uh through a business. You know, when COVID hit, we were up here. Uh you know, people were getting those stimulus checks, they were ready to spend that money.
SPEAKER_07:All of our workers outside, so we weren't restricted from not being able to keep working.
SPEAKER_02:So Right, right. And so while while home sales might have been down for the realtors and they were struggling a bit, we were seeing the the the elevation. Um and and then when everybody went back to work and the the stimulus checks stopped. Stopped coming. It was like they were not prepared for that that slide, that downhill. Um and uh and so you know, again, we had to kind of work through some of those struggles, and and I was I I was still in my own career, he was doing his thing with my father-in-law, and um, so you know, there was you you gotta make sure where they didn't have a plan in place before, now there is.
SPEAKER_04:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:So, and that took a lot of time to work through Lee from Delaware Small Business, she was a great resource for me. Um again, coming from the financial background and working with other small businesses and things, that was that was a big um a big deal to sit down and say, hold on, before we can move forward, yeah, we gotta have this on paper. We gotta look to see what is our plans, what is it short term, what is it long term, and do a lot of restructuring. And that's what I've spent um with Brian and our crews uh uh a lot of this year doing. And we can confidently say, we're gonna close out 2025 looking pretty good. That's good. And we can take that, we're standing on our own two feet, and we can now take that and we can move that plan into 2026 and take those steps, those baby steps in in moving forward.
SPEAKER_05:That's good. Well uh why you mentioned that is like that's almost like you you have to know when to pivot in the business.
SPEAKER_02:100%.
SPEAKER_05:Now, when something is not working, you gotta move quick. You just don't sit on it, so I'm glad that y'all guys did that. Because a lot of businesses now you could go through a struggle, but some businesses just stay there. They don't know the strategy, yeah, they don't know how to uh pivot. And we had to learn learn that ourselves, like especially in the the industry that that we that we in, we had to pivot quick. Um and when we did that, uh the plan, we had a plan and we we put the vision down, we put the plan to the team, and we was like, no, this is what this is what we're gonna be focused on. It's not gonna be easy, no? But in the next two, three years, five years, it's gonna it's gonna be it's gonna be good looking good for the comp for the company and also for you, because you part of are part of the team. So I'm glad that you guys uh uh did that. Um how do you celebrate? Because we talk about the struggle, um, but how do you guys celebrate like when you win a contract? When you when and when you guys have success, how do you celebrate the milestone? Because sometimes we could keep going, keep going, keep going, keep chasing after for the Instagram or for the social media, they say chase the bag. But sometimes you gotta slow down also to enjoy those wins, the small wins. How do you guys enjoy those small wins?
SPEAKER_02:So uh, you know, I think for for our our crews and like we're I don't know if it's necessarily celebrating, but you know, things that we weren't doing before. When it's our guys' birthday, we we we wanna say happy birthday and give them a little something. Um, you know, we've we've now got our own branded t-shirts and sweatshirts, and we give those to the guys, new hats.
SPEAKER_07:Um they're happy when all the tools get upgraded.
SPEAKER_02:When all the tools are getting upgraded, and yeah, yeah. We get we know we were able, we were again, we were blessed this year. We got to get um another new truck. We've got a box truck.
SPEAKER_06:Yep.
SPEAKER_02:Um, you know, we've been able to expand in the area that we're in, so we have more room to work in. Um and the guys are are seeing that um and you know, they're feeling more confident about you know who we are and where we're going and and really wanting to be wanting to work with for BTM. Um, you know, for for for us personally, well, you know, if we can, we're we're working on, you know, making sure that our guys get bonuses at the end of the year. That's a big thing, right? So making sure that you're managing your cash flow enough to be able to set some of that aside throughout the year so that you're building that account up and you can reward your guys that way. Everybody wants a little bit of money at Christmas time, you know what I mean? So um, you know, being able to to do that, um, you know, having having some luncheons and things at the at the office and bringing the guys in and treating them to lunch and things like that. Um, for Brian and I personally, we we actually took a week vacation. Yes, we did, we went to the Outer Banks. Okay. So we we got to spend a week away. Um, and we do have a camper that we do enjoy. Um, we go down every weekend um in September and October, um, and we make sure that we are able to dedicate our time. So I remember our family members have campers down there as well. Um, you know, we're we're able to just kind of break away for the weekend um and then back to the ground Monday morning.
SPEAKER_07:But um work with family and still spend time with family on the weekends.
SPEAKER_02:That's it. It is a good thing. It is a good thing.
SPEAKER_07:The good thing a lot of people get kind of gun shy when family's involved. Um, but like I said, having my couple brothers who workforce and uh a cousin, they also want to thrive, want to move forward with a company. Eventually uh they'll take over when I'm ready to retire. That's the plan. Um so they got they got skin in the game just like everybody else, and it so you don't just have an employee that's hanging around or or progressing with you and maybe move on someday. They want this thing to get as big as they can too, 'cause it'll be theirs one day. So that that means a lot too.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, for sure. Yeah, and people always say you can't mix you can't mix family family with business. And sometimes it's true, sometimes it's not. Yep, yep. Because if the person have the skill set, is when the person doesn't have the skill skill set, and you hire them, it's gonna be a problem. If they have the skill set, they have the knowledge, and they are they they could take the company to the next level.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, yes, they're driven, they want everything to improve, they're not just collecting a paycheck, right? Right, yep.
SPEAKER_05:Right. Yep. Um what I have I have. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.
SPEAKER_04:So, so you know, we have the the series Pillow Talk to Profit, right? And a lot of our um couple friends, um, we we stayed at a friend's house, I think, a few years ago, and Yvent and I, we were just talking, and then so the following morning they were like, Oh, I didn't know you guys do pillow talk too, and then we were like, What's pillow talk? And they're like, you know, that's when you you you're just having a conversation while you you know and so and we do that a lot, and so and that's how most of our ideas come. So I want to know what's been your pillow talk lately? Like, has it been love, business, like at the end of like don't give me like the intimate stuff, you know, but like what what's been like your pillow talk lately um when you guys just lay down and you just you just talking?
SPEAKER_07:Pretty much all of the above, I would say. Yeah, um, communication is definitely a big thing. Um coming up with new ideas, like I said, we we've we've expanded, we make our own screens in the house now, we make our own rails in the house now instead of having to outsource all that stuff.
SPEAKER_02:And that was a big thing too, you know, and and that was pillow talk for us. Um, you know, loving each other as much as we do and getting married after such a short time of knowing each. We've had 19 years to learn each other. A lot of people don't get married until you know the the second or third year into the relationship. We jumped in six months after meeting each other and got married. So, you know, we we've learned a lot about each other, you know, through the years, and you can't do that without the communication. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07:Um the more stuff that you can do in-house, definitely the better for any business. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So going back and looking through, you know, all the reports and you know, your profit and loss and your balance sheets and all that kind of stuff and seeing where money is spent. Um, and really taking a look at that and the experience that Brian has had over the last 25, 30 years of doing this kind of work, you know, it was really taking a look at, hold on a minute. Like we need to scale back here. We're spending all of this money over here, but if we have the ability and the know-how and the knowledge to be able to do that in-house, there's a lot of things that can turn around with that that brings in more cash flow that allows you to time your projects better. Um, you can turn around your your products and be able to get out to jobs sooner than having to wait on another vendor to get those deliveries and things like that to you and those materials. So that's been a lot of our pillow talk um, you know, over the last, I would the last year. Um, and that's the strategy and the way that we have moved forward. Um, and and being able to take that and move into the next level for 2026. Um and just, you know, the cash flow. Unfortunately, guys, cash flow is always going to be the top of your conversation. It really will, because it's honestly it's it's almost like the heart of the city. Right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Um and just being able to progress into something that's going to leave behind a legacy, and being that family business, we want to leave that legacy to the other members of our family that are interested and want to be a part of this and and and are a part of this now. So um the other side of that pill of talk is is is you know just being able to lay our heads down at night and say, today was a good day. Yes, yes. Today was a good day. And you know, no matter what good or bad things happen throughout the day, and it's up to us and our our own attitudes and our own um accord of you know, not letting things get to you and eat at you, and um, you know, talking through those things as you as you can if something did bother you through the day or something didn't quite go your way. But at the end of the day, it was a good day. We woke up, yeah, we got to do what we needed to do, yeah. We got a home to come back to, we have each other to come home to, yeah. We have our dogs and our aunt who's now living with us. That we you know, we've we've got a beautiful home. Um and we're very blessed in that manner. We're we're lucky in that manner, and um it was a good day. It was a good day. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:What's one advice, like people that's listening to us right now, uh, that's watching us right now, like what's one advice would you give to couples that that's been in the business together, right? Um or couples that's want to go to business together. Because you took a risk by leaving your nine to six. And I was good at it, too. That's a risk most, and we gotta be honest, most couples won't take.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_05:If they don't see the vision, they won't take that risk and be like, mm-mm, that money is good. Yeah, I don't know if your plan is gonna work. Right. Exactly. It's it's there's no gap, there's no gap.
SPEAKER_07:And that's why we never did it in the very beginning, because she had a steady job, she loved her job. And we didn't know what was gonna happen with the company, and we there's no way we would have took that risk together from the jump. Not because like I said, if the company wouldn't have that time, it just wasn't the right timing. Yep.
SPEAKER_02:It wasn't the right timing. Um, and I I do. I think it's I think it's really important that um you really you sit back, don't stop talking. Don't stop talking. Any business that you run, you take a risk. And you've got to be prepared for those highs and those lows. Yes. Um, the struggles and the challenges, but also the successes. And the more you communicate, the more you keep talking about it, um that absolutely is the number one key. But I would say I the second thing is to make sure that you're utilizing and doing your research on the resources that are available for small business. I'm flee has been absolutely fantastic. I can pick up the phone, I can shoot her an email, I'm gonna get a response. We can sit through and we can talk through whatever we need to talk through. Um and and and the resources that she's been able to provide, along with the resources that I had in my back pocket through all of my other relationships. Um it's it's extremely important. So making sure that you have that foundation and that you've done your research, you've got resources in your back pocket, and you're not just jumping in just to jump in and say, I'm gonna run a business today. Because it's not gonna work. It's not gonna work.
SPEAKER_07:Have a have a plan, communicate, and realistic goals.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. When you when we talk to couples, there's always like two different couples, you know. There's like the laid-back couple, and then there's like the non-laid-back couple, you know what I'm saying? But they balance each other well, right? Yeah, like my husband is just might depend what situation, but nine out of ten, he's like the laid back. Me too, you know, and then I'm the one who's like, you know, and then it works, it works well together because you balance off each other, you know. And I love to see that's a common thing that I see in in couples, whether in relationship, whatever it is, and those are the couples that that last, you know. At the end of the day, that's your husband, that's your um co-worker, but the base of it all is friendship, you know. And so I just love seeing that and hearing those stories because you don't see a lot of couples who work together. A lot of people who say, You work with your husband? That never happened to me. So I want to see more couples who, you know, like this can be done. It's it's a it's a lot of work, yeah, but it can be done. And at the end of the day, you don't want to kill them. Well, nine out of ten. So I'm I'm so excited to see that.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, and we and and and just to leave it like that, we are one team. We always say we are on the same team.
SPEAKER_06:Right.
SPEAKER_05:Because if you if you shine, he shines. Right. Wherever he goes, he represents you. Right. No, wherever you go, you represent him. You represent the company. So when one win, we all win. We don't have that, that we always say we don't have that ego. Somebody asks us like, um, was it the was there some sometime last week they asked us like, uh, do I get intimated?
SPEAKER_04:Um intimidated when he's in the room with me, because I'm like so like, you know. Yeah, no.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, do you feel that way about me?
SPEAKER_05:I win. Exactly. Like, it's it's it's we the goals we want to win championship. If we want to win championship, somebody gotta be the somebody gotta be the Michael Jordan. Yep.
SPEAKER_06:No?
SPEAKER_05:Somebody gotta be the Scottie Pippen.
SPEAKER_02:Listen, I I know exactly. So ever since we've been working, I have been a huge basketball fan, okay? Now, I'm WNBA all the way, so we don't we don't miss a game. Of course, I it is Indiana Fever when we love Minnesota Lynx. Um but you know, that's probably one of the other shutoffs that we do have. We don't talk about work during WNBA, and I have gotten he is so involved in watching the WNBA games now, too. And we're just we're huge fans of of the sport and seeing where it's growing and coming and you know, all those kinds of things that are going on. But definitely our shutoff valve is during a WNBA game. That's it, it's no business. We're all about the game. Yeah, yes, all about the game. Yes, um, so yeah, so that that's probably another little thing just to throw in there.
unknown:But yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Well, any last word? Uh, where people could find you guys, like uh your website, your social media, where people could uh uh find you guys if they want to get in touch with you for uh for the service that you provide, for the work that you provide, how they could get in touch with you guys.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, thank you for that. Um so we are on Facebook, it's uh um BTM Construction. Are we BTM Construction Inc.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, BTM Construction Inc.
SPEAKER_02:Um and we've got a lot of of projects that we've posted out there, some videos of our of our team. Um we did a meet the team segment uh you know every day of the week. There was another team member that was recognized and so on and so forth. Um Brian's email and phone number is listed on there. Uh and there's also a direct link to our website. So our website is uh www.btmconstruction D E for Delaware.com. Um, or we are also under btmconstructioninc.com as well. So we can be reached in um either one of those, and again, his phone number and email address is also listed to be able to reach out.
SPEAKER_05:There you go, ladies and gentlemen. There you have it, man. Um, and I will see you guys on the next episode.
SPEAKER_00:You've been listening to the Risk Taker Podcast, created for those who bet on themselves and build beyond limits. Make sure to follow us at Risk Taker Podcast, leave a review, and let us know how this episode inspired you to get in touch with email teams at owdmultimedia.com. Until next time, keep taking the risk and keep tasting your dreams.