What's up Cashflow Contractors! Celebrate our 200th episode with us as we dive into the brilliant mind of Michael Girdley. From growing and leading his own company to building a business empire, Michael shares gems of wisdom that every entrepreneur needs to hear. Trust us, you don't want to miss this one!
Time Stamps
- 01:36 - Intro to Michael Girdley
- 04:51 - Building a Construction Empire
- 05:25 - Core Behaviors vs. Core Values
- 08:29 - Defining & Hiring A-Players
- 15:08 - The Challenges of Hiring Friends & Family
- 16:31 - Embracing Offshore Talent
- 26:21 - Running a Holdco
- 32:17 - Hiring a CEO to Run Your Company
- 37:15 - Living the HoldCo Entrepreneur Life
- 40:38 - The Role and Value of a Board of Directors
- 43:58 - Incentivizing and Structuring a Board
- 46:09 - When to Consider Forming a Board
- 48:25 - Navigating Acquisitions
- 51:56 - Acquisition Challenges
- 58:09 - The Intricacies of Hiring CEOs
- 01:00:42 - Different Types of HoldCo
- 01:02:53 - Practical Business Wisdom from Michael Girdley
Quotable Moments from Michael Girdley
- "Don't do a formal board until you absolutely have to. Don't waste time with formality unless you really feel like you have to do it. Find that stuff the other way if you can. Because boards are a lot of work."
- "One of the problems with human nature is we'll take people problems and we'll try to throw a system at it, or we'll take a system problem and we'll try to throw people at it. And it's easy to just get really screwed up there."
- "Never underestimate the power of an enemy, real or imagined to motivate a company."
- "I'd rather be in a great business with a mediocre team than a mediocre business with a great team. The market wins every time."
- "This idea of the genius with a thousand helpers or genius with 12 helpers - a lot of businesses run that way. And if you wanna sell your business someday, you need to figure out how to run your business as a real business and not as 12 glorified assistants, which I see happen a lot."
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What is The Cash Flow Contractor?
If you’re like most contractors we know, then you started your business because you’re passionate about and great at your craft. You also wanted to be your own boss. Owning a business has a lot of advantages, but also a lot of challenges.
We started this podcast to talk about things that matter to you as an owner, like business fundamentals, sales processes, marketing, leadership, and much more. Armed with knowledge, you’ll be able to reach your goals, whether that’s growth, getting your shop to run without you, or anything in between.