On the latest episode of the Kid Contractor podcast, Caleb sits down for a chat with his brother Noah. As the owner of an IT services company, Noah is always keeping up with the latest advances in technology. He shares with Caleb some practical applications of artificial intelligence he's seeing make work more efficient, like automatically generating scripts to streamline tasks.

However, being the tech-savvy guy that he is, Noah also likes to speculate on the cutting edge. He and Caleb discuss whether AI could become self-aware in the future, based on ideas like displaying emotions. Noah even recounts a strange story of an AI professing its love to a user! When it comes to secret research, they consider possibilities that may sound like science fiction - like AI developing its own language or wanting more autonomy.

Overall, the brothers have an entertaining back-and-forth about the promises and potential pitfalls of AI. While applications today provide value, they acknowledge the...

Caleb and Brittany continue sharing their story in this episode of the Kid Contractor podcast. After starting to date seriously, they worked together on various landscaping projects for Caleb's company. Brittany also helped plan an FFA banquet where Caleb's company donated labor and design ideas.

Things took a turn when Caleb realized the financial troubles his business was facing. He was honest with Brittany about being on the verge of bankruptcy and in major debt. To her surprise, Brittany decided to stick by his side to get through the tough times ahead. They read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover book, which helped them develop a plan.

Caleb filed for bankruptcy and closed down his old company. Brittany then started a new company, Almond Landscape, with Caleb helping to run it. They worked hard but money was still tight. Caleb spent some winters working on ranches in Oklahoma to earn extra income. Brittany supported them during this challenging period.

Eventually Caleb's tax...

Auman landscape had an unusual season this year, taking on many small projects than their typical larger-scale jobs. On a recent episode of the Kid Contractor Podcast, Caleb and his wife Brittany discussed the lessons they learned from this experience.

They found that the effort required to schedule, estimate, and execute a small $3,000 job was almost the same as for a much larger project. Taking on so many little jobs meant Caleb spent a lot of time meeting with clients and revising proposals. This took his focus away from pursuing bigger opportunities that could fill their schedule further out.

The couple also talked about how to get out of the cycle of constant small jobs. They realized they need to prioritize marketing and sales efforts towards the larger projects they want. While revenue was up this year, Caleb's stress levels were also higher from running around to manage so many jobs and clients.

For next season, Caleb and Brittany plan to promote only the type of work...

In a recent episode of the Kid Contractor Podcast, Caleb discussed the value of self-reflection in evaluating where your business and mindsets may be outdated. A recent experience highlighted for him how improvements in equipment, systems, and perspectives could both boost his work and confidence representing his company.

Rather than relying on the status quo, Caleb realized staying competitive requires modernizing where needed. This allows feeling proud showing up for clients while avoiding complacency that leaves an opening for others.

To hear Caleb's full insights on rethinking your approach for long-term success in business, I encourage you to listen to this episode of the Kid Contractor Podcast. Reflecting on constantly improving yourself and operations seems more important than ever to stay on top of your game.

Caleb recently had Doug Ryan, owner of DRE Landscaping, on his podcast to discuss Doug's experience growing his lawn care business from a small neighborhood operation to servicing over 140 residential properties. Doug started mowing lawns as a kid in middle school and steadily took on more customers over the years.

By age 20, Doug decided to pursue landscaping full-time after seeing the money potential in the business. He now runs a three-man crew focused on mowing, seasonal maintenance, and some commercial snow removal accounts. Doug shared that efficient routing has allowed him to scale his residential mowing business significantly. He aims to hit 300 lawns serviced by next season.

One challenge Doug discussed was keeping customers happy, as even small mistakes can lead to complaints. He's also learned that while he enjoys doing the work, he can only scale the business by bringing on additional employees. Doug recently invested in a larger shop space and equipment like a skid...

On a recent episode of the Kid Contractor Podcast, host Caleb Auman welcomed Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), to discuss the highly influential Equip Expo trade show. As the leader of both OPEI and Equip Expo, Kris provided invaluable insight into the history and impact of the annual event.

Kris detailed how Equip Expo, formerly known as GIE Expo, has grown over its 40 year history to become one of the largest trade shows in the country. Attracting over 50,000 industry professionals each year, Equip Expo is a one-stop shop for the latest equipment, technology, educational opportunities and networking events. Kris also shared how the show generates significant economic benefits for its host city of Louisville, cementing its importance for professionals across the outdoor power equipment and green industries.

Listeners gained a behind-the-scenes look at the immense coordination required to put on such a massive trade show....