Behind the Toolbelt

Hosted by Ty Backer

Business Entrepreneurship

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Episodes

156

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Behind the ToolBelt is a live, raw, and uncut podcast that brings real, unfiltered conversations about business, leadership, and the entrepreneurial mindset. Hosted by Ty Cobb Backer, CEO of TC Backer Construction, this live show features leaders, innovators, and experts sharing their experiences, strategies, and insights. From building successful companies to overcoming professional and personal challenges, each episode offers valuable perspectives for entrepreneurs and business owners and leaders looking to grow, and make an impact.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 19, 2026Episode 34729 min

Being Great At The Work Does Not Mean You Can Lead

Send us Fan Mail You can be the best roofer, tech, estimator, or salesperson in the building and still feel lost the first day you lead people. That’s not a character flaw. It’s a job change. We dig into one of the biggest leadership myths in small business and the trades: that skill at the work naturally becomes skill at leading the work. We talk about the painful mindset shift from producing to multiplying and why “what got you here won’t get you there” is more than a catchy line. When your role changes, relationships change too, especially when you’re leading former co-workers. We unpack the tension between wanting to be liked and needing to be respected, and why courage beats popularity when standards, performance, and culture are on the line. Then we get practical: how stepping in to fix everything trains your team to depend on you, how that turns you into the bottleneck, and the exact kinds of questions that develop independent thinkers. We also cover the “highest paid salesperson” problem, what real delegation looks like (outcomes and ownership, not just tasks), and how leadership must evolve as your company grows from five people to 50. We wrap with five reminders for new leaders and one gut-check question about the strength that might be holding you back now. If this hits home, subscribe, share it with a new manager, and leave a review so more contractors and business owners can build the greatest project of all: their people. Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

August 12, 2026Episode 34630 min

When The Old Way Still Works

Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to wreck a solid business isn’t failure. It’s success that turns into comfort, then complacency, then “don’t touch that, it’s always worked.” We get real about the hard leadership call behind every process, tool, and system: when does the old way still work, and when is it quietly holding you back? We talk about why our culture worships “new” and how shiny-object syndrome shows up as new software, new dashboards, new trends, and even AI tools that promise speed but can add friction if you don’t have a clear reason to change. We break down the difference between experience and resistance, how pride stops leaders from listening, and why the best teams stay curious even when a process has “worked for years.” You’ll hear the questions we use to evaluate whether a system still serves the customer, supports the team, or just protects what’s familiar. We also share a practical example from our own growth: moving from a single-person day planner that bottlenecked scheduling, ordering, billing, and production to a transparent shared calendar system that the whole team can see in real time. To make this actionable, we end with a simple three-part walk-through you can do this week at your job or in your company: what should you preserve, what should you improve, and what should you eliminate? If this hits a nerve, share it with a leader who needs it, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, and leave a review so more builders can find the show. What’s one “old way” you’re still doing because it’s always worked? Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

August 5, 2026Episode 34525 min

Trust Grows When Your Actions Repeat

Send us Fan Mail Trust can make you fast, dangerous, or unstoppable, and most of us don’t realize which one we are until something breaks. We’re coming off a huge milestone, 345 consecutive weeks, and heading into a community celebration for our 18th anniversary, so we wanted to talk about the thing that quietly decides every outcome in leadership and relationships: trust. We get specific about why trust has levels and why it isn’t binary. We share the mistake we’ve made more than once, confusing liking someone with trusting them, and how that shows up when you hand out responsibility too early. We also lay out a simple mental model you can use right away: the trust bank. Every promise kept is a deposit. Every hard conversation handled with honesty is a deposit. Excuses, half-truths, missed commitments, and blame are withdrawals, and one careless choice can drain an account faster than you think. We also answer a question leaders ask all the time: how do you know when someone is ready for a promotion? Our take is blunt and practical: they’re already doing the job before they have the title. They solve problems, protect customers, live the culture when no one is watching, and make values-based decisions. We close with three legacy-level questions that hit home, whether you lead a company, a crew, or a family. If this lands with you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more leaders can build trust the right way. Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

August 5, 2026Episode 34429 min

How To Spot Limiting Beliefs And Rewrite Them

Send us Fan Mail The hardest battles in business are not always fought in the marketplace. Sometimes they are fought between your own ears, in the quiet story you repeat when you are stressed, tired, or trying to lead through uncertainty. We talk about the self limiting beliefs that sound harmless but quietly cap your growth: “I’m too busy,” “I don’t have the right people,” “I’m too old,” “I’m too young,” or the most dangerous one, “I’ve always been this way.” I share why this topic is personal, including seasons when life got heavy and doubts got loud, and how easy it is to turn a single event into an identity. “I failed” is an experience. “I’m a failure” is a label. That label shapes your decisions, your risk tolerance, and the way you lead your team and your family. We also draw a clear line between real constraints and excuses, because cash flow, interest rates, and labor shortages are real, but using reality as permission to stop growing is a choice. Then we get practical: how beliefs spread through leadership language, how cultures form around repeated phrases, and why motion creates momentum. If you keep waiting for perfect timing or total certainty, you may be blocking your own clarity. We close with a simple writing exercise to identify one story, question where it came from, test it against evidence, and replace it with a better script, often by adding one word: yet. If this hit home, subscribe to Behind the Tool Belt, share it with a leader or parent who needs a reset, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. What is one story you are ready to let go of? Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

August 5, 2026Episode 34349 min

Protect The Standard

Send us Fan Mail We wrestle with one hard leadership truth: the standard we walk past becomes the standard we accept, whether we mean to or not. We unpack how culture is shaped in small moments, why we avoid tough talks, and how clear accountability protects the people who are trying to do it right. • culture built through what we tolerate, confront, and model • small behaviors shaping norms around respect, quality, safety, and follow-through • avoiding hard conversations turning minor issues into lasting habits • top performers noticing inconsistency and losing trust in the standard • accountability framed as clarity with follow through, not punishment • a practical approach: name the standard, describe behavior, explain impact, invite ownership, set expectations, follow through • leading by example and owning our part as leaders • weekly poll on what impacts culture most: consistent accountability, leading by example, clear communication, or hiring the right people Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook. Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

July 15, 2026Episode 34245 min

Roofing Tech After The Buyout

Send us Fan Mail You can feel the trades changing, and the contractors who adapt first usually win the next cycle. I sat down with Travis Harvego, president and CEO of Roofle, to talk about a huge milestone in roofing technology: Roofle being acquired by SalesRabbit. We get into what that shift actually looks like on the inside, from the pressure of due diligence and keeping growth on track, to the reality of going from a tight startup team to a much larger organization with more resources, more structure, and a different decision-making pace. We also go deep on the human side, because acquisitions don’t fail on spreadsheets, they fail on fear. Travis walks through how he handled employee uncertainty, what transparency looked like in real time, and why culture was the biggest concern his team raised. If you care about leadership, hiring, and building a company people want to stay at, you’ll get practical insight into how teams evaluate “fit” when a business suddenly feels more corporate. Then we bring it back to the jobsite and the P&L. Travis calls out the most common mistake roofing contractors make: not knowing their numbers. We talk price per square, marketing spend, cost per lead, cost per sale, and why relying on insurance volume without forecasting is a gamble. We also look ahead at AI in construction, AI in roofing software, and the next three to five years of contractor CRM platforms moving toward all-in-one tech stacks that connect data from lead to close to production. If you got value here, subscribe, share it with a contractor who needs to hear it, and leave a review so more people in the trades can find the show. Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

July 8, 2026Episode 34140 min

Manage Vs Develop

Send us Fan Mail You can run a tight ship and still be building a fragile company. That’s the uncomfortable truth we wrestle with as we break down one of the most important leadership distinctions in business: managing people versus developing people. Management keeps today moving with schedules, budgets, and problem-solving. Development creates tomorrow by growing confidence, skill, and decision-making so the team can lead without you needing to be the constant answer machine. We talk through the real tension every owner, manager, parent, and coach feels: urgency versus importance. It’s faster to do it yourself, but that speed quietly creates dependency. I share the mindset shift that changed how I lead at TC Backer Construction, plus the simple question that flips the room from silent to engaged: “What do you think?” Used consistently, it turns followers into thinkers, helps introverted team members speak up, and builds a culture where responsibility is earned through trust. From there we get practical: how to teach instead of rescue, why some mistakes are expenses while others become investments, and how to correct with dignity while still holding a high bar. We also dig into SOP documentation, succession, and legacy leadership, because the real win is a company that keeps growing due to leaders existing, not just systems existing. If this hits home, subscribe, share it with a leader who’s building a team, and leave a review so more people find the show. Which impacted you more: a boss who managed you or a leader who developed you? Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

July 1, 2026Episode 34025 min

The Secret Leadership Move Is Saying I Don’t Know

Send us Fan Mail We talk through the pressure leaders feel to always have the answers and why that mindset quietly breaks trust. We lay out a simple way to stay confident in uncertainty by being honest, giving direction, and moving forward together. • the false expectation that leaders must know everything • leadership as direction rather than certainty • the difference between certainty and confidence • why “I don’t know” can increase trust when paired with next steps • focusing on facts and anchoring choices to values, mission, and priorities • communicating consistently to reduce fear and rumor • involving the team to gain perspective and build leadership depth • taking action without perfect information and adjusting quickly • trusting yourself and your team through the unknown If you enjoyed this show, or if you think there’s somebody out there that should listen to this show, please share this with them. And don’t forget, okay, to share this with someone. Share, like it, love it, share it, subscribe. Subscribe, review it for us, okay. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook. Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

June 24, 2026Episode 3391 hr 7 min

Lead When The Plan Breaks

Send us Fan Mail The plan always looks great until real life shows up. A material delivery gets pushed, a crew member calls off, the customer changes their mind, the weather turns, and suddenly your schedule is fiction. When that happens, the real question is not whether the plan changed. The question is who you become when it does. We break down what leading through change actually looks like in a construction business and in life. I talk through the mindset shift that keeps leaders from spiraling into blame, panic, or “this always happens,” and how to move from frustration to action with one simple prompt: “Now what?” From there, we get practical about adapting without lowering standards, overcoming obstacles without turning them into excuses, and pivoting without changing the mission. Think one foot planted in values and integrity, the other foot moving with reality. We also dig into “trust but verify” and why verification is not the enemy of trust, it protects it. In roofing, production, sales, and operations, one missed detail can trigger a chain reaction, so we talk about building accountability into the normal rhythm of the business. Then we cover backup plans, systems, cross-training, and why options create confidence. Finally, we tie it all together with the idea that motion creates momentum, and that clarity often comes after movement, not before. If you’re leading a crew, a company, or a household and the plan has shifted under your feet, hit play and take the next right step with us. Subscribe for more, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more leaders in the trades can find the show. Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com

June 17, 2026Episode 33852 min

Stop Hanging Slogans And Start Leading

Send us Fan Mail Great teams aren’t built on catchy lines, they’re built on clarity you can feel every day on the job. We’re pulling back the curtain on how we try to lead a company where people know what “right” looks like, can make decisions with confidence, and don’t have to guess what matters when pressure hits. We walk through our three “trifectas” that function like a three-legged stool for a contracting business: core values, SOPs, and KPIs for internal clarity; repeat customers, reviews, and referrals for real-world feedback on the customer experience; and marketing, brand, and message so what we say to the marketplace matches what we actually live inside the company. If you’ve ever felt like your culture is drifting or your systems are inconsistent, this framework helps you spot where you’re strong and where you’re wobbly. We also get honest about the leadership skills that keep a team cohesive: building trust without ignoring problems, setting standards so the workplace stays fair, using accountability as care, balancing empathy with expectations, and giving trained people real authority so the owner doesn’t become the bottleneck. You’ll hear practical reminders on repeating the vision, writing standards down, measuring what matters, and coaching in a way that develops leaders instead of creating fear. If you’re leading a roofing company, construction crew, or home service team and want more consistency, better reviews, and a brand your community trusts, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a fellow leader, and leave a review so more contractors can find the show. Behind The ToolBelt has merged with the TC Backer YouTube Channel. Everything BTTB and TCB is now in one place. Go to the channel and subscribe. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj7GjAGEsAjOXEYKhh6FLQ/ Follow us on the TC Backer Facebook page as well as instagram https://www.facebook.com/tcbackerconstruction https://www.instagram.com/tcbacker/ Check out our podcast website to find your favorite app to listen to the Behind The ToolBelt episodes streaming now! https://podcast.behindthetoolbelt.com