Modern Craftsman

Hosted by Modern Craftsman

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578

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The Modern Craftsman is a podcast for builders who think beyond the jobsite. Hosted by Nick Schiffer and Tyler Grace, this show explores what it takes to build a better business, a stronger team, and a more sustainable career in the trades. Each episode features real conversations about leadership, project management, client communication, team culture, mental resilience, and long-term success in construction. Whether you're a carpenter scaling your company, a remodeler refining your process, or a builder navigating burnout, you'll find insight, support, and hard-earned lessons from those who've lived it.

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60 recent

June 7, 202659 min

405 Real Questions Builders Are Asking Right Now

Some of the best builder questions are the ones that do not always get asked out loud. This episode has questions that come straight from the MC Community and gets into pricing tiers, labor rates, first admin hires, dead leads, subcontractor agreements, and the systems that help make a construction business easier to run. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Show Notes: 00:00 Square Foot Pricing Has Limits 00:28 Questions From the Builder Community 02:13 Tiered Pricing in Precon 09:35 Can Square Foot Pricing Work? 11:37 Cost Plus, Labor Rates & Markup 17:01 Billing the Same Rate for Different Carpenters 21:39 The Real Cost of an Employee 26:14 When to Make Your First Office Hire 33:58 Fixing Dead Lead Flow 43:04 Tracking Leads That Actually Convert 51:57 Master Sub Agreements & Work Orders 58:00 Why the Community Matters Video Version:https://youtu.be/vwGv8aE8Jio Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 31, 202649 min

404 Trying Not to Slip Back Into Grind Mode

Some seasons get heavy fast, even when you built the business to avoid that. This episode gets into Tyler's house build, money pressure, family guilt, decision fatigue, and trying not to fall back into the old grind-at-all-costs version of yourself. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Show Notes: 00:00 When It Feels Impossible to Move Forward 00:12 Guest Fell Through 04:05 Calling the Vendor 06:00 Life Hits 110 MPH 08:14 Avoiding Old Grind Habits 10:03 Carrying the Weight After the Job 13:17 Cutting the List Down 15:38 Decision Fatigue on the House Build 22:26 Just Make Progress 29:35 When Hard Things Motivate You 33:16 Sleep, Work & Second Winds 39:11 Family, Guilt & Being Present 42:06 Opening the Conversation Video Version:https://youtu.be/GD208zeQtew Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 28, 202632 min

The House Build Just Got Real

Tyler gives an update on his personal home build, from permit headaches and erosion control to layout, equipment, and finally moving dirt. This one gets into the pressure of building your own house, self-performing as much as possible, and turning years of trade experience into a family home. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Video Version:https://youtu.be/YFG1z032FkQ Show Notes: 0:19 AI Beyond Productivity 2:37 The Mental Load 5:04 Organizing the Chaos 12:15 Clearer Thinking 21:16 AI as a Mirror 25:21 Getting Your Day Back 29:44 Wrap & Community Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 24, 20261 hr 19 min

403 Stop Building Every Job From Scratch

Custom building gets messy fast when every project starts from a blank page. Mike Romanowicz talks through Den, prefab housing, better lead qualification, and what builders can learn from a product-based approach to pricing, systems, and client expectations. Den Outdoors: https://denoutdoors.com Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Show Notes: 00:00 Productized Housing 00:20 Meet Mike Romanowicz 03:59 Product First, Founder Second 05:45 Building in Public 09:22 The A-Frame Kit Lesson 14:11 The First Product Bet 20:30 Making Better Housing More Accessible 23:40 What Fasten Does 25:50 From Software to Homebuilding 30:17 The Power of Pre-Designed Plans 31:43 Starting From 100% 35:36 Why Customization Gets Hard 40:47 Where the Process Breaks 47:31 The Business Finally Clicked 55:25 How the Prefab Model Works 57:07 Designing Around Real Materials 61:06 What Tech Teaches Builders 66:33 Turning a Website Into a Booking Engine 71:04 Leading With Price 75:16 Cutting Out Bad Leads Video Version:https://youtu.be/WOyN-PR9mHs Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 21, 202630 min

The Most Human Use of AI

Most people talk about AI like it's just there to save time, write faster, or build better systems. This episode gets into the quieter side of it: using AI to organize your thoughts, cut down the mental noise, and get clearer before the day runs you over. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Video Version:https://youtu.be/NUkdSkNq8QU Show Notes: 0:19 AI Beyond Productivity 2:37 The Mental Load 5:04 Organizing the Chaos 12:15 Clearer Thinking 21:16 AI as a Mirror 25:21 Getting Your Day Back 29:44 Wrap & Community Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 17, 20261 hr 11 min

402 How Builders Should Actually Use AI

AI is not just for writing nicer emails or cranking out generic captions. This episode gets into how builders can use AI, construction software, agents, and connected tools to clean up admin, qualify leads, track money, improve communication, and make the business side less of a mess. Morgan: https://construction2style.com Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Show Notes: 00:00 AI Is Already Doing the Work 03:47 Where Builders Should Start 06:54 Chat, Claude & Better Prompts 11:32 AI Inside Construction Software 12:35 Agents Are Employees 16:36 Setting Up AI to Work for You 27:49 Connecting Tools & Automating Follow-Up 31:11 Better Communication With Less Admin 37:09 Start With a Brain Dump 49:07 Using AI to Qualify Clients 54:21 Catching Misses Before the Next Job 57:43 Estimating From Real Job Data 61:23 Comparing Bids & Educating Clients 67:41 Why Builders Need to Start Now Video Version:https://youtu.be/w5XwumOO1cE Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 10, 20261 hr 4 min

401 Building a Name That's Actually Yours

Working in a family business comes with a lot of pressure, especially when your last name already means something in the industry. Michael Holmes talks through the Holmes legacy, finding his own lane, taking risks, and what it looks like to build something that actually feels like his own. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Show Notes: 00:00 Who Michael Holmes Is Now 04:53 Growing Up Without Dad Around 10:29 Being the Dad He Needed 18:08 Getting His Dad Back 20:15 Stepping Out of the Family Shadow 29:00 Building Something for Himself 36:07 Hummingbird Hill Blue Mountain 40:15 How the New Division Works 45:16 Media, Builders & Skilled Trades 54:18 Living His Own Dream 60:38 Why Taking Risks Matters Video Version:https://youtu.be/bAZJ2FTJTLU Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 7, 202632 min

Build a Business That Gives You a Life

This Midweek is about what happens when life forces you to step back and ask what all the work is actually for. Tyler talks about loss, family, and building a business that creates enough freedom to be present for the parts of life you don't get back. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Video Version:https://youtu.be/fALKjhyTuLo Show Notes:00:43 Time Moves Fast 02:57 A Wake-Up Call 07:31 Making Better Decisions 12:06 Learning From Loss 14:20 Work Isn't Everything 16:43 Building Around the Life You Want 21:10 Don't Wait Until Later 23:37 Let the Business Serve You 29:01 More Than Paying Bills 31:16 Do It Now Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

May 3, 20261 hr 5 min

400 Where Modern Craftsman Goes From Here

After 400 episodes, the conversation shifts toward what Modern Craftsman should become next. This episode gets into why the show is moving away from surface-level interviews, what kind of guests and stories they want to bring in, and how deeper conversations can create more value than another round of standard industry talk. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Show Notes: 00:00 A Curveball at 400 02:33 Why the Podcast Is Changing 09:23 Why the Old Guest Model Fell Flat 14:11 The Kind of Conversations We Want 23:41 What We Can Learn Outside Construction 26:48 Who Makes the Best Guests 34:40 The Stories Worth Telling 43:08 The Why Behind the Work 52:28 Why This Matters Now 57:32 Send Us Guest Ideas Video Version:https://youtu.be/q9yxzp9HVqY Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media

April 30, 202637 min

Know Your Numbers or Stay Stuck

Too many builders are working harder every year without really knowing which jobs are making money and which ones are just eating time. This episode is about using your tax return and a few basic numbers to get clear on what's working, what's not, and where to tighten things up. Sign up for the Modern Craftsman Community: 👉🏻 MC Community Sign-up Sign up for the newsletter: Newsletter Sign-up Show Notes: 0:24 Know Your Numbers 5:30 What Work Costs 10:14 Start With Taxes 16:37 Which Jobs Pay 25:56 Spend Less First 33:00 Build From There Video Version:https://youtu.be/MqUP2ZtGOAU Partners: Andersen Windows Harnish Workwear Use code H1025 and get 10% off their H-label gear The Modern Craftsman: linktr.ee/moderncraftsmanpodcast Find Our Hosts: Nick Schiffer Tyler Grace Podcast Produced By: Motif Media