Show Info: If you've ever thought about starting a business, this is the show for you. Each week, host Aaron Bushell interviews entrepreneurs and small business owners who left the 9-5 and went to work for themselves and asks, looking back with the benefit of hindsight, what went right and what would they have done differently.
Episode 021 | Chris Callen, Builder's Plus Construction My guest this week is Chris Callen. Chris is the CEO of family-owned Wichita business Builder’s Plus. Builder’s Plus is a commercial real estate construction and contracting company. If you have ever shopped in Wichita, you've probably been in a building they built - Walmart, Dillons, Target and several other big box stores here in Wichita were built by Builder's Plus. Chris’s story is an interesting one. After spending a few years working outside of the family business, he returned to Wichita nearly two years ago to take over the family business from his parents, who founded the company more than three decades ago. Chris came in and wanted to make a splash, and in doing so, he made a business decision that nearly cost him and his family their company. The real grit of the story comes when Chris tells what sacrifices they had to make in order to dig the family business out of the hole he put them in. Thank you for sharing your story, Chris. Where Can You Find Chris Callen and Builder's Plus? Builder's Plus Construction: www.bpc.build Facebook.com/BuildersPlus Check him out on Twitter: @ConcreteCallen Show Notes 6:20 Intro to Chris and how Builder’s Plus was founded. 7:20 What did Chris do at first instead of working in the family business, and what brought him back to Wichita? 10:24 How did Chris get started in Commercial Construction? 11:42 What is it like, taking over the company from his dad? 12:50 What lessons has Chris learned throughout this process? How did one bad decision go south on him? 15:28 At what point in the project did Chris realize something was wrong? What steps did he take to mitigate the fallout? 17:55 What does Chris’s daily routine look like? How does he manage to run the company, contribute to the community and do his various speaking arrangements? 22:21 What activities does Chris do that really drive the success of his business? 25:40 Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, what would Chris have done differently? 28:25 What is one thing he did right? 29:33 What is going on with Builder’s Plus today? 31:15 Where can you find Builder’s Plus?
