Epic Entrepreneurs

Building Success: Greg Junge's Journey from Remodeling to High-End Construction

• Bill Gilliland

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Unlock the secrets to construction business growth with Greg Junge of Junge Construction, as he shares his journey and expertise in our latest episode. Discover how Greg, a second-generation general contractor, transitioned from remodeling to high-end new construction, emphasizing the importance of strong client relationships and strategic networking. Learn how patience and groundwork led him to upscale communities like Bright's Creek, and why collaborating with renowned architects is key to thriving in prestigious developments.

Explore effective business growth strategies by understanding the art of managing client expectations through clear communication and well-defined contracts. Greg delves into the significance of mentorship, setting boundaries, and continuous education in business success. We also touch upon the emotional aspects of construction projects and how logical contracts can help manage stress and expectations. Find out how staying inspired, even on challenging days, can fuel both personal and professional development, and why Greg believes in balancing hard skills with personal growth.

In our conversation, the link between personal growth and business success takes center stage. Inspired by thought leaders like Jim Rohn and John Maxwell, Greg shares his own experiences, emphasizing the necessity of self-improvement and visualization techniques in achieving significant goals. With personal anecdotes and insights, we highlight the power of commitment and motivation in navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. Whether you're looking to build a luxury home or seeking growth strategies for your business, this episode offers a wealth of inspiration and practical advice for entrepreneurs ready to elevate their journey.

Thanks for Listening. You may contact me at https://billgilliland.actioncoach.com/

All the best!
Bill

Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com.

All the best!

Bill

Speaker 1:

Hey there, hope you're having a fantastic week. Welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs, and we've got a real good one. Today I am talking with Greg Young of Young Construction. So howdy Greg, welcome to the show. Howdy Bill, yeah. And so tell us, greg, how did you get into construction in the first place?

Speaker 2:

And so tell us, greg, you know how did you get into construction in the first place? Yeah, pretty much. Well, thanks for having me, bill. I've always enjoyed doing these, so it's a lot of fun. The funny thing is, I guess I just sort of grew up in it, so we? I don't know if I really had a choice to be in construction, it sort of found me. I'm a second-generation general contractor and I've been doing it for quite a while now.

Speaker 1:

So what do you build? Do you build new construction? Do you do remodeling? What is it that you focus on?

Speaker 2:

I've had the pleasure and curse of doing a lot of remodeling, which is only a curse because it involves a lot of unknowns, which is great for some people.

Speaker 2:

I started getting tired of fixing rotten wood and have been aiming towards new construction more over the last few years. Yeah, a little bit slower, you know. It's a little bit weird of a barrier to entry, I feel like when you're more known as a remodeler, you get a lot of calls for that, and that's sort of what I grew up doing as well. So you know, about eight years ago or so, I decided that I want to do more new construction, which was more of a turned into kind of an additions first version of new construction. So at least we were attaching to houses instead of just fixing their existing spaces, their existing spaces. But yeah, the reason I say it's sort of a good thing and a bad thing, because a lot of guys just do new construction, where I feel like we were able to see what was done wrong so many times, it kind of makes us a little bit sharper of a new construction firm rather than guys that only do new construction.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I know, back in 2009 time, france, when it had a downturn, a lot of people that were only did new construction tried to do remodeling and didn't do it well, because that's a difference, it's a different, it's really a different business.

Speaker 2:

It's almost like two businesses and right now, as we're transitioning, it still feels like two businesses. You know it's. It's very kind of tricky yeah, it's, it's. Remodeling is very mentally distracting. You're almost as involved with a medium sized renovation as a whole home. There's a lot of emotions. There's a lot of you know not I wouldn't want to say dealing with the client, but they're, you're in their home. So it's a lot different. You know there's there's a lot more customer, a lot of different customer facing challenges than new construction.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because they're either living in it or even if it's a second home, they want to be there some and their house is torn up. So, yeah, but it's a good business. They're both good businesses, but I do think they're different businesses. So I think your think on that is now. So one of the things that I know you've been working on is getting into some upper, higher-end neighborhoods. So tell us a little bit about that process and what you've learned by doing that.

Speaker 2:

Well, it's definitely a process by doing that. Well, it's definitely a process. We've learned it takes time and you need to be patient. It's definitely been a long road to break. That initial entry and upfront cost is definitely there just putting in the groundwork for that. We're currently very proud of what we've been able to get started in Bright's Creek, which is a local community in Mill Spring here, not Mills River, which we seem to get confused a lot with, but it's.

Speaker 2:

You know, the steps are definitely. They're sort of laid out for you though, which is kind of great, so you can kind of follow that in. In this particular circumstance, we needed to come to them with a house that we wanted to build, so there was a lot of time involved getting like a really nice floor plan renowned for the area and have a reputable name that we could kind of piggyback on. So that was a tactic that we used to make that a little easier, and it did seem to work. We've got a homeowner construction in there that is just beautiful and will be a really nice finished product when it's said and done.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so all right. So these developments have rules. They have a way to get in there. In this case their rules were basically you had, I mean I'm sure the floor plan has to be approved. You have to be approved as a contractor to even build in there, who's probably already in there and is a well-known architect, to use sort of his I guess his database and his reputation to be able to work with you to get a house into the development Correct.

Speaker 2:

And I think it probably started with referrals, because the way it seems, I don't think that they reach out to anybody that hasn't been vetted at least two or three times over by other people. And then they came to me and asked if we were interested in participating with their preferred builder program and then that lands you in the in the lineup for the kind of the top five builders that they were, you know, refer you to Um and I think to really get your foot in the door you have to bring that, that floor plan to them to, so you can kind of have some skin in the game and be a partner with everybody.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So did you guys have to make an investment, like buy some lots or agree that you were going to do certain things, or was there any kind of a? I guess? I mean that's that's sort of one way to qualify people, I guess in some of these neighborhoods Right, and that's pretty much how it went down.

Speaker 2:

We didn't purchase the lot, but we were. We were selecting lots and, you know, looking for a house that would sit well on a prime lot that they could then list for sale. Essentially, um and uh. It's a fun. It's a fun little process. But Bright's Creek is sort of a little further removed than a lot of the other neighborhoods in the in the area that are maybe been here almost equally as long potentially. But because we're so far from Home Depot and Lowe's and the you know all of the common amenities that a lot of folks desire, it's been a little bit slower to come up, you know. So even though it's a beautiful community and beautiful setting and great golf course, that doesn't have everything for the full family, so to speak. So they've been building up their internal amenities and, as some of the Western counties and places in Asheville are sort of running out of real estate, we're now seeing a pretty good uptick in interest, even though it's more remote. So it's coming around right now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's nice out there, Beautiful, more remote, so it's um, it's coming around right now. Yeah, it's nice out there, um, beautiful, yeah, it's, it really is. Well, let's switch gears a little bit, tell it. So let's talk about some of the lessons that you've learned. I mean, you've been in business for a while. What are some of the bigger lessons that you've learned over the years?

Speaker 2:

some big lessons and some painful lessons. You know I'm I've been very, I've been very grateful and lucky that I've learned from so many mentors around me. So, um, I've been able to avoid a lot of like painful mistakes that I've seen other people make. So, um, I wish I could give you some exact examples, but a lot of them are sort of escaping me now that you know, really, just client interactions are super important.

Speaker 2:

Managing expectations, I think, is probably one of the biggest hurdles that we all face, and I would imagine that's in all of our different career paths. But in construction and in managing a whole home's expectation, there can be some general assumptions that get missed along the way, and if you don't clear them up quickly or you don't have contracts that have a lot of things in writing that really guide the client to what they can expect to get from you, that's probably one of the biggest lessons that anybody that's just starting out should grab onto from this comment. If you're not covering everything in writing and I'd say it's hard to cover everything in writing, but there's a lot of important details that need to be covered in your contracts- yeah, I mean I heard.

Speaker 1:

well, first, I heard have mentors, and that's the first thing I heard. That's the first big lesson that I think that people should take. The second is that client communication is massively important. And the third is it's really four. Third is managing expectations. So that's about positioning how this process is going to work. And then the fourth one is you need to put it in writing, and so that could either be through contracts or checklists I'm a big believer in checklists, and so that even talking to a having a system that you go through with every single client is important, because that way you get all the bases covered.

Speaker 1:

At least you've said it, they've signed off on it, they've understand the importance of it. So those are, that's four or five big lessons. I think that could, and it doesn't matter if you're in construction or not. That's 100% across the board with any business and dealing with any customers. So it's just a big number. It's just a big number when you're building a house, and so it's a. It's usually the. You know, for most people, that's the biggest investment they'll ever make is whatever they're investing on their houses. So, uh, not everybody, but but most, most people. That's it. So there. There's a lot of emotion tied up in there and the contracts and the expectations and all that manages the emotions and brings it back to some logic.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so that's gosh, even expectations for when the client's going to contact you. You know if you are in this business long enough you've probably gotten plenty of phone calls and text messages or things after hours and you know it's sort of an invasion on your personal life after a certain point. You know at 11 o'clock at night to be getting you know text message. Barrage of about an exhaust fan in the bathroom can really disrupt your peace at home.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, no, it'll mess up your mind for sure. Well, I guess that's. The fifth lesson is boundaries. I mean you can position that stuff. Hey, look, I'm available, we'll have a meeting. I mean, what I like to do is have a meeting every week, like, look, let's meet, or every other week, or whatever the appropriate timeframe is, but we're going to have an actual meeting and we'll just save it for the meeting. We'll go over everything we need to, and it'll be during our business hours and be a time that's convenient for you. And most of this stuff's not urgent, you know, so it doesn't need to be done at 11 o'clock at night. So that's, I think. I think that's, I think that's awesome. Well, let's do. You know EPIC is an acronym, so let me get your thoughts in about business and growing businesses. The E stands for education, so what is the? What are your thoughts on how the role education plays in growing a business?

Speaker 2:

I think if you ever stop educating yourself, it's the first milestone in going out of business.

Speaker 1:

It's true, right, You're just going to plateau out. I mean, it's always the more you learn, the more you earn. So I love that. I love that. How about planning? I mean, obviously we've got a plan when you build a house. What is your thoughts about planning a business? We've got a plan when you build a house. What is your thoughts about?

Speaker 2:

planning a business. Planning a business yeah it's, I mean it's very important and I'm getting more and more time and opportunity to work on that as we grow more personnel. You know, sometimes you can kind of just shoot from the hip and you can see the repercussions of that. So planning in this business is very important. I don't think that there's another business that values it even more than construction. You know, there's just so much pre-planning that needs to be done. We're managing a lot of moving parts right. So I think even the best plan is not going to be good enough. So that means you really need to plan well.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and then planning is not just the big overall plan. I mean you got the daily planning as well. I mean you got to plan out your weeks, your days.

Speaker 2:

Mini plan yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, it's the plan. You always said you know you wouldn't I mean I wouldn't build a house, and I don't think most people would build a house without a plan. You know what makes you think you should build your business without a plan. So you know it's the same thing, so it's in there. Well, this is an interesting one. The I stands for inspiration, and you know, we all know, that in business you don't get up, fired up every morning. So where do you either find inspiration, or how do you be an inspiration, yeah and or be?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and that's a good one, and your statement about not waking up every day inspired is definitely a true one. This, I think, probably everyone would relate that life can fall out of that trap or that fall into a trap of not being inspired and not know even really what to do about it. So I try to do a lot of small little tactics to help me stay inspired, and parts of them are just doing difficult things, things that might be ice bathing or, um, you know, meditating, um, you know tapping into motivational uh speakers and things like that is sort of how I start my day to get the funk out, If you will. Um, I can't really overemphasize how much power that stinking ice bath has. I'm going on close to two years now of almost daily cold water submersions and I tell you I mean it started with cold showers but it's progressed to as cold as 32 degree water and if you're having a funk, you get out of that water and you are definitely feeling a little bit. You're a different person.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no, I think I think it's. I mean, Rohn said it best work on yourself harder than you do on your job and you'll be successful. I mean, this is all working on yourself, this is all getting yourself into state to be able to be the best you can be to do your job. And, frankly, you can inspire others if you're not inspired. And so that's awesome, that's good stuff. Yeah, so for all you out there, just take an ice bath and it'll get you.

Speaker 2:

And don't just jump into the ice water because Greg said so. You need to educate yourself on what the benefits are and how to do it, and probably stake it slow, because you can actually cause harm by doing that.

Speaker 1:

I wouldn't get yeah, yeah, no, no, you gotta, you gotta know what you're doing. But I mean look, I mean turn the hot water off at the end of the shower and see how. See what that does for you.

Speaker 2:

First, start a timer and see how long you can. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm not, I'm not.

Speaker 1:

Uh, I've done it and and it's, it is invigorating, let me put it that way. It does change your point of view. How about how about a? How about commitment? The C is commitment and it kind of goes along with inspiration, right, so you don't get up every day 100 percent inspired until after you've had your ice bath, and then, and then you got to commit. So what? What's the got to commit to something? What's your thoughts on commitment?

Speaker 2:

I mean, gosh, commitment is such such a big thing I mean, even committing to do the ice bath is another thing there, you know. So it's like you can really want to talk yourself out of that. And that goes into, um, the doing difficult things, because you're going to have to do a lot of difficult things throughout the day. And if you're committed to jumping into something so difficult as to climbing into ice water, well, maybe the difficult conversation with an employee might not be as difficult. You know you're like I mean, if I can do that, what else can I do? Right?

Speaker 2:

So if you're committed and I feel like, for me this is easy, because if I say I'm going to do something, I feel like I always have to follow through with it to completion. So I feel like I'm a committed individual. But then you also have to be careful, like what are you going to commit to? Because that can be a curse too. You know, if you're over committed, you might also be pretty unhappy. You know, if you can't make all your obligations, so and it's a trick, growing a business you know, if you're not committed to the pain and suffering or to sorry, if you're not committed to the goal, you're going to fail on the pain and suffering, because it can be very overwhelming.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you'll quit. Yeah, if you're not all in, don't understand where you're going. I was talking to some guys yesterday and one of them came out of corporate and he said you know, I traded a 55, 60-hour-a-week job for an 85-hour-a-week job. Yes, sir, so I mean that was what he, but he's committed to the job and he knows it's not always going to be that way. So, yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty interesting. Um, let me ask you a question that I usually, almost always, ask, which is what do you wish somebody had told you? What do you wish you had known before you got into business?

Speaker 2:

business. I'm almost well. I just turned 40 this past year, in 24, and I started my first business when I was 19 and I ran it for 17 years and um, so it's really tough to go back before that, and I feel like I did learn a lot of lessons along the way, but I mean more recently. I think just things that I've learned is is a lot of visualization techniques, and things like that could have could have helped me sooner, you know, um. I can tell you, though, that that's not just an easy.

Speaker 2:

You better be committed to that as well, because it's not a single dose application. It's like a daily commitment to uh, to really like being there for yourself and working on your yourself and, um, keeping your head out of the gutter. And, and you know, I don't think anyone needs to tell you that business is hard, you know, but anything is as hard as you make it to be. So I guess there's a lot of lessons in that and those little statements, but I'm telling you now I'm not an expert at it. I'm still a student of that mindset and that pathway, and I'm personally in one of those winter seasons right now where I don't feel that inspired and I'm having to lean on my commitment to pull up the I. So my C needs to lead my I right now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no, I understand, I understand that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, that's right, I mean it's, it's uh, you know where. That's where I say where do you find inspiration? Sometimes, like for me, it's usually a new class or a new learning or something that or a new goal. It's just, but it's. But I've got to sit down and actually do a little reflection on it. I'm going to let her, I'm going to let you in on a secret, and you already know it, but because you're, because of who you are, but the listeners out there, I'm going to let you in on a secret and that is if you want to grow your business, grow yourself. That's all there is to it. I mean, john Maxwell called it the law of the lid and basically said if you're at a certain level for those that are seeing this on video, you see my hand your business can only go to where that level is. But as you grow, then the business can come along behind it. So if you want to grow your business, grow yourself.

Speaker 2:

And yeah, I think that's true with everything you want to grow your bank account or you want to grow your business. Grow yourself and yeah, I think that's true with everything. You want to grow your bank account or you want to grow out of a home that you're living in. If your mental story is, I'm just a poor person who lives in a single wide trailer boy, that will keep you there longer than anything else in your mind.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you'll figure it out. If you change the message in your mind that you're a multimillionaire, even if you're living in a single wide right now. If you believe it and you continue to tell yourself that you'll be a multimillionaire, your brain will figure out how to do it. You'll take the courses, you'll do the work. Now, it's not easy. You've got to do the work and you've got to become the person who can be a multimillionaire. But you've got to, you've got to do the work that way. So, uh, excellent stuff. So, any other advice, anything that comes to your mind, anything you want to say about anything about business life.

Speaker 2:

Greg, young construction, anything. Well, I mean the, the, the education part, and being a student of yourself is probably the biggest takeaway that any person can can get from any of this uh that we're talking about today. Um, it's, um, it's. It is what keeps me going. I would say like just knowing that I am going to keep tapping into it and, um, I've got a. I'm looking at my whiteboard here beside me as I'm looking for inspiration to answer your question or to go deeper, I feel like I've, just as I learn a lesson, I write a little quote down. You know, I've got things on this board Like I was born for this kind of challenge and don't meet me there, beat me there. Uh, slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and there's just like there's a lot of little things on my board here that help me stay inspired. I guess, when I'm when I need to look for something, um, yeah, just keep working on, keep working on growing, getting better. Yeah, you still have.

Speaker 1:

you still have to do the business stuff. You still have to learn the hard stuff, but you got to do the soft stuff too, working on yourself, so it's a good thing. So if people are interested in building a nice house, how do they get a hold of you?

Speaker 2:

Yes, if you're looking for a multimillion-dollar luxury home on a golf course, look us up on Facebook for Young Construction. It's J-U-n-g-e for everybody who doesn't. Uh, maybe get a visual on that one. I'm a. I'm a. My dad is from germany. It's a german name. It means young, so we say it as uh as its meaning. But, um, it's really junga, which is a little difficult to pronounce. But, uh, we're on the web. We got a good website and web presence, things like that. You could actually find our house listing on brights creek website as well. So, um, if anyone's interested in that, um, that's a good resource too as well fantastic, so just check it out on the web.

Speaker 1:

We'll get that in the show notes. We'll be in there. So, uh, this has been fun, thanks.

Speaker 2:

Thanks, bill. Thanks for having me on, I enjoyed it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, hey. And for any of you who would like to work on yourself or work on your team or work on your business, we have a number of 12-week training courses. We have 12-week leadership, we have 12-week management, we have 12-week sales and we have a 12-week general business masterclass. So if you or any of your people could be better managers, sales peoples or leaders, we'd love to have a chat with you. Hey, and until next time, all the best.