In this episode of the Contractor Growth Network podcast, Logan Shinholser sits down with Kyle Hunt, remodeling business coach and founder of Remodelers on the Rise. Kyle breaks down his signature “Remodelers Roadmap”—a six-system framework designed to simplify and strengthen every core aspect of a remodeling business. From financials and marketing to people and operations, Kyle shares actionable advice and mindset shifts that help remodelers move from chaos to clarity in their business strategy.
Kyle emphasizes that a healthy remodeling business begins with financial clarity:
Understand job costing, gross vs. net profit, and pricing strategy.
Establish a solid financial foundation to support sustainable growth.
Avoid burnout by making your business serve your life—not the other way around.
Kyle shares how too many remodelers treat marketing like a side task instead of a strategic priority:
Every business owner must be a student of marketing—even if they’re not executing it directly.
Build a clear marketing plan and pair it with a defined budget.
Track lead sources consistently to make data-backed decisions.
A wishy-washy sales approach leaves clients confused and kills conversion:
Define your “This is how we work” process in 3–5 clear steps.
Display your sales process on your website and reinforce it in person.
Charging for design becomes easier when clients understand the value and flow.
Kyle urges remodelers to elevate the client experience from day one on the job site:
Pre-construction meetings are essential to set expectations and avoid surprises.
A systematic “final 5%” process ensures projects end as strong as they start.
Communication, cleanliness, and consistency are critical soft skills on the job.
The quality of your remodeling business is directly tied to the quality of your team:
Empower team members with 1-on-1s, leadership development, and capacity checks.
Great leaders create space for others to lead—inside and outside their roles.
“Your people are more important than your profit margin.”
Behind-the-scenes systems create forward momentum:
“If you’re wondering why your remodeling business feels so hard—it’s because it is hard.”
“Don’t try to implement five things halfway. Pick one thing and really implement it.”
“The quality of your remodeling business will never outpace the quality of your people.”
Logan
Hey, everyone, welcome back to the Contractor Growth Network podcast. I’m Logan Shinholser and today we’ve got on owner, founder, CEO. You go by CEO Kyle?
Kyle
Not technically, but I liked where we were going. Add some more at small Oswego.
Logan
Big man on campus. The only person in the company that can bench 350—we’ve got from Remodelers on the Rise, Kyle Hunt. Kyle, welcome back.
Kyle
Thank you for having me. That was a great intro.
Logan
I just took poetic justice on your bench max. I figured if nothing else, you could at least load up the weight for 350. So that’s gotta count for something.
Kyle
303. I can guarantee you I never have touched close to 350 bench, I never will. Now, if we move the decimal over, I can take care of that.
Logan
You’re there. Perfect.
Kyle
But I am pretty sure I can take everybody else in my company in bench press. No offense, Bailey. No offense, Cassie. No offense.
Logan
So what we’re going through today, Kyle, is the Remodelers Roadmap. I have it printed in front of me. I know you take all your clients through this. But what I’d love to do is talk through what is the roadmap and why do we have a roadmap?
Kyle
We have a roadmap because running a remodeling business is complicated and complex. I might be jaded—I’ve been coaching remodelers for 16+ years—but if you line up your remodeling contracting business against other small businesses, it is so complex. Dealing with people’s homes, jobsite cleanliness, marketing, sales, scheduling—it’s a hard business.
It’s easier to run a coaching business than a remodeling business. I try to simplify things and bring clarity. So I created the Remodelers Roadmap. It summarizes all the complex areas of our business into six main systems. It’s about quieting your mind and giving clarity.
Logan
It goes Financial, then Marketing, then Sales, then Production, then People, then Ops. How did you come up with that order?
Kyle
I put them on a dartboard and tossed darts. Financials hit first.
But really, this comes from coaching hundreds of remodelers. We need strong financials as a foundation. When you’re strong in understanding pricing, profit and loss, gross vs net profit, overhead, and job costs, your business supports your life instead of draining it.
Logan
Do you need to be a 10/10 in financials before moving on to marketing?
Kyle
No. There’s flexibility. We have a “starting line” where we look at pricing, financial recap, and time management. But clients may need to jump into sales or marketing depending on where their biggest need is. You’re always improving all six systems.
Logan
Do we want to get everything to a 5/10 before dialing in each further?
Kyle
It’s more about checking off key foundational items before moving on. People want to chase shiny objects like ChatGPT. But if your financials are fuzzy, you’re building on a shaky foundation. You have to tackle what you might be avoiding.
Logan
Alright, so let’s say we dialed in financials. Now we move to marketing. What should a remodeler know here?
Kyle
Marketing is the engine that fuels your business. I spoke with a daughter in a husband-wife remodeler team recently. She said, “I don’t like marketing.” That broke my heart.
Marketing can be delegated, but the business owner needs to be a student of it. You can’t just write a check and expect results. Be invested.
Logan
We’ve updated contracts to require client responses within 72 hours because it’s such a partnership. Marketing doesn’t work without involvement.
Kyle
Exactly. Remodelers need a plan and a budget. Know your ideal client and ideal projects. Focus on strategy and content around what makes you different. Then layer in the usual tactics: SEO, PPC, strategic partnerships, staying in touch with past clients, and tracking how people find you.
Logan
Let’s talk sales next. When you evaluate a remodeler’s sales process, what are you looking for?
Kyle
The biggest message: “This is how we work.” Remodelers need a clear process—steps 1 through 5. That clarity helps the client buy and builds trust. And if you charge for design and development, be clear about how that works.
Logan
How many actually have that in place?
Kyle
Most don’t. Early-stage businesses are just too busy to focus. And even businesses doing $1.5M–$2.5M might have created a system, but let it slide. There’s a strong correlation between healthy profits and a strong sales process.
Logan
Okay, next—production. I imagine this is the one people feel most comfortable with.
Kyle
Yes, remodelers love production. But the banner over production should be “Give your clients a wonderful remodeling experience.” It’s about communication, jobsite cleanliness, and managing expectations.
We focus a lot on pre-construction meetings. Two weeks before starting, clarify everything: parking, restrooms, pets, lockbox, water shutoff, etc. That prep makes everything smoother.
Logan
So much of this isn’t the “fun” stuff but the essential stuff. And the final 5%—you mentioned a free training on that?
Kyle
Yes, search “Remodelers on the Rise Final 5%.” It’s about wrapping up jobs properly and creating a smooth final phase.
Logan
Production feeds into People. So what’s the People System?
Kyle
It’s your in-house team, your trade partners, your vendors. Your business heartbeat. You’re not a “sub”—you’re a trade partner. The system includes training, one-on-one meetings, leadership, and capacity awareness.
If you’re going to grow beyond a solo shop, you have to become a student of leadership. Read books. Train your team. Learn the balance of honey vs vinegar.
Logan
And last—Ops. The one that makes everyone tense up. Why is it important?
Kyle
Operations are the glue: meetings, software, and systems. Ten years ago it was all spreadsheets. Now, if you aren’t using tools like BuilderTrend or CoConstruct, you’re behind.
And meetings? If your team of 8 hasn’t met in 6 months, that says a lot. Meeting cadence shows how tuned-in your business is.
Logan
I read How to Lead Engaging Meetings and it was a game-changer.
Kyle
If you suck at leading meetings, you’re holding your company back. Get better. Practice. Meetings aren’t updates—they’re for solving problems.
Logan
If you could only coach one part of the roadmap forever, what would it be?
Kyle
Financials. When people struggle with financials, it affects their life—marriage, stress, sleep. Helping them find clarity is life-changing.
Logan
What’s one thing I didn’t ask that you wish I did?
Kyle
What do we do with this roadmap? Identify the next right thing. Don’t try to do six things halfway. Focus. Implement. Stack those improvements.
Logan
Where can people connect with you?
Kyle
Visit RemodelersOnTheRise.com. Listen to the Remodelers on the Rise podcast. Join our free Remodelers Community Facebook group at RemodelersCommunity.com.
Logan
Thanks for coming on, Kyle. This was great.
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