Some businesses look simple from the outside.

Then you hear what it actually takes to build one.

Grant Stahla built Stahla Services in a niche most people would overlook: premium mobile restroom trailers, shower trailers, and temporary site support. But the real story is not about trailers. It is about capital pressure, sales discipline, hiring the right people, managing seasonality, using vendors well, and building a business that can keep growing without losing what makes it work.

In this episode, Andy and Elliot sit down with Grant to talk through the lessons behind more than a decade of building, struggling, adjusting, and scaling.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Why a narrow niche can become a serious growth advantage
- How Stahla went from brand-first marketing to a real sales system
- Why the right leadership hire can expose the gap you did not know you had
- How creative contracting helps manage seasonality and protect overhead
- Why AI should strengthen the business without damaging the customer experience

If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Builders, Makers, Doers
01:20 - What Stahla Services does today
03:35 - Serving job sites nationwide
04:35 - Starting the business in college
07:35 - Finding opportunity in an overlooked niche
10:25 - Early challenges and capital pressure
13:15 - The sales system they were missing
16:25 - Hiring the leader they needed
22:20 - Why people became the biggest win
26:15 - Building culture with a remote team
30:20 - Why vendors matter more than owners think
31:55 - Creative contracting and seasonal growth
33:35 - What Grant is building next
35:30 - AI infrastructure without AI slop
40:00 - Staying focused on what customers value

We often talk about the 10 impact areas of risk within a business. Now, you can join us for a FREE Resiliency Audit. In 30 minutes, we'll comb through your business, find where you may be at risk, and deliver a detailed plan on how to address the issues. Time to stop being reactive – and commit to being proactive. Schedule your audit today.

You clearly like learning how other businesses are building resiliency. From the people the hire to their safety practices, risk management strategies, exit planning and more. Now, you can do a deep dive on YOUR business – for free. We'll dive into your business and deliver a detailed report that shows you actionable next steps and potential cost long-term savings. Sign up today at www.ellerbrock-norris.com/resiliency.

Most trades owners know people are hard to find.

But the bigger issue is what happens when recruiting stays reactive.

Wrong hires create turnover.
Turnover hurts culture.
Culture problems hit safety, continuity, growth, and long-term business value.

In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy Bassett and Elliot Bassett talk about why recruiting is not just an HR task. It is one of the most important systems inside a resilient trades business.

They break down what they have seen with clients, what they have experienced inside Ellerbrock-Norris, and why the strongest companies are always building a pipeline of the right people before the need becomes urgent.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Why people are the foundation of a resilient business
- How reactive recruiting creates hidden costs across the company
- Why the wrong person in the wrong seat can damage culture fast
- How recruiting impacts safety, continuity, key personnel planning, and exit readiness
- Why employer positioning matters just as much as client positioning

If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:
00:00 – Recruiting as business resiliency
03:40 – Why recruiting needs a system
07:20 – The best leaders always recruit
10:45 – The real cost of bad hires
12:50 – Moving beyond reactive hiring
15:40 – Wrong person, wrong seat
17:10 – How hiring impacts business risk
19:40 – Defining the ideal employee
22:40 – Marketing to talent, not just clients
26:10 – Turning culture into a recruiting advantage
28:05 – Why pre-hire systems matter
31:05 – A real trades company recruiting journey

We often talk about the 10 impact areas of risk within a business. Now, you can join us for a FREE Resiliency Audit. In 30 minutes, we'll comb through your business, find where you may be at risk, and deliver a detailed plan on how to address the issues. Time to stop being reactive – and commit to being proactive. Schedule your audit today.

You clearly like learning how other businesses are building resiliency. From the people the hire to their safety practices, risk management strategies, exit planning and more. Now, you can do a deep dive on YOUR business – for free. We'll dive into your business and deliver a detailed report that shows you actionable next steps and potential cost long-term savings. Sign up today at www.ellerbrock-norris.com/resiliency.

Most trades owners think insurance is the safety net.

It is not.

Insurance can help you survive a bad event. It does not make your business resilient. In this solo episode, Andy and Elliot break down the difference between being insured and actually building a business that can take a hit, keep running, protect profit, and hold its value over time.
In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ Why insurance should be treated as catastrophic protection, not the whole strategy
✅ How one injury can quietly impact safety, retention, workflow, and future profit
✅ Why shopping the market is usually the wrong move when costs rise
✅ How weak continuity planning can kill a business even when the insurance works
✅ Why de-risking your company can directly increase business value

If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts:

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:
00:00 The core question
00:30 Resilient vs. insured
03:00 Why owners default to price
07:05 Insurance helps you survive
10:15 Why shopping the market fails
14:20 When one injury hits everything
17:50 Key people and retention risk
23:25 Hidden costs owners miss
26:15 Insurance worked, business failed
28:45 De-risking increases business value
31:30 How to start building resilience

We often talk about the 10 impact areas of risk within a business. Now, you can join us for a FREE Resiliency Audit. In 30 minutes, we'll comb through your business, find where you may be at risk, and deliver a detailed plan on how to address the issues. Time to stop being reactive – and commit to being proactive. Schedule your audit today.

You clearly like learning how other businesses are building resiliency. From the people the hire to their safety practices, risk management strategies, exit planning and more. Now, you can do a deep dive on YOUR business – for free. We'll dive into your business and deliver a detailed report that shows you actionable next steps and potential cost long-term savings. Sign up today at www.ellerbrock-norris.com/resiliency.