Charlie Genin has been building in Lafayette, Louisiana for twelve years, and the hardest lesson had nothing to do with construction: being a good contractor is not the same thing as being a good business owner. He and Bobby get into the hats nobody warns you about when you start a company.

Charlie founded The Gen Group Construction in 2014 with his father in law, and today runs residential and commercial, spec and custom. This conversation is the honest version of the first twelve years: the commitment nobody mentions when they tell you to go work for yourself, the day you accept you cannot be the best contractor and the best owner and the best dad all in the same afternoon, and the unglamorous systems that made the difference.

Along the way: why you should start writing processes while you are still an army of one instead of waiting until you have a team of ten, why the first thing you hand off should be whatever you like doing least, how to keep your standard without micromanaging the person you just handed it to, why a rainy day fund is a construction issue and not a personal finance one, and the change order habit that prevents most disputes before they start.

"The balance is really hard. To be the best contractor and the best business owner and the best employer and the best dad and the best husband. And the answer is you cannot do all of it at the same time."

Chapters:

0:00 Cold open

0:28 Welcome

0:59 Meet Charlie Genin

1:50 Founding The Gen Group in 2014

3:57 A good contractor is not a good business owner

4:50 The commitment nobody warns you about

6:31 You cannot be all of it at the same time

7:11 Siloing the parts of your life

9:59 Let the calendar be the driver

11:05 Competing without tearing anyone down

14:01 What you say about a competitor

15:42 Working with integrity

16:32 Surround yourself with better people

17:50 Goals you can actually reach

21:07 Sharing the goals with your team

22:40 Celebrating wins, yours and theirs

25:09 Advice for a new owner: the mindset

26:01 Know your numbers

26:54 Start processes as an army of one

27:26 Do not get over leveraged

29:11 All the hats you did not know about

30:12 Delegate what you like doing least

31:26 Consistency without micromanaging

34:25 Checklists are built from mistakes

37:17 Find a mentor, join your HBA

41:10 Buy time instead of paying for mistakes

43:36 First generation owners have no playbook

48:10 Get it in writing

49:30 Change orders are where people get burned

51:08 If it is too good to be true

52:27 Documentation ends disputes

55:46 Do not compare yourself to highlight reels

56:38 Work on the business, not in it

57:45 What success actually means

58:42 Clients are emotional beings

1:00:34 Give yourself grace

Guest: Charlie Genin, owner and general contractor at The Gen Group Construction, L.L.C. in Lafayette, Louisiana. gengrouphomes.com

Learn more at ChoiceConsultingMan.com/Podcast

Bobby's books, Choices and Clarity, are at ChoiceConsultingMan.com/books

A video version of this episode is on YouTube. Search Choices Create Change.

When your business gets quiet, people notice. And they do not assume you are fine. They assume something is wrong.

Bobby Mink makes the case that visibility is the most underrated competitive advantage a business has right now, and that it is not a marketing problem. It is a leadership one. Every week you are either building confidence or creating uncertainty, and silence communicates just as loudly as words.

Bobby walks through seven reasons visibility matters, from the fact that your customer's first visit is almost always digital, to why teaching beats selling, to why one viral post will never do what a consistent weekly one will. Along the way he shares the division president who asked him the question that sums the whole thing up: why did we wait until things got slow to start doing this?

If you are good at what you do but bad at telling anyone about it, this one is for you.

Seven reasons visibility is your most underrated competitive advantage:

1. Your customer's first visit is digital

2. Going quiet looks like you're struggling

3. Visibility builds trust before you need it

4. Teach more than you sell

5. Video makes your business human

6. Consistency beats intensity

7. Visibility creates opportunity

"Visibility becomes influence. Influence becomes trust. Trust becomes opportunity. Opportunity becomes growth. And that is how great businesses are built."

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: why did we wait until things got slow?

00:25 Welcome and the seven reasons

01:10 Why most companies are bad at telling their own story

02:06 Visibility is not marketing, visibility is leadership

02:38 1. Your customer's first visit is digital

03:23 Knowing your target market

04:12 Your digital front doors

04:50 The division president who wished he had not waited

05:58 2. Going quiet looks like you're struggling

06:41 The real struggle is consistency

07:26 Confidence attracts confidence

08:09 3. Visibility builds trust before you need it

09:22 The trust account and third party validation

10:29 Start the conversation where they already are

11:02 4. Teach more than you sell

12:11 Every business should become an educator

13:31 Introduce your team, be real people

14:28 Raving fans, inside and outside

15:36 Teach your industry and become the expert

16:04 5. Video makes your business human

17:04 Show the space, show the process

17:33 Perfection is not required

18:32 Authenticity wins

19:14 6. Consistency beats intensity

19:44 One viral post will not change your business

20:25 Business growth comes from consistency

21:44 7. Visibility creates opportunity

22:28 Better employees find you

23:06 New partners and referrals

23:26 Better vendors and better opportunities

25:28 Visibility is leadership

26:22 The state of the company talk

28:38 Visibility is not ego, visibility is service

29:59 The better question to ask before you post

30:43 Influence, trust, opportunity, growth

31:37 Close and how to reach Bobby

Mentioned in this episode:

Raving Fans, by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles

Suggest a topic for a future episode: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/Podcast

Schedule a free coaching conversation: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/contact

Bobby's books, Choices and Clarity: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/books

A video version of this episode is on YouTube. Search Choices Create Change.

Most business owners see their CPA once a year, drop off a folder, and hope for good news. Ryan Mink, CPA, explains why that relationship is costing you money, and what a real one looks like.

Bobby Mink sits down with Ryan, a partner at Suttle & Stalnaker in West Virginia and, as it turns out, his own son, for a plain English walk through the questions every owner asks and almost nobody gets a straight answer to. Do you actually need an LLC? Should you elect S corp status because someone on TikTok said so? Why does the money in your bank account tell you almost nothing about whether your business is healthy?

Ryan has spent 19 years in audit and tax, and he makes the case that the most expensive mistakes he sees are not aggressive ones. They are the quiet ones: jumping into a structure too early, spending a hundred thousand dollars to save thirty, and never asking why.

If you have ever nodded along in a meeting about your own money and had no idea what was being said, this one is for you.

"Just because there's cash in the bank doesn't mean you're doing well."

Chapters:

0:00 The surprise $30,000 tax bill

0:20 Welcome and meet Ryan Mink, CPA

0:52 Inside a full service CPA firm

2:14 Why the same questions come up over and over

4:19 Do you need an LLC?

5:01 An LLC is a liability tool, not a tax strategy

5:30 Single member LLC: the disregarded entity

6:01 What changes when you add a second owner

7:00 S corporations and how the tax savings work

7:39 C corporations and the double taxation problem

10:50 The reasonable compensation problem

12:14 Why leverage matters before you elect S corp

13:13 The S corp downsides nobody mentions

14:25 The truck, the son, and the deemed sale

16:40 Do not jump the gun on S corp

17:47 The taxes nobody warns you about

19:44 Estimated taxes and the four checks a year

21:12 The restaurant that closed over a tax bill

21:41 Profit First: pay yourself before you reinvest

22:52 Do not outspend your growth

24:56 Your CPA should be your partner

25:43 Why once a year is not a relationship

29:52 What a real quarterly check in looks like

30:32 Cash in the bank is not profit

35:45 The windfall and the Florida property

37:25 Do not let tax savings drive business decisions

39:18 The truck trap: $100K to save $30K

40:42 The Toyota Highlander phone call

42:27 Red flags: when to find a new CPA

48:47 Get your books in order

51:08 Seek to understand why

54:54 Takeaways and how to reach Ryan

55:37 Close and how to suggest a topic

Guest:

Ryan Mink, CPA, partner at Suttle & Stalnaker, PLLC, a full service West Virginia CPA firm with four offices offering tax, audit, consulting, bookkeeping, payroll, and virtual CFO services. The firm is a member of Allinial Global.

Mentioned in this episode:

Profit First, by Mike Michalowicz

Suggest a topic for a future episode: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/Podcast

Schedule a coaching conversation: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/contact

Bobby's books, Choices and Clarity: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/books

A video version of this episode is on YouTube. Search Choices Create Change.

This episode is for general education only. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice, and tax rules and thresholds change. Talk to your own CPA or attorney about your specific situation before acting on anything discussed here.

You explained it. They nodded. Two weeks later nobody is doing it. That is not a people problem, it is a clarity problem. In this episode, Bobby Mink wraps up the two-part series on The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni with the part most companies skip: creating clarity, overcommunicating it, and reinforcing it until it sticks.

Bobby walks through the six questions every leadership team has to be able to answer the same way, including why you exist, how you behave, and the one almost nobody gets right, who must do what. Then he gets into why complexity kills execution, why your 33-item checklist is usually fear wearing a process costume, and why the owner who walks the floor giving orders is quietly undercutting every manager in the building.

The back half is the practical part: the meeting rhythm that actually works (daily check-ins, weekly tactical, monthly strategic, quarterly offsite, annual), how to run a review that is not a trip to the principal's office, and how repetition turns into alignment.

Whether you lead 500 people, 15 people, or a family, this is about making sure the people around you actually understand what you are asking for.

In this episode:

- The six critical questions: why do we exist, how do we behave, what do we do, how will we succeed, what is most important right now, and who must do what

- Why core values need descriptive words, not just words on a wall

- The builder who said we are creating a home where families make memories

- Role clarity: the 11-person company where nobody knew who to ask

- A warning for owners: telling someone on the floor what to do knocks the legs out from under their manager

- Why complexity kills execution, and how fear-based checklists and multiple layers of approval cost you real money

- Accountability, ownership, and setting expectations that actually match

- Clarity leaks: why you have to overcommunicate the same message far longer than feels reasonable

- Repetition creates alignment, and the moment you know it is working (when your newest hire quotes a core value back to you)

- The meeting rhythm: daily check-ins, weekly tactical, monthly strategic, quarterly offsite, and annual

- Reinforcing clarity through hiring, exit interviews, quarterly reviews, managing by walking around, promotions, and recognition

- The eight essentials of great organizations

- The biggest lessons from The Advantage, and why great companies are built from the inside out

Mentioned in this episode:

- The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, by Patrick Lencioni

- The Heart of Leadership, by Mark Miller

- "Vision leaks." (Andy Stanley)

"People cannot execute what they do not understand."

Learn more: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/Podcast

Book a coaching call: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/contact

Bobby's books, Choices and Clarity: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/books

Website: ChoiceConsultingMan.com

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and invite a friend to check us out.

Missed part one? Start with Organizational Health Beats Smart Every Time (Ep 16).

Most companies pour all their energy into being smart: strategy, marketing, finance, technology, operations. Very little goes into being healthy. In this episode, Bobby Mink kicks off a two-part series on The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni and makes the case that organizational health, not raw intelligence, is the single greatest competitive advantage any company can have. Part one breaks down the difference between a smart company and a healthy one, why talented companies still struggle, and the signs of an unhealthy organization: politics, confusion, low morale, silos, and poor communication. Bobby then moves into the first discipline, building a cohesive leadership team, and why trust has to come before strategy. Whether you lead a company of 500 or a team of 5, or even a family, this is about creating an environment where people can actually crush it. In this episode: - Smart vs. healthy: why talented companies still struggle - What smart companies focus on, and the three places Bobby sees the biggest struggles (marketing, finance, and technology) - What a healthy organization looks like: trust, productive conflict, commitment, accountability, and results - Why nobody on your front line knows whether to ask Bill, Susie, or John - The hidden cost of an unhealthy culture: politics, confusion, low morale, silos, and wasted energy - Why health pays off: lower turnover, better customer experience, higher profit, faster decisions, and better execution - One company that climbed from 5% margins to 20% margins over three years by getting healthy - The four disciplines of a healthy organization (overview) - Building a cohesive leadership team: trust before strategy - What breaks leadership teams: egos, politics, hidden agendas, and a lack of trust - Vulnerability-based trust: admitting mistakes and asking for help - Authentic leadership and healthy conflict: how to disagree hard and still leave the room united Mentioned in this episode: - The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, by Patrick Lencioni - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni - "Everything rises and falls on leadership." (John Maxwell) "Organizational health is the greatest untapped competitive advantage in business." (Patrick Lencioni)

Culture is not t-shirts and gift cards. In this episode, Bobby Mink breaks down what actually builds a company (and a family) culture people do not want to leave, using the six areas he has watched make or break teams over 30 years of coaching builders and leaders. In this episode: - What culture really is: the shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors of a team, and why creating it is your job as a leader or parent - Area 1, a consistent and reliable environment: why inconsistency quietly breaks culture, and how to instill discipline instead of fear - Area 2, unity of purpose: how "we" instead of "me" turns addition into multiplication and kills the chaos of "they should have known" - Area 3, fair treatment: safe-to-speak-up environments, clear written standards, and realistic stretch goals people actually buy into - Area 4, great systems: why poor systems, not people, cause 90% of all underperformance - Area 5, encourage initiative: building a no-blame culture and keeping one boss per job (unity of command) - Area 6, feedback on performance: celebrating wins, telling real stories, and the 12-question culture measuring stick Chapters (final, matched to the edited 40:29 video with the cold open at the front): 00:00 Introduction: the real reason people stay 00:25 Welcome: unpacking culture 00:49 The six areas at a glance 02:24 Is culture even important? 02:48 What culture really is 06:15 Area 1: A consistent, reliable environment 09:18 Area 2: Unity of purpose 14:13 Area 3: Fair treatment and safe environments 19:21 Area 4: Great systems (90% of underperformance) 24:36 Area 5: Encourage employee initiative 29:09 Area 6: Provide feedback on performance 34:33 The power of measuring 38:05 The 12-question culture stick 39:49 Recap and go crush it Learn more: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/Podcast Bobby's books, Choices and Clarity: ChoiceConsultingMan.com/books Website: ChoiceConsultingMan.com If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and invite a friend to check us out.

Most builders are great at the work, and then nearly go broke trying to run the business. In this episode, Bobby Mink sits down with Matt Haynes, owner and managing partner of Tracewater Homes, to unpack what it really takes to build a company that runs without you.

Matt's been in home building since he was 13. He earned an accounting degree and an MBA in finance, served as CFO, ran operations, and led land development before launching Tracewater Homes in the Florida panhandle. His specialty is systems: the repeatable, "single source of truth" processes that turn a one-person hustle into a real, scalable company. Whether you're starting your first business or running an established one, Matt and Bobby cover the mindset shifts, hard-won lessons, and practical moves that separate owners who burn out from owners who break through. In this episode: • Why you should "start with the end in mind," and what a real plan looks like • Why business is a team sport (and the support team every owner needs: attorney, CPA partner, family) • Using AI/ChatGPT to draft a structured business and implementation plan • The E-Myth lesson: the visionary, operations, and financial roles every company needs • Knowing your market, your unique value, and your numbers (gross margin matters) • Building operations on systems, accountability, and feedback loops ("design then build, not design and build") • How to manage by exception with metrics instead of endless status meetings • Overcoming the fear of technology and AI (Matt's honest story as a reluctant adopter) • Hiring ahead of need, and why "hiring out of necessity" leads to bad hires • Creating a no-blame, collaborative culture where people feel safe to speak up • Why you don't have to be the hero: delegation, autonomy, and freeing yourself to lead 💬 "Business, no matter what business it is, is a team sport." (Matt Haynes)

🎧 New episodes of Choices Create Change drop regularly.

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Chapters 00:00 Welcome & meet Matt Haynes (Tracewater Homes)

01:10 Matt's journey: from age 13 to CFO & systems builder

04:40 The "on-your-lot" model: custom & semi-custom done right

05:50 Starting a business? Begin with the end in mind

07:22 Why founders get buried wearing every hat

08:45 The E-Myth & using AI to draft your business plan

10:33 Why the right coach saves you time and money

12:35 Matt's top lessons: team, market, numbers, know yourself

17:30 Building a culture where people speak up

18:47 Running operations: systems, accountability, feedback loops

20:11 "How do we never let this happen again?"

22:56 You can't improve what you don't measure

26:01 Facing the fear of technology & AI

29:21 From reluctant to enthusiastic: the social media shift

31:42 Bring in help: implementation teams & accelerants

34:51 Building a no-blame, collaborative culture

36:41 What NOT to do when running a company

38:49 Hire ahead of need — not out of panic

39:58 Two takeaways: always adapt, use the right people

40:59 Wrap-up & how to suggest a topic

Choices Create Change — Episode 13: Culture Is a System, Not a Slogan (with Carrie Rogers)

What does it really take to build a business — and a team — that thrives under pressure? In this episode, Bobby Mink sits down with Carrie Rogers: U.S. Marine veteran, business coach, speaker, restaurant owner, and author of the upcoming book Culture Is a System, Not a Slogan. Carrie shares the hard-won lessons from a journey that runs from the Marine Corps to 16 years helping build a residential home builder, to teaching at Kennesaw State, to launching and scaling her own restaurant — Rally Point, which exists to honor and support veterans, first responders, and their families. Along the way she and Bobby dig into the practical stuff most owners never slow down to figure out: hiring for heart over résumé, managing cash flow so it doesn't slip through your fingers, the difference between financial and managerial accounting, building processes that create real accountability, and why your people have to come before your customers. If you run a business, lead a team, or are thinking about starting something of your own, this one's packed with usable wisdom — and Carrie's reminder that success comes from tiny steps, not quantum leaps.

Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Carrie Rogers and Her Journey

03:05 Lessons from the Restaurant Business

05:53 Key Insights for New Business Owners

08:48 The Importance of Hiring Right

12:09 Managing Cash Flow Effectively

15:04 Understanding Financial vs Managerial Accounting

17:59 The Role of Processes in Business Success

21:05 The Importance of Accountability and Clarity

22:04 Understanding the 'Why' in Leadership

24:43 Creating a Purpose-Driven Culture

26:04 Measuring Success: The Role of KPIs

28:13 Training Under Stress: Preparing Teams for Challenges

30:55 Prioritizing People Over Customers

32:01 Celebrating Team Achievements

34:20 Handling Employee Feedback Effectively

36:51 Micro Changes Lead to Success

In this episode:

Why you should hire for character and heart because everything else is trainable • "Cash is king": managing cash flow and finding the right capital (and the SBDC tip) • Financial vs. managerial accounting and why a P&L is just history • How a simple sticky-note exercise can map and fix your broken processes • Using KPIs and leading indicators instead of looking in the rearview mirror • "Your team under stress will fall to its highest level of training" • Why people come before customers — and the "Chief Celebrations Officer" idea • Praise in public, develop in private: handling feedback the right way

"Success is in the micro steps, not the quantum leaps." — Carrie Rogers

Learn more about Choice Consulting and our services at ChoiceConsultingMan.com/Podcast. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and invite a friend to check us out.