Our guest today is Todd Miller — co-owner of Isaiah Industries and a true pioneer in residential metal roofing. Over the last 35+ years, Todd’s helped grow the market share of metal roofs in North America from just 2% to over 15%. He’s shaped not only a business, but an entire industry.

In this episode, we dive into the evolution of Isaiah Industries, what it really takes to scale a product-based business, how contractors can train better sales teams, and why knowing your numbers is the most underrated growth lever.

Plus: the future of AI in construction, the death of insurance-based roofing, and how to build a brand that makes people trust you before they even know your name.

Show Notes:

(0:00) Intro to Todd Miller (1:05) From fast food chains to nationwide residential (5:10) What makes metal roofing a “make market” opportunity (8:45) How to train contractors to sell, not just install (13:30) Going direct to consumer — and what they learned (18:00) Why virtual sales calls actually work (22:25) Scaling secrets: know your chicken sandwich (26:40) Should contractors niche down or stay flexible? (30:20) Personal brand vs company brand (34:55) The power of trade associations (and why Todd joined) (40:10) How to earn trust from manufacturers and get better deals (44:45) What makes contractors fail — and how to avoid it (50:00) Building a leadership team that scales (55:20) Where the industry’s heading: VC, AI, and bigger players (1:02:00) Marketing budgets: from 5% to 20% (1:06:45) Why you must know your numbers to scale

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Links:

• Isaiah Industries • Construction Disruption podcast • Ask Todd Miller • Rilla Voice • Qualified Remodeler

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Charlie’s LinkedIn

Todd’s LinkedIn

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Sick of chaotic job sites, shrinking profit margins, or not knowing where the money’s going? In this episode, Charlie sits down with Eric Fortenberry, founder of JobTread, to break down how smarter systems, better pricing models, and the right leadership mindset can radically transform your home improvement business.

Learn how Eric took a struggling $5M company to $8M in one year—with a 43% increase in gross profit—by fixing the fundamentals most contractors overlook.

In This Episode:

• (0:00) Intro: Who is Eric Fortenberry?
• (2:10) From Finance to Construction: Eric’s unconventional journey
• (4:50) The $800K mistake hiding in your books
• (8:40) Why margin ≠ markup—and how that’s killing your profit
• (12:00) The three pillars of scalable systems
• (18:30) The real cost of poor project management
• (26:00) Why fixed pricing changed everything
• (33:15) Standardizing chaos: Can you scale with variety?
• (40:20) AI, CRMs & integrating with tools like Go High Level
• (48:30) Hiring smart: When (and how) to build your team
• (54:45) Eric’s top 3 growth levers for contractors

🔗 Links & Resources

• Learn more about JobTread
• Connect with Eric on LinkedIn
• Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn
• Book a free consultation — let’s map out your business’s next move.

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