What does it look like to grow a local contracting business without billboards, gimmicks, or chaos? We sit down with owner-operator Ryan Wooten, who went from a single excavator to a respected residential grading and retaining wall company by doing one thing uncommonly well: finishing what he starts and making clients glad they hired him. Ryan opens up about turning down septic installs that slowed the crew, tightening his focus to driveway work, excavation, and boulder or block retaining walls, and building a culture where showing up, learning fast, and not pretending to know everything beats bravado.
We dig into the backbone of his process—planning the job with the end in mind, sequencing work so there are no half-finished projects, and keeping timelines honest when winter storms threaten progress in Wolf Laurel. Ryan shares why mindset matters more than hype, how math, soil, and drainage drive practical decisions, and why he’ll occasionally take a hit to make a customer right while guarding against a pattern that could sink margins. His hiring lens is simple and sharp: show up, care about the craft, follow through. That clarity sustains a crew that needs little micromanagement and produces the kind of results that travel by word-of-mouth.
The heart of the conversation is time: Ryan has seven kids and a hard stop at five. He makes games, shows up for milestones, and treats presence as a non-negotiable. That boundary doesn’t slow growth—it powers it—because clients feel the same discipline in how he runs projects. If you’re a service business owner chasing reliable referrals, better project flow, and a healthier life outside work, this story offers a field-tested blueprint you can adapt tomorrow.
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Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/
All the best!
Bill

Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at [email protected] or at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!

Bill