In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by CCN VP Gary Cohen for a discussion on the importance of building a community or network of peers in the home improvement industry.

Being a business owner can feel like a lonely existence. Gary and Drew talk about ways in which Certified Contractors Network fosters community and collaboration among business owners who are experiencing many of the same issues and obstacles.

Gary highlights CCN’s three annual conferences as steppingstones to business success and growing one’s network. Drew concludes the episode with a special offer for guest contractors to attend the CCN INNOVATE 2025 Winter Conference from January 9-12, 2025.

In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Ken Kelly.

Ken took over his family business—Kelly Roofing—in 1993 and grew it to $50 million in annual revenue and 300+ employees. He sold the business in 2020 and retired at the age of 47.

Ken shares his expert insight on how to properly grow a contracting business, including tips on what businesses at different revenue levels need to focus on most, five rules for growth he learned from Elon Musk, the importance of discipline, five keys to growing your people, and much more.

This episode features takeaways for home improvement contractors with revenue at $1 million, $5 million, $10 million, or $20+ million.

As of January 2025, new FCC lead generation laws will require contractors to have explicit 1:1 consent to call or text leads, impacting how companies can engage with their potential customers.

Home improvement companies have until the end of 2024 to freely contact existing leads, making it crucial to ramp up outreach efforts before the laws take effect and then to comply with the rules after that.

In this episode, CCN Director of Member & Partner Experience Drew Barto is joined by Structurely Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer Nate Joens. Nate has led Structurely to 10x growth in conversations processed and has developed a proprietary conversational AI that users perceive as human.

He offers expert insight on how contractors can best prepare for these new laws, how the lead gen landscape may change in 2025, and how AI can help companies navigate these changes.