What does it really take to build a business with your spouse and keep both the marriage and the mission intact? Ben and I pull back the curtain on three and a half years of grit and entrepreneurship, from working at the kitchen table to launching Grit Studios in our small mountain town. We talk about pressure, ownership, firing the wrong fits, finding the right ones, and why our culture is built on extreme ownership and high standards. If you are building something from scratch and wondering whether the weight you feel is normal, it is. This is the real story behind the growth.

Topics we covered:
• Designing a 2,000 sq ft studio
• Training space plans and client experience on site
• Entrepreneurship as freedom with responsibility
• Building a team, internships, and role fit
• Extreme ownership and culture of figuring it out
• Incentives, sales mindset, and sustainable growth
• Photography, video, podcasts, pro workflows

Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes
Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

📧 Join the Newsletter
Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6

📅 Book a Strategy Call
Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk:
https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call

🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint
I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.

We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue.

🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Water intrusion is the number one cause of construction lawsuits, and most of it is preventable. I sit down with Mark Stewart and Jeff Martin of Fortress Building Envelope Consultants to break down why roofs, walls, and windows fail and how small mistakes turn into million-dollar problems. We talk about the subcontractor gap, skipped mock-ups, poor supervision, COVID material substitutions, and why testing before cover-up can save massive future cost. If you build, specify, distribute, or insure projects, this conversation will change how you think about risk, communication, and accountability.

Topics we covered:
• What is a building envelope, and how can it fail?
• How to prevent damage to waterproofing membranes during access and storage
• Why pre-roof meetings, protection plans, and mock-ups matter
• Who hires building envelope testing services and when to schedule them
• Practical steps to align manufacturers, subcontractors, and supervision

Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes
Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

📧 Join the Newsletter
Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6

📅 Book a Strategy Call
Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk:
https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call

🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint
I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.

We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue.

🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Most lumberyards think they have a sales problem. Russ Kathrein says they actually have a systems problem. In this episode, we break down the operational moves that quietly unlock millions in revenue, from billing special orders the right way to turning drivers into sales assets and cutting truck turnaround from 52 minutes to 12. Russ also shares his rule number one, your first loss is your best loss, and a simple AR strategy that moved percent current from 65 percent to over 90 percent without becoming the collections department. If you run a yard, manage cash flow, or want cleaner operations that drive real profit, this is a tactical masterclass.

Topics we covered:
• Billing special orders on receipt to improve cash flow
• Clearing dead inventory and exposing carrying costs
• Drivers as sales ambassadors
• Smart timing and strategic investments
• Balance sheet focus over vanity P&L
• AR playbook to raise percent current and get paid first

Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes
Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

📧 Join the Newsletter
Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6

📅 Book a Strategy Call
Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk:
https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call

🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint
I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.

We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue.

🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch