Women in Construction: Milestones to Millions

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios. It’s time for Women in Motion. Brought to you by Wbec West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here with Dr. Pamela Williamson. Another episode of Women in Motion, brought to you by WBEC West. So excited to be talking to the folks we have on today. Uh, this month’s theme is Women in Construction, and this episode is going to focus in on Milestones to Millions. Uh, you got quite a group today, Pamela.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:00:52] I do Lee. It’s great to be with you again. And, uh, yeah, today we are focusing on women and constructions and milestones to million. Both of those topics are quandaries, right. Because in the United States today we have if you round up about 800,000 construction companies, and out of those 800,000, only 3% are actually operated and owned by by women owned businesses or women owned entrepreneurs. And so and then when you look at milestones to millions, what’s even a crazier thought is only 3% of the women owned businesses in America today make over $1 million in revenue. So I’m excited to have the two women here today that we are speaking with. Uh, I’m going to start with, uh, Jenny Tanner from Tanner glass. Can you talk to us a little bit about how you started your business?

Jennie Tanner: [00:01:43] Hi, Pamela. Thank you for having me. Um, it started out to be a family business. My father, my husband, my brother and myself, uh, started our company in 2000. I had no idea that I would learn to love selling doorknobs and shower doors, but it definitely became something that I just I fell in love with and the sales aspect of it. And just learning about construction, um, I own the company by myself today, and I have 65 employees, and I. I really love what I do still, even at my old age.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:02:26] Thanks, Jennie. Barbara Myrick from B & M Construction, uh, located in Colorado. Correct?

Barbara Myrick: [00:02:36] Correct. In the beautiful Front Range of Colorado Springs.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:02:40] So tell us a little bit about how you started your company. I’ve heard your journey before, which I love, so I’m excited to hear you share it.

Barbara Myrick: [00:02:49] Well, actually, um, I, you know, if it was my family’s choice, I wouldn’t be doing construction. My father, um, had six sons. It was 13 of us. And, um, I was the daughter that stepped up. The six brothers couldn’t figure it out, so he did horizontal construction. And I wind up starting, um, home renovations in 94. So I tell everyone before there was a chip and Joanna Gaines, there was a barber and Jay, and we did, um, flat work and foundations. And then in 2000, I, um, ventured into the government sector, uh, where I found my niche. Um, and I just love it. And, you know, Jenny, I wouldn’t say we have old age. I would just say we’re just very, uh. We had a lot of wisdom. How about that? I would put age with it. And so, um. I love what I do, love what I do.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:47] Thank you. Now Barbara was yours. A family business as well.

Barbara Myrick: [00:03:51] No, actually, my father worked for the same, um, contractor, um, until the day he died. So you talk about loyalty. He started with, um, asphalt and, um, horizontal construction at 23, and and kept going until he was 72. Um, so it wasn’t a family business. He wanted the family to do a business. But, yeah, it didn’t happen the way he wanted. It was a daughter that stepped up and did it.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:19] So. And then in your in your firm, is it, uh, is your family involved or is it you?

Barbara Myrick: [00:04:26] It’s just me with, um, employees. Um. We have all my work in three different currently work in three different states Colorado, Saint Louis and Missouri and Tampa, Florida.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:39] Now, Jenny, coming from a family business, was that something that was expected? The the kids were supposed to be part of that. And then you just just kind of followed along. Or was that something you were like, okay, I really enjoy this. I’m going to pursue this.

Jennie Tanner: [00:04:56] Absolutely not. I, I am someone that has had 100 jobs in my lifetime. I’ve been fired from jobs. I’ve quit jobs, I’ve started things on my own. And I had no idea that I would do this. I was a flight attendant and I lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and I just got tired of opening cans of Coke and thought that after ten years, if I hadn’t met my future husband by then, he wasn’t in Atlanta. So I decided to move back to Utah, and my father owned a company that did similar to what we do now, and he had a partner and they didn’t really like each other very well, and my brother worked for him at the time. So my dad said, hey, if you want to move back from Atlanta, I’ve got a job for you as a sales rep, pedaling doorknobs and mirrors and shower doors in the Park City area. And so I thought, well, what the heck, I’ll I’ll give it a try. So I moved back and I met my husband who worked for my father the first day I got back. So I definitely felt like that was meant to be. And working with my dad and my brother and my husband didn’t become my husband for about 2 or 3 years after. But working with my family is was extremely challenging. Getting to know them again after living away and and loving them, but not really knowing them anymore as a grown up and just learning the business inside and out. My dad was such a great mentor for me and I really appreciated all the time he spent teaching me about the business and helping me understand, you know, how to be profitable in this kind of business because you won’t. You aren’t always profitable in construction.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:49] And then now are your children involved or does that that kind of end with you?

Jennie Tanner: [00:06:56] You know. So when I moved back from Atlanta, I was 32. And again, you know, having jobs all over the place. I didn’t know I would be working in a family business. And so I have to remind my father that while his two granddaughters don’t want to have anything at all to do with the business, they’re only 24 and 19 and who knows what the future holds. My one daughter just graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in environmental and sustainability studies, and then my other daughter is a barista at Beans and Brew at the airport and loves her job. And right now, neither one of them want anything to do with what I do every day.

Barbara Myrick: [00:07:39] So on that my children actually did work for me. Um, actually, my husband used to work for me. Um, and it was for us. It was. A struggle because I am very direct. Um, and they couldn’t separate work from home. And so it was best that none of them worked for me. And so my husband and I started a business together. And then, um, I seen beyond what we could be. So most small businesses, you know, live in the small business mindset. And I live in the large business mindset. How do I get there? And my family just wanted to be the mom and pop, right? And that didn’t fill me. It didn’t satisfy me. And so my husband left the company and then he he he does his thing now. He plays in dirt all day. So he excavates and that’s what he does. And he loves it. And my daughters, they, they came to work for me. And it was hard for them to work for mom because at the end of the day, you do have to separate family from business during those hours. And and they really had a hard time.

Barbara Myrick: [00:08:55] And both of them are graduates from Du. And and now now I’m proud of them. They’re doing their own thing. I had to tell them to go find what makes them happy, because working for me didn’t bring them fulfillment. I wanted them to fulfill their dreams and wishes. And I think sometimes, um, family owned businesses, the expectation is that kids take over the business, but is that their dream is that their passion? Is that are they going to give their 150% like we did to build the business? And so I had to come to grips with that myself as a mom, that this was my dream, this was my passion. And so I wanted them to go and spread their wings. So they’re doing well now. They, um. And my son, he went on into the Navy as a nuclear engineer tech, and they all just had to go do their own thing. But I see it now. That was the best thing that for me, was to let them go and be the Eagles and saw that they could be, because it wasn’t with me in the company.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:00] Now, you brought up an interesting point, and I think it kind of dovetails nicely with what Pamela said at the start that very few women, uh, first of all, get into construction and then second of all, achieve that kind of, uh, million dollar mark. Um, any advice that you can share for that aspiring woman entrepreneur to dream big and to really kind of go for it rather than settle, maybe for a smaller entity when, you know, there’s there might be a path to a larger entity.

Jennie Tanner: [00:10:35] Well, I don’t think everybody wants to have a large business. It’s hard to have that many employees and to offer the benefits and to be a legitimate big business as to as opposed to a mom and pop shop where you can fly off the seat of your pants anytime you want. It has to be structured in a way that you understand your financials and understand the the profitability of your company, and that isn’t for everyone. So any advice I would give someone, another woman that has a construction company or wants to start a construction company, or any company for that matter, you need to know what you want out at the end of the day. And in 20 years from now, where do you where do you see your company? And that’s where you start is if you don’t want the headache of all of those employees and, and the 401 KS and the insurance and the vacation and HR and accountants and lawyers, then it maybe you better hone it in and bring it back to begin with. If that doesn’t suit you right now, today, if that’s not where you see your company going.

Barbara Myrick: [00:11:52] You know, I totally agree with that. At one point I had, um, 90 employees. And it was just, um, you’re right. You had the 401 K, you had the health benefits you had to provide. You had the taxes. That was employee taxes. That, um, was just. Crazy, right? Um, and then you had the stress of getting out there and. You had to bring in income, right? So most people think, well, I have these contracts. They’ll last forever. No. You constantly have to look for work and and submit proposals and things of that nature. So I totally agree with you. You give it. Uh, think about it. Because going from a small business to a mid-size business to a large business are all different phases. And so find your niche within, um, that area of expertise that you, you love and, and if it’s you want to be a $5 million business a year and, and have, um, great profits, that’s great. 10 million. That’s great. But we have to keep in mind the bigger we get, your profit margins, actually, they don’t increase, they go down. And and so, um, give all of that some thought. I mean, being great is good, but there’s heavy roles and responsibilities that come with being large and great in all of those things. So great point. I would I would take that and, you know, put that in my.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:28] Now were there any. Were there any challenges as you were kind of going, uh, evolving in your business where you were like almost stopped, but you kind of powered through or you got help and were able to kind of, uh, overcome them.

Barbara Myrick: [00:13:46] One of my, my challenge was, um, I think, um, well, I know was access to capital, I think, um. Most small businesses struggle with access to capital. And so getting, um, the head around the your financials and your profits, um, and understanding not to take everything out of the company that you may because you do need to grow.

Jennie Tanner: [00:14:14] Um.

Barbara Myrick: [00:14:15] Was some lessons that I learned that helped me move to where I’m at now. So learning those basic fundamentals of financials and, um, you know, Jenny said, making sure you have an attorney, even as a small business, you need to have an attorney. You need to have a good accountant. You need to have a good bonding company. And I think sometimes we we don’t look at all the parts and pieces that come with doing it. It’s after we get in it that we have to realize that we have to, to do those things. But access to capital was a, um, a challenge for me, for my growth. But once I got my head around it. I’m okay, I understand it.

Jennie Tanner: [00:14:57] Yeah, I actually have a somewhat of a sad story. My, uh, as we were going into the recession and where we’re in both commercial and residential construction and during the recession, my brother, who I think for all intents and purposes, my dad thought that Jeff and I would be partners. We would buy him out. He and my mom would go live on a boat in the Caribbean. One day. He had this, you know, great vision for himself. But my brother ended up getting sick and passing away in 2011, and we were thick in the recession at that time. We could start seeing ourselves coming out of it a little bit, but me having to lay people off and deal with the death of my brother and my father saying, I don’t want to have anything to do with this business anymore, it’s too painful for me now that he’s gone and my hopes and dreams are now gone, because my goal was for the two of you to go out and make your dreams come true with this business. So getting through the recession, having my dad leave, having my brother pass, and being by myself, you know, we all had our different roles and then being by myself and having to pick up every single one of those roles was really difficult for me.

Jennie Tanner: [00:16:22] And like Barbara, um, my husband didn’t. I guess he was married to the boss. And so there was always the, you know, I kind of get to do what I want. And we had to make an agreement that he would leave the company, too. So going through that by myself and then having to prove that I was going to make this business get back onto its feet, and having people from a distance, having customers, having manufacturers watch from 30,000ft to see if I’d be able to to bring it back was was really challenging. I think when you’re going through it, you don’t realize until you’ve come out of it how painful it actually was. And you can look back in the rear view mirror. And so during it, I just I just did it. I got up every day. I went to work, I, I solved problems, I’m a problem solver. I can make a decision in a, in a second. I don’t have to contemplate anything. I know what’s right and wrong for my business. And I go. But going through that was probably the hardest thing I think I’ve ever gone through in our business.

Barbara Myrick: [00:17:35] So, you know, you bring something. Thank you for having me reflect. So in 2017, I wound up with breast cancer. And so I had to leave the company for health reasons. I had to step back for afar, um, to, you know, heal. And when I came back, everything was upside down. It. And I was just, uh, just a total like. Mess. And so someone came and actually with my daughter came in and said, um, she didn’t say we had a problem. She said, you had a problem. So everything that they didn’t do while I was out for nine months came back to me when I came back. And you’re right. I put my head down. Most people would have filed bankruptcy and closed their doors. I put my head down. I reached out to my creditors and all my clients, and I just worked through it. And so, um, I hired a, um, a new accountant in 20 last year, in 2023, at the beginning of 2023. And she was just speechless when she went back and looked at the history. She said, all my goodness, most people would have given up. But she said, you are just how did you do it? And I said, I love what I do. I reached out and communicated with my vendors and my clients, and I just worked through it, and I said, I’m in a better place today than I was in 2017. And in 2017, I had crazy revenues. But I’m in a better place today from a mindset of processes and procedures and accountability and all of those things that. We overlook. Sometimes I’m in a better place, in a better mindset. I know what I want to do, how I want to do it, and what clients I want. So I, I commend you because, you know, dealing with bereavement and going through all of those things is a hard process. Then we do feel alone. I was alone, I felt alone.

Jennie Tanner: [00:19:46] Yeah. I don’t think you know how to how bad things are until you go through something and come out of it and see, oh my gosh, I didn’t know how to run my books. I didn’t know what how to manage profit. I didn’t until you’ve gone through it and you can look back and and so everything we go through is absolutely a learning process and absolutely growth.

Barbara Myrick: [00:20:14] I think trials and tribulations help us grow. Yeah. Because it’s the things that we need to pay attention to that sometime we’re not paying attention to because we think we have all these people in these positions that. Um, look at things that we do and hold on to the vision and the mission, right? But when actuality, some of them don’t. And so I think it just makes us stronger and better. I know I’m stronger and better.

Jennie Tanner: [00:20:44] Agreed.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:47] Now, um, when you’re going through something that you like, you each went through, how do you kind of. Find that true north? Or does that never change? Is it? Is that what helps keep you going? That you have something in your head that you’re kind of working towards? And you know that I just have to, you know, just put one foot in front of the other and just kind of grind here and it’ll be okay if I do that. Like I have control of that. Like, was there something that was telling you that, hey, I’m I’m on the right path. I’m going to be able to get through this.

Jennie Tanner: [00:21:25] I think for me, um, following my gut, which is such a cliche, but it really is true, at least for me, that I have to listen to my instincts and know what feels good. And if it’s too hard, then maybe it’s not worth it. But I mean, and that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t fight for the things that are difficult. It just means that if you just keep getting tripped up over things that don’t make sense, then maybe it just isn’t the right thing. So for me, I and and maybe it comes with older age. Maybe it was always there, but I was just too immature to follow my instincts and listen to what my head was telling me. But for for sure, my just listening to my gut is the way I. I make a lot of my decisions and and to be honest, they haven’t proved me wrong yet.

Barbara Myrick: [00:22:16] So mine would be, um. I find my strength in my faith during those times where I have to go back and, uh, reflect on what I should have been doing, and maybe I chose to try a different path. And I always come back to where I’m supposed to be. So it was my faith that really took me through a lot of, um, things. Even when my my children decided that they didn’t want to be here. And, and I had to reflect on that and my husband and then, um, going through cancer, it was a lot of those things. And then I have some really, um, um, I call them powerful women in my life that really was there to speak to me and encourage me. Um. And to tell me that I wasn’t crazy, and with some of the crazy ideas that people would say is crazy, they would say, gosh, that that’s amazing. When are you going to get that going? And so just having that strong, um, network of women. Um, even Camilla, at times she would call me and check on me, um, to help me get through those hard times. Because there, as women, we seem to hold things in more and try to figure it out ourselves. But I’ve learned over the years that I just share and and have everyone else come in and help me. So it was my faith that some strong women that I have in my life.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:23:56] So, uh, farmer, I think that that’s significant. And I think that as people start looking at either starting a construction business or expanding their current business, having a tribe is important. And so I don’t know if you either of you want to talk about any of the organizations that you belong to that have helped you as you’ve been growing your business.

Barbara Myrick: [00:24:21] So we request is amazing. And we bet, we bet. Um, in totality is amazing for women. Um, I have been I’ve done, um, several committees with the state. I was been I’ve been on the minority business office with the state of Colorado. Um, I’ve been the board chair for the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber. I’ve been involved in various organizations. Um, now I’m part of a mastermind, um, group of, um, African American entrepreneurs. It’s five of us, and we get together once a week and we hold each other accountable. Then I have a little, um, tribe here in Colorado Springs. Um, a banker I call a banker. Um. Butcher, baker and a candlestick maker. But it’s a banker and it’s someone that does HR. Um, and we get together just to talk about business and to encourage each other and, um, one of the, uh, new businesses, the HR business, she just started her business last year. And, um, we have conversations. So I have surrounded. It’s important. It’s important for us to be a part of community and organizations, but it’s important for us to have those, um. Network groups and those women that we lift each other up and help each other out and encourage each other and speak the truth when somebody like. Off there, off the rail, bring them back in and say, I just think that’s a little bit far out. You know, you need to come back. And, and I think holding each other accountable. Is important. We need to hold each other accountable. Men hold each other accountable. And I don’t know why we find it. We have a hard time doing that as women.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:22] Jenny, any groups for you that are important?

Jennie Tanner: [00:26:25] Yes. So I was in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small Business program back in 2012. And I to have a couple of different tribes. I have we call ourselves the power egos. And there’s a lady that owns a vanilla company. She imports vanilla from Mexico, a garage door owned company and an IT company. And we were all in Goldman Sachs together. And we we also we go to lunch once a quarter, once a month, once a quarter, um, just to be able to share business advice and, and become friends and things that are going on in our lives. I’m also a mentor for, uh, up at the University of Utah. It’s called Women Who Succeed. And in this group of what other women who are mentors, these are some extremely accomplished women. And I get very intimidated by a lot of their accomplished accomplishments. But we. Mentee three, um, either college age or high school young women. Um, there’s a program that we go through with them every month. We have events, we have community service projects that we do. And it’s it’s really nice to be able to help a young woman that wants to be an architect, or maybe she wants to be a doctor, whatever. Whatever these women want to do, we’re there for an entire year to assist them. I also, um, was part of a program, I still am. It’s called Professional Women in Building and the acronym Pwb.

Jennie Tanner: [00:28:01] It is a national organization from it’s a charter of the Nahb National Association of Home Builders. And we built the first house in the nation built by all women. Uh, it was in 2020 and 2021, we sold the home. We made $470,000 in profits. And we’re giving that money back in scholarships to young women to help them get into the construction industry. Since there are only 3% of women that work, at least in the state of Utah. And so wanting women to get into the trades, teaching them how to run a business for themselves, not only working in construction, but then taking it a step further and teaching them how to manage a business as well. And this we have a children’s book that’s been written out about our story. We have a Girl Scout patch, and it’s called the House that She Built. And I the experience, the two year experience that I went through with these women completely changed my life. And we are a tribe. We have each other’s backs. We hold each other accountable. I sit on other boards as well. I’m. I’m, um, directly involved with a lot of the homeless community issues that we have in the state of Utah, but as far but SWB and the mentorship that I have through the Women Who Succeed program and then my power egos, all of those women have my back and they hold me accountable.

Jennie Tanner: [00:29:32] Like Barbara said, we we just we have each other and we share and we cry. And we’ve all been through trauma together. And we get together and we laugh and we cry and we drink, and we have a lot of fun together as well. So. And there aren’t that many. I think women have a tendency to be more competitive. Um, a lot of the, a lot of the panels that I sit on, I’m always hearing the same thing that a woman would never apply for a job unless she could check all of the boxes a man applies for a job without checking any of the boxes and said, hey, if I get it, I get it. If I don’t, I don’t. Who cares where women feel the need that they have to be perfect and they have to check all those boxes. And I don’t think there are a lot of women that own really successful businesses, let alone in construction, who have someone that is going through the same pains that they go through talking about employees. And do I keep this guy and, you know, do I do I go from an IRA to a 401 K? And just a lot of the really intense conversations there are just not not a lot of women out there that are able to share in the experiences that we’re going through now.

Lee Kantor: [00:30:59] Is it, um, is the construction industry your father’s and grandfather’s construction industry, or is it slowly changing?

Barbara Myrick: [00:31:12] Mhm. Mhm.

Jennie Tanner: [00:31:14] Very slow change. It’s a very.

Barbara Myrick: [00:31:17] Very very slow.

Jennie Tanner: [00:31:19] There’s, there’s some progress being made. When we were building the house that she built, we had a lot of naysayers and men assuming that we weren’t going to be able to finish the home. Um, the, the company that we bought the land from had clauses in our contract in about 20 different places, that if we have to take the house back and finish it for you, and we just didn’t get a lot of confidence from people that we’d be able to finish it. And I do think that things are changing. Um, there’s I think social media has been a huge asset to women working in construction because there are so many women, the, you know, the tiny plumber girl and who came out and helped us and the drywall chicks out of Montana. And there are so many women now on social media in the trades that it’s it’s definitely starting to snowball. And women are wanting and knowing that these things that they love doing, whether it’s woodworking, whether it’s welding, can actually become a career instead of a hobby. So I think it is starting to gain momentum, but at a snail’s pace, unfortunately.

Barbara Myrick: [00:32:33] Are you? Are you, I think oh.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:35] Go ahead, Barbara, I think.

Barbara Myrick: [00:32:37] Um, it is a slow pace. Um, but I think what holds a lot of women back is getting access to to things that they need to be successful, um, that the business isn’t passed on, that they have to figure out how to buy equipment, figure out, um, um. Equipment and trucks and all of those things, the finances and how am I going to finance this and all of that? It’s so much that. The challenges that come with women getting as an entrant into this here, um, in the construction industry, it can be quite challenging. And I think that contributes to. The slow pace of women entering into the construction industry because there are so many unknowns and. It’s a huge obligation and finance commitment that you have to do in some areas.

Jennie Tanner: [00:33:38] But when the perception is it’s laborious and so you’re out in the field getting dirty and you’re freezing or you’re sweating and and a lot of women think that’s that’s not for me. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

Barbara Myrick: [00:33:50] Mhm. I totally agree I still wear my stilettos.

Lee Kantor: [00:33:56] Now. Is technology helping in that way to make it not as physically demanding as maybe it has been in the past.

Jennie Tanner: [00:34:04] Absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:34:06] Mhm. So you’re finding a younger women and girls like at least considering this as a career path may be more than they would, um, you know in previous generations.

Barbara Myrick: [00:34:17] So what I do, I go to the high schools. Um. And because most people have the perception of 80% of, um, construction jobs are by white males in the industry, 80%. Um, so I go into the high schools of under, I go to the underprivileged schools here in Colorado Springs, and I’ve created a list. Of just about every position outside of vendor sales that’s in the construction industry, the trade and how you can start out as an apprentice. And it has changed some young lady’s mind, even, um, young ladies that wanted to be architects. Right. Okay. I can get into electrical engineering. I can get into mechanical engineering. Um, and it’s changing their minds on honing in on a specific area in college that they want, even if they want to go to school for construction management or just starting out as an apprentice. And what I’ve done is showed them the dollar value that comes with it. And if you start as a laborer and what you can, you can wind up being a president of a company of that same company, um, if you stay and stick with it. So I have brought, um, that added value within the community to change the mindsets of little girls that do like to use a hammer and a screwdriver, that does love front loaders and skid loaders and want to be a heavy equipment operator. But all they do, all they see is men doing it. So getting their mindset changing on how do I. Venture out into that tree or into that industry.

Jennie Tanner: [00:36:08] It’s not a conversation that parents sit down and have with their daughters at the dinner table, and that’s one of the things we’re trying in the pub that we’re trying to change, is just bringing awareness that women belong in construction. If they want to do this, they are completely capable of doing it. And high school guidance counselors need to be taught to have those conversations. And it actually really does start in second and third grade. And we go in and we read the book that the house that she built, and we talk to little kids about how, you know, their moms or their sisters, or they can work in construction if they want to, and they just are jaw dropped thinking, yeah, but my dad is the one that does that, not my mom. My mom stays home with me. And so changing that perception at a really early age is important. If we’re going to get more women into construction and let them know that you don’t have to put a 50 pound bag or 100 pound bag of concrete on your back and walk it up to a house and put it in a wheelbarrow and mix it. That’s not the way things work anymore. So the education about how about the new technology and how things work now, and just advising them and and welcoming, welcoming them in and letting them know that it’s here if you want it and you can make good money doing it.

Barbara Myrick: [00:37:29] And that they don’t have to lose their femininity right now. You could still wear your stilettos and your dresses, and you can still have your nails done and your hair done, and you can still be who you are and still be successful in this industry. So we don’t have to give up our identity to be in a male dominant industry. We can still be who we are.

Lee Kantor: [00:37:52] That’s great advice. Now, is there anything you would tell? Um, maybe that aspiring, uh, woman entrepreneur that’s considering the construction industry? Is there some kind of do’s and don’ts? Is there a way to kind of get your foot in the door somewhere so that you can kind of, uh, get an idea of what it entails and see if it’s the right fit for you?

Jennie Tanner: [00:38:19] Job shadow for sure. I mean, reach out to whatever interests you, whether it’s a trade, being an engineer, a working in Hvac, a plumber, or selling doorknobs, or if you really want the hands on experience of being a framer or and doing the woodwork, figuring out what you enjoy doing, and job shadowing as much as you can. There are so many people that would welcome that and just drive around with you. Do whatever. But then I do now that now that I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, I do think having a good business sense and it helps you get off on the right foot. And so understanding what a balance sheet looks like and a profit and loss looks like, and, and understanding what the differences between them and what they actually mean is, is important so that you know, you’re going in the right direction and job costing and it’s it you have to do what you love, but you’re only going to do what you love as long as you’re making money at it. So it’s important that you learn the business aspect of it too. And or at least you’re hiring the right people that can do that for you. Mhm.

Barbara Myrick: [00:39:43] I totally agree with that. And then asking, um. Seek out a mentor and a coach. Right. Just, um. And I wish when I, when I first started that I had a mentor. Because it was the lessons. Um, I had some hard lessons learned. I. But I’ve learned so much that I share now the pitfalls. Don’t you don’t do this. You definitely don’t want to do this, but seek out a mentor. Um. In a coach to help you get through those things. Um, and there’s so many resources out there. Um, and you just have to be dedicated to following up and attending and going. And I remember when I started my business, I was in Denver every day in for a class, every day, every time something came up. I know, so you’re saying when does she do business? It was in the evening because I had to go to those classes during the day to get the knowledge to meet the people. Um, and to find mentors and those that encouraged me. Right. And so I would encourage people, uh, new women that are thinking about getting into this industry, find a mentor or coach or both. Um, and then attend those classes. You’ll have to give up a lot to in the beginning, but it’s worth it in the end when you can sit back and look and say, I had something to do with this. I impacted my community. I provided jobs for people. Um. And things of that nature. I sent some kids to school. Right. And I helped in my community with your organization that you’re with, with mentoring. So I think, um, all of those things just. Are so, um, important for new entrepreneurs to do.

Lee Kantor: [00:41:40] Now, Barbara, in your business, bam! Construction is there. Can you share the maybe your ideal client and what’s the pain they’re having where you’re the perfect fit for them?

Barbara Myrick: [00:41:54] Uh, my ideal client. Is one that communicates very well as a good communicator. I want an ideal client to be a communicator, a good communicator. Even when I have pitfalls and I’m doing something wrong, I want them to be able to come and say, um, you need to fix this. Um, their pain points and what makes me. The best contractor for them is me being a good listener and not saying that I can do everything, but I have resources to help them be successful. So clients, your clients want to be successful. And so I my goal is to help them, help make them successful, whether it is a quirky project that no one understands because I’ve had them where they did, they didn’t even understand the project. I didn’t understand the project, but I brought in the experts to help solve the problem. And so I want to be that problem solver for them. I want to hear their ups and downs. Right. And what makes them frustrated with other contractors? Um, I don’t want to be that contractor to. That talks about another contractor. That’s not the topic of discussion with me, but I want to I want to hear out the client to see how I can be a good fit for them and help them be successful. Um, because when I look at my clients, they’re working for someone else. They have a boss that they have to report to, and so helping them solve their problems, that’s that’s what, um, I aim to do. And so I think me being a good listener as a contractor, but them being a good communicator is a that’s the ideal contractor for I mean, client for me.

Lee Kantor: [00:43:47] Now if somebody wants to learn more, is there a website or what’s the best way of getting a hold of you to have more substantial conversation about the work?

Barbara Myrick: [00:43:56] Um, they can contact me and BMI and BMI r I c k at bmc hyphen lowercase I. Com or they can reach me on my cell phone (719) 205-4795. And if I don’t answer, please do leave a message because I do return calls.

Lee Kantor: [00:44:16] Thank you. Jenny. What’s your ideal client and how do you help? You know, what are they looking for? What problem are they looking to solve when they work with you?

Jennie Tanner: [00:44:27] My ideal client is similar to Barbara’s, somebody that communicates with me and tells me what their need is so that I can address that need. I too appreciate honest feedback, and I want to be able to give honest feedback and not have them think that I’m being difficult. I want to have honest conversations about what’s your schedule isn’t working. And I love now in the technology world that we live in, that a lot of my contractors have their schedules. Everything is web based, so there’s no, you know, it’s ready, come out now and you come out now to put mirrors in a house that hasn’t even been sheet rocked. And that in that’s happened before. Those things happen in construction all the time. It’s not a perfect industry. Things are never ready when when you think that they’re going to be ready. But having on, on um online scheduling is is very helpful. And then if it’s not working, being able to sit down and say, whoever’s doing your scheduling is not helping you because now you’re we’ve got dry runs and we’re going to have to start back charging. You’re telling us things are ready when they’re not having those conversations are are a very impactful to a long terme relationship. Um, and instead of being looked at as a subcontractor, I preferred the name as a trade partner because it makes everyone feel that they are on the same playing ground, and that a contractor doesn’t get to always be the boss.

Jennie Tanner: [00:46:07] And I get to tell them what my pricing is and they get to choose it or not choose it, and that I run my business and I want the respect that from them, that they know that I know what my numbers need to be in order for me to stay in business, and that they respect that and that they it’s a good price and that I give the best customer service possible for what I do and that they they want that relationship. They want that really good customer service. They might be able to pay a little bit less somewhere else down the road, but they will never get the customer service from anyone that they will get from me. And that’s why I have 30 plus year relationships with most of my builders, is because they know that any time they pick up, any time they call me, I will always answer the phone. It doesn’t matter if somebody else can solve the problem. If they want to talk to me, then I know that they want to talk to me. They’re calling me for a reason. They could call, you know, 50 other people in my company. So having just an honest, open relationship for me. Is the perfect client.

Lee Kantor: [00:47:21] And is there a website or a best way to get Ahold of you if somebody wants to learn more?

Jennie Tanner: [00:47:25] Yes. Tanner glass. Com is our website, and, um, I can be reached at (801) 859-4710.

Lee Kantor: [00:47:38] Thank you both. Pamela. What a show. Pamela. She can’t even talk. She’s so, uh.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:47:49] I was so I was so engrossed in the conversation. But, uh. No, it was a great show. Thank you both for for sharing, uh, your success, your hardships with us today. Uh, lots of great information. I loved, uh, the thought of instead of being a prime being a trade partner, it sounds so much more personable. So I might steal that from you. And then, um. I just learned a lot. So thank you both.

Lee Kantor: [00:48:24] All right.

Barbara Myrick: [00:48:25] Having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:48:26] Well, thank you both for participating. You’re both doing such important work, and we appreciate you. This is Lee Kantor for Doctor Pamela Williamson. We’ll see you all next time on Women in Motion.