Starting a construction company during the 2008 recession sounds insane, but sometimes desperation breeds the best business decisions. This week on the Builder Straight Talk podcast with Michael Krisa, we have the founder and CEO of BuildCo7, Matt Millsap.
Matt's story starts like most - working weekends with dad, thinking he'd hang with friends but ending up tearing out bathrooms. After flunking college, he found himself cutting grass for a builder who became his mentor. Mark taught him everything through old-school apprenticeship.
Then 2008 hit. Mark couldn't pay Matt anymore, so he started his own construction company in the middle of the Great Recession. Those early years were survival mode - punch lists for foreclosed houses, fire restoration, anything recession-proof. He kept overhead low and slowly built BuildCo7. By 2011, he was ready for spec homes and high-end Nashville renovations.
What we discussed:
Systems Over Chaos: Matt learned early that knowing your numbers isn't optional. While most contractors fly by the seat of their pants, he attended accounting conferences learning P&Ls and balance sheets.
"My goal was to bring the structure of commercial contracting to residential contracting. Residential contracting is a wild west - you're shooting from the hip, the subs are unreliable."
Hiring Strategy: After getting burned by construction hotshots who poisoned team dynamics, Matt shifted to hiring for character over credentials.
"We can teach just about everything. So if we have a problem solver, a quick thinker, problem solving is honestly the biggest skill set."
The PM Crisis: Each PM can handle $3-4 million in work, but finding qualified ones is nearly impossible. This led Matt to create Construction Coach to train project managers.
Technology Adoption: Matt embraced AI three years ago, building custom GPTs that write project scopes from blueprints.
"If you don't embrace AI now, you're going to get passed up. The guy whose overhead is significantly lower because he's using AI for scheduling and takeoffs is just going to succeed."
Scaling Philosophy: Matt built for "operational irrelevance" - a business that runs without him, creating value beyond the founder.
This conversation covers practical lessons from someone who's scaled to $100+ million in projects. No MBA theories, just battle-tested strategies.
About Matt Millsap Founder/CEO of BuildCo7, award-winning Nashville contractor specializing in high-end renovations and custom builds. 25+ years experience, $100+ million in completed projects. Creator of Construction Coach Instruction for training project managers.
Links: BuildCo7: https://buildco7.com
BuildCo7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildco7
Construction Coach: https://construction-coach.thinkific.com
Construction Coach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constructioncoaching