Glen Harris III was living the contractor's dream in 2016. His company was doing $4 million in revenue, clients were happy, and he was making good money. There was just one problem: he WAS the business. Every decision ran through him. He'd hit a ceiling and couldn't see how to break through it.
This episode is about what happened next and why it matters if you're stuck in the same trap.
Learn why systems beat hustle when you want to scale. Glen breaks down the moment he realized working harder wasn't going to get him to $5 million or beyond. He needed systems that could run without him, but building them from scratch while running a business felt impossible.
"I was the point person for everything in my business. I was the bottleneck for the business. And I realized that I was plateauing and I didn't know how to continue to grow the business from there."
The real cost of being a solo operator. When everything depends on you, growth means more hours, more stress, and more chaos. Glen walks through the breaking point that forced him to rethink his entire business model.
"I needed accountability because there would be plenty of things that I just wouldn't push because I'm the one that has to push myself to do those things."
How to hire people who actually want to grow your business. Glen explains why he stopped looking for construction experience and started hunting for something else entirely. His approach has turned several employees into business partners.
"I'm not just looking for a PM that's going to be a project manager for the next 20 years. I'm looking for someone that's growth minded, eager to learn, and can grow into production management, general management, potential ownership."
The ownership model most small builders can't offer. Glen's project managers aren't just earning bonuses. They're buying into offices and running their own operations across Southwest Florida.
"I can now look across the table at a prospective project manager and give them hope for the future, for growth. Maybe they eventually own their own business within our structure."
What happens when disaster strikes. Hurricane Ian cut off access to every job site overnight. A house fire threatened everything. Glen shares how having the right people and systems in place made the difference.
"I was a boat captain basically for 30 days after Hurricane Ian, taking guys back and forth, signing contracts on my phone to land new projects."
The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and why it works for construction. Glen credits this framework with bringing real accountability to his team and why builders on a plateau should look into it.
How to transition from working in your business to working on it. Glen gets specific about the steps, timeline, and hard decisions involved.
"I view the business as this machine. Once you can get it to a point where it's humming without you, then you've done something that's scalable. "
If you're doing $3 million to $5 million and can't figure out how to get past it, this conversation will show you where the real problems are.
You'll hear about his path from starting a business during the recession with $5,000 in savings to becoming Regional Partner overseeing eight offices across Florida. The journey involves changing car batteries, cleaning bird droppings, and eventually realizing that growth requires letting go of control.
Glen Harris III | EI, CGC - Regional Partner SWFL
3rd generation Floridian. Master of Engineering in Construction Management from University of Florida (2003). Founded GH3 Enterprises in 2009. Partnered with Alair Homes in 2016, becoming Regional Partner for Southwest Florida within a year. The SWFL region now includes offices in Old Naples, North Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, South Tampa, Casey Key, and Sebring.
Alair Florida: https://regions.alairhomes.com/florida