From One Man Show to 800 Doors a Year: Learning to Let Go | Adrian C. Avila
Release Date: 09/02/2025
Builder Mindset to Business Mindset with Duane Johns of Alair Homes
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Most builders hit a wall. They work 80-hour weeks, carry tools, manage crews, chase payments, and somehow still struggle to make ends meet. Sound familiar? That was Duane Johns twenty years ago, grinding it out in Charlotte, North Carolina after moving from the Hamptons. Then 2008 hit. While other builders went under, Duane used the crisis as a mirror. "I think that that too, one thing that happened in that 2008 environment, especially the few years after, was everyone got reduced to a commodity, you know, I mean, the builders or modelers, they had the lower hand, no doubt." The...
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Scaling a Construction Business: From College Dropout to $100M+ Builder
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Starting a construction company during the 2008 recession sounds insane, but sometimes desperation breeds the best business decisions. Matt Millsap's story starts like a lot of ours do - working weekends with dad, thinking he was going to hang out with friends but ending up tearing out bathrooms instead. What makes his story different is where it goes from there. After flunking out of college, Matt found himself cutting grass for a builder who saw something in the kid. That builder, Mark, became the mentor who taught him everything. It was old-school apprenticeship at its finest, and Matt...
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Road to 1,000,000 Doors: Will You Join Us? | Brian Coffman of Sound Capital
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
You know that moment when you're staring at a project and wondering if you're about to make a fortune or lose your shirt? Brian Coffman, Director of Homebuilder Finance at Sound Capital, has been on both sides of that conversation thousands of times, and he's got some real talk for builders ready to scale up. Michael Krisa sits down with Brian to tackle a question that keeps a lot of builders up at night: what separates those who successfully jump from 10 houses to 50 houses from those who flame out trying? Turns out, it's not about having the best crew or knowing the slickest...
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From One Man Show to 800 Doors a Year: Learning to Let Go | Adrian C. Avila
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Picture this: an eight-year-old kid on construction sites, already reading blueprints like other kids read comic books. That's how Adrian C. Avila's story begins, learning from his uncle who took him everywhere and taught him the fundamentals that would shape his entire career. Fast forward to today, and Adrian runs AVICA Construction and Development, averaging over 800 doors a year across residential, commercial, and industrial projects. But the most compelling part of his journey happened when he was 29 and faced what he calls a "death experience" that forced him to completely rethink how he...
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What Builders Get Wrong about Marketing with Kelly Bosetti Primeau
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Michael Krisa welcomes Kelly Bosetti Primeau, an award-winning marketing strategist who has spent 28 years helping builders and developers scale their businesses. This episode quickly evolved into a masterclass on residential marketing strategy. Kelly reveals that many builders essentially forgot how to market during the COVID boom years. Now that the market has normalized, builders are scrambling to relearn fundamental marketing skills they neglected during the easy times. One of Kelly's core principles involves comprehensive research before launching any campaigns. She shares compelling...
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Third-Generation Builder, First-Time Entrepreneur: How Cammie Hancock Beckert Carved Her Own Path
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Sometimes the best builders are the ones who never planned to build. And Cammie Hancock Beckert proves that taking the long way around can lead to exactly where you're supposed to be. As the founder of Cameron Custom Homes & Renovations and a third-generation member of the Camelot Homes family, Cammie spent years avoiding the family business only to discover it was her calling all along. On this episode of Builder Straight Talk, Cammie breaks down how she went from market research and land brokerage to leading a custom division that's redefining luxury building in Arizona. "I had to prove...
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Chaos to Systems: Why Professional Builders Need Coaching, with Cole Tilbury
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Building houses? You've got that covered. But building a business that doesn't rely on you working 80-hour weeks while making $25 an hour? That's where most builders hit the wall. Cole Tilbury, performance coach with The Professional Builder, is helping construction pros break free from the chaos cycle and build businesses that actually work for them instead of against them. With nearly two years coaching builders across North America, Cole has seen the same pattern over and over: skilled craftsmen trapped in their own success, spinning plates instead of scaling profits. On this episode of...
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Laborers to Leaders with Sergio Barajas
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
In this episode of Builder Straight Talk, Michael Krisa invited Sergio Barajas to explore the construction industry's critical labor shortage and how the NHCA is addressing it through education, networking, and business development. Sergio shares how the alliance grew from zero to 2,500 members across eight markets in just 14 months, with plans to reach 5,000 members in 15 markets by year-end. The conversation covers the stigmatization of blue-collar work over the past 20 years and how removing shop classes from schools disconnected young people from building trades. With only 1.3-1.4 people...
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Building Legacy: Patrick Lawler on Second-Generation Leadership in Construction
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
In this episode of Builder Straight Talk, host Michael Krisa welcomes Patrick Lawler, Vice President of Lawler Construction, Inc., to discuss his journey from professional baseball player to construction industry leader. As the son of company founder Jim Lawler (), Patrick shares insights on family business dynamics, faith-based leadership, and the evolving challenges facing the construction industry. What we discussed with Patrick: From Sports to Construction Patrick's unexpected path from minor league baseball to the family construction business during the 2008 recession. Working on...
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Building More than Houses with Tanya Cromwell of Caddis Builders
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Michael Krisa sits down with Tanya Cromwell, one of the founding and managing owners of Caddis Builders in Eastern Idaho, to explore the practical side of running a successful construction company in today's competitive market. Tanya's journey began in 1995 when she couldn't find a house design she liked and decided to teach herself AutoCAD and build her own home. Three decades later, she's built an impressive dual career running both Idaho Home Design, which designs 125 homes a year and creates renderings for Parade of Homes magazine, and Caddis Builders, which handles everything from...
info_outlinePicture this: an eight-year-old kid on construction sites, already reading blueprints like other kids read comic books. That's how Adrian C. Avila's story begins, learning from his uncle who took him everywhere and taught him the fundamentals that would shape his entire career.
Fast forward to today, and Adrian runs AVICA Construction and Development, averaging over 800 doors a year across residential, commercial, and industrial projects. But the most compelling part of his journey happened when he was 29 and faced what he calls a "death experience" that forced him to completely rethink how he ran his business.
"I was always a team player, but you're not being a team player today, like you have to be able to pull yourself away from the business so that it can grow."
In this episode of Builder's Straight Talk, host Michael Krisa explores the pivotal moments that transformed Adrian from someone working in his business to someone working on it. The conversation covers his transition from being mentored by his uncle to branching out on his own, and the systems thinking that allowed him to scale without being trapped by daily operations.
Adrian shares his approach to hiring based on three key qualities, his philosophy on delegation, and how he built processes that let his company run when he steps away. They discuss diversification strategies including fire-resistant construction materials, preparing for economic storms, and Adrian's predictions about the future of building technology.
"The issue at hand is everybody's just looking at that dollar sign. What's it going to cost me? To bring on this employee that's going to help save you need time and a headache, right? And instead of looking at it, well, how much is that key player I'm going to bring into the company?"
The episode touches on personal growth through morning routines, spirituality in business leadership, and Adrian's community work through the National Hispanic Construction Alliance. They explore mentorship, both receiving and giving it, and how the construction industry is evolving with new technologies.
"I can give you all the resources. I can give you all the books to read. I can give you all the tips and tricks. But if you can't go out there in the field and implement what you've learned, you're going to stay stagnant."
Adrian also discusses his coaching practice, his podcast "One Stud at a Time," and philanthropic work building homes for families in need. The conversation reveals how personal challenges can become catalysts for business transformation and why letting go might be the key to scaling any construction company.
Adrian C. Avila: Founder & President, AVICA Construction & Development, Inc.
Adrian brings over two decades of construction experience to AVICA Construction & Development. His journey began at eight when his uncle mentored him on blueprints and construction fundamentals. Before launching AVICA, he held leadership positions with prestigious firms, developing his collaborative approach to large-scale projects.
Beyond construction, Adrian serves as President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Hispanic Construction Alliance (NHCA) and sits on boards for La Verne and Azusa Chambers of Commerce. He founded Anubis Tranquillum, a coaching practice focused on transformational mindset work, and hosts "One Stud at a Time" podcast.
Website: https://linktr.ee/AVICAandANUBIS
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@OneStudAtATimePodcast/videos
Avica Construction: https://www.avicaconstruction.com
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Ti_lF2-56pU
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Chapters:
00:00 Adrian C. Avila
01:03 Sound Capital
01:20 Meet Adrian C. Avila
02:52 Early Mentorship and Career Beginnings
04:48 Branching Out: Starting Avica Construction
12:33 Challenges and Health Scares
16:35 Building a Team and Scaling the Business
19:00 Mentorship and Coaching in Construction
26:17 Processes for Success
31:40 Building a Scalable Business
32:23 Future Goals
34:26 Weathering Economic Storms
34:59 Diversifying Services
37:13 Innovations in Construction
41:36 The National Hispanic Construction Alliance
52:11 Personal Growth and Spirituality
01:01:14 Philanthropy and Future Aspirations