What Problems Does BuildWitt Solve?

At BuildWitt, we’re trying to make the Dirt World a better place by helping companies solve their biggest problems. So, what problems are those?

People problems. 

It’s like BuildWitt CEO Aaron Witt said on the Give Us the Dirt podcast. Making the Dirt World a better place “starts with people . . . If we don’t figure that problem out, none of the other problems matter.”

Here are four critical people problems and how BuildWitt is helping the Dirt World solve them.

1. Recruiting People

If you’ve worked in construction longer than 10 minutes, you know how hard it is to find good help. And you’ve probably heard people complain (or you’ve complained) that today’s generation doesn’t want to work in the Dirt World.

But that’s just not true.

Take Aaron, for example. His dad was a tax lawyer, and he didn’t have any relatives who worked in construction. But he fell in love with the Dirt World as a little kid. A family friend got him his first job as a laborer, and now, he’s built a whole business based on serving the Dirt World. 

There are a lot more Aarons out there. Tons of young people would love to work in the Dirt World–if they knew those careers existed. But they don’t, because companies aren’t telling them about the industry. 

If you want to attract the next generation of workers, you have to show them what a career in the Dirt World looks like. They need to see and hear stories about people who are already doing those jobs, so they can picture themselves doing it, too. 

At BuildWitt, we help companies in the Dirt World tell those stories. We travel to jobsites and take awesome photos and videos of real crews doing real work and making a real impact. Then, we help you promote those stories so people can see why working with you would be a great choice for them. 

Does that really work? You bet it does! We actually recruit most of our partners through social media, because that’s where we tell stories about companies we’ve helped to succeed. Other companies see that, and they reach out because they want to grow, too.  

The stories you tell don’t have to be fancy, either. Our friends at Blount Contracting are keeping it simple–and it’s working for them.

2. Training People 

Let’s be honest, most training in the construction industry has problems. 

Too often, you’ve got new hires going into the field without the training they need to do their jobs safely. The people who do have experience are stuck training the rookies instead of working. And the people who want to move up in their careers don’t have a clear path to do it. 

“Training is one of the biggest ways to eliminate inefficiencies, maintain safety and eliminate downtime,” says Ben Ruthven, superintendent at Peitzmeier Demolition and Concrete Cutting in Nebraska. 

That’s why we created BuildWitt Training. It comes with more than 350 videos to train people in six critical construction jobs: laborer, grade checker, pipelayer, operator (for ten machines), field supervisor, and leadership.

 All the videos feature experts who work in the Dirt World, so they actually know what the heck they’re talking about. And each video is less than five minutes long, so your team can do their training during rain delays or downtime–without taking away from the job. 

Plus, it’s a great way to cross-train your team in other areas so they can be more productive and be ready to take on a leadership role when the time comes.

You can also add your own content and track your team’s progress in the app. “BuildWitt Training allows us to integrate our in-house material seamlessly and offers the potential to help develop content and learn from others in the trade,” Ben says. 

3. Leading People

If you want to grow your business and recruit a top-notch team, you have to do more than just train people to do their jobs safely. You also have to lead them well . . . and you have to teach others to do the same.  

We created the BuildWitt Leaders series to teach Dirt World leaders how to live up to the name. These videos and articles cover topics like:

• Taking extreme ownership of your business
• Marketing and recruiting
• Communicating well
• Mentoring others
• Having the right mindset as a leader
• Working with trade partners

You’ll get firsthand advice from industry experts like Jason Schroeder (Elevate Construction), Randy Blount (Blount Contracting), and Mike Smith (SAECO). You’ll also hear from thought leaders like former SEAL Jocko Willink and marketing guru Marcus Sheridan.

All the content in our Learning Hub is free, because we want to help you build a better Dirt World.

4. Marketing to People

Marketing is the key to growing your business, and storytelling is the key to marketing. 

You have to connect with people in a way that makes sense to them–and for most of us, stories make the most sense. When you tell the stories behind your projects and your people, you paint a picture of who you are and what you do, aka your brand. When people trust your brand, they want to work with (and for) you. 

Branding is a pretty new concept in the construction industry. By that, we mean that branding is old hat in a lot of other industries, but not many construction companies have started doing it. “The construction industry is just behind. . . That’s why we’re getting trounced by all these other industries from a workforce development standpoint,” Aaron says. 

The problem is, someone’s always telling a story–whether that’s you or not. If you hide under a rock and just do your work, you let other industries get out there and tell kids, “You have to go to college” or “Blue collar work sucks.” 

You know that’s not true, and we know that’s not true. But those kids don’t. 

You have to step in and tell them the truth. You have to make it so moms want their kids to work in the Dirt World. You have to make it so people can see that blue-collar work is vital to their everyday lives.

In short, you have to tell the real Dirt World story if you want your business to grow. 

Marketing helps you connect, educate, and inspire people. When you can show people the beauty and opportunity in the Dirt World, you create a business that’s growing, making a big impact, and having fun moving tons of dirt. 

Start solving your people problems

Building a great brand is going to take work. You will have to do and try new things. That’s daunting, and you may not know where to start. 

That’s why we’re here–to walk through that journey with you. We’ll help you do what it takes to share your story and open doors for your business that you may never have thought were possible. 

Learn more about how BuildWitt can help you solve your people problems.