Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

Episode: 2026 Planning — NO Churn and WOW (BuildWitt Update #25) — DT 387
Date: November 3, 2025
Host: Aaron Witt

Overview

In this episode, Aaron Witt provides an inside look at BuildWitt’s latest company update. The focus is on strategic planning for 2026, two key operational priorities, and ongoing efforts to improve internal culture and business predictability. Aaron’s tone is casual, transparent, and energized, sharing both challenges and wins as BuildWitt pivots further into the software space.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Leadership Team Planning for 2026

• Annual Offsite Meeting: The BuildWitt leadership team gathered in Phoenix to review 2025 and plan for 2026.
• Team Alignment: Aaron expresses, for the first time, the leadership team is “all in the right seats,” finally matching roles to strengths and solidifying the company’s direction.
• Roles at BuildWitt:
  • Aaron: Focused on building the brand and public presence.
  • Randy: CEO, leading software product (BuildWitt Improve).
  • Kara: Systems and operations backbone.
  • Dan: Sales and marketing.
  • Jason: All things Dirt World.
• Self-facilitated Meeting: Unlike the previous year, no external facilitator was used to save costs; Randy organized the agenda.

Key Objectives for 2026

Aaron identifies two primary focuses for the coming year:

1. Eliminate Churn (Churn Crusade)

• Definition: Preventing customers from not renewing their BuildWitt Improve software licenses (“churn”).
• Context: Aaron acknowledges most churn is due to internal issues, not market conditions.
• Action Items:
  • Improve the product.
  • Better rollout to customers.
  • Strengthen ongoing support.
• Quote:

  “We are on a churn crusade and I am very excited about that.” (14:19)

2. Wow Every Customer

• From Marketing to Software Excellence: BuildWitt wants to make “wowing” customers standard in every interaction—they’ve historically done this well on the marketing side but are raising the bar for all areas.
• Touchpoints: Focus includes users of the software, summit attendees, podcast listeners, vlog watchers, and social media followers.
• Aspirational Focus:

  “I love the thought of that—that’s gonna get us to the next level. ... Now, again, we're focused. We can go all in on a single subject, and that is what we're doing.” (16:34)

Business Update Highlights

Strong Sales and Team Expansion

• Q3 Sales:
  • September revenue “far exceeded” goals, helping BuildWitt end Q3 within about 2% of target, despite early quarter lags.
  • Maintaining spending under budget has been a major achievement.
• Sales Team Growth:
  • Two new BDRs (Business Development Representatives) were hired, enabling one BDR per each of the five U.S. regions for the first time.
  • Regional structure brings full coverage for demos and meeting-booking.

Industry and Event Insights

• Phoenix Visit: Aaron visited BCS Arizona to see the 5130 demolition excavator (“the heaviest demolition machine in America”), capturing photos of the machine in action.
  • Shoutout to BCS and Cody for ongoing collaboration. (20:49)
• Dirt World Summit:
  • One month out from the 2025 ARIAT Dirt World Summit.
  • Described as “the coolest event I’ve ever been to by a mile... The energy is unmatched. The quality of individual in that room is unmatched.” (25:00)
  • Aaron briefly addresses his fatigue with ‘selling’ the event but emphasizes its unique value.

Internal Culture: Reintroducing Team Surveys

• Quarterly Feedback Surveys:
  • Revived to support remote team communication and feedback using the ‘Start, Stop, Continue’ format.
  • Key Change: No longer anonymous to better enable follow-up and realignment with BuildWitt’s value of transparency.
  • Quote:

    “Anonymous feedback… it doesn’t align with our value of transparency wins. ...So we decided to have it not anonymous on a quarterly basis going forward. And I'll report back on what we learn.” (30:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Company Alignment:

  “We have the right team, we have the right leaders. We all have different skills to offer... and we finally as a business have the focus necessary to execute.” (18:49)

• On Being a Software Company:

  “Just because we sold the marketing business then this January and called ourselves a software company does not mean we were a software company. It’s taken a lot of grinding all year long to actually become a software company.” (09:33)

• Abraham Lincoln Analogy:

  “If you call a dog's tail a leg, how many legs does it have? … Just because you call a tail a leg does not make it so.” (10:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — 04:07: Introduction, context for weekly updates & BuildWitt’s transparency value
• 04:08 — 11:47: Leadership team meeting recap, team roles, Lincoln quote
• 11:48 — 16:45: Focus areas for 2026: Eliminating churn & “Wow” customer experience
• 16:46 — 20:02: Team excitement and summary of meeting outcomes
• 20:03 — 22:30: Phoenix trip, BCS 5130 demo excavator visit
• 22:31 — 25:55: Q3 sales recap, sales team expansion
• 25:56 — 28:28: Preview of 2025 ARIAT Dirt World Summit
• 28:29 — 33:15: Team feedback surveys, culture, transparency
• 33:16 — End: Closing remarks, contact invitation

Conclusion

Aaron shares genuine optimism about BuildWitt’s future as it doubles down on becoming a best-in-class software company, eliminates churn, and consistently wows customers. The leadership team is more aligned than ever, and the groundwork is set for a strong 2026. Aaron’s transparency and authentic passion shine through every update, making this a valuable episode for those interested in construction, leadership, and building enduring business culture.