Dirt Talk by BuildWitt – Indonesia Part II, Hiring Tests, and Dubbing (BuildWitt Update #14) – DT 365

Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Aaron Witt

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Aaron Witt shares a multi-faceted update that covers the second week of his recent trip to Indonesia with Liebherr Mining, details about BuildWitt’s hiring process and job-specific tests, a return of Spanish dubbing and subtitles for their training content, and ongoing efforts to improve company metrics tracking. The episode is rich with firsthand stories from Indonesian mining sites, practical hiring advice, and insights on building a focused software organization.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Indonesia Mining Trip – Week Two

(00:13 – 19:11)

• Travel Overview:

  • Aaron and videographer Jack White continued their fieldwork in Indonesia, focusing this week on Eastern Borneo after spending the first week in Sumatra.
  • Noted Indonesia’s vast geography: "Indonesia is enormous. It's the same area, roughly like coast to coast that the United States is." (00:28)

• Jakarta Layover:

  • Spent the weekend in Jakarta enjoying local life despite severe traffic: "For about a ten mile drive, it was three and a half hours of traffic, which was brutal." (00:52)

• Liebherr Remanufacturing Facility:

  • Visited Liebherr’s state-of-the-art facility in Balikpapan dedicated to remanufacturing large mining equipment components.
  • Aaron explained the remanufacturing process and why it’s critical:

    “Remanufacturing is a really big deal in the whole recycling world. It's reduce, reuse, recycle. Recycle is last for a reason, because it's not as sustainable as reusing, which isn't as sustainable as reducing.” (01:17)

  • Mining companies practice rigorous preventative maintenance, contrasting civil construction norms.
  • The facility is described as "one of the nicest I've seen anywhere in the world," underscoring high standards and attention to detail:

    "Everything was nice and tidy. You could eat off the floors. Everybody was very friendly." (04:49)

• Tough Road Trip & Equator Crossing:

  • The team endured a 10-hour, 200-mile drive north from Balikpapan on poor roads—highlight moment: crossing the equator by car for the first time:

    "We saw the big dashed line in the sky though. That was very cool." (07:28)

• Mining Operation Site Visit:

  • Spent two days at a Dharma Henwa coal mine (primarily using Liebherr excavators and Komatsu trucks).
  • Impressed by immaculate operations:

    "Both the ones we went to were completely spotless. Really well done. The trucks knew where they needed to be. The excavator operators were great. The pit was laid out really nicely." (10:19)

  • Observed efficiency and order, contrasting initial expectations.
  • Reflected on the U.S. mining industry's comparative insularity:

    "[The trip was] a good reminder of how small the American mind can be. We think we're best at everything and that is so far from reality." (12:43)

• Content Creation Plans:

  • Mentioned producing extensive photo and video coverage:

    “We took probably at least 10,000 photos between the three site visits. We’ll have three videos out at some point explaining the whole process showing our travel.” (14:13)

  • Upcoming long-form YouTube releases (20–30+ minute episodes), responding to audience requests for deeper dives.

2. BuildWitt’s Hiring Tests & Applicant Screening

(19:12 – 23:29)

• Applicant Volume Challenge:
  • BuildWitt’s brand pull results in a high number of qualified applicants, which can be a double-edged sword.
• Role-Specific Testing:
  • Described how Dan, the hiring manager, requested applicants for a Business Development Rep (BDR) role to simulate an outbound sales approach:

    “Act like I am a civil construction company and you want to get me onto a demo. And at that point it doesn't really matter how they go about it as long as it's mildly intelligent…” (20:57)

  • The exercise quickly identifies who puts in extra effort, does their homework, and aligns with job prerequisites.
  • Aaron recommends practical assessments in hiring:

    “If you have the ability to do this in the roles you’re hiring for, I highly recommend it because it…helps you cut through the nonsense.” (22:57)

3. Dubbing and Subtitles for Training Content

(23:30 – 25:35)

• Platform Transition Issues:
  • BuildWitt lost subtitle and dubbing capabilities for its training content due to a media player switch while launching its new “BuildWitt Improve” platform.
• Restoring Multilingual Support:
  • Spanish subtitles and dubbing will return next month, thanks to advanced AI tools.
  • Emphasized the importance for the construction workforce:

    “There’s all kinds of folks that will learn more effectively in Spanish. So we will offer that pretty soon, which is really, really great news.” (25:22)

4. Company Metrics & Revenue Focus

(25:36 – 28:16)

• Revenue Stream Simplification:
  • Explained BuildWitt’s recent move to sell its creative business, now focusing on two main sources: events and software.
• Need for Accurate Software Metrics:
  • Events skew company metrics; software success requires dedicated measurement.
  • The systems team is restructuring to isolate software-related metrics:

    "Ideally it's if I'm on an island and all I see are these metrics, I can determine the health of our business, what we're doing well at, what we're not doing well at." (26:41)

  • Reinforces that future company growth hinges on software excellence, even as events remain important.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Indonesia’s scale and diversity:

  “Indonesia is enormous… split up by the ocean and it's about a hundred different islands. All different, all different. It was, it was incredible to see the differences.” (00:28)

• On mining operations in Indonesia vs. U.S. perceptions:

  “I went into this visit thinking that the mining was going to be decent at best. But the operations were immaculate... A good reminder of how small the American mind can be.” (12:39)

• On hiring with practical assessments:

  “With something as simple as this, you can see who puts in effort, extra effort, who does their homework, who wants the job, who can communicate effectively…” (21:32)

• On restoring essential product features:

  “Most everybody's consuming training in English… However, there's a ton of people, Hispanics in the construction industry in the United States... we will offer that [Spanish dubbing and subtitles] pretty soon, which is really, really great news.” (25:22)

• On the company’s growth and focus:

  “The real economic engine is the software company and we have to get that dialed in... that's the future of the business.” (27:38)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:13–06:29: Indonesia recap: Geography, Jakarta, and the remanufacturing facility tour
• 06:30–13:37: Epic drive through Borneo, equator crossing, and the mining site visit
• 13:38–15:48: Reflections on American vs. Indonesian mining, and production plans
• 15:49–19:11: Upcoming Dirt World Summit event preview (ad-like, minimal coverage)
• 19:12–23:29: Hiring process, assessment tests, and advice
• 23:30–25:35: Dubbing/subtitles issue and solution
• 25:36–28:16: Improvements in tracking business metrics and focus
• 28:17–End: Closing remarks and call to connect

Summary

Aaron Witt weaves together vivid tales from Indonesian mining operations, practical advice for talent screening, and insight into BuildWitt’s adaptation as a focused software company. Listeners unfamiliar with international mining, technical hiring solutions, or the importance of multilingual content will walk away informed and inspired by Aaron’s humility, candor, and drive for improvement.
For deeper dives, watch for the forthcoming long-form videos on BuildWitt’s YouTube channel.