Dirt Talk by BuildWitt – Episode Summary: "SoCal, Credit Cards, and a New VP of Product (BuildWitt Update #7) – DT 351"

Release Date: June 30, 2025

Welcome to a comprehensive summary of BuildWitt’s seventh update episode of "Dirt Talk." Hosted by Aaron from BuildWitt, this episode delves into recent company developments, field visits across Southern California, strategic hires, and financial advancements. Below, we explore each segment in detail, highlighting key discussions, insights, and notable quotes to provide a thorough understanding for both regular listeners and newcomers.

1. Introduction to BuildWitt Update #7

Aaron kicks off the episode with enthusiasm, introducing the seventh installment of the BuildWitt Update series. Titled "SoCal, Credit Cards, and a New VP of Product," this episode encapsulates significant progress and exciting changes within the company.

"Welcome back. Bill it update number seven. This one's titled SoCal Credit Cards and a new VP of Product. Happy to have you all."
— Aaron (00:00)

2. Aaron’s Southern California Adventures

Aaron shares his recent travels across Southern California, highlighting visits to key industry players and showcasing transformative projects.

a. Sukit Construction and the County Landfill Project

Aaron starts his week in Southern California with Sukit Construction, a company actively involved in moving millions of yards of material for a county landfill project. This segment underscores the scale and environmental impact of such undertakings.

"We visited Sukit Construction which was busy moving millions of yards for a county landfill project."
— Aaron (00:00)

b. SA Recycling’s Massive Shredder

One of Aaron’s highlights includes witnessing SA Recycling’s formidable 9,000-horsepower shredder in action, consuming police cars and buses. This achievement fulfills Aaron’s long-standing fascination with heavy machinery and recycling processes.

"We watched SA Recycling's 9,000 horsepower shredder eat police cars and buses, which was my six year old dream."
— Aaron (00:00)

c. McKay Hill Bulldozer Services and Limousine Flattening

Continuing his journey, Aaron visits McKay Hill Bulldozer Services in California's Central Valley. Here, D10 dozers are employed to flatten a limousine, demonstrating the versatility and power of modern construction equipment.

"We used D10 dozers to flatten a limousine courtesy of McKay Hill Bulldozer Services."
— Aaron (00:00)

d. Enhancing YouTube Presence

Aaron emphasizes the company’s commitment to improving their YouTube presence. By increasing video lengths from 8-13 minutes to 20-30 minutes and enhancing production quality, BuildWitt aims to provide more in-depth storytelling and valuable content for their audience.

"We have spent a lot of time trying to better our YouTube presence. We have weekly videos going up now. They used to be between 8 and 13 minutes. Now they're typically 20 to 30 plus minutes."
— Aaron (00:00)

"Really exciting stuff. You haven't checked out the YouTube channel. Honestly, highly recommend it. We're having a lot of fun."
— Aaron (00:00)

3. Announcing the New Vice President of Product

A pivotal moment in this update is the introduction of BuildWitt’s new Vice President of Product. Aaron underscores this hire as one of the most critical in the company’s history.

"Our new VP of product started this week, marking one of our most critical hires in many years."
— Aaron (04:16)

a. Background and Expertise

The new VP comes with extensive experience from a major heavy civil construction firm, having worked with a wide array of construction technologies. Although his background diverges from the traditional software-centric profiles, Aaron is confident that his unique perspective aligns perfectly with BuildWitt’s objectives.

"He doesn't have the background a traditionalist software company advisor would probably recommend. However, his skill set and perspective are absolutely perfect for our goals."
— Aaron (00:00)

b. Strategic Importance

Aaron highlights the importance of innovative thinking and diverse experiences in driving the company forward.

"To do something different, you have to do different things. So I’m really excited to have this person on board filling this position."
— Aaron (00:00)

"This was a key hire, our most critical hire this year and again, probably one of our most critical hires to date."
— Aaron (04:16)

4. Promotion of the Ariat Dirt World Summit

Interspersed within the update is a promotional segment delivered by speaker B, focusing on the upcoming Ariat Dirt World Summit in Dallas, Texas.

"If you're a leader looking to elevate yourself, your team looking for like-minded individuals that are hungry, then look no further than the Ariat Dirt World Summit November 5th through the 7th in Dallas, Texas."
— Speaker B (03:13)

a. Event Highlights

The summit, now in its third year, anticipates attendance from approximately 1,500 industry leaders representing around 500 companies. The event boasts a stellar lineup of speakers, including Jesse Cole of the Savannah Bananas, James Clear author of Atomic Habits, Kim Scott of Radical Candor, Mark Miller of Chick-fil-A Leadership, and Tim Grover, renowned trainer of Michael Jordan.

"We've got Jesse Cole from the Savannah Bananas, James Clear Atomic Habits, Kim Scott, Radical Candor, Mark Miller, Chick Fil A Leadership, Tim Grover who is Michael Jordan's trainer. You will not hear from a lineup like this anywhere else."
— Speaker B (03:13)

b. Registration Incentive

Attendees are encouraged to register via Dirtworld.com using the code AARON10 to receive a 10% discount.

"Check out details now. Dirtworld.com you can use code AARON10 for 10% off any registrations and we'll see you November 5th through the 7th in Dallas, Texas."
— Speaker B (03:13)

5. Advancements in Customer Support: New Dashboard Implementation

Aaron discusses the development of a new dashboard aimed at enhancing customer support by identifying friction points and tracking customer interactions proactively.

"We have built version one of a dashboard to monitor build with Improve customer help. This dashboard helps us identify friction and trailing customers early before major issues arise."
— Aaron (04:16)

a. Proactive vs. Reactive Approach

Historically, BuildWitt’s customer support has been reactive, only addressing issues once they’ve been reported. The new dashboard shifts this paradigm to a proactive stance, allowing the team to intervene before minor problems escalate.

"Until now we've been very reactive. We don't react to a problem until we hear about it. We don't react to friction until we hear about it. However, we have now this new tool to allow us to spot issues before they cause major frustration."
— Aaron (04:16)

b. Benefits for Customers and Product Development

This proactive approach not only enhances customer satisfaction by resolving issues swiftly but also provides valuable insights for continuous product improvement.

"So this is going to go a long way to helping our customers be better, use the product better, make the product better overall and really excited about this additional visibility into what the heck's going on."
— Aaron (04:16)

6. Sales Team Re-Engagement and Summit Ticket Sales

Aaron outlines strategies to boost ticket sales for the upcoming Dirt World Summit and expand the sales team to sustain momentum.

a. Current Ticket Sales Status

To date, over 750 tickets have been sold for this year’s summit, surpassing the total from the previous year. This strong sales performance underscores the event’s growing reputation and demand.

"Even though we've already sold over 750 tickets now to this year's event which is more than the entirety of 2023's event, we still have many hundreds to go."
— Aaron (04:16)

b. Sales Team Strategy

The existing sales team has been re-engaged to promote the summit vigorously. Aaron expresses confidence in their ability to continue driving ticket sales, emphasizing the event’s value proposition.

"Fortunately it's an easy sell as we believe it's the most valuable industry eventually and any civil contractor, big or small will benefit enormously from attending it."
— Aaron (04:16)

c. Expansion of the Sales Team

To further capitalize on the event’s success, BuildWitt is hiring additional sales representatives. Aaron anticipates that these new team members, even if slightly less experienced, will quickly adapt and contribute effectively given the established market demand and positive feedback from past events.

"We have a few years of, of data now. We've got many hundreds of people that have attended with very, very positive results feedback that are attending this year. And it just, it fits the market very well. It's a need that's not being filled."
— Aaron (04:16)

7. Financial Developments: New Credit Card Platform

A significant financial advancement discussed in this episode is the implementation of a new credit card platform, marking a departure from BuildWitt’s previous reliance on debit cards.

"We signed a new deal for a credit card platform. And this is seemingly mundane, but anybody in business knows this is a big deal."
— Aaron (04:16)

a. Overcoming Cash Flow Challenges

Operating with debit cards limited BuildWitt to managing only available cash, hindering their ability to leverage external funds. The new credit card system provides greater financial flexibility and improved expense tracking.

"Because of our startup status, we've had to use a debit card system until now, which sucks because you're operating off cash. You can't leverage anybody else's cash. It's just your cash."
— Aaron (04:16)

b. Building Credit History

With the adoption of the credit card platform, BuildWitt aims to build its credit history, facilitating future borrowing and financial stability.

"With this new system, we can finally buy ourselves some more wiggle room and then hopefully make our expenses a lot easier to track."
— Aaron (04:16)

c. Personal Financial Insight

Aaron provides a personal perspective on the financial struggles, mentioning his lack of personal credit history and the broader challenges faced by the company in securing traditional loans.

"I haven't had a credit card in, I don't know, quite a few years. No mortgage, nothing, no debt, which doesn't help me out from a credit standpoint. Oh well, shout out to Dave Ramsey."
— Aaron (04:16)

"The business, because the business, it's a software company or before was a media company, we don't have assets so you can't really secure any kind of loan. You can't borrow against anything."
— Aaron (04:16)

d. Anticipated Benefits

Aaron is optimistic that the new credit card system will alleviate previous cash flow constraints and support the company's growth trajectory.

"It's been a struggle for us, cash flow because we don't have, we can't borrow traditionally. But again, tools like this I think are going to help us in a big way."
— Aaron (04:16)

8. Conclusion and Closing Remarks

Aaron wraps up the update by recapping the week’s highlights and encouraging listener engagement.

"Those are the highlights for this past week. That's number seven, Buildwood update. I hope you're enjoying these, finding them insightful. If you have questions, feedback, comments, send them my way. Aaron buildwith.com would love to hear from you."
— Aaron (04:16)

Following Aaron’s closing, speaker B teases the next episode, maintaining listener interest.

"On the next one."
— Speaker B (09:16)

Aaron bids farewell with his signature sign-off, reinforcing the podcast’s brand.

"Stay dirty everybody."
— Aaron (09:17)

Key Takeaways

• Strategic Hires: The onboarding of a new VP of Product with a robust background in heavy civil construction and construction technology is poised to drive BuildWitt’s innovative goals forward.

• Enhanced Customer Support: Implementing a proactive dashboard represents a significant shift in BuildWitt’s approach to customer service, aiming to preemptively address issues and improve overall user experience.

• Event Success and Expansion: The upcoming Ariat Dirt World Summit is a focal point for industry leaders, with BuildWitt actively expanding its sales team to maximize event participation and value.

• Financial Growth: Transitioning to a credit card platform marks a critical step in stabilizing and expanding BuildWitt’s financial operations, offering improved cash flow management and the potential for future growth.

By weaving together on-the-ground industry insights, strategic business developments, and personal anecdotes, Aaron delivers a multifaceted update that underscores BuildWitt’s commitment to growth, innovation, and community engagement. Whether you’re an industry professional or a curious listener, this episode offers valuable perspectives on navigating the complexities of the construction technology landscape.