The companion publication to the AI On The Job podcast. Practical content for service industry businesses ready to modernize how they manage projects and people.

The AI Stack Restoration Contractors Are Actually Building

I've been inside restoration operations since 2013, and I'm watching a pattern emerge that most contractors don't realize they're part of. They're not just adopting AI tools. They're building intelligence infrastructure, layer by layer, often without recognizing the

Five Inputs That Make AI Job Costing Actually Work

I've been watching restoration contractors try to estimate jobs for years, and there's a pattern I keep seeing. They think in terms of the finished product. Install baseboards. Replace drywall. Restore water damage. The mental image is the end result, not the sequence of work required

The Back Office Tasks You Can't Automate Until You Can See Them

I ask restoration contractors to create mind maps when they tell me they want to automate their back office. It sounds simple. Map out how your company runs, show me the tasks, and we'll teach the AI what needs to happen. The owner knows the business better than

Why Contractors Are Investing in the Wrong AI

When contractors reach out to me about AI, they want to talk about ChatGPT. They've been using it to build email templates, draft proposals, maybe generate some content for their website. They're excited about it. They consider this "adopting AI." I understand the appeal.

Why I Started Writing About AI for Contractors (And What I'm Actually Trying to Do)

I'm not a journalist. I'm not an AI researcher. And I'm definitely not someone who's going to tell you that artificial intelligence is going to revolutionize your business while having never actually run one. What I am is a restoration contractor and