Episode 110: Balancing Netflix, Business & Employees with Tyler Farrell of Killowen Construction
Today Brad speaks with Tyler Farrell of Wasatch County’s Killowen Construction.
Our conversation with Tyler is an intimate deep-dive into the passion and philosophy that drives him to nurture solid relationships with both his team and his ultra-wealthy clients that often go far beyond the home build. He also reflects on his exciting experience working with Syd and Shea McGee on their home on Netflix’s Dream Home Makeover.
He relates his current work in residential to his previous time doing commercial. The residential world, particularly custom residential construction, has been a significantly more fulfilling experience for Tyler because of its personal, family-centered process.
Speaking on his staff, Tyler becomes emotional talking about those team members that have caught the vision of the company, which goes way beyond working for a paycheck. He also encourages employees to make their voices heard and to challenge the leadership if they feel compelled to, so as to do their part in setting Killowen apart from the rest.
Finally, Tyler describes the cornerstone of his company—and of running a construction business in general—which is communication. With so many parties to keep up-to-speed throughout a long and complicated process, Tyler stresses openness and brutal honesty, but also empathy and care.
Topics Discussed:
[02:35] Challenges that Tyler is dealing with right now
[07:41] How Tyler keeps his pipeline full
[12:48] Competing with other cabinetry subcontractors
[15:12] How Tyler conducts his exit interviews
[20:51] How often Tyler checks in with clients after the home is built
[30:13] Creating a good company culture
[36:28] Working with Syd and Shea McGee
[43:56] How Netflix came into the picture
[50:55] Working when cameras are always trained on you
[55:17] Lessons learned from the Netflix experience about running Killowen
[57:45] The best career advice Tyler has ever been given
[1:03:11] What Tyler is most excited about
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Key Quotes by Tyler:
With these homes, it gets super personal because it’s the most expensive thing they’ll ever buy. It’s where they’ll raise their family, their kids, their grandkids. It gets pretty personal and that’s why I like it better than commercial. I was in commercial for a while; but, homes—there’s something about it.
I want my people to challenge our system. I might disagree and I might push back; but, I do want our team to think of ways we can do better. I’m not averse to change.
There are people in our company that are here for the paycheck, and that is fine. We’re not doing it for practice. We’re doing it to make a living. It’s all good. There are other people that I see who have caught the vision of where we can be and they want to be a part of it.
Where construction really goes sideways—the relationships at least—is communication. If someone feels heard, even if there’s a problem, if you acknowledge that it’s there and you keep giving them constant updates—communication is huge.
Every hire I’ve made has taught me how to run my company better
