Favorite Parts of Working in the Marketing and Construction Industries as a Founder
Jon, Founder and Partner at GreatBuildz, finds the construction industry's "shady" nature and the resulting homeowner pain points rewarding to address, making the process "easier and increasing the level of trust." The constantly evolving landscape of online marketing also excites Jon, as "the same guiding principles always apply," allowing for continuous learning and adaptation within the field.
Problem-Solving, Communication, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Project Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jon Grishpul
Founder, Partner
GreatBuildz, Maxable
Cal Poly - SLO
n/a
Business Management & Admin, Marketing
Architecture, Construction & Design
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Helping homeowners navigate the complex and often shady construction industry, improving their experience and ensuring they are not taken advantage of.
2. The challenge and constant evolution of online marketing, requiring continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies and platforms.
3. The rewarding feeling of streamlining a confusing and expensive process, building trust and making a positive impact on people's lives and homes.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your industry?
I guess I kind of work in two industries: marketing and construction. I enjoy working in the construction industry because it's a really shady industry. There are a lot of bad actors, unlicensed contractors, and illegal practices going on.
Because of that, there's a lot of pain for homeowners. They get ripped off, hire bad contractors, and have negative experiences. So much is at risk when it comes to a home remodel, and it's also very personal.
It's not like buying a car for $50,000 and it breaking down. This is your home, where your family, kids, and pets live. So it's a very expensive and personal decision, and that's where it matters the most. It's unfortunate that this industry has the negative reputation that it does.
I enjoy working in this industry because it's kind of our mission to solve that problem. When I talk to homeowners who have had bad experiences and I can assure them that we'll support them throughout the entire process to ensure that never happens again, I love that.
I also talk to homeowners who have no idea how things work. The average homeowner remodels once every three to five years. Think of something you haven't done for five years – you don't really remember how it works, don't know the questions to ask, or anything about the process.
So it's confusing, expensive, and personal. Knowing that I can play a role in streamlining the process, making it easier, and increasing homeowners' trust throughout the process is really rewarding for me.
I'll briefly touch on the marketing industry. Because we're a two-sided marketplace, we're recruiting contractors, and SEO is the name of the game for my business. Online marketing is cool because it doesn't matter if you've worked in this industry for 20 years or just started six months ago; things are always changing.
To some degree, a lot of the same principles apply. The marketing I learned 10 years ago is not too dissimilar from marketing taught 20, 30, or 40 years ago. There are just new concepts and, mainly, new technologies, but the same guiding principles always apply.
So if you can learn the basics of marketing and then learn how to apply it to TikTok, Snapchat, or YouTube, or any of these relatively newer platforms, that's where it can really shine. There's so much to know about marketing, but it's also not impossible to dive in and figure it out fairly quickly, which is a really cool aspect of the marketing industry in general.