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Why Ethical Trades Businesses Still Need to Charge More feat. Chris' Garage Doors | S1E13

Picture of Cameron Carlow

 

 

On a scale of private equity giant to "Chuck in a truck," where does your business stand? That's the balance we discussed this week on Builders, Makers, Doers.

Andy and Elliot sit down with Chris Tyrrell, owner of Chris’ Garage Doors in Denver, Colorado.

Most trades businesses do not get into trouble because they lack skill.

They get into trouble because they chase work they should not take.

This is not just about garage doors.

It is about discipline.

Chris did not build his business by trying to be everything to everyone.

He learned the hard way what happens when you take on work outside your lane.

He underbid a job.

Got into work he should not have taken.

And came out of it with a lesson a lot of owners learn too late:

Not every dollar is the right dollar.

But this conversation goes deeper than operations.

It gets into ethics.

Pricing.

Community impact.

Culture.

And the tension every owner feels when they are trying to build a real business without losing themselves in the process.

This is what you’ll discover:

  • Why early growth can create problems if you chase the wrong jobs

  • The hard lesson Chris learned from underbidding commercial work

  • Why ethical pricing is more complicated than most customers realize

  • The difference between charging for time and charging for expertise

  • Why doing the right thing does not always scale the fastest

  • How Chris measures success by impact, not just income

  • Why giving back can become part of a company’s operating system

  • How community involvement can strengthen team culture and loyalty

  • Why grassroots networking still works for trades businesses

  • Why purpose is a stronger foundation than passion in business

Chris also shares a perspective more owners need to hear: Doing the right thing matters.

But that does not mean it always wins on a spreadsheet.

This episode is not about feel-good business advice. It is about building a company with clarity. It is about knowing what kind of work you should take. What kind of leader you want to be.

And what success actually means when you are the one carrying the weight of the business.

If you are an owner, operator, or builder trying to grow without drifting away from your values, this conversation will feel honest.

And useful.

 

 

Chapters

00:00 – Intro to Chris Tyrrell and Chris’s Garage Doors
01:15 – How Chris got into the garage door business
02:45 – Starting a business with no overhead
05:10 – The job that taught him to stay in his lane
06:40 – Underbidding, complications, and making it right
10:40 – Why ethics matters in the trades
11:35 – The real challenge of fair pricing
17:05 – Why doing the right thing does not always scale fastest
18:55 – Measuring success by impact
19:05 – The 3% give-back model
23:20 – Building culture through shared vision and service
26:15 – Why garage doors can transform curb appeal
29:50 – Honesty with customers and real ROI
31:10 – How Chris generates new business
33:15 – Why networking still works in the trades
35:25 – Purpose over passion
37:25 – Family, priorities, and staying grounded

 

 

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