Dominate the Dirt Business Like John Seaman

Feeling burnt out by client emotions in custom home building or struggling to navigate seasonal lulls and unexpected crises? John Seaman of JC Property Professionals joins Taylor to share his incredible journey from funding dirt bike habits with side jobs, through the demanding world of custom home building, to ultimately dominating complex dirt work and site development in North Carolina. Discover how he pivoted his business, built resilience, and learned to thrive by tackling the jobs others couldn't.

Learn John's strategies for managing difficult projects on extreme terrain, diversifying revenue streams through strategic real estate development, and maintaining a strong company culture amidst high-stress situations. He offers a raw, firsthand account of leading his team through the chaos and devastation following Hurricane Helene – tackling logistical nightmares, unique billing challenges (insurance vs. private pay vs. FEMA), and the very human side of disaster recovery. Plus, gain crucial insights into the power of building your personal brand alongside your business brand in the trades.

🚨 Heads up! CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 is less than a year away (March 3-7)! Mark your calendars. Tickets go on sale in August. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter for updates and discounts: https://www.conexpoconagg.com/subscribe

🎯 BIGGEST TAKEAWAY [1:00:03]:
"There is a difference between building a business brand and building a personal brand... no matter what you do and decide to do in business, the personal brand follows you everywhere. You know, I believe that people buy from people, not a business."

⚠️ WAKE-UP CALL [53:58]:
Relying on government contracts post-disaster? Think again.
"The county is going to tell you you're going to get paid when we get paid... storm happened in September. I know lots and lots and lots of guys who haven't been paid a dollar yet... That's why we weren't interested in using our resources to go and do the stuff that FEMA would have essentially be paying for and not know if or when we're ever going to get paid back."

✨ HIDDEN ADVANTAGE [57:48]:
Leverage your core business to build your own assets.
"I had this experience and I gained all this knowledge on how to do this development and I thought, man, this is stupid for me to keep putting all this money in everybody else's pocket. I'm just going to do this for myself... I get to use the dirt guys to go in and develop that site and then I get to use my construction guys to come in and build the homes."

💡 LEADERSHIP LESSON [1:03:33]:
Stay grounded, even as you climb.
"You have to wear multiple hats, but you can't have such a big head that your head won't fit back in the other hat... I grew up working right beside my dad doing whatever we could do, you know, and that's who I am."

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro & CONEXPO 2026 Announcement

01:17 - Meeting John Seaman: From Dirt Bikes to Dirt Work

04:10 - The Journey: Handyman to Custom Homes

06:18 - Family Business Challenges & Pivoting to Dirt

09:05 - Why Dirt Work? The Appeal of Tough Jobs

12:48 - Managing People: Dirt vs. Custom Home Building

16:21 - Staying Busy Year-Round: Diversifying Clientele

23:11 - Hurricane Helene Hits: The Immediate Impact

28:45 - Disaster Response: Logistics, Safety & Getting Access

34:28 - The Human Element: Helping the Stranded & Dealing with Loss

40:11 - Business During Crisis: Managing Crews & Costs

43:00 - Getting Paid: Navigating Insurance, Private Pay & FEMA Complexities

54:50 - Over-Engineering for Future Storms

59:50 - Building Culture Through Crisis & Camaraderie

1:00:05 - Real Estate Empire: Diversifying with Development

1:04:55 - Personal Brand vs. Business Brand in Construction

1:12:55 - Final Thoughts & Where to Find John

🔗 CONNECT WITH JOHN:

Official John Seaman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialjoh...

Official John Seaman YouTube:    / @officialjohnseaman  

JC Property Professionals: https://www.jcpropertyprofessionals.com/

#Construction #DirtWork #SiteDevelopment #DisasterRecovery #HurricaneHelene #Entrepreneurship #BusinessOwner #PersonalBranding #RealEstateDevelopment #HeavyEquipment #SkilledTrades #CONEXPOCONAGG