TradeRated

I've spent more than four decades in the trades. I've been the technician, the installer, the salesperson, the manager, and the owner. I've built companies from nothing, experienced success, made plenty of mistakes, sold businesses, and started over again. Every chapter taught me something different, but one lesson has remained constant: businesses aren't built by ideas alone—they're built by execution.

When I moved to West Virginia, I wasn't arriving with investors or a corporate safety net. I came with determination, experience, and the belief that if I worked hard enough and surrounded myself with the right people, I could build something meaningful again. That journey became Door Serv Pro, a company that grew into a multi-million-dollar business serving customers across multiple states.

Today, I'm building what I believe is the most important project of my career: Built by the Trades. Our mission is simple but ambitious—to build technology that actually helps contractors succeed. We're creating platforms like Profit Wizard, TradeRated, TrueQuote, ServiceDash, Goose, BudgetGenius, and TradeGames because they're solutions to problems I've personally lived for decades. Every product exists because I wished I'd had it when I was running service trucks, managing technicians, or trying to grow a business.

Because of that background, I don't evaluate companies the way most clients do.

I've worked with marketing agencies for years. I've seen polished presentations, heard every sales pitch imaginable, and been promised the world more times than I can count. Most agencies sell websites, SEO packages, or advertising campaigns. Very few understand business itself.

That was the first thing that stood out about CI Web Group.

Our conversations weren't centered on colors, fonts, or rankings. They were about business models, positioning, artificial intelligence, customer behavior, long-term brand value, and where the industry was heading. They weren't trying to build me a website—they were trying to help build a company that could compete in the future.

Did I have concerns? Absolutely.

CI Web moves fast—faster than almost any organization I've worked with. Sometimes you're still processing one strategic decision while they're already discussing the next several. That pace can be uncomfortable, especially when you're building multiple companies at once. But I've also learned that's part of their advantage. They're focused on where the market is going, not where it's been.

What I've watched over the years is an evolution.

The company I originally hired isn't the company I work with today. They've grown, adapted, invested heavily in AI, and continually challenged themselves to improve. More importantly, they've challenged us. They haven't been afraid to question our ideas, push us toward better solutions, or rethink an approach when something could be stronger. That's the kind of partnership I value.

Like any real business relationship, it hasn't always been perfect. Building companies at this scale creates pressure, changing priorities, and difficult conversations. But I don't judge partners by whether every project goes exactly as planned. I judge them by how they respond when things get difficult, whether they communicate honestly, and whether they're committed to finding the best solution. On those measures, they've continued to earn my trust.

The biggest difference I see is that CI Web thinks in systems instead of campaigns. They're not chasing the next marketing trend. They're building businesses to succeed in a world where AI, search, automation, and customer expectations are changing faster than ever before.

That's exactly the kind of thinking we needed as we built Built by the Trades.

We've trusted them with one of the most ambitious visions I've ever pursued because they understand that we're not creating software for the sake of software. We're building tools that can help contractors become more profitable, create better customer experiences, and build businesses that last for generations.

I've built businesses my entire life, and one thing has become clear to me.

Products matter. Strategy matters. Execution matters.

But in the end, everything comes down to people.

When you find people who challenge your thinking, keep learning, adapt when necessary, and genuinely care about helping you build something meaningful, you don't just hire them—you build alongside them.

That's been my experience with Jennifer Bagley and the team at CI Web Group.

I don't know exactly what the future holds for either of our companies. But I do know we're both trying to build something that outlasts us. That's the kind of partnership worth investing in.