Top Resources for Contractors: Best Podcasts, Books, and Industry Insights

Running a contracting business leaves little time for studying trends or reading lengthy guides, but staying informed is what separates busy contractors from truly successful ones.

The good news? You don’t need extra hours in the day to keep learning. Podcasts, trusted publications, and powerful business books can help you boost profits and stay ahead of the competition, all while you’re on the move.

At HomeBuddy, we’re constantly researching the best tools, stories, and voices that help contractors grow smarter and scale faster. Below, you’ll find our favorite industry resources: podcasts to inspire you, publications to keep you informed, and books to help you lead your team and business with confidence.

Our Favorite Podcasts for Contractors

Whether you’re driving between job sites or catching a break after a long day, podcasts are the easiest way to keep learning without feeling like homework. These are the ones our team keeps coming back to: inspiring, practical, and packed with real talk from people who’ve built success from the ground up.

The Wealthy Contractor by Brian Kaskavalciyan

Hosted by Brian Kaskavalciyan, a successful entrepreneur and founder of G4 Marketing Group, this podcast pulls back the curtain on how top home improvement leaders build profitable, scalable businesses without burning out.

What we like most is how real it feels, no corporate jargon, just honest conversations about the challenges and wins that every contractor faces. Brian’s guests come from all corners of the industry, sharing proven methods on everything from sales and marketing to hiring and operations.

We often tune in during commutes or early mornings, the kind of episodes that spark new ideas before the day starts. One of our team members called it “the most practical show for learning how to run a contracting business like a real company.”

It’s professional, positive, and packed with takeaways you can apply right away, the perfect mix of inspiration and business coaching on the go.

Listen here →

Marketing Matters For Remodeling Pros by Qualified Remodeler

The next podcast we recommend is Marketing Matters for Remodeling Pros produced by Qualified Remodeler Magazine and hosted by Patrick O’Toole. It delivers practical marketing insights straight from industry veterans, digital experts, and remodelers who are thriving in today’s competitive market.

What makes this one stand out is its focus on strategy over noise. Each episode digs into what really drives remodeling growth: smarter ad spend, understanding homeowner behavior, improving your CRM workflows and using data to make marketing decisions that actually pay off.

If you’re serious about turning your marketing from a cost into an investment, this podcast should be on your list.

Listen here →

Contractor Evolution by Breakthrough Academy

There’s a reason Contractor Evolution keeps coming up in our team chats, it’s one of the few podcasts that speaks directly to the realities of running and growing a contracting business. Hosted by Danny Kerr, a former contractor who’s made the shift from the job site to the boardroom, along with Benji Carlson and Igor Trninic, it focuses on the fundamentals of sustainable growth: building reliable systems, hiring the right people, managing time, and getting a handle on your numbers.

Each episode dives into practical solutions for challenges most contractors face, from disorganized operations to constant time pressure and how to replace that chaos with structure and accountability. The approach is refreshingly direct, built on real experience rather than theory.

If you’re serious about leading your company instead of being trapped in it, this one’s worth adding to your weekly routine.

Listen here →

Trade Secrets: Contractor Marketing

Among all the contractor podcasts out there, Trade Secrets is the one we never skip. Hosted by Devon Hayes and Amanda Joyce from Elevation Marketing, it dives deep into what every contractor actually wants to know, how to generate more qualified leads through smarter digital marketing. From optimizing your website and SEO strategy to improving your ad ROI and follow-up process, each episode feels like a mini masterclass in growing your pipeline.

We especially recommend Episode 53: “The Contractor’s Guide to Video Marketing in 2025”, where Guest Carl Kwan shared how to use video as a powerful sales and trust-building tool, breaking down where to spend budget, how to create videos that convert, and why every contractor needs a clear video strategy. As a team that leans on video and data-driven marketing ourselves, this episode hit home. It’s practical, smart, and easy to apply.

Listen here →

Essential Home Improvement Industry Resources

Even the best contractors can fall behind if they’re not tuned into what’s happening across the home improvement industry. These publications give you data, strategy, and inspiration to help make better decisions and stay ahead of competition.

Qualified Remodeler

If you only have time for one publication this year, make it Qualified Remodeler! It’s hands down the most complete resource for contractors. We read it for its focus on marketing performance, digital tools, and business systems, things that directly impact revenue and operations. The annual Top 500 Remodelers list and Market Trends Report are industry gold, showing where remodeling demand is growing, what’s slowing down, and how top firms adapt.

What sets it apart is its practicality. Every article feels designed to help you improve one part of your business whether it’s fine-tuning your CRM, managing teams, or understanding ROI from your ad spend.

The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI)

While most industry content reports what’s happening now, HIRI (Home Improvement Research Institute) tells you what’s coming next. It’s a leading source for homeowner data, market forecasts, and renovation spending insights used by top manufacturers, suppliers, and contracting firms nationwide. Their quarterly and annual studies reveal how homeowners think, spend, and prioritize projects, along with forecasts that predict shifts in remodeling demand, material trends, and regional growth.

This is data you can actually apply: when to adjust pricing, what services to promote, and how to align your marketing with what homeowners really want. For contractors planning beyond the next job, those thinking about where the industry is headed in 2, 5, or even 10 years HIRI is a good starting point.

Remodeling Magazine

When we say Remodeling Magazine is essential reading, we mean it literally, it’s open on one of our browsers year-round. The publication’s Cost vs. Value Report is a cornerstone resource across the industry, used by contractors, investors, and analysts alike. It shows which home improvement projects deliver the highest ROI and helps you explain your pricing to homeowners with confidence.

Their analysis on material costs, consumer sentiment, and regional patterns helps contractors adjust estimates and prepare for seasonal changes before they hit. It’s smart, straightforward, and focused entirely on the business side of remodeling, which makes it a must for anyone who cares about sustainable profitability.

Pro Remodeler

If Qualified Remodeler is the industry’s playbook, Pro Remodeler is its leadership manual. It’s where you go to learn how high-performing remodeling companies build teams, manage growth, and stay profitable in a changing market.

We turn to Pro Remodeler for its deep, experience-based content: case studies, leadership insights, and financial management breakdowns that don’t sugarcoat what running a remodeling business actually looks like. It regularly features articles on process improvement, technology adoption, workforce training, and leadership mindset, written by people who’ve been there. 

Books Every Contractor Should Read

Beyond the Hammer By Brian Gottlieb

“You don’t build a company. You build people and they build the company.”

That’s the heartbeat of Brian Gottlieb’s Beyond the Hammer. As the founder of one of the fastest-growing home improvement companies in the U.S., Gottlieb doesn’t talk theory, he talks trenches. He walks you through how culture impacts cash flow, how recognition beats bonuses, and why the best-run teams rely on clarity only.

What we love most: Gottlieb’s honesty. He shares his missteps openly, moments that cost him money and sleep, and what it really took to turn things around. If you’re ready to lead with more intention (and a little less stress), this book is for you.

Selling Education and Educating Sales By Chuck Thokey & Brian L. Gross

We heard Chuck Thokey speak at a recent BHA event, and he said something that stuck with us, selling isn’t about pressure, it’s about people. In Selling Education and Educating Sales, he and Brian L. Gross show how sales and teaching go hand in hand. You earn trust, explain clearly, and make it easy for people to say “yes.” It’s simple, but powerful  and it’s a skill that every contractor, manager, and owner should master.

What We Love Most: From our own experience, we’ve seen this proven again and again: the best companies aren’t led by the best salespeople, they’re led by people who can teach others how to sell well. That’s how real growth happens.

The Lean Builder By Joe Donarumo & Keyan Zandy

If you’ve ever walked onto a job site and thought, “There has to be a better way,” this book proves you’re right. The Lean Builder turns the Lean construction philosophy into clear, step-by-step practices any contractor can use.

Joe Donarumo and Keyan Zandy wrote this book out of pure frustration with how chaotic job sites can get. They’ve lived it: the delays, the rework, the endless meetings. Their approach to Lean is simple: focus on adding value, cutting waste, and respecting people.

In construction, that means improving flow, trust, and teamwork so every trade finishes strong together.

What We Love Most: This isn’t theory,  it’s written by field guys, for field guys. It’s packed with visuals, checklists, and real stories from the job site that show how even small Lean practices can transform project outcomes. We’d recommend it to project managers, site leads, and owners who want fewer delays, less stress, and a culture built on accountability and respect.

At HomeBuddy, our mission is to help contractors scale with clarity. From high-quality leads to insights that drive ROI, we’re here to help you build a business that lasts. Explore more contractor growth resources on the HomeBuddy blog or connect with our team to see how we can help you turn insights into real results.