Erica Anenberg on BuilderBud and Construction Contracting

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/11/04

Erica Anenberg is a general contractor and creator of BuilderBud, a construction project management app. With 30+ years of business and 10 years of construction experience, she empowers women in construction and tech, simplifies project management, and improves communication. Anenberg talks about LGBTQ+ inclusion in construction and her app, BuilderBud. BuilderBud helps homeowners manage construction projects by simplifying communication, task management, invoicing, and documentation. 

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we are here with Erica Anenberg. We’re going to be talking about the LGBTQ+ community and construction and a new app, which is an underrepresented area. I worked in that industry as a teenager. I wasn’t very skilled at it because I was a teenager, but I became aware of some nuanced aspects of construction culture. However, for anyone who’s worked in the field for a few months, these aspects aren’t subtle; they are the blunt realities of the culture that you either adapt to, leave, or move on to a new job site. These realities come with all the challenges that construction entails. So, when you think of a construction site as someone with experience, what image comes to mind compared to someone who has never worked in that field?

Erica Anenberg: For me, I see a construction site as exciting. It energizes me because I see the potential. However, someone without experience might see the danger. They need help conceptualizing any vision of what the project could become. Yes, I see a real opportunity. When I think of construction, I see a lot of potential. 

Jacobsen: So, what is BuilderBud?

Anenberg: BuilderBud is designed to help homeowners who may find the construction process overwhelming—the chaos and confusion. As a general contractor, I have experience organizing and implementing systems. We developed BuilderBud because we understand that homeowners and clients don’t have the same level of expertise. Many software available today cater only to general contractors, leaving out the homeowner in terms of design, user experience, and onboarding, which can be complicated and expensive.

Last year, we transitioned to one of the construction tech platforms, which made a difference. We were able to make this move because we were working on five projects simultaneously and earning more money. But when we started, I needed help to afford a $200-per-month software, which hindered our progress. So, now that I’ve found more success professionally and financially, I wanted to develop something to give back.

Yes, it’s a for-profit venture, and I want to benefit from it. However, I also developed BuilderBud to solve a problem that has yet to be addressed. Suppose this becomes my legacy, and all I achieve with BuilderBud is solving a problem for residential contractors who can’t afford expensive software or need more resources to onboard with a robust system. In that case, I’d be proud of that contribution. This also extends to the Latinx community, where many contractors need more funds or the understanding to implement costly software systems.

We are also planning to translate it into Spanish soon. So yes, that’s the long answer to your question, but I hope it answers it.

Jacobsen: It did. What was your experience flipping homes on Moussa’s show (“The Flipping El Moussa’s”) on HGTV?

Anenberg: It was very interesting because it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was a lot more challenging than I expected because you have a timeline set by a TV production company rather than the construction schedule. Obviously, with flippers, they want you to go fast. But this was much more challenging because they had to meet the reveal’s deadlines and other production requirements.

Whether you were ready or not, you had to do it. Also, having a third party involved — the TV production company — along with Tarek’s team and our team made it more complex. The TV production company has an agenda outside of Tarek’s team and ours. I have to say it was one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had. Still, it was also incredibly rewarding and much fun. Tarek and Heather are wonderful people.

I adore Heather. She was so kind and compassionate. I was nervous — five cameras pointed at me, and the TV producer told me, “Just be yourself.” But you end up repeating yourself, literally, ten times. The same thing over and over because they have to catch it from different angles. Then they would say, “Yes, Eric, just be yourself,” and I think, “I’m no dummy, but this doesn’t feel like myself.” So, being myself in that setting was difficult because I’m not an actor.

It was tough, but Heather was supportive the entire time. She could see I was nervous, and she would encourage me. Tarek is a total dude, cracking jokes about things like farts — just a real guy’s guy. They’re adorable. I loved working with them.

Jacobsen: How are you working with Matriarchy Builds? 

Anenberg: Another incredible organization. Lacey and Gabrielle are the CEOs. They started this amazing organization about five years ago, building a community of women in construction. It feels like a home—you’re part of a family. It’s like a big hug whenever they have roundups. Knowing you’re supported, you feel wrapped in a warm blanket.

More support systems for women in construction need to be created. We only have a handful of female general contractors in LA — maybe ten or so. It’s a small community, but it’s growing. About five years ago, maybe 4% of women worked in the trades, and now we’re up to 14 or 15% in the last couple of years.

There have been grants given to women in construction, mostly on the commercial side. Another fantastic organization is WINTER (Women in Nontraditional Employment Roles). Have you heard of it? It’s for women in nontraditional roles and an organization that helps low-income women who want to become journeymen in trades like plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry. They offer free training and then get them union jobs. They’re turning out around 50 women a year or something like that.

Maybe more. The government is giving grants. The trades are aging out. That’s a huge problem. Within the next ten years, 50% of the workforce in the trades will retire.

They’re trying to solve this problem because, otherwise, you’d be looking at $1,000 to snake your toilet due to the high demand and the low supply—basic economics. To address this, they’re bringing in more women and promoting diversity, which is awesome. It’s also why we’re working on building Spanish-language adaptations of the app into its processes. Many of the workers come from Latin backgrounds. 

Jacobsen: They don’t necessarily have to be Mexican or Mexican-American labourers. I’m using Canadian terminology here, but many Hispanic workers in the United States, often performing basic labour, face language barriers that likely limit social mobility. And it’s not just Mexicans; many also come from Central and South American countries. So, language is a factor. How do you think making this language adaptation of the app can increase accessibility for some of these workers, enabling them to pool resources, share knowledge, and build their community of contractors?

Anenberg: Yes, I love it. That’s one of our missions—to help the Latinx community. They are the backbone of the construction industry, especially in California. I’m unsure about other regions, but we’re building on their labour. Society is undergoing a shift. People are much more accepting of diversity, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women. We’re also starting to demand it.

The Latin community wants to start making decisions. But it would help if you had an organization to do that and become more successful in construction. You cannot have chaos—you need business skills. If you don’t know your basic numbers, if you don’t know your costs or the percentage of what you should charge, you can’t succeed. That’s one of the things we built into BuilderBud. I said it’s so important.

I want the invoices to include the cost in each line item and show the percentage markup so contractors can see what they charge the client. It’s super basic. You put in $500, decide to double your money, enter a 100% profit margin, and the system calculates $1,000. There are no manual calculations, no miscommunication, and it’s all clear and organized.

It’s your contractor draft, not for the homeowner to see. You can view what the homeowner sees, which doesn’t include your costs. You can also get a signature from the homeowner once they sign the estimate or invoice, which is binding. This helps solve many accountability issues by having everything in writing, something the Latin community often needs to do.

Contractors often come out and give a price verbally. I’ve heard countless stories about endless fighting, miscommunication, issues, drama, and stress because one party thought they agreed to one thing, but nothing was written. People are getting burned—contractors aren’t getting paid, or homeowners are paying and not getting the work done. It’s a common issue.

Jacobsen: Little petty fights can escalate quickly. That’s also part of the larger issue — the nuances of the difficulties in construction. These are high-stress environments. Workers are out in the elements, putting in long days and trying to meet deadlines. Not everyone is being paid appropriately for the difficulty of the work. With the increasing demand for construction workers, I’ve heard we’ll need more than a million workers over the next six years to fill gaps in basic infrastructure projects, like piping and electrical outfitting.

How do you see BuilderBud expanding to help bridge these gaps in accessibility for contractors, whether they’re building businesses, working on contracts, or even tackling large infrastructure projects needed in LA and elsewhere?

Anenberg: BuilderBud’s big vision is definitely to create a community. If you’re doing a remodelling project, it’s like having your best friend there to help you. Our original tagline was “BuilderBud: Your Construction Bestie.” Still, we had to drop that because we needed to understand what it meant.

Now, it’s “Construction Made Easy.” It should feel as easy as having your best friend guide you through every step. When I think of something challenging, I know I’d feel more relieved if my best friend had my back. That’s what we’re trying to do—create that sense of support.

I want to focus on solving smaller problems, like reducing chaos, drama, miscommunication, and fighting, while improving organization. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is, even with our $200-a-month construction tech software, to arrive on-site and need help finding plans.

Things get lost between different projects, files, and paperwork, so I made it simple. I know you can tag files and filter them, but I want plans front and center. I want it to be clear—hit a button, and you immediately see the plans for that project. No searching, no filtering—just simple, direct access.

Same thing with specs. I can only tell you how hard it is if you have a physical spec book, which people aren’t doing anymore, or they need more resources or time to print a big, hefty spec book. 

Jacobsen: When I was in construction, they had these super detailed presentations. It was a massive book, like a meter by two-foot spec sheet.

Anenberg: That cost thousands of dollars and took someone hours to assemble. So yes, you still need to download spec sheets and drop them into the folder, but I’m trying to make it as easy as possible. What’s the easiest way for someone who doesn’t have a technology background and needs more money to pay for expensive software? I want it to be easy.

I want it to be easy for the homeowner because that matters. In the past, we’ve had this old-school mentality in construction. As a teenager, you probably remember that the contractor was likely an older white male with a “my way or the highway” attitude.

What he said went, he told his team that and told the client the same thing. He thought he knew best. That’s not to say all contractors were like that — some were collaborative and nice — but that was often the mentality.

Now, there’s a new generation of homeowners who are younger and won’t tolerate that kind of attitude. They want to collaborate and won’t stand for a prickly, difficult contractor. They’ll ghost that contractor and find someone who offers more hand-holding and support.

That’s why we developed BuilderBud and Girl Flip Construction, which has succeeded. We have a process in place before we even enter into a contract. We walk clients through an hour-long clarity call.

My wife, an angel on earth—so kind and loving—is our head of sales. She asks important questions like, “What didn’t work for you before? What are your cost concerns? What’s been the biggest pain point?” She’s digging into the psychology behind it all.

People need to give more credit to how much homeowners have invested. This is often their largest asset, something they’ve worked to acquire, and it’s a big deal. But many contractors believe, “It’s not a big deal. You’re just another client.” They’re churning through projects without caring about the individual.

That’s not a kind or respectful way to treat someone trusting you with everything they’ve worked for. There’s an incongruency in the construction industry about how homeowners are treated, especially in the residential sector. It’s unsure if it is the same for commercial projects worth $100 million, but it’s rampant for residential projects.

Jacobsen: My brother is in a skilled trade. A kid under him started his training at 17. By the time he finished, he was already working in the field, starting in his particular trade. He died. My brother was trying to get help—he died on the site. I remember when I was in construction, I left the site, and then I heard a month or two later that a guy was trying to leave the job site early and got stuck on the train tracks. This happened in Canada. The train came by and hit him on the driver’s side. That was it. So, while not extremely common, these incidents are common on construction sites. I can understand the prickliness of the older generation when safety equipment, like harnesses, wasn’t even considered back then. It’s like not wearing seatbelts.

Anenberg: Yes, but you’re right that certain incoming generations have a different mentality. People are trying to learn from those past mistakes. It doesn’t feel good to be talked to disrespectfully, and skipping safety measures like seatbelts or harnesses is unsafe. It’s also crucial to communicate clearly, especially when translating between English and Spanish, for things like agreed-upon costs, whether for materials or skilled labour on a project.

Jacobsen: Yes, exactly. These are all good points. Okay, let me make sure I touch on everything here. So, I’m quoting BuilderBud’s key features now: Task management with punch lists, daily logs with photo uploads, project-based chat communication, homeowner relationship management tools, simple invoicing and change order approvals.

Why is punch list task management so important?

Anenberg: Every job and day involves many tasks, and managing them is challenging. We used to keep our to-do lists in Microsoft, plus emails, text messages, and WhatsApp. Having everything in one place, organized by project, is super important. And being able to see all tasks across all projects is equally crucial.

I’m the use case for BuilderBud. I know exactly what I need. Yes, you don’t want to build something solely for yourself, but I’m very detail-oriented as a woman. I listen to what people are struggling with, and there are always little things that make a big difference.

For example, homeowners always ask, “When’s someone showing up?” So we created a simple button that the worker can hit to say, “On my way. “It gives a window of 1 to 2 hours before or after lunch. It’s a super simple feature, but it keeps the homeowner informed.

Punch lists can be assigned to people, and that’s standard technology today. But having it all in one place, front and center, with the contractor able to see tasks for all projects and all team members and each team member able to see what they’ve been assigned—that’s the game changer.

Jacobsen: For daily logs, why photo uploads?

Anenberg: It’s about accountability. I can only be on some job sites daily, but I need to know what work has been done on each site. So, photo uploads are a given. They also help identify issues.

For example, if a homeowner gets home and sees trash left behind, they can take a picture and submit a homeowner update, saying, “Your guys left this mess. There are ants here. Can you please ask them to clean up next time?” This way, they feel seen and heard, and everything is completely accountable.

It’s all in writing. So, the next time it comes up, or I tell someone, “The homeowner has said this,” there’s a log of it. It’s been documented, so it can’t happen again. And if it does happen again, that person can no longer work with us. Accountability, liability, and trust—those are the three main factors. 

Jacobsen: This isn’t a critique but an observation of how these things play out. As you note, millennials and other generations are in a cultural transition. Statistical differences between generations are small but subtle enough to be significant. So, accountability is key, and I agree. Based on my experience, there could be some cultural clash at the individual level when it comes to adapting to these new expectations.

Anenberg: Yes, exactly.

Jacobsen: Project-based chat communication—my first thought is, is it encrypted so it’s safe from prying eyes? Do people feel secure using it?

Anenberg: Yes, it’s secure. Only the assigned people are in the chat. We’ll have separate chats for materials, another for the homeowner, etc. It’s similar to WhatsApp, where you can name the chat and invite specific people. However, the key is organizing and naming the chats based on topics or tasks.

One of the hardest things, especially on the iPhone, is finding a specific message when you have 15,000 messages. It’s terrible for the organization. So, having everything in one place makes it much easier.

Jacobsen: Organization is key. With these tools, you’re trying to make construction easier.

Anenberg: That’s all I’m trying to do—make construction easier.

Jacobsen: You mentioned homeowner relationship management tools. That sounds good, but can you explain what that means?

Anenberg: It’s essentially easy-to-use technology with a simple user interface. It’s a way for homeowners to see the entire project at their fingertips. They can view contracts, see tasks or events, and have direct access to chat with us. It’s their portal. If you have something like this in construction, you’re unique because no one uses it.

Construction is one of the least digitized industries—only agriculture is behind us. The bar is very low in construction tech. Contractors still use three-part invoicing paper—pink, yellow, and white copies.

Jacobsen: Yes, I’ve seen that too. It’s painful.

Anenberg: It is incredible, but the growth will be rapid. In the next few years, construction tech is going to take off. PropTech, which deals with property technology and construction tech, is still brand new, but it will become very popular. You’ll see them everywhere within the next five years.

Jacobsen: That makes sense. I recall working with a well-established, old-school family at a horse farm. The wife, a former Olympian in showjumping for Canada, had to transition from paper and pencil to electronic payments and systems. That process took a long time.

Anenberg: Yes, it’s similar. Transitioning from the old way of doing things to using new technology can take time, but it’s worth it once the change is made.

Jacobsen: When I was there for 27 months, living and working in that industry, writing about it, they finally made the transition. It wasn’t too painful because it was a smaller community of workers. Still, it is more challenging for larger, more established companies with 50 or 200 employees. It’s more painful for them.

Okay, last question. Simple invoicing and change order approvals—why do you want it to be simple? Hashtag rhetorical question.

Anenberg: Because everything else is complicated! In construction, it takes work. When you think about the energy behind construction, you think of concrete—something hard. I’m trying to soften the process a bit.

If you can have simple invoicing where everything is signed, approved, and in writing, all in one place by project, and easy to find, that’s a small ask, but it’s solving a big problem. These things cause more stress than necessary, so anything that alleviates stress in construction is a win.

Jacobsen: Erica, thank you very much for your time today. I appreciate it.

Anenberg: Yes, awesome. Thank you. It was nice meeting you.

Jacobsen: Nice meeting you, too. Bye, and good luck with season 2 coming in 2025!

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