From Skeptic to Believer: How Cody Got His Time Back and Started Closing Jobs
North Carolina Contractor Was “Nervous as a Cat on Hot Coals” About the Investment — Now He’d Do It Again
I hope you enjoy reading this blog post.
Author: Brady Carlson | Co-Founder of Dirt2Dollars
Published Date: 18 December, 2025
Industry: Land Clearing & Excavation
Location: North Carolina (Hurricane Helene affected area)
Previous Situation: Solo operator with part-time help, burning out on phone qualification
Main Pain Point: Spending 2 hours on phone with unqualified leads while trying to work
Results at a Glance
Got His Time Back
No longer spending 2 hours on the phone trying to figure out if prospects are serious — can focus on bidding and working
Closing About Every Job
Going to pre-qualified appointments and closing deals instead of chasing unqualified leads
Major Projects in Pipeline
$18,750 first-phase project quote on multi-phase development (house pads, clearing, pond work, hurricane recovery)
Changed His Mind
Went from “nervous as a cat on hot coals” about the investment to “I would do it again”
Before and After
Before Dirt2Dollars | After Dirt2Dollars |
2-hour phone calls trying to qualify leads | Shows up to pre-qualified appointments ready to bid |
Stuck on phone while trying to work | Can focus on actual work |
After 15 calls, started avoiding the phone | Only takes calls from qualified, vetted prospects |
Couldn’t scale because time was tied up | Time freed up to take on more work |
Never knew if prospect was serious | Prospects are pre-vetted and ready to move forward |
Burning out as solo operator | Can focus on what he’s good at: bidding and completing work |
The Company
Cody runs a land clearing and excavation company in North Carolina.
For the longest time, he ran the business by himself, with just a couple of part-time employees.
Like many solo operators, he was doing everything — the work, the sales, the phone calls, the follow-up. And that created a problem that was slowly burning him out.
The Challenge
Drowning in Unqualified Calls
Cody’s biggest struggle wasn’t finding leads. It was the time those leads consumed.
“It was very hard to be in the middle of work and then get a call and this customer wants to talk for a couple hours,” Cody explains. “Which I know that’s how it works, what you got to do. But that was where I struggled a lot of times.”
The math was brutal. After 15 of those multi-hour phone calls, Cody would start to dread answering the phone when he was busy. Which is a terrible position to be in as a business owner.
“After a while, you get to where you don’t want to answer if you’re busy, which is not good because maybe the next one is actually the job.”
The Solo Operator Trap
When you’re running the business solo with part-time help, you can’t afford to spend 2 hours on the phone with someone who’s just shopping around or not serious about moving forward.
But you also can’t afford to miss the one call that’s closes and turns into a real job.
Cody was stuck in a trap we see all too often: spending hours trying to figure out what prospects wanted and whether they were serious customers, all while trying to do the work that brings revenue into the business.
Skeptical About the Investment
When Cody considered working with Dirt2Dollars, he was honest about his concerns:
“At first I was very skeptical. I mean, I have no lies to tell. I was nervous as a cat on hot coals, if you would. And that was a lot of money up front, just hand it out there and hoping for the best.”
For a solo operator, that can be a big investment because you’re handing over money and hoping it works out.
But as Cody put it: “No risk, no reward where I see it.”
The Solution
Pre-Qualified Appointments Instead of Phone Tag
The core benefit for Cody was simple: he doesn’t have to spend 2 hours on the phone anymore trying to figure out what prospects want and whether they’re serious.
“I can go out and bid the job and I have not got to be on the phone with a customer for two hours while they’re trying to explain to me what the hell they want and just seeing if they’re a serious customer or not. And that means a lot, you know, time.”
Instead of phone tag and qualification calls, Cody’s process now looks like this:
- Lead comes in through the system
- Dirt2Dollars team follows up and vets the prospect
- Appointment gets booked
- Cody shows up: “Hi I’m Cody. I’m here to give you an estimate.”
- He bids the job with a qualified prospect
No more 2-hour phone calls. No more trying to answer prospects while in the middle of working. No more guessing whether someone is serious.
Redirecting Resources to Real Business Development
As Cody puts it: “That’s what I do like that. And then like I said, I mean, the work has fallen in.”
When you’re not spending hours on phone qualification, you can focus on the things that actually generate revenue: bidding jobs and completing work.
The Results
Closing About Every Job
The most telling result? Cody’s close rate.
“The work has fallen in. I mean, I’ve closed about every job.”
When prospects are pre-qualified and vetted before you show up, your close rate improves dramatically. You’re not wasting time with tire kickers. You’re meeting with people who are ready to move forward.
Major Projects in the Pipeline
Cody’s current pipeline includes a significant multi-phase project.
He quoted one prospect, Bruce O’Connell, at $18,750 for the first phase of a larger development project. The project includes house pads, clearing, pond work, and power work to washed-out creeks from Hurricane Helene.
“That’s only the first phase,” Cody explains. The client is doing it in stages and phases, getting his ducks in a row to figure out where to start.
This is the kind of project that changes the trajectory of a business — a developer with multiple phases of work who could become a long-term client.
Time Savings = Scalability
The biggest result isn’t just the jobs Cody’s closing. It’s the time he got back.
When you’re not spending 2 hours on the phone with every prospect, and you’re not taking calls while trying to work, you can actually scale. You can take on more work. You can focus on delivery instead of chasing leads.
For a solo operator with part-time help, that time savings is the difference between staying stuck and actually growing.
Changed His Mind
When asked how he feels about his decision looking back, Cody’s answer was simple:
“I would do it again.”
From “nervous as a cat on hot coals” to “I would do it again” — that’s the transformation.
What This Means for Other Contractors
The Solo Operator Struggle is Real
If you’re running your business solo or with minimal help, you know Cody’s struggle. You can’t be on the phone for 2 hours and work at the same time. You can’t chase unqualified leads and scale at the same time.
The phone call problem compounds: after enough bad calls, you start avoiding the phone, which means you might miss the good ones.
Cody’s experience shows there’s a way out of that trap.
Time is Your Most Valuable Asset
When you’re a solo operator or small team, time is everything. Every hour spent on phone qualification is an hour you’re not working, not bidding, not generating revenue.
The question isn’t “Can I afford to invest in lead qualification?” The question is “Can I afford to keep spending 2 hours per prospect trying to figure out if they’re serious?”
Pre-Qualification Changes Everything
The difference between showing up to an appointment saying “Hi, I’m here to give you an estimate” versus spending 2 hours on the phone first is massive.
When prospects are pre-vetted, pre-qualified, and ready to move forward, your close rate improves and your time investment per job drops dramatically.
One Good Connection Can Change Your Business
As Brady mentioned to Cody: “It really only takes one good connection. Like you find one good developer or one good person who has constantly projects moving back and forth for it to really change the trajectory of your business.”
Cody’s $18,750 first-phase quote could turn into a long-term relationship with a developer who has multiple phases of work. That’s the kind of connection that transforms a business.
And you’re only going to find those connections if you’re getting in front of enough qualified prospects.
The Investment Feels Scary (But It’s Worth It)
Cody was honest: “I was nervous as a cat on hot coals.” For a solo operator, the upfront investment feels significant.
But the alternative — continuing to burn out on phone calls, missing opportunities because you’re too busy to answer, staying stuck as a solo operator — costs more in the long run.
Ready to Get Your Time Back and Focus on Closing Jobs?
Cody’s story isn’t about overnight success or massive revenue numbers. It’s about something more fundamental: getting his time back and focusing on what actually matters.
The transformation isn’t complicated: when you’re not wasting time on unqualified leads, you can focus on closing jobs and growing your business.
As Cody puts it: “I would do it again.”
If you’re a solo operator or small team burning out on phone qualification and chasing unqualified leads, it’s time to shift your focus to what actually generates revenue.
Book a call with our team to see if we’re a good fit to help you get pre-qualified appointments on your calendar so you can focus on bidding and closing instead of phone tag.
