Shed Geek Podcast

Building Sheds, Building Faith, Building A Business

• Shed Geek Podcast • Season 5 • Episode 94

Share episode

Send us a text

A single job listing changed everything. Tyler Barrett went from a stressed-out carpenter with six kids and no steady work to a shed builder who runs orders, deliveries, and product development—and along the way discovered a deeper purpose that shaped his leadership, his team, and his community. We get into the gritty parts of the shed business that most people never see: the jump from bench work to managing lumber orders, the “too pretty to scale” $5,000 chicken coop, and the hard decision to consolidate lots so inventory moves and doors stay true.

We share the practical playbook that’s working now. Tyler explains how post-COVID pricing resets opened room for smarter SKUs, why color trends from new homes sell more sheds, and how on-site deliveries double as customer research that tightens quality and reduces returns. We explore a balanced product mix—classic storage, light-filled studios, dog kennels, and chicken coops—and why rural buyers respond to options that fit real life. Then we zoom out to diversification: steel carports, garages, and a clever hybrid using two secure containers with a raised center bay for tractors and work space. It’s a flexible, durable answer to the “repair the old barn or build new” question so many families face.

Through it all, Tyler’s faith anchors the work. He talks about learning to trust, mentoring new builders, and turning everyday installs into moments of service. The result is a grounded, growth-minded approach that any shed dealer or manufacturer can apply: consolidate to regain control, price with today’s costs, mirror residential design cues, and cross-train so your team can speak confidently across sheds, carports, and hybrids. If this conversation helps you rethink your product line or your purpose, share it with a friend, subscribe for more grounded industry insights, and leave a review with the one change you’ll make this week.

For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.

Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.

To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.

To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.

This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Shed Pro

Digital Shed Builder
IFAB
Solar Blaster
NewFound Solutions
Cardinal Manufacturing

INTRO:

Hello and welcome back to the Shed Geek Podcast. Here's a message from our 2025 Studio sponsor. Let's be real. Running a shed business today isn't just about building great sheds. The industry is changing fast. We're all feeling the squeeze, competing for fewer buyers, while expectations keep climbing. And yet, I hear from many of you that you are still juggling spreadsheets, plucky software, or disconnected systems. You're spending more time managing chaos than actually growing your business. That's why I want to talk to you about our studio sponsor, ShedPro. If you're not already using them, I really think you should check them out. ShedPro combines your 3D configurator, point of sale, RTO contracts, inventory, deliveries, and dealer tools all in one platform. They even integrate cleanly into our Shed Geek marketing solutions. From website lead to final delivery, you can quote, contract, collect payment, and schedule delivery in one clean workflow. No more double entries, no more back and forth cabins. Quoting is faster, orders are cleaner. And instead of chasing down paperwork, you're actually running your business. And if you mention Shed Geek, you'll get 25% off all setup fees. Check it out at shedpro.co /slash Shed Geek. Thank you, ShedPro, for being our studio sponsor and honestly for building something that helps the industry.

Cord Koch:

A little bit of housekeeping before we get started with the podcast. Just wanted to update everyone. I know that we have, you've probably seen the uh the newsletter that's gone out talking about uh Shed Geek consulting uh and the really exciting things that we are doing here at Shed Geek to continue to serve uh the clients, both dealers and manufacturers, other service providers in the industry to the best of our ability. Uh we would highly encourage as we get off on this shed geek consultant journey to anyone who would be interested, reach out to info at shed geek. That is Shannon directly. He's still working diligently here in the background, or give him a ring. 618-309-3648. Uh, just another little piece of housekeeping. I said I'm gonna keep Shannon involved by breaking into his his hat collection. So today we've got Mid-American Structures. That's Mr. Wendell Yoder. Uh, and uh and his one of his dealers, Mr. Jerald Rhodes, over at Creative Backyards, is actually going to be a guest coming up here in the weeks uh to come. So, in any case, um reach out to us, let us know, and uh we look forward to seeing Mr. Jerald Rhodes here in just a couple weeks. So, without uh any more housekeeping, I'd like to now bring in Mr. Tyler Barrett.

Tyler Barrett:

Tyler, welcome thank you, thank you for the introduction.

Cord Koch:

Yeah, absolutely. Uh Tyler, you are with um Wilson Manufacturing, but now goes uh really as uh handi- port sheds, handi- port carports. Uh I believe just from my um research, you're over getting close to the mountains in eastern Kentucky, maybe not quite there. Uh people may not really call Somerset and Nancy the mountains, but you're getting right there on the you're in the nice rolling hills, is that right?

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, yeah, the beautiful rolling hills in Nancy, Kentucky. Yeah, yeah, and it is beautiful. Nancy's a very beautiful place.

Cord Koch:

Yeah, absolutely. You know, uh this is I know this is very off topic, but I'm sure that everyone is still excited about the General Lee that jumped over that fountain in Somerset back over the summer.

Tyler Barrett:

Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah, that was that was a big deal around here. Uh, you know, it's some pretty big excitement.

Cord Koch:

Well, it basically went viral. I mean, I think he was on the show and everything else. So, uh but anyway, well, well, tell us a little bit about yourself, Tyler. Um, you know, we kind of like to start off by really wanting to understand, you know, why yourself, Tyler Barrett, uh has wound up in the shed industry and what your role is in it, um, and also maybe how that ties in with Handi-Port uh sheds, Hand-Port carports, uh, and even the broader Wilson. So, tell us a story about it.

Tyler Barrett:

All right, absolutely. Um, so I've been in the shed industry for about five years now. Uh had no intentions on getting into the shed industry at all. Uh it just it was a complete godsend. It landed in my lap. God placed me in that position. Um, I had a little bit of a rough background. Um, you know, I grew up not far from Nancy in Casey County, Kentucky. And um, you know, like I said, I'd had a rough background and was in a pretty bad place um and was working as a carpenter building houses and lost my job. Um, you know, I have a large family, my wife and I, we got six kids together. So uh, you know, losing your job and you have six kids, that's tough, you know. Um, and I was I was really in a bad way mentally. Um, you know, I was stressed out over it. Um, you know, and I had recently come to faith, and um, you know, I was in that phase of learning to trust, um, you know, learning to trust God, but still stressed, you know.

Cord Koch:

Right.

Tyler Barrett:

Um I was I was job shopping on Indeed and found a um an application for a shed builder and seen the price and uh and the pay and a thought. Too good to be true. No way, you know, no way.

Cord Koch:

So that is a good thing about the industry is like, you know, I think across the board really they do they try and take do a really good job of taking care of the guys who are building the sheds. I mean, that's uh you know, I mean, that's a uh such a skill and so very needed. Um and you've obviously been in the in those shops and just how much uh focus and what the expectations are for actually cranking out those jobs, right? And that's a hard job. Um it's good that it pays well across the industry. But go ahead, Tyler. I'm sorry.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, yeah. No, absolutely. You know, of course, that that's what caught my eye with it, you know, immediately. I thought, man, this is too good to be true. And uh went down for my interview, um, you know, and I pulled in and uh really nervous. Went in and um, you know, you could tell there was this mom and pop's feel about it. Um, you know, as soon as you went in the office, everybody was really friendly. Uh they were very down-to-earth folks, um, filled out my application, um, you know, talked to a couple people while I was there and just kind of felt it out and thought, man, this is you know, almost too good to be true. Um went back for my interview um and explained to them, you know, I I've got a little bit of experience in carpentry. Um, didn't have my own tools. I had my own tool belt uh and hammer, but that was about as far as it went, you know. Um, but they sat down with me and I and I was just honest with them. I told them about my background and everything that I had had going on at the time, and um they said, you know what, I think we're gonna give you a shot. And I was completely blown away. Um, started immediately, um, you know, got out there and um started learning the ropes, you know. There was a uh one guy there that was kind of like teaching me about what um what building sheds was because it's kind of unconventional framing. Um, you know, it's a little different than framing a house, you know. Uh so the measurements and everything, but it's still pretty relatively the same. Um what was different is everything was metal sided. Uh had never worked with any kind of metal siding before, uh, you know. Uh so that was that was very different.

Cord Koch:

What what year was this, Tyler? Like what what's the time frame on this?

Tyler Barrett:

Uh it was about 2020.

Cord Koch:

Okay. Uh you know, as everything was really taking off, honestly, right? You yeah. Sales of sheds and car ports and you know, uh the stimulus back during the COVID and everything. You were you really entered the industry at a really good time, you know.

Tyler Barrett:

Right. Yeah, you know, and uh before that I had no idea that there was even this industry out there. Um, you know, something that really stood out is the company really encouraged independence. Um, you know, where when you come in, you were a builder, um, you were in charge of ordering your own metal. You know, you measured everything, you ordered your own metal, you were very independent. There was nobody hanging over your head all the time watching what you were doing. Uh they said, I need this product, I need it to look like this. Show me what you got. Uh, you know, I it was always you do what I say and and and move on, but this was completely different. Uh, you know, and it it took me by surprise, you know, but um it was good, it was what I needed in that time. Um, you know, so uh I'd been there for a little while, and like you said, you know, COVID had had had such uh an impact on everything, you know, lumber prices were high. Um, you know, so we slowed down a whole lot. As soon as I got in in into building, everything slowed down. We had one delivery guy uh driver, and um, you know, he kind of dropped off, and um, you know, we slowed down a lot. So, I was there by myself uh as a sole builder, you know. I done it all. If we you know, if we uh if we had a build that come in or somebody a customer order, I built it, um, you know, and I delivered it. Uh, you know, all of it, learned how to run the mule the whole nine yards. Very independent.

Cord Koch:

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

Tyler Barrett:

When I say it was independent, it was independent, you know. But um, it's everything that I need, and I think I think God knew that I needed that. You know, he you know, he put me in that position and um to where that was going to be a skill that I needed.

ADVERTISEMENT:

Digital Shed Builder is an online shed configurator that strives to provide incredible visual quality, fantastic customer service, and an amazingly low price point, making it a perfect fit for any shed dealer looking to increase their online sales. Digital Shed Builder is simple to use, taking less than five minutes to integrate on your site. The Get a Quote feature streamlines your sales process, showing you exactly what your potential customers need. They offer a highly customizable experience that accurately represents your brand and unique shed offerings, working with you directly to set up everything you need in a configurator. With no extra startup cost, no lengthy contracts or commitments, and no hidden fees, Digital Shed Builder has been created with quality, simplicity, and affordability in mind.

Tyler Barrett:

So moving forward a little bit, you know, other than just kindly uh learning about the industry and learning about how sheds are built and you know trying to stay up with the times and what uh what people want, because that's a struggle too, you know, trying to build a quality product uh for an affordable price while still being a small company. Um you know that that was that was a that was a real struggle that um that we were just trying to figure out together. Yeah you know. Um so eventually over time, uh, you know, it got to it got tight because we had a you know we had a surplus of uh of materials and everything. Well that run out. Um you know, it came time to start ordering materials and things to that nature. And um, you know, so I got put right into that role really quick, you know. Who do I call? Who's the, what do I do? You know, and immediately my mom was like, well, do I do I go right up the road to the local lumber place or what? We're who knows how to get notched runners around here.

Cord Koch:

Yeah, right. And you know, like really in that time frame is you know, we had uh uh Mr. Tyler Mahan. I don't know if you know him, he's out in Oklahoma, uh Plain City, I believe, uh Oklahoma, and uh we were just talking last week about when exactly did the shed industry transition from a collection of businesses to an industry, right? Right, yeah. A lot of what you're talking about is part of that, right? Like who are the suppliers? Uh, you know, how far is their reach, you know, um, you know, and how developed are those different networks of services for builders. So tell us what did you what did you find in that that uh that new role uh for yourself?

Tyler Barrett:

Um so so um the owners, they were super supportive uh of this process for me. You know, they they kind of knew what I was going through and they understood it, and they kind of gave me that free range and that support um to help me do this, you know. Um, and honestly, they were they were building me into a manager uh position, you know, and um, you know, so I just started doing some research, checking around, shooting them some numbers, calling around, calling around and finding some quotes, uh, you know, and at first, um, you know, it was kind of like how much lumber can we afford to get and then get it shipped to us. Uh, you know, I remember the first time that I ever put in my first um lumber order, and it was over $14,000, and I was like, oh no.

Cord Koch:

I better turn this over to something pretty bad for it.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, and there was definitely that pressure. Um, you know, but they were so supportive. I cannot give enough props to uh Keith and Jiovanna, the owners of the company. Uh, they were so supportive in that process, and you know, they helped me through it, but also let me do it myself. Uh, and you know, and that really refined the manager process uh of that, you know, and before that I never I never managed anything, you know. I was never in charge of anything.

Cord Koch:

Um and just for context, Tyler, just so the viewers kind of know, I had looked in a little bit and we had talked briefly off air, but this is kind of a transition for Wilson manufacturing, right? Uh I think had been around since the late 1980s, but they're really they're kind of allowing you to build up another business line for them effectively, right? I mean, that's kind of what this process is is from the company view. That's kind of what's going on here, right?

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So um, yeah, you know, Handi- Port, uh, we have the steel carports and garages side of the company as well, that's like you said, been around since the late 80s. Uh, and they kind of pioneered the way for those steel buildings and floor ports in our area. You know, they they've done a lot of work in that um in that field, and you know, we reach out to about 200 miles from Nancy, so we go pretty far out. Uh so yeah, getting into the the wood structures was completely new you know in that process.

Cord Koch:

Um everybody we had it's not just yeah, everybody.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, absolutely. You know, ever everybody was kind of learning, and we were trying to build these connections with folks. Uh, you know, is it better to go buy uh a single box of screws and nails versus find a supplier and buy years worth? Uh, you know, what's the pros and cons? Where are we at with that? Um, you know, so it was definitely a learning curve for everybody along that way. Um, you know, we've we picked up uh a couple more uh builders now, so that was definitely a process too. Is uh, you know, I got to this point where I was working alone, and anybody that's ever done metal work alone knows that you have to figure out tricks, you know, and uh it could it's sometimes it's hard to hold a 10-foot piece of metal and screw it to the wall, you know. Right. And some of those uh some of those metalwork uh cuts and things are just they're challenging. Yeah. Um, but I uh I guess being put into that role give me this sense of pride about it. I really wanted to do well and offer a really good product. Um, so I was very meticulous about it and very particular about um about our products when they went out. You know, when I say that we're small time, uh, you know, I was involved in every process from the time we set the runners down to the time that we dropped this shed off in somebody's house, at somebody's house. You know, I overseen every bit of that process, um, even as far as talking to some a lot of the customers and doing some of these custom builds. Uh so you know, we brought in a couple more builders, um, you know, and uh some of them worked out, some of them didn't. Now we've got two that are really doing great, they're thriving and doing really well, but learning how to train somebody as well, uh that was a different process. Um, and then having to grow in that way of like, okay, you have to step back and let them do this because that's how you learned, you know. I that's that's the way that I learned, you know.

Cord Koch:

And and growing, uh, I would think, I mean, you know, you you tell me, but I would think probably growing in the spirit this whole time, right? From your walk to now, you know, I find that these things wind up being so hand in hand, right? You know, that that God puts these different challenges in front of you, and maybe at first it was personal, you had to figure it out. You had to figure out, you know, uh what those products needed to look like. But then eventually you need to be able to shepherd others, um, you know, not not just maybe in in how to build or whatever, but but how to how to walk and and talk and live in the light, right? So um, you know, it to me it I don't know, God never puts a challenge in front of us that we can't that we can't face and tackle. Um so maybe maybe talk about that a little bit. What how has that experience been just in your faith as you've grown in success in your career?

ADVERTISEMENT:

At iFab LLC, our passion is welding, fabricating, and design. That's why in 2015 we begin to commercially market our product to the shed, portable building, and mini-barn industry. Our product is primarily used to build trusses. Our truss saw system cuts boards in one motion, and our truss press system installs and presses the gusset plates to a finished truss. We custom fabricate jigs that assure perfectly symmetrical truss setup without error. We also have other products designed to help your shed builder increase quality, efficiency, and save money. Our precision door tape will build your custom doors square every time and easily adjust to build any door. For products like these or other custom fabrication services for your barn shop, visit iFablc.com or call 563 422 7496 or simply email us at ifabllc@gmail.com.

Tyler Barrett:

So that was huge for me. Um, you know, like I said, I was really early on in uh in my faith when I first started. Uh so I was really developing in that way. Um so I remember uh, like I said, I would work alone a lot of the times uh you know, early on, and I would remember going in and I'd be like, God, I know this is a shit. But use this work to help me to help me share the gospel to somebody, to help me share this to somebody, you know. Uh and now that I think back on it, you know, I it's it's it it means you know, it has this huge impact in my life because I wasn't very good at sharing. Um, you know, I didn't know how to do that. So, but I felt like I was really good at building these sheds. So, you know, I know that you're gonna have me talk to somebody, use this as a way to open the door for me to share with them.

Cord Koch:

Well, he's used a carpenter before now, you know.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, yeah, yeah exactly, you know. Uh and you know, doing that, you know, it was amazing at how many times that would actually happen. I would go on a delivery, uh, you know, and then I'd get there and talk into these folks, and his presence would be there, you know, and and that's where the conversation would go. And then I would leave feeling this sense of purpose, like what you're doing matters. Um, so that helped me grow so much and helped me develop, um, not only as a person, but as a man of faith as well, is that I'm not defined by the job that I'm doing. That's not what defines me as a man. Um I could be sweeping the floor or whatever, but it's about do other folks see Christ through me? Do they see Christ in what I'm doing? Am I living in a way that mimics that? Um so uh kindly moving forward through that, um, this one young man uh started working with me. Um you know, and we just talked. We just had normal conversations, you know, through the day, and uh, you know, we would just talk. Um and uh he had some things going on in his life too, uh, you know, but I would always invite him to church. Hey man, why don't you come to church with me? You know, just come to church with me. Uh, you know, I I'd we always feed you on Sunday mornings, you know. You don't have breakfast and coffee.

Cord Koch:

Hey, the fellowship, I do the same thing. The fellowship is a good a good way to get people in there, you know. It really is. I mean, I'm a I'm a fellow who likes to eat myself. So if you're inviting people to come have a meal and come have fellowship and then do a service, and like you're saying, even a weeknight service maybe, or uh for a Sunday, a Sunday morning, um, you know, I find that that's a good a good way to introduce people, right? So yeah, very anyway, go ahead.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, so um, you know, he finally started uh he would come with me on a Sunday, you know, and I uh I get to lead a Sunday school class now too, an adult Sunday school class. So, um I'm like, come on, man, I need some attendance in the class, you know, come help me out, you know. Uh they asked me to, you know, record how many people I got in there. It looks better if I have more than one and that be my wife. Right. Uh, you know, but he eventually he started coming, you know, and then uh wound up bringing his whole family and um you know, and now they're a huge part of our church, you know, the whole family comes, they attend, and um so that was also really new for me. I'd never seen that, you know, and that just kind of confirmed that that idea of uh you're right where God wants you to be. You're doing what he wants you to do. You know, and I took a um uh what is it called? Uh spiritual assessment, a spiritual traits assessment or whatever it's called, you know, and um spiritual gifts assessment, and it kept coming back, a teacher. Like you got the wrong one there, you know.

Cord Koch:

You never thought about yourself that way, yeah.

Tyler Barrett:

Never, never, never would have thought about myself in that way. But um I'm uh I'm I believe in it more and more every day, you know. Um like I said, it was just life changing. Um, you know, and to think that that all started with this um this job listing on indeed, uh, you know, and something that I felt like was detrimental to my life, losing my job, uh in that moment, I thought, my life it's over for me, you know, it this is catastrophic, you know. Um wound up being the biggest blessing that uh that I could you know, a bigger blessing than I could have ever imagined. Um you know, and then of course, like I said, the owners, they have been more um more than just employers for me. They've been like a family as well. You know, they've they've really supported me in this journey. Um you know, I've um I've recently started working with a fatherhood initiative as well. Uh, you know, so they definitely support me in that as well and give me that time, that space if needed, you know. I've got I've got I've got my responsibilities, the Handi- port sheds, but they also give me this room to, you know, to expand on that as well. And uh I could not be more thankful for that, you know. So they've done more than just build up an employee and a manager.

Cord Koch:

They've they've helped build up this person that I am today and a family and a legacy and uh a church and uh a God-fearing line lineage, right? I mean, you know, that's that's uh gosh, that's so much, that's so much bigger than you know, the some of the things um that we focus on day to day. Um you had mentioned there just in in some of the I don't know, if you call them struggles or just the finding your way, um, you know, and finding your way as a manager, uh, as kind of leading a team and leading what sounds like basically a new division of the company of figuring out just exactly kind of what it what it was or what it meant to deliver a quality building at a fair price um that was uh you know aesthetically pleasing and that was something that the customer wanted, you know. I guess I I'd kind of like to dig a little deeper too on what that process is like, and you know, we're trying to do a little bit more of a consumer point of view focus um on the Shed Geek podcast. And I'd really like your insights as a fresh set of eyes that has figured all this out in the sort of post-COVID, you know, uh um, you know, timeline. You know, what do you find that that people do want? And what do you find that whether it's the styles themselves or is it actually the service and the warranty and the people involved? So maybe just walk us through what that journey, what that part of your business journey has been like in that

ADVERTISEMENT:

Hello Shed builders. I'd like to grab your attention for just a moment. As we look ahead to 2025, one thing is clear customers will have higher expectations than ever before. Shed consumers have an unprecedented access to information. To stay competitive, you need to create sheds that are not only high in quality, but also rich in innovation. You might recall my friend Dan Rheaume, one of my early podcast guests, who introduced Solar Blaster fans, specifically the Solar Roof Blaster. Dan has been busy handling orders, and he's eager to speak directly to shed builders about his groundbreaking products. What stands out to me about Dan's products designed specifically for sheds, like the Solar Roof Blaster and the Solar Light Blaster, is how they enhance the shed owner's experience. With the focus on quality, it's time to start thinking about adding features and benefits for the end user. Here at Shed Geek, we wholeheartedly recommend Solar Blaster as the solution. My favorite thing about the entire line of products, the support you'll receive from Dan. Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable about these products, but he's also one of the most customer-focused individuals I know. He truly stands behind both his product and his service. We're searching for companies ready to elevate customer satisfaction to the next level. To learn more, just visit SolarBlasterfans.com and fill out some basic information for a callback or connect directly at 480-747-7097. You can also check out the Shed Geek newsletter, where a click on the Solar Blaster ad will guide you to a forum for more information and some cool videos showcasing the products. Let's power up innovation and elevate customer experiences together.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, so uh, you know, in the very beginning, um, you know, we kind of had this basic idea. Uh we offered this product, this product, this product, and this product in different sizes, and that's what it was. Um we didn't really focus too much on the um The customer well, I the more of the uh the design process of you know, just a custom build. Um you know, and um so after you know, there we everything kind of took a hit with the lumber prices and everything, and we kind of scaled back and we weren't getting nearly as many customer orders in. Um, you know, people wanting a different color shed or this, that, and the other. And we kind of had some downtime. We're like, okay, we got to get it innovative, we've got to figure something out. Uh, you know, the stimulus is a past, and you know, nobody nobody's got a couple, two or three extra thousand dollars laying around to go put in on a shed, you know. Uh we've got to really catch folks' eyes. Um, you know, so we started dabbling into um the chicken coop, dog kennel, kind of that area, you know, to kind of try to find that niche to get us in there. Um, I remember my first chicken coop build. I had no idea how to build a chicken coop or what that looked like, you know. Um I I had this rough idea in my head of what I wanted it to look like, you know. And uh I try to explain it to other folks when they're like, well, how do you, you know, my the guys that work with me out there they say, well, how do you design this as you go? And I'm like, man, it's no different than you sitting down with a piece of uh paper and and a pencil and doodling. That's right, that's kind of what I'm doing. I'm doodling but with a saw and a hammer. Right. Uh, you know, so my first chicken coop, it was uh it was beautiful, it was immaculate, but it was also uh close to five thousand dollar chicken coop.

Cord Koch:

Right. A Victorian chicken coop, you know.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, yeah, you know, this this thing had over six foot studs in it, you know, and full metal wall, you know, it was it was everything. Uh so that was definitely a process, you know, when I got done, and that was that was probably the first task that ever took me over, you know, just a few days to do. And you know, I'm in it a week and a half, and I'm like, oh boy, you know, what have I got myself into? What have I done? Um, you know, and and um so it it it was definitely a process through that. But what I found is um is that customer relationship um over the time, but building on that customer relationship when I go to deliver and that that's the beauty of or the position that I have um because I do talk directly with the customers, you know. When I go out and I deliver something, uh like, hey, uh just from your perspective, what would you think about this? Or if I made these changes, how would that be, you know, what would that look like for you or can you recommend anything at all that that you would like to see different? Uh and have got some really good feedback on that. Um I found that uh kind of going out of that norm uh when it comes to color scheme has a huge impact on what you're doing. Uh, you know, whether you know that that definitely catches the customer's eye. And I don't know if you've seen any of the uh the uh mobile homes lately, but they've definitely gotten creative with some of the you know, so and so we've tried to dabble into a little bit of that, uh try to match some of those color styles. You know, if this is the new homes that are going out, we need to kind of be on board. You know, if somebody's got this um, you know, this this sage green house with uh tan shutters, um they may want a sage green chicken coop with tan trim, you know.

Cord Koch:

That's right.

Tyler Barrett:

It's taken out if if that's the trend right now, you kind of have to stay up on the times with that.

Cord Koch:

Um you know, and so are you all are you all selling I had I had seen where um on the website there was a a dealer login. So on the shed side, have do you all have dealer locations? Is all this happening through your your primary manufacturing where where you obviously are are overseeing that? How are those leads coming in? Maybe just because I mean, you know, I think a lot of people who listen um are folks who who are in similar situations, right? Who kind of got started up in that 2020-2021 time frame. How have you kind of decided to to grow that that business each year and grow that presence?

Tyler Barrett:

Okay. Um, you know, so in the beginning, when I first got on, we had to really dial back. Um, you know, we had dealerships uh across the state within about 50 miles or so. Uh we had a few dealers uh in those areas um that just wasn't moving a lot. Uh, you know, everything we hit that area and everything slowed way down. Um, you know, when customer orders stopped coming in as much and dealers quit moving, we kind of consolidated our product um here to Somerset. Uh we opened a new lot, we changed our original location. Well, we had a couple more, but we changed our location into a bigger lot, and um, you know, we brought on a couple more people to, you know, kind of preview some of their stuff in our lot too. Um and then kind of started to work on this game plan of like, okay, we've we've brought everything back home. Now, how do we work on going back out? Uh, we need to rethink this and relook at what we're doing, you know, because it it any product that sets, any shed that sets for longer than uh you know, an extended amount of time is you know, if it's not leveled out just right or anything, you've got warped doors and all the things, you got to keep these things moving. Uh, you know, nobody wants to see a stagnant lot. Um, you know, so that that was kind of where we were at with that. Uh, we kind of reeled everything back in to home base here uh in in Somerset and then uh started working on the Facebook uh advertisement aspect of it. You know, we use that to advertise a lot. Um and that's really done us a lot of good there. Um, you know, we're still in kind of that that phase of uh we've reworked our brochure, reworked all of our prices because you know everything went up, so we had to adjust for the rates of everything going up. Well, now everything's kind of leveled off somewhat, you know, so we kind of had to bring all that back down. Well, in doing that, we had to rework a whole brochure, uh, you know, and then we had to rework it as well to show um the new products that we had to show our chicken coops and our dog kennels and uh what we call our cottage. And uh, you know, we started working on um some things like studios, uh, you know, letting in all that natural lighting and stuff, you know, things that people wanted to see. Uh we but we wanted to make sure that that was in our brochure too. That way people knew that we didn't just offer the standard 12 by 16 garden shed with the double doors, you know. You can get that or you can get a studio, whatever that you know might look like for your needs. Um, you know, so we're still in that process of getting that information out to some folks that are um our uh carport and metal building dealers. Um, you know, we're we want them to have that information as well and say, hey, you know, you got a carport or a metal, here's a chicken coop or a shed or a studio, you know, however that might look.

Cord Koch:

The way the industry, you know, seems to be going is that further diversification. Um, you know, and I think for a lot of our listeners, um, you know, at Shed Geek, they've probably started in or a lot of them. I mean, it's gone both ways, but a lot of them have started in you know, sheds and stick built, you know, type construction, and then are now adding on the carports, uh, you know, post frame, um, you know, going into garages and metal buildings. Um, but I think that that comes from both directions, right? Um, as far as you know, going out and adding those wood-built products onto a metal lot. I think the reality, especially in these rural areas, and people talk about these markets in different ways, but in these rural areas, you really have to maximize the die the diverse products that you're offering on single locations. Right? I mean, you just have to be that place that people stop to figure out where they're gonna put their XYZ, right? Whether it's the Christmas decorations, or whether it's the camper, or whether it's you know, uh a two-car garage or a bigger shed. Like if you can be the more that that these rural operations can have all those solutions seems to be the direction that I'm seeing, you know, from our side. Am I talking in the right direction here, Tyler? Does that matter what you've seen?

ADVERTISEMENT:

Running a business can feel like trying to balance a dozen plates, except none of them are actually plates, and one of them's on fire. Enter newfound solutions. Think of us like your business BFF, always ready to lend a hand with whatever you need. Have you always wanted to start your own rent-to-own company but don't quite know where to start? RTO Partners is here to help. Overwhelmed by all the moving pieces and running your own rent-to-own program, RTO Smart is a software that encompasses everything you need on one platform. Or leave the rent-to-own up to us and focus on what's more important to you. Newfound Rentals has you covered with traditional rent-to-own options for your customers. Shed Connect understands the complexity of the digital marketplace. We take the hassle out of online sales and unlock the full potential of your brand with Co-Creative. We'll make your brand look so good your audience won't be able to look away. Newfound Solutions. Five powerful sub brands helping you succeed across every aspect of your business. Visit NewfoundSolutions.com today and let us do the balancing so you don't have to.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, and especially in these rural areas, um, you know, the times have changed when it comes to everything. Um, you know, you don't see the need for the big tobacco barn around here anymore. Um, you know, so if you can get uh a metal structure that you can park your tractor into, and you know, you've got a couple bays to work on your vehicles in, the price to get that versus the price to repair a you know, eighty or ninety-year-old barn is you know probably six of one, half dozen the other at this point, right?

Cord Koch:

Yeah, absolutely. So, you have a new structure on a pad or a new structure on gravel, right, for the same price as trying to keep up those old structures. Hey, I uh I'm part of a hundred and fifty-year-old farm. So, I this struggle is you know, I'm uh my father passed away, so me and my brother are half owners, uh, you know, combined with my uncle there. So, I mean these struggles hit home, right? I mean, figuring out you know how to how to maintain versus do we just tear down and build new? And I hate to see it torn down. You know, in fact, I'm tearing uh a couple of them down on the old home place here on our farm by hand so that I've got all the boards and the you know uh uh the posts and everything else, but like my goodness, that doesn't make any sense either. I mean, I'm doing it because I love my heritage and everything else, but you know, realistically, you know, of course, we put up, oh gosh, I suppose, you know, five, you know, metal sided, you know, uh post-frame style uh buildings in the last 15 years, right? Like we're just replacing them and so um so do you do you kind of do you work on that side as well? Or are you trying to like kind of how does are you offering these solutions as a as a total, or are you kind of the way that the business works is you're kind of focusing on sheds and somebody else is focusing on car ports? How do you all see that making sure that you're delivering the solutions to the customer?

Tyler Barrett:

So, my main focus um is the shed industry and the shed side of the company. Uh that said though, uh I did branch out into the carport aspect for a little while and the and the metal building part of it for a little while, uh, just because I wanted to get trained in it. I wanted to be cross-trained in it. Uh I want to get more fluid in that's because uh just kind of like what we were talking about earlier, you know, you go to deliver a shed to somebody and um they say, Hey, you work for that carport place, right? You know, so I want to be able to be on that uh, you know, in that place to that customer where I can say, Yeah, sure, you know, let me tell you about some options that we have, or you know, let me show you this product or this product. I don't want to get into that position and not know what I'm talking about. Uh, you know, so that was definitely a thing. So we went out for uh a few weeks there and installed some car ports, seeing what that was like, seeing um, you know, what best fit customers' needs, um, you know, and uh just kind of trying to fill out that industry as well. Um I'm not as fluid in that uh as I am uh as the shed side of it, uh, but that's definitely a direction that I want to start working towards, um, you know, just because I want that, I want to be knowledgeable in it, uh, because you know, they do cross over so much. Um, you know, even my own family, you know, my family, we have a large farm as well. Um, you know, that and my mother runs it, uh, she runs it by herself, and you know, and she's she struggles with the same stuff. She's got a barn that, you know, it's like, do I put the money into keeping the barn up? And I'm well, mom, you know, what are you storing in the barn? You know, you we're not doing tobacco anymore, you know, that's non-existent. You know, do we uh you know if you're just needing somewhere to park your tractor at, this might be the better option right now, you know. Um, you know, we offer some unique things as well. Um you know, something that that um that we offered is um is the containers, the connex containers, the storage containers. Yep. Yeah, and we've done kind of a uh hybrid uh version of a barn with those. That way you have a yeah, you know, that way you have a safe place to lock your things up. You know, it's pretty secure there. You have two secure sides and then you have the raised middle part there. Uh, you know, you can park your tractor underneath or whatever, you know. Yeah. Um that's definitely um, you know, so they're really working on ways to better meet those customer needs, uh, you know, and to kind of be that all-around uh one-stop shop, I guess you would say. Um, you know.

Cord Koch:

For all things, all things storage, all things uh roof that need a roof over them. Uh like you're saying, you know, you have to kind of dig in to see what exactly is it that's going in there. Um, because of course we know as being you know, growing up on a farm, a lot of stuff just needs a roof, right? A lot of stuff just needs to not be covered up by snow, uh, you know, to be on a dry piece of ground so you can get it in and out. Um, you know, so um anyway, I love that there are these companies. I mean, this just dovetails so closely with the conversation that uh that I had with Tyler Mayhan that will be uh the week previous, two weeks previous, we actually did a two-parter to this conversation we're having now. Um because they're saying so many of the same things. Connex, right? Like, you know, bringing in these other solutions. Um, you know, I like the idea, and I've seen some of those types of structures, you know, on Facebook or on wherever on the internet, uh, you know, where you kind of see where you raise the center part uh and really create that sort of middle within locking uh you know more secure down the sides. But I love to hear that that um you know some shed builders and carport builders are getting into that type those type of innovative structures as well. So, um I think that just pushes the industry forward and it makes it realistic, you know, as the rural populations in the US continue to move to the urban and suburban areas, you know, that that creates a good business model, you know, in those rural areas.

ADVERTISEMENT:

So, I got a big day tomorrow. I have a fully finished 18 by 40 cabin that's gonna require two to three mills to get it delivered. Way back in the sticks and down a dirt lane. With all the rain we've had lately, it's gonna be a mess. Well, it needs a bigger mule. Well, when you talk, Cardinal listens and you ask for it. With its diesel-powered 69-horse engine and capacity to move 40,000 pound sheds, the Mule 9069 is ready to turn your big days into just another day in the good luck. Ah, that's right. You're talking about the one they had up at Michigan at the shed show. That monster meal, that man, that thing was awesome. That's right. It's the one you've seen at all the shed hauler barbecues. Man, yeah, there's nothing like a little diesel donkey to make my day go so much better.

Cord Koch:

Well, Tyler, thank you for joining us today, man. Um, I've had a really good time talking to you. Um, I'd really, really like to make it over to uh Somerset, Nancy, uh, and see you all's operation the next time we're out that way. Um are they planning on jumping the General Lee again? Or do are they only gonna break one car? Because I'll tell you what, we would if we can come and see you while they're doing that again, then we'll do that.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, uh, I don't know for sure. Uh I've not heard any talks of it, but uh, I'll tell you what, if I do, I'll let you know. We we may have to we may have to try to line something up, have them jump some sheds back to the evil Knievel days.

Cord Koch:

That's right. They said uh you know, they said that that uh you know just jumping that car, and I guess the stress on the suspension, and I mean, you know, it's basically a $26,000 jump and land from what they were talking about. But I'll tell you what, it's a heck of a thing to see. And uh, you know, you're not gonna talk me out of watching a good spectacle.

Tyler Barrett:

Yeah, it you know, being from Somerset, it was almost like a ghost town around here when they done that. You know, uh you could go through downtown. There was nobody. Right. I think everybody in in Pulaski County come to that.

Cord Koch:

So thank you for joining me. And uh and uh I look forward to uh talking to you more and coming down and seeing you uh and meeting everyone there at uh at Wilson and at Handi-port. And um until next time, my friend.

Tyler Barrett:

All right, thank you very much. You have a blessed day.

Cord Koch:

Have a good one.

OUTRO:

Thanks again, Shed Pro, for being the Shed Geek's studio sponsor for 2025. If you need any more information about ShedPro or about Shed Geek, just reach out. You can reach us by email at infoshedge.com, or just go to our website, www.shedgeek.com, and submit a form with your information, and we'll be in contact right away. Thank you again for listening, as always, to today's episode of the Shed Geek Podcast. Thank you and have a blessed day.