Episode 1278: How to Find a Contractor You Can Actually Trust with Jon Grishpul

In this episode of SharkPreneur, hosts Kevin Harrington and Seth Green welcome John Grishpul, founder of Great Builds, a vetted contractor network focused on helping homeowners find honest, ethical contractors in California. Grishpul shares his journey from a background in sales and marketing to co-founding Great Builds with his construction-savvy uncle, driven by a desire to solve the widespread problem of contractor fraud and misrepresentation. The company operates on a performance-based model—homeowners use the service for free, while contractors only pay when they’re hired and fully complete a project, aligning incentives across all parties. The episode dives into common contractor red flags like vague contracts, excessive upfront payments, and stolen licenses, with Grishpul revealing that scams are far more common than media reports suggest. Despite scaling slowly to maintain quality, Great Builds has vetted thousands of contractors, admitting only 1–5% into their exclusive network. The company relies heavily on SEO, content marketing, and PR to grow, avoiding paid lead models that flood homeowners with spam. Grishpul reflects on the deep personal satisfaction of providing peace of mind to homeowners and building a business rooted in integrity. The episode closes with a plug for Kevin Harrington’s new book, Mentored to Millions, offering a framework for exponential business growth.