From Burnout to Breakthrough: How Builders Escape the 7-Day Grind

In this episode, Owen sits down with Pantelis, a residential builder who went from feeling like a failure—working seven days a week, ten hours a day, with finances going backwards—to building momentum, scaling a team, and creating a business that serves his life, not consumes it.

We unpack:

• The breaking point moment when his kids waved goodbye and he felt worthless inside.
• How taking complete responsibility flipped his results in weeks.
• Why builders must shift from “poverty mindset” to “prosperity mindset” to scale.
• The hidden danger of execution risk and why timeframes matter.
• Why leadership, clarity, and saying “no” to the wrong jobs is the real growth lever.
• If you’re a builder stretched between being on the tools and running a multi-million-dollar operation, this conversation is your wake-up call.

🕒 Timestamped Key Points

• [00:05:30] The rock-bottom moment: kids waving goodbye, finances collapsing.
• [00:07:00] Taking ownership and stacking wins instead of chasing your tail.
• [00:09:20] Why tradespeople aren’t taught sales—and how it holds businesses back.
• [00:12:00] Service vs. hospitality: what elite builders actually deliver.
• [00:15:20] Scaling pains: from chaos to clarity with team roles and systems.
• [00:18:40] Picking the right clients and learning it’s okay to say “no.”
• [00:29:00] The poverty vs. prosperity mindset shift that unlocks growth.
• [00:33:00] Execution risk: why timeframes are your biggest financial hazard.
• [00:39:00] Leadership loneliness and why the right network changes everything.
• [00:42:20] Redefining success: from survival to lifestyle, wealth, and impact.