Stefanie Couch Builds

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Atlanta, GA
Stefanie Couch Builds

Third-generation building industry expert. Founder of Grit Blueprint. Host of The Grit Blueprint Podcast. From the lumber yard to the boardroom.

Helping industry leaders build authority, visibility, and influence. Live from Clayton, GA.

10/30/2026

I spent years in door operations. Doors are still one of my favorite parts of this industry.

So next week is a good week.

Grit Blueprint is headed to the Kval Open House & Innovation Event in Hutto, Texas, on November 5.

We’ll be on-site capturing video, interviews, and event highlights.

The equipment will get plenty of attention. It should.

But I’m most curious about the people who can explain it.

What does this machine change on the shop floor?

What does it make easier for the crew?

What should a shop owner ask before buying one?

That’s what we’re going there to capture.

If you’ll be in Hutto, come find us.

And if you could ask the Kval team one question, what would it be?

10/22/2026

Most people think of a garden center as a place to buy mulch.

In Fishers, Indiana, families buy a train ticket.

Every Halloween season, Allisonville Home & Garden sets up PumpkinTown. There's a train, food, games, and pumpkins everywhere.

I went on opening night with my husband Ben, Marion Pulse from our team, and Gina Schaefer.

The train was easy. The carnival games were not.

When a store gives people a reason to show up beyond the next purchase, it becomes a place they want to come back to.

What could your store host that has nothing to do with a sale?

Thank you to Pat Sullivan and the whole Allisonville team for an amazing night. See more on their Instagram, .

10/20/2026

Every time someone walks into Ben's office, they touch the wall first.

Then they ask where we got it.

Ben and I put Trusscore SlatWall up in Grit Studios a couple of months ago. It turned out great, which tells you how easy this product is to install.

So I sat down with Joel Koops, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder at Trusscore, on the Do it Best Fall Market floor to talk about where this product came from and why dealers should pay attention.

A few things that stuck with me:

→ Trusscore started in barns and wash bays, where wood and steel rot. Farmers put it in their garages, and their neighbors wanted it too.

→ Joel says it installs three to four times faster than drywall, so the installed cost lands close to finished, painted drywall.

→ It isn’t a commodity. That means real margin for lumberyards and hardware stores.

→ Contractors can add a garage job onto the kitchen or bath remodel they’re already doing.

My advice to dealers is to show the work. Shoot the messiest before you can find, then post the after. That one video will sell more than a brochure ever could.

Thank you to Trusscore for sponsoring this one. And Joel, I’m still waiting on Stefanie Pink. 💗

Full episode here: https://youtu.be/2omPHHWhf_4

10/16/2026

In an Ecraft Homes model home in Cu***ng, Georgia, there's a Western Architectural Openings triple sliding door with a triple window above it, and the stile lines match perfectly.

It made me very happy.

That symmetry almost never happens, and Jennifer Holle explained why it did here.

Her team had the vision, told their Lummus supply co rep that lining up the stile lines was non-negotiable, and the rep made it happen.

Her words: she can depend on Lummus because they know exactly what she's looking for.

Can you say the same about your supplier?

Watch the Grit Blueprint Behind The Build episode here: https://youtu.be/AiGfIshz-CI

10/16/2026

Your sales team just made a promise.

Now operations needs to deliver.

Ron Herrin, VP of Sales, and Lee Allen, VP of Manufacturing & Procurement at Tucker Door & Trim , join me to talk about the relationship between sales and operations and how communication and experience help teams keep the promises they make.

We talk about the challenges of selling highly customized products, the questions sales needs to ask before saying yes, why problems are an opportunity to build trust, and how Tucker Door & Trim has used technology to give customers more control over quoting, inventory, and delivery timelines.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/D7s6UjdF4Ic

10/12/2026

My best line didn't come from a brainstorm.

It came from listening.

"Are you tired of being the best kept secret in your market?"

I said a version of that, and around a hundred people said it back to me.

"Damn it, that's us. We're the best kept secret."

After the hundredth time I thought, well, I should just say that everywhere.

Your customers are already handing you your messaging.

They tell you their problem and what they like about working with you.

Most of us are too busy deciding what we want to say.

Start listening instead and the message becomes clear.

Watch my guest appearance on Selling In The Dwelling with Allan Langer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWHb3HSzZV8

10/10/2026

Tall fixed glass has been around.

Operable is the part to catch.

I toured an Ecraft Homes build with Kevin Scussel of Lummus supply co.

He told me that Sierra Pacific Windows can now go ten or twelve feet tall on a window, and eight feet high on an operable casement.

An eight-foot window that actually opens changes what an architect can draw and how much daylight a room gets without breaking the sight line into sections.

Builders who know this spec exists are designing differently than the ones who don't, and the results speak for themselves.

Watch the Grit Blueprint Behind The Build episode here: https://youtu.be/AiGfIshz-CI

10/09/2026

This is the most underused opportunity I see for contractors right now.

Buy a pair of Meta glasses, hit record, and narrate what you're seeing and doing.

"Here's why we chose this product."

"Here's what we did in this corner."

Point at things while you talk about them.

People want to see what you do.

Show them as if they were there.

This kind of content gets a ton of traction and is exactly what your customers want to see.

The glasses shoot vertical video, so it's ready for social the second you're done.

You already walk the site.

Put the glasses on, forget they're there, and hand the footage to whoever posts for you.

Watch my guest appearance on Selling In The Dwelling with Allan Langer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWHb3HSzZV8

10/09/2026

"Why do you sell what you sell?"

Chuck Lencheck asks dealers that all the time. The answer he hears over and over: "I don't know. That's what we've always sold."

That answer is leaving money on the table.

I sat down with Chuck, VP of Sales at Service Partners , at the Do it Best Fall Market in Indianapolis. Yes, he wore pink. Here's what dealers need to hear:

→ Codes are moving faster than your stock. Indianapolis just went from R49 to R60 in the attic. If you're still stocking R11 and R13 because you always have, you're not the expert your customers think you are.

→ Mineral wool is on allocation, and Chuck expects that to last another four to six months. If you stock it, order now. On commercial jobs, don't promise a delivery date you can't keep.

→ Gutters. My dad's lumberyard never sold them. We never even thought about it. A materials-only program takes a gutter machine, coil, and a trailer. Your siding and window guys already need gutters and don't have the equipment. That's a high-margin add-on from customers already in your store.

Do it Best and True Value members: use code Pink Hat for an extra 5% off any Service Partners order through the end of October 2026. One time only.

Full episode: https://youtu.be/4rFfupDh64Q

Pick one product in your yard this week and ask why you carry it. If the answer is "we always have," start there.

Call or visit Service Partners website: https://www.service-partners.com/

10/08/2026

Don't forget the Pink Hat promo.

Service Partners is giving Do it Best and True Value members an extra 5% off one order of insulation, gutters, or anything else they carry.

Just mention "Pink Hat" when you place the order.

It runs through October 31, 2026.

My friend, Chuck Lencheck, and I announced it live at the Do it Best Fall Market, and yes, the name was a little inspired by me. 🦄

Address

Atlanta, GA

Website

http://STEFANIECOUCH.COM/, http://gritblueprint.com/

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