Your Team Determines Your Success, Not the Market

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Monthly Briefing

Profits | Relationships | Knowledge

October 2025 Volume XV, Issue 10

team of business people celebrating success

Your Team Determines Your Success, Not the Market

By Emma Wildermuth, MBA

President, Shinn Group

Every market slowdown separates those who merely survive from those who come out stronger. The builders who lean into development during uncertain times emerge sharper, more adaptable, and ready to capture opportunities when others are still regrouping.

Leadership in a challenging market isn’t about waiting for conditions to improve. It’s about preparing your team to perform under pressure and adapt to new realities.

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Budget Season 2026: How Top Builders Leverage Engagement to Increase Profitability

Every fall, builders sharpen their pencils and lock in the budgets that will shape the next year. Items get debated down to the dollar. Yet one of the biggest costs rarely makes the spreadsheet: the cost of poor communication.

Across thousands of buyer surveys, "communication during the build" is consistently ranked as a top frustration. Buyers do not just want a quality home. They want to know what is happening, when it is happening, and who is listening. When that breaks down, it creates friction everywhere else: lost referrals, frustrated field teams, and inflated warranty costs.

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Builder Spotlight: Dwight and Sandy Sandlin

Signature Homes Founder, Wife Start New Charitable Foundation

A Hoover home builder and his wife have started a new charitable foundation aimed at multiplying the efforts of nonprofits to serve struggling Hoover children and families.

Dwight Sandlin, the chairman of the board for Signature Homes, and his wife, Sandy, have launched the Sandlin Foundation for Kids and Kindness after being moved at the needs of families in Hoover.

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Webinar Wednesday: Tune In & Level Up

NoviHome Presents: How Top Builders Leverage Engagement to Increase Profitability

October 22, 10 am MT / 12 pm ET

Cornerstone Presents: AI for Homebuilders – 7 Tools That Save Time, Attract Buyers, and Simplify Marketing

October 29, 10 am MT / 12 pm ET

Welcome to the New Shinn Group:

A New Look, Same Dedication

For nearly 50 years, Shinn Group has been a trusted guide for home builders across the country. While our look has evolved, our commitment remains the same: helping builders streamline operations, improve quality, and maximize profitability as they become the Builder of Choice™ in their markets.

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Builder of Choice™ Insights Podcast: Interview with Bob Mirman, CEO & Founder of Eliant

Builder of Choice Insights Podcast Cover

In this episode, Emma Jane interviews Bob Mirman, CEO & Founder of Eliant, to explore his journey into the homebuilding industry and his lifelong commitment to improving the customer experience. Bob shares how Eliant helps builders strengthen relationships with trades, employees, and homebuyers—driving exceptional satisfaction and loyalty.

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Top of the World Charitable Foundation

The Top of the World Charitable Foundation was established 23 years ago to honor a close friend, Lou, who passed away far too soon. Lou left behind three children in high school, and through Top of the World, we were able to support all three until they graduated.