Meet Russ Barstow. Remember the name—because you’ll definitely remember the story.
I don’t use the term “self-made” loosely. Very few people earn that label in my book, and Russ is one of them.
Russ spent years searching for purpose. He found it in the mountains, through hiking. Construction, at first, was simply a way to make a living—to subsidize that purpose. But like most of us, it only takes a couple of meaningful projects and a few incredible clients to pull you all the way in.
Changing people’s lives through the homes we build is a drug in itself.
What I love most about this story is that Barstow is a true husband-and-wife team. Russ and Sue set boundaries between work and life. They set goals together—years out. They check in with each other. Their personal finish line aligns with their clients’ finish line. No shortcuts. No favorites.
Because without their personal happiness and success, there is no Barstow. And without that, there is no construction.
I love Russ and Sue’s priorities and their approach to life and business.
I hope you enjoy their story as much as I did.

Learn more about Ep. 28 Guest:
@barstowconstruction
www.barstowconstruction.com

Project size:
* Customs: $2.5-5,000,000
* Renovations range: $100,000 to $500,000
* Additions approaching 1,000,000 depending on the home.
Projects per year. 3 to 6 including new construction some commercial end renovations/ additions.
Yearly revenue - $600-850,000 best estimate. Depends on the year for sure.
Employees - Just Sue and Russ and a long term site cleanup guy who is awesome.

🎥 YouTube Series:
#RoadTrip
Video Series —walking sites and talking shop— EARLY 2026

Find my YouTube channel: @heresjohnnyh
*link is in bio

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