GSD Built Entrepreneurs
We don’t just need more GSD Built tradespeople. We need more GSD Built companies.
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America isn’t short on grit. Every year, thousands of young men and women raise their hands wanting to step into the trades. They’re hungry to learn, ready to work, and proud to build. The problem? There aren’t enough companies to hire them, train them, and unleash them.
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The trades don’t die because people stop caring. They die because the number of companies leading the charge is shrinking. The real crisis isn’t just labor, it’s leadership.
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The Big Picture
Aging Ownership
Over 50% of U.S. business owners are age 55 or older, setting up a wave of retirements that current firms are unlikely to replace.
Worker Bottleneck
For every 2.7% growth in solo/self-employed contractors, employer-based businesses grow only 1.1%—meaning fewer opportunities to hire new tradespeople.
Company Decline
The number of employer-based construction businesses has declined since 1982, from around 808K to 800K, even as demand has soared.
Lost Potential
With 22.7% of the construction workforce aged 55+ (up from 11.5% in 2003), we’re losing experience fast—and without business growth, there’s nowhere for new talent to land.
​The GSD Built Entrepreneur Mindset
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Being a tradesperson takes skill.
Being a trades entrepreneur takes guts, vision, and the drive to make a bigger impact.
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GSD Built Entrepreneurs don’t just hang drywall or lay pipe. They build companies that build legacies. They create opportunity, mentor the next generation, and prove that small businesses are still the backbone of America.
The GSD Built Promise:
We’ve Got Your Back
This pathway is just the beginning. GSD Built exists to connect you with mentors who’ve already walked the road, training resources that sharpen your skills in finance, marketing, and leadership, and a community of other GSD Built entrepreneurs grinding through the same challenges you are. And when you step up to start and scale your own trade company, you won’t go unnoticed, because building a business in the trades is one of the most GSD moves of all.
“Every skyline, every pipeline, every lifeline,
thank the trades.”
GSD Built