The Industry That Pays You Last But Expects You to Risk Everything First
Real innovation often starts with a problem you just can't stop thinking about. In this episode of The Leadership Blueprints Podcast, BJ Kraemer welcomes Scott Wolfe, founder and former CEO of Levelset, to unpack how a small but persistent frustration with construction payment practices led him to build one of the most influential platforms in the industry.
Scott shares how Hurricane Katrina pulled him into the world of restoration work, construction law, and software development, ultimately revealing the systemic barriers that keep contractors from getting paid for the work they complete. He traces Levelset’s evolution from a lien rights tool to a suite of products that reduce friction, increase transparency, and help stakeholders protect the value they put into a job.
Scott also reflects on the culture that shaped Levelset’s rapid growth, the leadership habits that held the team together through the scaling process, and why true innovation starts with deep familiarity with the problem you’re trying to solve.
Tune in to hear how genuine leadership and commitment to the customer can transform a key sector of the AEC industry!
Key Points From This Episode:
• How Hurricane Katrina redirected his path into restoration work and construction law.
• Launching Levelset as a lien-rights solution before expanding its scope.
• Growing the platform into risk, finance, and insurance tools for the industry.
• How payment delays and retaining employees strain small contractors and suppliers.
• Scaling the company to hundreds of employees through clear, consistent communication.
Quotes:
“When you do work on a job, or you put materials into a job, you deserve to get paid, and we want to make sure you're always in an empowered position to do it.” — Scott Wolfe
“We really didn't have true venture money. It was a little more like friends and family, seed money, and cash flow. – But what that allowed our culture to do, and I think this is a little underappreciated by companies, [is] to get a lot of institutional knowledge about the problem.” — Scott Wolfe
“You have to be in the stream of something from my standpoint, to be able to understand where the problem is and really care about the problem.” — Scott Wolfe
“I still think that the crown jewels of any super successful company is in the affinity that you develop around the problem you're solving and how well you know it. All the technology becomes a tool for it. AI is great, it does some interesting things, but it doesn't build a business.” — Scott Wolfe
“People follow people who have that true enthusiasm and that true authenticity.” — Scott Wolfe
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
