Ron Nussbaum spent years in the construction field, working every job from foreman, to sales representative, to manager of a 25-crew company. Through all these roles, he saw one consistent problem: Miscommunication and the lack of a centralized communication method slowed jobs down.
Nussbaum ultimately decided to try to fix the problem and change the industry by creating a software platform—something he admittedly never expected to be doing. This decision led him to found BuilderComs, an Emerald Isle-based startup with a purpose-built platform designed to help teams stay organized, avoid mistakes, and keep jobs moving.
“I just got super passionate about fixing this communication breakdown for the entire industry instead of just fixing it for myself,” Nussbaum said. “And that’s what really led to deciding to bring the product to market.”
BuilderComs describes itself as the “client communication hub for construction.” It provides a tool that replaces the mess of emails, texts, and post-it notes with a centralized space where everyone involved in a project—from subcontractors to clients—can stay aligned.
Through the platform, users can set up a job hub for a given project in a matter of minutes. This becomes a place where on-site photos documenting progress can be shared, messages with clients can be exchanged, and notes and documents pertaining to the project can be maintained in an orderly fashion.
Just after launching the platform, Nussbaum spoke with a local business owner who told him that he’d recently spent an hour digging through emails to find outlet installation specifications for a client. With BuilderComs, that information would have lived in the project folder; it could have been found and shared in seconds.
Per-project pricing
One of the most unique aspects of BuilderComs is how it’s priced—not per user, but per project. While most SaaS companies in the space have adopted a seat-based model, Nussbaum refused to do the same.
“I’ve had a lot of push to go per user,” he said. “I just can’t do it. It just doesn’t sit right with me because that’s not how I believe it should be.”
His reasoning is both practical and philosophical, and boils down to the fact that communication on a project is only truly effective if everyone is included. Charging per user incentivizes companies to cherry-pick who gets access, which defeats the purpose entirely, Nussbaum said. His goal is to remove barriers to adoption and get everyone inside a company actively using the tool—because for BuilderComs to deliver value, everyone needs to be on it.
So far, the model has resonated, particularly with builders who may not be used to implementing new technologies. About 70% of BuilderComs’ users are adopting new technology for the first time, and for many of them, simplicity matters more than anything else.
“There are builders doing $8m-10m in revenue who are still running everything off a spreadsheet and a Google calendar,” Nussbaum said. “But once they see how easy this is—and that it doesn’t punish them for growing their team—it clicks.”
Updates to come
BuilderComs is preparing for a major upgrade. This September, the company will relaunch as a full-fledged project management platform, adding scheduling, calendar tools, invoicing, team management, and more—all built on top of its original, messaging-first foundation. While Nussbaum is intent on keeping communication at the core, the decision to expand came directly from users’ desire to streamline more of their workflow without having to jump between tools.
The website will soon be updated as well. Sticking with the theme of simplicity, the startup’s new site will provide users with everything they need to know, directly on the homepage.
QUICK BITS
Startup: BuilderComs
Founder: Ron Nussbaum (CEO)
Founded: 2021
Team size: 2
Location: Emerald Isle
Website: www.buildercoms.com
Funding: Bootstrapped
BuilderComs has users across the country (and even one in Australia), but the company remains rooted in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, with no plans to leave.
Nussbaum still goes door-to-door talking to builders and gathering feedback the old-fashioned way. He’s a firm believer in building software by listening directly to the people who use it, rather than guessing from a distance.
“I’m just this Marine that came from the construction industry that now has the opportunity to impact the entire industry that I love,” he said. “And that’s why this matters.”
