Blue Collar Builders Episode 5: The Ex-Marine Specialized in Fencing Who Created His Own AI Software

The Army Man Who Went from BlackRock to Building His Own Fencing Company

Paulo Montenegro, retired marine, underwent a grueling trial of fire at BlackRock, which had him work 16-17 hours per day and some weekends on the side. Despite the demanding schedule, he liked his job, so he initially kickstarted fencing as a side project, during weekends-only.

With more projects coming in, though, he decided it was time to take it to the next level. So, he quit his position at BlackRock and poured all his time and resources into Hawk Fences. 

The business started as a one 3-men crew with a worn Ford F-250 and grew to an interstate residential and commercial provider, managing 4-5 crews daily and securing government contracts as high as $750,000.

But, somewhere along the way, Paulo discovered the power of AI.

How Paulo Built His Own AI Software With No Background in Coding

As Hawk Fences started growing, Paulo quickly realized the need for a custom CRM. The problem was the lack of customization capabilities:

“With my background in finance, I realized early the importance of having a CRM. [...] But it was not for fencing. [...] You know there are a lot of things that could help you, but sometimes those software don’t have that. [...] So, you just have to adapt and get used to not having that or maybe creating something on your own.”

So, Paulo did just that. He created his own AI tool that would adapt to Hawk Fences’s specific needs. 

The software he built allowed the operator to draw the entire layout of the project, along with the adjacent measurements and materials necessary, and forward that to the client for approval. This reduced the risk of erroneous measurements and material waste and allowed the client to better visualize the end product.

More importantly, it simplified the work for the operator, as it cut the back-and-forth between the CRM and software like Canva, which handled the drawing process; Paulo’s AI tool was handling everything.

Why AI Can Be a Game Changer for Blue-Collar Businesses

Blue-collar businesses can use AI tools to streamline their operations and scale faster and Paulo’s story proves it. In his case, the custom tool he built allowed his business to jump from a local, 3-men team, to a multi-state company taking on government projects.

However, as Paulo himself noticed, current CRM models lack the true customization potential that businesses like Hawk Fences need. 

Todd Saunders highlighted the same problem during his talk with Paulo:

“The software industry, for the last decade or so, was like – I built the software, as a software company, you, business owner, figure out how to fit your business into the software – And, I think, what you realized was – No, I’m the company, I want the software to work for me [...] I’m gonna go build it”.

And herein lies the solution – a flexible AI software that contractors like Paulo can adapt to their company’s specific pain points.

The Dalton Mills Solution

As Todd noticed in the video, current CRM tools are adjusted to trades in general, but not to each trade in particular. And this is a problem, considering that even businesses operating within the same trade often face unique problems that few or no other companies encounter.

To create a preset tool that would account for these problems beforehand is nearly impossible.

Dalton Mills offers the next best solution – fully customizable AI software that contractors can adapt to their business’s needs. More importantly, businesses no longer need to outsource their needs to multiple different CRM models; instead, they can create all of the tools they need right on the Dalton Mills layout.

And because accessibility matters, creating your own AI tool with Dalton Mills requires no coding and no software engineering knowledge. The process is as easy as prompting your desired outcome and having the program do the rest.

If you find Paulo’s case inspiring, apply for early access with Dalton Mills and you can start building your own AI software today.