How To Build Your Business Like Elon Musk

Elon Musk built Tesla, SpaceX, and a handful of billion-dollar companies. But what if the same mindset he uses could help you grow your contracting business?

You don't need billions in funding or a rocket factory. You just need the right mindset, grit, and strategy. Let’s break down five powerful lessons you can use today — directly from Musk himself.

Lesson 1: Great People Build Great Businesses

"If you're building a company, you've got to gather great people... do everything you can to gather great people, if you're creating a company."
— Elon Musk, University of Southern California Commencement Speech (2014)

Your business is only as good as the people who represent your brand. Whether it's your crew, your office staff, or your subcontractors — great people make great companies.

For newer contractors and smaller operations, there are two takeaways here.

• 1. If it is just you at the moment, YOU have to be a great person. That means continually improving yourself, your skills, your knowledge base, everything that can help you to grow as a person and as a business. You can't be an owner/operator of a business AND be passive at the same time.
• 2. Taking the step of hiring that first employee is scary. But it is often a gamechanger. When your company goes from one person show to having a proper payroll, you take the first step away from giving yourself a job and your first step toward truly starting your own business.

To take it a step further, that should include the people and organizations that you align yourself with. The partners you make along the way, the vendors and service providers you work with, can make or break your business operations and financial future.

Lesson 2: Obsess Over Your Product (Your Service)

"Great companies are built on great products."
— Elon Musk, Knowledge at Wharton Podcast (2009)

In the world of home services, your product isn’t a thing you ship — it’s the service you deliver on every single job.

Whether you're a roofer climbing a ladder, a painter putting the final coat on a customer's dream home, or an HVAC tech getting a family's heat back on before a cold snap — your work is your product. It's what people talk about. It's what gets you referrals, reviews, and repeat business.

• Is your work world-class?
• Is it consistent?
• Would you refer your own work?

If the answer isn’t a confident yes, it’s time to rethink how you and your team approach every project.

Great businesses aren't built on "good enough" jobs. They’re built on obsessive attention to detail, clean work, and delivering on promises — every time.

That commitment to quality is what turns a one-time customer into a lifelong fan — and that's how you build a great business without needing a billion-dollar budget.

Lesson 3: Feedback Is Fuel

"I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better."
— Elon Musk, Mashable (2012)

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Feedback isn’t just for fixing mistakes — it’s fuel for constant improvement.

Aside from how authentic feedback can help you identify your business strengths and weaknesses - it is also great marketing. Social proof - how your business is talked about outside of the platforms you directly control - is important in the decision-making process for your prospective customers.

By adding active review management a key part of your business, you maximize your ability to improve your business operations and online discoverability.

Lesson 4: Risk Big, Think Bigger

"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor."
— Elon Musk, 60 Minutes - CBS (2012)

Playing it safe keeps you small. Big growth means big moves — like raising your prices, hiring that office admin, or finally investing in contractor marketing.

Tip: Write down the one move you’re scared to make — and take one step toward it today.

Lesson 5: You Control Your Business Future

"I think it's possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary."
— Elon Musk, OnInnovation Interview (by The Henry Ford) (2008)

Whether or not you succeed is up to you. Your work ethic, your decisions, and your choices are ultimately what make or break your business.

There are certainly outside influences that shape your business in the real world. But how you act and react is key to carving your own path forward for your business and your future.

Pushing Yourself And Your Business To Grow & Succeed

You’re not Elon Musk — and that’s a good thing. You don't need rockets or billions. You need focus, guts, and the mindset of a real business owner.

Surround your company with the right people, make sure you’re doing good work, use feedback to build your business, take smart risks, and you can take control over your future

If you want the tools to help you run your business smarter — from quoting to payments to marketing — check out the Footbridge Dashboard. It's built to help contractors control their "basket" and grow their businesses right.

About Chris Lonergan

Chris Lonergan has over 12 years of contractor marketing experience with Footbridge Media. With a background in web design, print design, content creation, and online marketing, Chris is focused on providing quality marketing and business solutions in the construction and service industries - helping small business owners to more efficiently manage their companies and grow their operations.

Chris Lonergan has previously contributed to and/or been featured in PM Magazine (Plumbing & Mechanical | Contractors x Engineers), theNEWS (ACHR - Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration), Service Roundtable's blog, inPAINT Magazine, the SMB Marketing Agency Show, and the Green Industry Podcast. Chris is also a past SGI/CertainPath breakout session presenter.

About Chris Lonergan