Pricing, Payments & Partnerships — with James Yoder of Custom Tile Solutions

In this episode of Tile Money Podcast, I sit down with James Yoder of Custom Tile Solutions, a family-run tile business out of Central Ohio that James operates with his two brothers. About 60% of their work comes from one major builder relationship, with the remaining 40% split between private clients, other builders, remodelers, and referrals from local tile shops.We talk about what it took to get the business off the ground — the cash flow challenges in the early years, the learning curve on the tools of the trade, and why James has settled on Wedi as his go-to shower system. We also get into how he handles payment: on smaller, direct-to-client jobs, he doesn't collect any money until the work is fully complete, while larger custom builder projects are billed in stages as sections finish. I share why I take a different approach — collecting 50% up front — and we compare notes on the trade-offs of each.Pricing comes up too. James hasn't raised his rates in a couple of years, and we talk through why small, steady annual increases (even 2.5–5%) beat waiting and then having to hit clients with a much bigger jump all at once. We close out talking about job efficiency, working reasonable hours, and knowing when to step back from the long-hours grind that defines the early years of running a trade business.Whether you're running your own tile business, working in the trades, or just curious what it takes to build a family company on referrals and reputation, this conversation is full of practical, real-world insight.Connect with James Yoder / Custom Tile Solutions: https://www.instagram.com/customtilejames/