In early 2020, shortly after Joe Bruening established his excavation and septic system installation business, he was already frustrated by and tired of employees who lacked his passion for productivity and customer service.
So the 32-year-old entrepreneur took an unorthodox step to solve the labor dilemma at Bruening Excavating Corp: He downsized the company’s in-the-field employees from five to just himself and his brother, Christopher, and started using independent installation companies as subcontractors whenever possible. The only other employee is Bruening’s wife, Hallie, who runs the office.
“We put in about 50 systems a year, and I kept running into quality and
