Looking back on it, July 2007 is probably one of the worst times in the past few decades for someone to start a home building business. Starting a construction business at this time, as the country was about to plummet into what would become the Great Recession, was like juggling on the edge of the Grand Canyon… while riding a unicycle… blindfolded.
Marnie Oursler started her home building business in late 2007 and, as Fortune reports, while the bad timing hurt, it didn’t destroy her. The fledgling company grew from a business that was only able to break ground on one new home over a period of a year to one that had revenue of around $8 million in 2015.
The next logical step? Reality television, obviously. Oursler, one of Professional Builder's 2013 40 Under 40 Award winners, was approached to appear in her very own reality show called Big Beach Builds, which will appear this fall on the DIY network.
Her venture into home building began as her work as a real estate agent dried up and her neighbors approached her to build a home for them. She took the job and in September 2007 opened her business and began working on her neighbors’ property.
When it came to keeping her business afloat during these dark times, the key for Oursler was networking. Her networking efforts led to three new projects in 2009 which, in turn, led to even more exposure and projects.
