Alexis Goin is a custom home builder in Kansas City. She’s a third-generation home builder and continues the tradition of her grandparents and parents with Stoneleaf Homes. We sat down to ask her about her favorite parts of her job, what she's learned growing up in the business and what it's like carrying on such an important family legacy.
What is your favorite part of working with clients in building their homes?
I would say my favorite part of working with clients is being able to bring their home to life. This all starts as a thought in their mind, and within months, it's real, and they are making memories for themselves and their families in what used to be just a dream.
What is the overarching philosophy that you use at Stoneleaf when building homes?
For me, it’s being able to give every home its own style. Not every house is designed from scratch with an architect, so even though it may be the same or similar floor plan as another home, it should feel different and be reflective of the buyer. I am a custom home builder, and every home should feel just that — custom.
What is one of your favorite custom requests that you’ve received?
I’ve done a trampoline room, and it was awesome. I absolutely gave it a test run before closing.
What is your favorite part of the process?
Post-trim is definitely my favorite part. I love seeing everything really come to life that we've been working so hard on for the last few months. It's my favorite. I love walking in every day and seeing the design finishes come together.
Do you feel like you build relationships with your clients?
[A client found out] I was getting married, and she bought me this beautiful crystal cake platter for my wedding. And then, when I was having my baby, she sent me a sweet gift and note. She was just awesome. And I had a gal that I built a house for that actually lived across the street from me in my old house, and anytime she saw me, she invited me for a glass of wine. Just being able to kind of have relationships like that outside of [home building], and even years after the project has closed, I feel like it's pretty special.
How do you feel being a young woman home builder?
I have a lot of [workers that] are like, ‘It’s so cool that you do this.’ A lot of them have daughters, so they'll bring their daughter to the job site, which is really cool for me to be able to show them that, you know, you can do this one day. You're not limited in what you want.
What do you remember as a kid being on jobsites with your parents?
My grandpa, who was also a builder, got me my first tool kit. So I would bring that with me when it was time to “work”. I also was a total girly girl, so my parents would pack up a blanket, this portable TV with an antenna, and a bunch of my Barbies and dolls, and I would just play while they worked. They put me to work, though — I was great at blue taping the lower part of the walls and picking up the sites.
What is the biggest challenge from working within a family business to taking over your own company?
The biggest challenge initially was that so many of my subs knew me as a little girl — many I met when I was five. So getting them to see me as an owner versus that little girl was hard at first. We’ve gotten through that, though, and while they still may see me that way, we’ve all grown, and there’s a lot of respect there now.
Do you ever call your parents for advice?
Probably too much. I think I called my mom four times the other day. They're both so different in how they operate. So honestly, being able to talk to both of them about a situation and see how both of them would handle it is very helpful. They started out when they were really young, too, and they learned a lot over the course of their time in this business. It’s really good to be able to call them and talk through situations.
What lessons did you learn from your parents and grandparents that still guide your decisions as a business owner?
That none of this is possible without faith. Life is not easy; owning a company is not easy, but when all else fails, God is there. Prioritize your faith, your family and life outside of work — it’s the most important part.
If you’re interested in learning more about building a home with Stoneleaf Homes, you can reach Alexis at (816) 200-2441 or via email at lexi@stoneleafhomes.org. Their website is stoneleafhomes.org.
I love walking in every day and seeing the design finishes come together.