Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon.
Hi Brandon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Back in 2010, I began sweeping floors for a large commercial construction company in Dallas that specialized in restaurants, salons, and high-end retail shops. I got to know “sweeping compound” really well! Over time, my duties expanded to things like logistics and branding for various jobsites—strategically hanging company signs so they were highly visible, and communicating with superintendents to help them with anything they needed throughout the day.
I bounced back and forth delivering power tools, doing site cleans, and minimizing the buildup of jobsite trash (outside of the roll-off dumpster that remained on-site) by loading the company dump truck with debris and driving it to the landfill. A few years in, I even got to be a superintendent at a few different sites, which was really cool! Life happened, but I walked away with a solid grasp of what construction requires, along with many of the specialized terms you’ll find in the industry—almost like a “code.”
The average person may not know what a Schluter, furdown, transom, mullion, cantilever, escutcheon, chamfer, etc., are. The list goes on! Lol. I made it a point to memorize these once-strange words and have grown to enjoy knowing what they mean, while still looking forwards to learning others.
I’ve had a few other retail and construction gigs between 2010 and 2025, but around 2021 I started my own company, Good Deal Builder LLC. We specialize in shed building, decks, pergolas, patio covers, concrete, custom closets, and custom welded handrails, among other things. Having so many trades in my wheelhouse keeps things exciting and well-rounded.
Throughout all of this, I’ve also been an aspiring musician, using my construction income to buy instruments, fund music marketing, studio time, CD manufacturing, music videos, and cover anything else needed to get my music out into the world. My musician name is “gringo soul.” In late 2021, I had the privilege of recording for four days with Steve Albini in Chicago, creating my newest full-length album, hitherto. I’ve also played multiple gigs around Dallas, including the Deep Ellum Art Festival, The Truck Yard, LORO, and Prophet Bar.
I also pioneered an event called “The Trash Bash Music Stash”, where we reward people who pick up litter for an hour or so with free live music, food, beer and drinks, a ride on a party bus, raffle prizes—the whole works! We would have everyone meet at the venue, where a party bus waited to take them to the edge of a litter route. Participants were dropped off and walked back equipped with safety vests, trash grabbers, and bags. The bus was a blast, and hydration stations were set up along the route. We usually covered Greenville, Ross, and Henderson Avenue.
I’ve done four of these events to date, picking up thousands of pounds of litter around Dallas with over 300 volunteers, all while having a great time! Three were held at The Truck Yard, and one in Deep Ellum at Stonedeck Pizza (which later closed and became Cheapsteaks). I really hope to kick it off again in 2026! The Trash Bash Music Stash website is still active and there are highlight videos of a couple of the events on youtube! I actually was surprised to learn I won the NTCRA “Recycler of the Year Award” back in 2016 which was held at the Dallas Arboretum!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most everything has been an uphill battle—small victories here and there that really make you smile (such as being asked to be interviewed for Voyage Dallas magazine! Thanks Ya’ll!). Or 91.7 KXT playing my holiday inspired song “Orange Christmas” on Jessica Waffles homegrown show last December! It does keep it all exciting, though. Actually, just today, I released my newest song, “Beautiful Struggle,” on December 16th, 2025, which is what I usually say when anyone asks “how life is going?” Haha, I finally put it into a song, which helped get some of that off my chest. A really fine tune came out of it—truly!
Looking back, I’m just so thankful for all of it. Little details like having to jump into dumpsters for a few seasons to scrap metal for money, and everything I learned from that experience—going to the scrapyard and seeing the various “rough-cut” people there—was really eye-opening. Ha, one place in Dallas I’ll never forget is Action Metals. They actually gave out a small bottle of whiskey when you got paid for the day’s metallic find. I took pride in saving every receipt scrap yards gave me, showing how many pounds and what type of metal I brought in, as well as how much they paid me for it. I somewhat felt like Mario from the Mario Brothers (one of many games I enjoyed playing as a child) running around, out finding “gold coins” (lead, copper, tin, aluminum, bronze, stainless steel, etc.) in life and making something out of nothing! What a wild ride that was…Only one tetanus shot, too!
And yes, I wrote a song about that season titled “Scrappin’,” which can be found on YouTube as a full-on music video. Then, a couple of years later, I graduated to another natural hustle. An old jobsite in Deep Ellum had some hidden gems—when we demoed the original building, a bunch of the bricks in the wall were vintage “DALLAS” bricks. Everyone else was ready to throw them away, but I saw dollar signs. LOL, I loaded up as many of those suckers as I could and began selling them for up to $25 a pop. I think I’ve sold around 350 to date. I still have some now—so if anyone needs a Christmas White Elephant gift, hit me up!
All lightheartedness aside, things can be frightening for any young person trying to make it. If things aren’t smooth—if the stars aren’t always aligning—that can slowly start to shake your confidence. Not having enough money can push you into signing up for things you don’t really want to do. So my advice is to stay strong and roll with the punches. Never lose sight of your goals. Mine are music, construction, and continuing The Trash Bash Music Stash.
My Christian faith in God is what ultimately keeps me grounded. When you get really scared just remember Phillipians 4:6-8 and Matthew 6:25-33. Then really meditate on how it says to “be anxious for nothing.” NOTHING! It’s sometimes hard to believe when your truck is dead on the highway, in route to a bid, you are already late for, or when rent is due tomorrow and your account is -$700. But still, it says “nothing.” Try your best in those desperate moments to exercise that advice. Really ruminate on those passages during those trying times. I see God move in my beautiful struggle, and it’s truly fascinating. I hope He does the same for y’all—and He will, if you put your faith in Him and watch.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Good Deal Builder LLC is here to give you the best deal for your construction project! A hands on DFW general contractor specializing in residential construction and commercial finish outs. As the saying goes “you get what you pay for!” With over 10 years of commercial construction experience, Good Deal Builder LLC, combines quality with quantity to get you the biggest bang for your bucks! I one detail I am most proud of “brand wise” is the fact that, when I created the website around 5 years ago, it came with a free logo maker. Amongst the many “construction image options” I suddenly saw a simple, aged structure, and I was like “Yes! I like that!” It reminded me of a place that had prestige, but could also “use a little work.” So I chose that logo with my favorite colors green and purple! Months later, my sisters husband Jason clued me in that “you know thats the Roman Colosseum right?!” Haha. I had no clue, but delighted in this news because I am Italian and enjoyed knowing I chose something significant, I had roots with.
How do you define success?
I define success the way Abraham Lincoln’s life defined it. I have a painting called Three Lincolns by Andy Warhol’s assistant, Steve Kaufman. It lists twelve major hardships Lincoln faced between 1831 and 1858. Number thirteen comes last, in 1860: Elected President of the United States. Beneath that, it reminds us, “You cannot fail unless you quit.” That message serves as a powerful reminder for me to never give up.
Van Gogh’s story also reinforces this belief. He never gave up either, and now the world knows—and loves—his masterpieces. We would never have known the splendor of Starry Night if Vincent had quit after The Potato Eaters.
But you asked how I define success. To me, success is being enthusiastic for others when you feel shy or introverted; helping a stranger who desperately needs it without flinching; having the courage to stand up for someone you see being abused; or occasionally rocking someone’s world with a random, unexpected act of generosity. None of these traits come easy, and you can’t always make them happen every week, but I think they all tie to the Golden Rule, and I try to work on them anytime I can!
That is how I define success ; ).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gooddealbuilder.com/, https://www.gringosoul.com/, and https://www.trashbashmusicstash.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gringosoul
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brokenstring21 and https://www.youtube.com/@GoodDealBUILDER
Image Credits
Main, first Photo, with red background: Melissa McBride
black and white music image “Jessica Waffles”
purple suit guitar image “Nazarii: Reborn Productions”
