Edward Rivera co-founded Ion Electrical nearly ten years ago with his brother-in-law. Today he runs Ion Labs — a venture built entirely around using AI and digital twins to make construction more predictable, more profitable, and less dependent on what happens when things go wrong on-site. This is what "sharpen the axe" looks like in practice.

Most contractors react to problems on-site. Edward Rivera prevents them in a warehouse. This issue covers his digital twin framework for pre-visualizing every project before a single wire is pulled, the pre-build system that keeps master electricians off basic tasks, and the way he uses Claude as a digital version of himself to filter projects, pressure-test decisions, and protect his time. If you're still solving problems on the clock — this one's for you. Watch the episode →

The insight that changed everything for Edward was simple: the most expensive problems in construction happen on-site. So he moved the problem-solving off-site — before the job ever starts.

Using Matterport scanning and LiDAR, Rivera creates digital twins of buildings before construction begins. Every conduit run, every ductwork conflict, every plumbing line — mapped, modeled, and resolved before an apprentice touches a wall. The result is projects that finish ahead of schedule not because the crew worked faster, but because the groundwork was already done.

He calls it "sharpening the axe." It looks like slow preparation. It runs like a machine.

The tech is the means. Time is the point. Connect here →

Rivera noticed a gap between estimated and actual labor hours in his JobTread data. Master electricians were burning time on basic assembly tasks that didn't require their skill level.

His fix: offsite pre-builds. Apprentices assemble modular kits in the warehouse. Masters show up on-site to install — not prep. The expensive hours go toward expensive work.

The same logic applies to AI. Rivera uses Claude as a digital version of himself, integrated with Notion and Obsidian. Instead of asking Claude for answers, he uses reverse prompting — Claude interviews him, extracts his own logic, and returns output in his own words. The thinking stays his. The time saved compounds.

Audit your labor hours before your next project. Pull estimated vs. actual from your last five jobs. The gap tells you exactly where your best people are doing work they shouldn't be.

Move one task off-site this week. Identify one repeatable on-site prep task and build it in the warehouse instead. Start with the simplest kit. Measure the time saved on-site.

Use reverse prompting on your next big decision. Don't ask Claude what to do. Ask it to interview you about the decision. The output stays in your voice — and you'll think more clearly for it.

If you're only using ChatGPT, try Claude. It handles long documents better — paste in a full contract, a set of meeting notes, or your last 10 proposals and ask it anything. It's a second set of eyes that never gets tired and doesn't charge by the hour. Free to start. Paid plan is $20/month. Try it here →

Beyond the Bid Circle is a peer community for builders scaling with systems and AI—the same builders who've escaped the 60-hour grind. Swap war stories, shortcuts, and real strategies with people who get it.