About Reins

My name is Chris Buttenham. The guy in the photo above is my dad. Working with him, I saw a problem that eats away at independent businesses everywhere.

He’d train an employee, invest everything in them—and then lose them to a competitor offering just a little more money. Recruiting was hard. Retaining good people was harder. And the way compensation worked never truly aligned with the growth of the business.

Meanwhile, there was no clear plan for the future.

My dad wanted what every owner wants: the freedom to step away now and then, to play a round of golf on a Wednesday, and to focus on the business instead of being trapped in it.

But instead, the harder he worked, the more tied down he felt.

The cycle kept repeating: great people left, my dad stayed chained to the day-to-day, and taking a step back seemed impossible.

In 2015 I stepped away from the trades and built a tech company in the AI space. We grew fast, built an incredible team, and in 2021, I sold the company.

The secret weapon wasn’t just the product. It was the people.

And the way we attracted and kept those people was through equity. Stock options made them think and act like owners. That’s the playbook in Silicon Valley. But here’s the problem: those plans are expensive, complicated, and built for private equity, venture-backed startups or corporations.

They don’t make sense for contractors, construction firms, or trade businesses.

Which meant my dad—and millions of owners like him—were left out.

Contractors, roofers, plumbers, electricians, HVAC pros – the people in the trades who literally build this country. They deserve access to financial tools that make sense for them.

But there were none. There was no simple way to get employees to act like owners.

That’s why I built Reins. We make it simple for business owners to roll out alternative equity programs like phantom stock or profit sharing. All without lawyers, headaches, or restructuring.

Owners stay in control. Employees get a real stake in the company’s future. Everyone wins.

And it’s already working:

Reins is here to help contractors and independent business owners:

We’re building Reins for owners like my dad. Because the trades don’t run without great people. And, if they earn it, those people deserve a stake in the future they’re building.

So, if you don't want to lose your best people to the highest bidder and want to align them with the future of your business. This is the moment.

Pass the reins.