Blue Collar StartUp

Michael Nelson
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Entrepreneurship

Our Mission is Simple: To facilitate the growth and development of Blue Collar businesses. We will showcase REAL Blue Collar businesses in interviews, and use these stories to help educate and empower the next generation of trades workers to become Blue Collar business owners.

  1. 10h ago

    Turn Your Side Hustle Into a Scalable Business | Blue Collar StartUp #148

    What does it take to build a business that grows without depending on its owner every day? Steve Rolle, entrepreneur, author, former U.S. Army service member, and host of Rolle With Steve, joins the conversation to explain how side hustles become scalable businesses, why delegation and repeatable systems matter, and how small businesses can increase productivity. He also shares practical lessons on hiring and retaining salespeople, creating employee growth opportunities, and achieving greater financial freedom. Learn more about Steve Rolle and his work at steverolle.com.  0:00 Introduction and Steve Rolle's background 2:11 Growing up with limited options and finding agency 3:59 Starting businesses while serving in the military 5:00 Why business ownership can create freedom 6:35 Why a side hustle is a safer path to entrepreneurship 8:21 Freedom, control, and the risks of creating yourself a job 10:40 Building a repeatable operating system before quitting your job 14:19 The side hustle that grew into a $100 million business 17:42 Delegation and finding your highest-value work 20:22 Training employees and handing off responsibility 21:22 Why business owners need time to think 24:46 Hiring challenges, automation, and using AI effectively 35:17 Hiring salespeople and creating incentives that retain them 44:30 The Future You Choose, business exits, and financial freedom 49:06 Moving from the income game to the impact game Want more Blue Collar StartUp? Website: bluecollarstartup.io  Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup    Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusiness #ArtificialIntelligence #BusinessOwnership

  2. Oct 28

    The Hard Truth About Taking Over a Family Business | Blue Collar StartUp #147

    What happens when you take over a 45-year-old family business and discover that growing it means rebuilding almost everything? Daniella Devine, President & CEO of Peacock Floors, shares lessons on business succession, commercial flooring, cash flow, hiring, customer retention, business acquisitions, and using AI to streamline operations and grow a traditional trades business. Learn more about Peacock Floors and connect with Daniella Devine at peacockfloors.com.  0:00 Introduction and Life in the Trades 2:25 Meet Daniella Devine of Peacock Floors 3:02 Buying Businesses and Building Wealth Through Real Estate 5:21 The Family Flooring Business That Started in the 1960s 8:45 How a Flooring Shop Expanded Into Commercial Contracts 11:50 The Cash Flow Crisis That Nearly Sank the Business 14:16 The Hidden Costs of Buying an Established Business 17:33 How AI Search Helped Peacock Floors Get Found Online 20:44 The Customer Retention Lesson Behind a 45-Year Legacy 25:05 Building a Team and Learning to Delegate 28:42 Why Hiring the Right Salesperson Is So Difficult 30:21 The Financial Risks of Buying a Family Business 32:01 Selling Solutions Instead of Pushing Products 37:44 Organic Growth vs. Acquiring Other Businesses 43:23 Modernizing an Old-School Business With Technology 46:15 AI Dashboards, Automated Workflows, and Financial Visibility 48:10 Using AI to Analyze Bids and Improve Customer Service 53:34 Keeping the Human Element in an AI-Driven Business 55:15 Where to Find Daniella Devine and Peacock Floors Want more Blue Collar StartUp? Website: bluecollarstartup.io  Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup  Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #BlueCollarStartUp #BusinessAcquisition #ArtificialIntelligence #ContractorBusiness #Entrepreneurship

  3. Oct 21

    The Future of Trades Education Is Changing | Blue Collar StartUp #146

    Dr. Michael Brophy, President of Hudson Valley Community College, joins Mike Nelson and Derek Foster on Blue Collar StartUp to discuss the skilled labor shortage, the future of trades education, workforce development, and the growing demand for technical skills across New York's Capital Region. From AI's impact on traditional careers to hands-on training, shorter certificate programs, and employer partnerships, discover how technical education is preparing workers for new opportunities in the trades. Learn more about Hudson Valley Community College at hvcc.edu/index.html and explore its programs for students and working professionals. 0:00 Introducing Blue Collar StartUp and Hudson Valley Community College 2:17 Dr. Brophy's Career in Higher Education 4:44 The College's Programs and Capital Region Campuses 7:20 How Technical Education Has Changed 8:39 What Regional Employers Say the Workforce Needs 10:08 Why Students Need More Hands-On Trade Experiences 11:47 Why Employers Need More Than Technical Skills 14:01 The Skilled Labor Shortage and Career Opportunities 15:31 Meeting Demand for Skilled Workers Across the Region 17:07 The Capital Region's Growing Technology and Manufacturing Economy 18:38 Retraining Adults for New Careers 19:27 Shorter Training Programs and Employer Partnerships 22:08 Why Attitudes Toward the Trades Are Changing 24:13 The Business Opportunities Available in the Trades 25:28 How AI Is Changing Higher Education and Lifelong Learning 28:30 Why Skilled Trades Will Still Matter in an AI-Driven World 31:08 Connecting High School Students With Hands-On Training 33:55 How Local Employers Can Connect With Hudson Valley Students 37:51 Expanding Training Capacity and the Future of the College 40:23 Exploring Programs and Visiting Campus Want more Blue Collar StartUp? Website: bluecollarstartup.io  Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup  Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #BlueCollarStartUp #SkilledTrades #WorkforceDevelopment #HudsonValleyCommunityCollege #FutureOfWork

  4. Oct 14

    The Real Cost of Building a Successful Plumbing Business | Blue Collar StartUp #145

    What does it take to turn a plumbing business into a thriving company? Pete and Alicia Green of Go Green Plumbing share how they grew from one service truck into a multimillion-dollar operation through financial discipline, business systems, leadership, and community investment. They also explain why knowing your break-even costs, separating salary from profit, and learning how to run a business are essential for long-term success in the trades. Learn more about Pete and Alicia Green at gogreenplumb.com.  0:00 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp 2:06 Pete and Alicia’s Story and the Start of Go Green 3:26 Building a Business Roadmap Before Hiring 5:40 Pete’s Early Interest in the Trades 7:39 Failed Businesses, Visionaries, and Implementers 9:06 Learning Business Systems and Leadership 12:26 What Nexstar Offers Plumbing and HVAC Contractors 16:32 When Is a Contractor Ready for Business Coaching? 19:10 Why Pete Committed to the Nexstar System 21:15 The Conversation That Inspired Pete to Start His Business 24:42 Starting With One Truck and Working Long Hours 25:17 Why Knowing Your Break-Even Cost Matters 27:00 Sacrifice, Salary, Profit, and Reinvesting in Growth 31:01 Go Green’s Early Revenue and Growth 34:07 Learning From Bad Reviews, Employees, and Mistakes 37:52 Finding the Right Roles and Supporting the Team 45:51 Go Green Community Promise and Giving Back 50:06 Advice for Future Tradespeople and Business Owners Visit bluecollarstartup.io for more real stories and practical lessons from blue-collar business owners. Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup  Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #BlueCollarStartUp #PlumbingBusiness #BlueCollarBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SkilledTrades

  5. Sep 30

    The Business Lessons Behind Duke's Nationwide Growth | Blue Collar StartUp #144

    Matt Fishbune, CEO of Duke's, joins Blue Collar StartUp to discuss how a specialized sewer root control company grew from its Syracuse, New York roots into a nationwide business through acquisitions, market expansion, skilled labor, leadership development, and a focus on its core business. Matt also shares lessons from Duke's growth, including how to evaluate new markets, build teams across multiple regions, develop future leaders, and why the trades should never be viewed as a fallback career. Connect with Matt Fishbune and learn more about Duke's at dukes.com. 0:00 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp 3:57 How Duke's Root Control got started in Syracuse 7:41 Turning a chemical product into a service business 10:54 Building a specialized blue-collar workforce 12:56 Matt's role and building Duke's for the next 40 years 15:05 Growth, acquisitions and entering new markets 18:13 Why Duke's invests in greenfield expansion 21:11 Learning from failed investments and "scar tissue" 22:53 How Duke's decides which markets to enter 24:05 Why local relationships matter in a national business 27:03 Building the infrastructure to manage nationwide growth 30:47 Creating a more effective organizational structure 32:42 Why leadership needs to get out in the field 35:05 The "Chief Reminding Officer" approach to leadership 38:00 Building Duke's Academy and developing leaders 39:50 Why onboarding can become overwhelming 42:18 When expanding into a new market can be a mistake 45:05 The "30-foot dunk" test for new business ideas 46:31 Why the trades are not a fallback option 48:04 Learning the trade and the business side 49:37 Where to learn more about Duke's Want more Blue Collar StartUp? Website: bluecollarstartup.io  Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup  Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #BlueCollarStartUp #BlueCollarBusiness #TradesBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SkilledTrades

  6. Sep 23

    Why Growth Means Hiring Before You Feel Ready | Blue Collar StartUp #143

    Brianna Ford, Founder of All In Heating & Air, shares how she went from working inside multimillion-dollar HVAC companies to launching her own business from zero customers, building a database, generating leads through community involvement, and growing a recognizable local brand. She also breaks down restructuring a $40 million HVAC company that was losing $1 million a month, why businesses need to hire ahead of growth, and how she created processes and KPIs to build All In Heating & Air.  Learn more about All In Heating & Air and connect with Brianna at callallin.com. 0:00 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp 3:17 Meet Brianna Ford of All In Heating & Air 5:26 Growing an HVAC company from $3.5M to $28M 6:06 Restructuring a $40M company losing $1M a month 9:16 The power of nurturing your customer database 11:42 The three areas to fix a struggling business 14:13 Why Brianna decided to start her own HVAC company 16:38 Turning the All In dream into a real business 20:08 Building a marketing strategy without relying on Google 21:39 How Facebook groups generated $100K in leads 23:20 Jeremy's role in building the business 25:01 The first calls and first month of All In 27:15 Why you should hire before you feel ready 29:19 Creating KPIs when you don't have a database 32:28 Going from operations to sales and cold calling 33:57 Building business systems for future growth 35:59 What Brianna would do differently 37:35 Learning to network when nobody knows you 39:07 Why growth is uncomfortable 40:16 Brianna's advice: Take the leap of faith Want more Blue Collar StartUp? Website: bluecollarstartup.io Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #BlueCollarStartUp #HVACBusiness #HVAC #TradesBusiness #Entrepreneurship

  7. Sep 16

    The Marketing Strategy Every Contractor Needs | Blue Collar StartUp #142

    What does it take to build a memorable brand and consistent marketing strategy for a home service or contracting business? Crystal Williams, Co-Founder of Lemon Seed Marketing, shares practical advice on contractor branding, business naming, social media content, Google Business Profiles, mascots, and community engagement. Learn more about Crystal Williams and Lemon Seed Marketing at lemonseedmarketing.com.  0:00 Intro & Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp 1:49 Meet Crystal Williams & Lemon Seed Marketing 2:11 Growing Up in the Trades 3:58 From Side Hustle to Fractional Marketing 5:58 What a Fractional Marketing Team Actually Does 7:07 Why Brand Consistency Matters for Contractors 9:20 How Should Contractors Name Their Business? 10:21 The Biggest Business Naming Mistake Contractors Make 12:30 Creating a Unique, Memorable Business Name 14:17 Why Most Contractor Names Are Too Similar 15:15 The Story Behind Spot On Pest Control 17:19 How Lemon Seed Marketing Got Its Name 19:24 Why Mascots Can Build Brand Recognition 22:38 Do Mascots Work Beyond the Trades? 25:33 Is There a Marketing Silver Bullet? 27:19 Why Content Is King for Contractors 29:55 The Google Business Profile Mistake Contractors Make 37:55 Community Engagement & Building a Referral Engine 40:10 Turning Community Causes Into Marketing Opportunities 43:45 How to Get Started With Lemon Seed Marketing Want more Blue Collar StartUp? Website: bluecollarstartup.io Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup #ContractorMarketing #HomeServiceBusiness #ContractorBranding #SmallBusinessMarketing #BlueCollarStartUp

  8. Sep 9

    How Anchor Heating & Air Rebuilt to $8M From $2,000 | Blue Collar StartUp #141

    Stephanie Postell, Owner and COO of Anchor Heating and Air Conditioning, joins Blue Collar StartUp to share how she and her husband built an $8 million HVAC company from just $2,000 after losing the previous $5 million business they helped build. She also explains how HVAC contractors can grow by charging appropriately, understanding their numbers, building a strong brand, investing in great employees, and creating processes that support rapid growth.  Learn more about Stephanie and Anchor Heating and Air Conditioning at anchorheatingandair.com.  0:00 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp 2:55 Introducing Stephanie Postell of Anchor Heating and Air 3:39 Building an $8 million HVAC company in five years 4:51 Starting from zero instead of buying an existing business 5:58 Getting fired and facing an uncertain future 7:21 Finding an investor and deciding to start from scratch 8:09 Launching a new company just before COVID 8:46 Growing from $0 to $5 million in 20 months 11:29 Starting Anchor Heating and Air with just $2,000 13:15 Reinvesting the first HVAC job into the next opportunity 16:02 Why there is no secret sauce to business growth 17:01 Educating HVAC customers instead of high-pressure selling 19:20 Why contractors must charge what their work is worth 22:00 How underpricing is hurting the HVAC industry 26:27 The risks of relying too heavily on AI and ChatGPT 31:00 Building a powerful brand and telling a business story 35:02 Free marketing strategies using Facebook community groups 40:39 Helping launch another HVAC company past $1 million 43:16 How to scale quickly by charging enough and hiring great people 48:29 Investing in employees and building a company people love 53:07 Where to find Stephanie and Anchor Heating and Air 53:35 Closing thanks to listeners and Blue Collar StartUp sponsors Want more Blue Collar StartUp? Website: bluecollarstartup.io Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #HVACBusiness #BlueCollarBusiness #TradesBusiness #SmallBusinessGrowth #HVAC

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Our Mission is Simple: To facilitate the growth and development of Blue Collar businesses. We will showcase REAL Blue Collar businesses in interviews, and use these stories to help educate and empower the next generation of trades workers to become Blue Collar business owners.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Nelson
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    145
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Michael Nelson
  • Show Website
    Blue Collar StartUp

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