Blue Collar StartUp

Michael Nelson
  • 5.0 (3)
  • 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. 7h ago

    How Better Onboarding Creates Better Employees | Blue Collar StartUp #132

    Are hiring challenges really hiring problems—or onboarding problems in disguise? In this episode of Blue Collar StartUp, Mike Nelson and Derek Foster sit down with Bill Tansey Jr. of The OpEx Shop to discuss employee onboarding, mentorship, training systems, accountability, retention, and how process-driven businesses build stronger teams. Bill shares practical strategies for creating competency-based onboarding programs, reducing costly mistakes, improving employee retention, and scaling operations without sacrificing standards. Whether you're a contractor, trades business owner, or entrepreneur managing a growing team, this episode offers actionable insights you can implement immediately. Connect with Bill Tansey Jr. on LinkedIn and learn more about The OpEx Shop at theopexshop.com. 00:00 Introduction & Welcome 01:11 Introducing Bill Tansey Jr. and Today's Topic 02:44 Mike Announces The Fractional Operator Podcast 05:04 Why "Can't Find Good People" Is Often an Onboarding Problem 08:41 The Danger of Assuming Employees "Should Just Know" 11:01 Derek's Experience with Structured Onboarding 13:56 What Should Be Ready Before Day One? 16:45 Building Employee Expectations Before Work Begins 18:02 Why Bill Rejects Traditional 30-60-90 Day Programs 19:16 Competency-Based Training vs Time-Based Training 21:43 Getting New Employees Into Real Work Faster 23:07 How Mentorship Reduces Mistakes and Improves Retention 25:02 Where Small Businesses Should Start Building Systems 27:23 Teaching Hands-On Skills That Live "In Someone's Hands" 30:21 Style vs Technique in Employee Development 31:24 Why Your Best Employee May Be Your Worst Mentor 33:13 Building Relationships Through Mentorship Programs 34:28 The True Cost of Training New Employees 37:27 Measuring Whether Your Onboarding Process Works 40:59 Recognition, Retention & Employee Motivation 44:37 What an 8-Person Company Should Do Tomorrow Morning 47:50 Bill's One Rule for Effective Employee Onboarding 48:57 Derek's Employee Recognition Program 50:05 Final Thoughts & Episode Wrap-Up Follow Blue Collar StartUp: bluecollarstartup.io  facebook.com/bluecollarstartup  instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #BlueCollarStartUp #EmployeeOnboarding #Leadership #ConstructionBusiness #SmallBusinessGrowth

    52 min

  2. Jun 3

    The Electrical Contractor Reinventing Company Culture | Blue Collar StartUp #131

    Tom Jameson, founder of AstroWatt Electric, joins Blue Collar StartUp to share how he went from apprentice electrician to building one of North Carolina's most people-focused electrical companies. Learn how AstroWatt uses culture, leadership, unlimited PTO, employee benefits, and customer service to attract top talent and scale a successful trades business. Tom also shares lessons on starting a company, finding your competitive advantage, and why saying "no" helped his business grow faster. Whether you're considering a career in the trades or building your own service business, this episode is packed with practical advice and real-world experience. Learn more about Astrowatt Electric at callastrowatt.com or connect with Tom on Linkedin! Blue Collar StartUp Website: bluecollarstartup.io  Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup  Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup  #BlueCollarStartUp #Electrician #TradesBusiness #Entrepreneurship #Leadership 00:00 Introduction & Welcome 03:18 Meet Tom Jameson & AstroWatt Electric 05:32 How Tom Got Started in Electrical Work 07:01 Leaving Employment to Start a Business 09:03 Building a Company Around People First 11:30 The Transition from Employee to Owner 13:13 Winging It in the Early Startup Days 15:02 Work Ethic, Hustle Culture & Leadership 16:11 Creating a Strong Team Culture 19:09 Building a Family-Like Company Environment 20:18 Recruiting & Retaining Great Team Members 24:03 Why AstroWatt Offers Unlimited PTO 28:19 Trust, Accountability & Performance Standards 31:57 Mental Health Benefits in the Trades 34:08 Career Advice for Young Tradespeople 39:12 Finding Your Niche as a Business Owner 41:17 Visionaries vs. Integrators in Business 43:15 Learning to Say No and Scale Profitably 45:52 The AstroWatt Rebrand Story 47:58 Advice for Starting a Trades Business 52:03 Why the Trades Are a Massive Opportunity 55:04 Balancing Success, Money & Personal Goals 59:09 Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up

    1 hr

  3. May 27

    How to Build Trust in the Construction Industry | Blue Collar Startup #130

    In this episode of Blue Collar Startup, hosts Mike Nelson and Derek Foster sit down with Denver Whetten of Degan Construction LLC to discuss building a successful construction company through leadership, Extreme Ownership, and strong client relationships. Denver shares how he scaled from a small concrete startup into a major contractor while developing leaders, creating a winning company culture, and navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship in the trades. Learn more about Denver Whetten and Degan Construction LLC, based in Phoenix, Arizona, at deganconstruction.com. 0:00 Intro & opening banter 1:22 AI, marketing shifts, and adapting in business 3:01 Introducing Denver Whetten & Degan Construction 4:37 EOS and Extreme Ownership discussion begins 7:00 Leaving corporate construction to start the company 11:25 Landing the first jobs with no real plan 13:22 Learning to solve problems without all the answers 15:17 Advice for tradespeople starting a business 17:01 “Make a lot of money, so everybody wins” philosophy 21:38 Discovering Extreme Ownership leadership principles 26:33 Realizing “I was the problem” as a leader 29:35 Weekly leadership training inside Degan Construction 34:05 Building trust with customers through performance 39:21 Why reputation matters more than short-term profit 40:38 Family business leadership & avoiding nepotism 46:46 YouTube Exclusive begins (youtube.com/@bluecollarstartup849)

    47 min

  4. May 20

    HVAC Business Growth Strategies That Work | Blue Collar Startup #129

    In this episode of Blue Collar Startup, hosts Mike Nelson and Derek Foster sit down with Lawrence Castillo to talk about scaling an HVAC business through customer service, recruiting, training, and operational structure. Lawrence shares how Brody-Pennell HVAC grew from a legacy company with 250 Google reviews into a dominant Southern California brand with over 5,000 five-star reviews while building a people-first culture focused on long-term growth. Find Lawrence Castillo and Brody-Pennell HVAC online at brodypennell.com and connect with him on LinkedIn. 0:00 Introduction and guest welcome 3:00 Brody-Pennell HVAC growth story 6:25 Challenges of the LA HVAC market 10:00 Customer service philosophy 11:57 Growing to 5,000 Google reviews 16:24 KPIs and technician accountability 21:10 Building an in-house training program 24:11 Hiring communicators over mechanics 29:01 Recruiting systems for scaling 33:20 Solving the labor shortage 36:01 Service agreements and recurring revenue 40:36 Creating a customer service culture 44:53 Managing multiple businesses 49:28 Advice for tradespeople and owners 54:00 Where to find Lawrence Castillo 55:29 Outro and sponsors

    57 min

  5. May 13

    How a Father-Son Team Built a $25M Trade Business | Blue Collar Startup #128

    In this episode of Blue Collar Startup, Scott Sypniewski and Scott Sypniewski Jr. share how they built SSLLC Plumbing into a $25M+ plumbing business by combining extreme ownership, leadership development, and strong company culture. From overcoming personal struggles to scaling fast in the trades, this father-son team breaks down real strategies for growing a service business, implementing EOS, and creating a team that drives long-term success. Find Scott Sypniewski, Scott Sypniewski Jr., and SSLLC Plumbing at ssllc.pro and connect with them to learn more about their work in the trades. Watch the full YouTube exclusive segment here: youtube.com/@bluecollarstartup849 00:00 Introduction 1:45 Meet the Guests: Scott Sypniewski Sr. & Scott Sypniewski Jr. 3:30 How Junior Successfully Works Remotely 5:16 Transitioning from Father/Son to Business Partners 8:56 The Power of Using First Names in a Family Business 10:43 The Origin Story of SSLLC Plumbing 14:08 Scott Sr.'s Defining Moment & Extreme Ownership 16:15 Landing a $7.2 Million Contract on Day One 18:46 A Brutal Self-Assessment with Echelon Front's JP Dinnell 23:45 SSLLC Plumbing's Vision: Building on the Success of Others 27:58 Junior Takes the Baton: Building Business Structure 32:08 Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) 36:15 The Unique Visionary & Integrator Dynamic 40:00 Level 10 Meetings & Decentralized Command in Action 43:18 The 80/80 Principle Explained 48:25 Appointing a Chief Culture Officer 55:58 SSLLC Plumbing's Core Values & Hiring Criteria 1:07:10 Head over to our YouTube channel to watch the YouTube exclusive segment!

    1h 8m

  6. May 6

    Define the Problem, Fix the Fire | Blue Collar StartUp #127

    In episode 127 of Blue Collar StartUp, hosts Michael Nelson and Derek Foster sit down with Bill Tansey to discuss bringing structure to a chaotic business and defining the real root of your operational fires. They dive into the critical differences between just being busy and actually being productive, and how to know when wearing every hat becomes a liability instead of a hustle. You can connect with Bill Tansey Jr. on LinkedIn, visit his website at theopexshop.com, or email him directly at bill@theopexshop.com. 0:00 Introduction & Welcome  2:49 Introducing Bill Tansey & The OpEx Shop  5:02 What to do when "everything feels like it's on fire"  7:35 Defining the performance gap in your business  10:22 The importance of proper problem definition  12:56 Common examples of small business chaos  14:00 When does wearing every hat become a liability?  16:13 Quantifying the risk of doing everything yourself  18:34 Are you running a business or being self-employed?  20:57 The 3 types of motion: Rotation, Vibration, Translation  23:43 Moving things from point A to point B  26:18 Falling out of your personal operating system  28:40 The "Automate or Delegate" mindset  31:20 Bringing structure to a company with none  33:41 Setting success metrics for standard roles  36:42 The biggest mistake owners make when getting organized  39:49 Leading your team vs. doing the work yourself  43:41 Where to find Bill Tansey  45:20 Wrapping up the main episode

    46 min

  7. Apr 29

    Simple Marketing for Blue Collar Businesses | Blue Collar StartUp #126

    In episode 126 of Blue Collar StartUp, Derek and Mike break down what marketing actually looks like when you’re starting a blue-collar business, from building a simple website to leveraging personal social media for real leads. Listen in as they discuss what’s worth your time, what’s a waste of money, and how to grow your visibility without overcomplicating the process. For exclusive content, bonus segments, and deeper dives, check out the Blue Collar StartUp Patreon. https://patreon.com/BlueCollarStartUp?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=copyLink 0:00 Intro and welcome 2:37 New episode formats and updates 5:14 Kicking off the marketing conversation 7:32 Why a simple website matters first 9:58 Avoiding common beginner marketing mistakes 12:26 Google Business Profile importance 14:52 Setting up email and basic infrastructure 17:18 Why personal social media beats business pages 19:44 The reality of Facebook reach 22:10 Choosing the right platforms 24:36 Understanding your target audience 27:02 Social media strategy pitfalls 29:28 Transition into AI and marketing changes 31:54 How AI is impacting search and discovery 34:20 Adapting to new marketing trends 36:46 Simplifying your overall strategy 40:12 Key takeaways for business owners 47:11 Episode wrap-up

    45 min

  8. Apr 22

    Building the Future of Concrete with Sarah Patrie | Blue Collar StartUp #125

    In episode 125 of Blue Collar StartUp, guest host Stacy Spector sits down with Sarah Patrie to explore her journey from growing up in a construction family to becoming Executive Director of PCI Northeast, highlighting the power of mentorship, industry involvement, and embracing nontraditional career paths. They dive into workforce development, innovation in concrete, and the critical role of relationships and associations in long-term success in the trades. You can find Sarah Patrie and learn more about PCI Northeast at pci.org and by following her on LinkedIn. Discover more in-depth trades business insights and exclusive Patreon-only segments by subscribing to our Patreon for just $5/month. https://patreon.com/BlueCollarStartUp?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=copyLink 0:00 Intro to Women in Trades format 2:40 Meet Sarah Patrie 5:20 Growing up in construction 8:00 Discovering engineering and BOCES impact 10:40 Clarkson decision and education path 13:20 First role at D.A. Collins 16:00 Early career challenges and mindset 18:40 Transition into AGC 21:20 Policy, advocacy, and DC experience 24:00 Power of networking in trades 26:40 Moving into PCI Northeast 29:20 Workforce development challenges 32:00 Educating the next generation 34:40 Telling the story of construction 37:20 Passion for the industry 40:00 Lightning round and personality 42:30 Wrap-up and key takeaways 44:55 End of episode

    42 min
See All (129)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 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
    129
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Michael Nelson
  • Show Website
    Blue Collar StartUp