The Turn: Blue Collar to Billions

Iconic Founders Group
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

You've fought hard for your business. Growth was earned, not given. Maybe you've scaled, maybe you've sold, but who have you become in the process? This isn't another podcast obsessing over multiples and deal structure. We get to the heart of what you're actually going through. Hosted by Kory Mitchell, CEO of Iconic Founders, we sit down with blue-collar business owners who've built something real, businesses like HVAC, landscaping, pest control, construction. These are honest conversations about the challenges, the lessons, and the moments that changed everything. Because the real story isn't just how you got here, it's about the lessons along the way.  About the Host, Kory Mitchell: Kory Mitchell is the host of The Turn and the founder of Iconic Founders Group. He's lived the founder's journey, building a small regional specialty contracting business with his family into a national ($200m)brand and navigating two transactions, including a 9-figure exit. With 25+ years in the specialty contracting industry, Kory learned how personal and high-stakes the decision to sell can be. Now he guides founder-led companies through legacy-preserving transactions and serves as a board member for several large national specialty trades businesses, bringing an operator's perspective to strategic growth.  About Iconic Founders: Iconic Founders Group provides expert guidance for blue-collar industry founders ready to grow and sell their businesses while preserving legacy. We work with founder-led businesses doing $3M–$20M in profit across specialty contracting and trades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, pest control, roofing, concrete, environmental services, tree services, excavation, asphalt paving, restoration, and more. Whether you're seeking liquidity, finding a partner to scale, or protecting the team and culture that made you great, Kory and the Iconic Team serves as a trusted advisor throughout the entire process, from readiness to strategic buyer alignment, all the way to a proud and well-earned close. Learn more at www.iconicfounders.com.  Built Something Great? We Want to Hear Your Story. Whether you're in the thick of scaling, contemplating an exit, or reflecting on lessons learned, we'd love to connect. Visit us at www.iconicfounders.com and subscribe to The Turn wherever you get your podcasts.

  1. 3d ago

    He Helped Build a Billion-Dollar Company That Could Run Without Him

    Integrating acquisitions under private equity pressure will break an unprepared team. Former Blue Sky CEO Drew Bisping unpacks his journey taking the restoration company to a billion-dollar valuation through calculated M&A. Scaling requires an operational shift. Bisping details absorbing an eight-location competitor and the mechanics behind adjusting EBITDA when an anomalous $120 million project hits the books right before a sale. Taking the top seat of a massive enterprise demands trading a scrappy mindset for strict governance. Walking away successfully means intentionally engineering your own obsolescence so the organization can stand on its own. For operators managing rapid expansion, this conversation provides a blueprint to structure buyouts without wrecking your core margins. Subscribe and share this episode with a peer navigating the transition from founder to executive. How are you removing yourself from the daily bottlenecks of your operations? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

  2. Sep 29

    He joined as employee 20 and scaled it to $1 billion

    Scaling a construction business from $10 million to over $1 billion demands ruthless operational discipline. Drew Bisping joined Blue Sky as employee 20 or 21 and worked his way to CEO, steering the restoration giant through massive organic growth and four private equity buyouts. We break down the blueprint for successful greenfield expansion and why launching bare-bones satellite offices causes failure. Drew explains the necessity of replicating a fully staffed business model, establishing local leadership, and absorbing heavy initial costs to secure new markets. He also dissects the grueling due diligence process, showing how his team used audit questions to force financial rigor into their everyday routine. For operators aggressively expanding their regional footprint, this conversation provides a practical roadmap for maintaining quality control across multiple locations. Subscribe and share with a fellow builder preparing for acquisition. What operational bottleneck slows down your expansion efforts? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

  3. Sep 22

    What does it take for a family member to actually earn the top job?

    Blood ties don't guarantee business competence. In part two of our conversation, Erik Guggenheim unpacks the messy mechanics of buying out his parents and the six-year estrangement that followed. Running a generational company requires drawing hard lines between kinship and performance. Erik explains why enforcing a rigid, employee-voted progression track for relatives prevents unearned promotions and toxic work cultures. He shares hard-won methods for transitioning unqualified kin out of executive seats and outlines why forcing a legacy plan often destroys both the enterprise and the household. For founders wrestling with succession planning, this discussion offers a clear blueprint to separate operational roles from emotional obligations. Subscribe and share this episode with an operator navigating difficult family business dynamics. How do you maintain objective performance standards when your employees share your last name? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

  4. Sep 15

    He Sold His Parents' Paving Company in 30 Days, Then Called to Tell Them

    Family businesses are messy, and adding private equity to the mix often creates a powder keg. Erik Guggenheim shares his journey of scaling his family’s specialty carbon fiber construction firm and making the brutal decision to buy out his parents. Operating a self-funded contracting business requires massive upfront capital for projects, a cash flow cycle that Wall Street analysts rarely grasp. Erik outlines how a seemingly lucrative exit transformed into a battle over project financing when backward-looking investors clashed with the demands of forward-looking construction contracts. He breaks down the friction of moving from a founder-led setup to a process-driven organization and the hard choices required to execute a complex buyout. For operators navigating a generational transition or considering outside capital, this conversation provides a blueprint for surviving the structural friction. Subscribe and share this episode with a founder preparing for their own exit. How would you handle a major disagreement over scaling your family business? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

  5. Sep 8

    He Sold 40% of His Company but Never Gave Up Control

    Hitting $75 million in revenue isn't a finish line; it is a shark tank where companies go to die. Bret Biggart built a massive solar operation, taking it from zero to $300 million by treating market pressure as an asset. We break down the mechanics of bringing on a minority private equity partner while maintaining operational control. Bret opens up about the logistics of moving away from gut-feel management into strict data reporting when customer acquisition costs threaten margins. You learn exactly how to weather severe industry headwinds without panicking. When revenue dropped from $300 million to $150 million, his board forced a hard look at the analytics instead of throwing cash at the problem. For founders struggling to outgrow pure instinct, this conversation provides a clear roadmap to install disciplined financial reporting and scale safely. Subscribe and share this episode with an operator who needs to hear this right now. What data metric completely changed how you view your own operations? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

  6. Sep 1

    Stuck at Five Million a Month, He Closed the Deal in a Deer Blind

    Hitting rock bottom rarely acts as the blueprint for building a $300 million enterprise. Bret Biggart shares how he used the discipline of addiction recovery to bootstrap a solar business with zero working capital. Scaling a regional operation into a streamlined sales engine requires brutal honesty. Bret details the daily grind of early-stage acquisition and managing negative cash flow without venture backing. He breaks down the operational stall he hit at $5 million a month and the internal constraints he couldn't crack. By bringing in an external operator, he overhauled his sales structure and pushed monthly revenue to $50 million. For founders stuck in a plateau, this conversation provides a framework to identify when external talent is necessary to unblock your pipeline. Subscribe and share this episode with an operator fighting a growth ceiling. What metric tipped you off that your internal processes were maxed out? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

  7. Aug 25

    His Sale Number Was Fixed Before the Deal Ever Started

    Growth can be a silent killer if the systems underneath it crack. When a business scales too quickly, top-line revenue might skyrocket, but profit margins and operational standards can easily collapse into chaos if the foundation isn't set. In our second episode with Cory Brymer, who bootstrapped a fiber optics infrastructure company from zero to $50 million, we unpack the brutal reality of managing hyper-growth and eventually exiting on his own terms. We get into the specific mechanics of scaling a blue-collar workforce, starting with the exact labor-hour metrics Cory used to forecast bidding and feed his expanding crew. The conversation covers the massive risks of failed ERP integrations, the danger of relying on flawed working capital methodologies from a CFO, and the intense process of renegotiating a bad broker contract mid-deal. Cory also shares his secret for establishing true walkaway power during acquisition talks, a mindset that fundamentally shifted his leverage at the negotiating table. The hardest phase of building this infrastructure empire was the realization that generating $50 million in gross revenue still resulted in a net loss during a critical year of mismanaged growth. Cory opens up about the toll of complacency, the failure of his initial executive team buildout, and the heavy burden of jumping back into 70-hour workweeks to rebuild the operations he had already delegated. Listeners will walk away with a clear understanding of why calculating a post-tax, post-debt baseline valuation is essential before you ever entertain a buyer's offer. If you care about scaling an infrastructure operation, navigating middle-market acquisitions, and maintaining operational control during heavy growth, you’ll get a lot from this. Please subscribe to the channel and share this episode with a founder who is currently in the trenches of scaling. What is the firm, non-negotiable baseline number you need to hit before you would ever consider selling your business? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

  8. Aug 18

    $500k in Profit. His Dad Said Stop. But He Kept Going.

    Being a penny-pincher works on day one, but it will inevitably choke your operations as you scale. In a landscape where well-funded competitors are constantly trying to poach your best people, knowing how to properly structure compensation and upgrade infrastructure is the difference between stalling out and breaking through. We sit down with Cory Brymer to dissect how he bootstrapped a technology infrastructure company from minimum-wage beginnings into a $50 million operation. We get into the actual mechanics of out-punching your weight class against entrenched industry veterans. The conversation covers the friction of migrating away from basic accounting tools toward robust ERP systems, the specific math behind structuring phantom stock plans to keep high performers, and the stealth tactics required to secure major contracts without alerting the competition. Cory shares his foundational philosophy that calculating the true hourly value of your own time is the ultimate trigger for transitioning from a solo bootstrapper to an executive who pays a premium for A-level talent. The path to these operational milestones was not paved with easy capital. Cory opens up about the devastating firsthand experience of watching a family member's business slide into bankruptcy and personal financial ruin. You will walk away with a stark understanding of the emotional toll of rebuilding from zero, the operational limitations of working 14-hour days to save a few dollars on overhead, and a framework for maintaining firm boundaries during complex compensation negotiations. If you care about retaining elite employees, scaling past early growth plateaus, and navigating the complexities of commercial project bidding, you will get a lot from this. Please subscribe to the channel and share this conversation with a fellow founder in the built environment. What is the most expensive mistake you've made when trying to save money on your early operations? Running a blue-collar business? Wondering how to think about value or selling? Iconic Founders Group helps founders like you explore what's next. If you're doing over $2M in profit, check us out at iconicfounders.com or send us a message at theturn@iconicfounders.com. Iconic Links: • Learn More: www.iconicfounders.com  • Connect: theturn@iconicfounders.com

See All (24)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

You've fought hard for your business. Growth was earned, not given. Maybe you've scaled, maybe you've sold, but who have you become in the process? This isn't another podcast obsessing over multiples and deal structure. We get to the heart of what you're actually going through. Hosted by Kory Mitchell, CEO of Iconic Founders, we sit down with blue-collar business owners who've built something real, businesses like HVAC, landscaping, pest control, construction. These are honest conversations about the challenges, the lessons, and the moments that changed everything. Because the real story isn't just how you got here, it's about the lessons along the way.  About the Host, Kory Mitchell: Kory Mitchell is the host of The Turn and the founder of Iconic Founders Group. He's lived the founder's journey, building a small regional specialty contracting business with his family into a national ($200m)brand and navigating two transactions, including a 9-figure exit. With 25+ years in the specialty contracting industry, Kory learned how personal and high-stakes the decision to sell can be. Now he guides founder-led companies through legacy-preserving transactions and serves as a board member for several large national specialty trades businesses, bringing an operator's perspective to strategic growth.  About Iconic Founders: Iconic Founders Group provides expert guidance for blue-collar industry founders ready to grow and sell their businesses while preserving legacy. We work with founder-led businesses doing $3M–$20M in profit across specialty contracting and trades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, pest control, roofing, concrete, environmental services, tree services, excavation, asphalt paving, restoration, and more. Whether you're seeking liquidity, finding a partner to scale, or protecting the team and culture that made you great, Kory and the Iconic Team serves as a trusted advisor throughout the entire process, from readiness to strategic buyer alignment, all the way to a proud and well-earned close. Learn more at www.iconicfounders.com.  Built Something Great? We Want to Hear Your Story. Whether you're in the thick of scaling, contemplating an exit, or reflecting on lessons learned, we'd love to connect. Visit us at www.iconicfounders.com and subscribe to The Turn wherever you get your podcasts.

Information

You Might Also Like