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Want a blueprint for selling your contracting business without losing your identity or your team? We sit down with Kory Mitchell, founder of Iconic Founders Group and former CEO of a 200M environmental firm, to unpack how blue-collar owners can scale with intention, de-risk the books, and exit with clarity and control. Kory shares how he grew from a family asbestos shop to 37 locations through a mix of organic expansion and 13 acquisitions, and why the best deals hinge on people diligence, not just financials.
We get practical fast: why job costing, WIP reporting, and real-time dashboards transform chaos into predictable profit; how small and recurring jobs often beat flashy mega-projects when it comes to valuation; and the simple margin habits that make buyers pay more. Kory breaks down rollovers, earn outs, and the reality of staying post-transaction, plus how private equity and large family offices think about multiples, leverage, and risk. We also dig into equipment strategy, when leasing can lift uptime and reduce deferred maintenance, and the hidden valuation hits from heavy CapEx, client concentration, bonding exposure, and weak safety culture.
This is a candid look at the human side of exits, too. Burnout, replacing yourself before a sale, surrounding yourself with smarter peers, and getting an executive coach who has actually done deals, these steps create space to think and move on your terms. If you want to protect your people, preserve your brand, and still get paid for the value you’ve built, this conversation maps the path: clean data, safer operations, recurring revenue, and a buyer who matches your goals.
If this helped you see your next step, grow, sell, or both, follow the show, share it with a friend who runs a crew, and leave a quick review so more blue-collar owners can find it.
Tune in to the Blue Collar Business Podcast with Sy Kirby for the rawest, most relevant stories behind building a successful business in the trades. New episodes drop every Wednesday at 5 am CST—put your boots on and get ready to level up.
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Never miss an update—follow, subscribe, and join the conversation!
The world of blue-collar business is often defined by the tangible. It is the weight of a sledgehammer, the vibration of a trackhoe, the smell of fresh earth, and the undeniable satisfaction of a job completed to specification. However, for the founder who has spent decades building a legacy, there comes a day when the physical work is less important than the strategic value of the entity they have created. For most, this transition is the hardest project they will ever undertake because it requires a shift in mindset from being an operator to being an owner, and eventually, an asset manager.
I am Sy Kirby, and on this episode of the Blue Collar Business Podcast, we explored the "real, raw, and relevant" strategy behind one of the most successful transitions in the contracting world. Kory Mitchell, the founder of Iconic Founders Group and the former CEO of EIS Holdings, joined us to share how he navigated the journey from a small-town family asbestos shop in Sioux City, Iowa, to leading a 200 million dollar national environmental remediation firm. Kory’s story is not just one of growth; it is a masterclass in how to engineer a "structured exit" that preserves a founder's legacy while maximizing financial gain.
In the early stages of a contracting business, we are often taught that volume is the primary indicator of success. We chase the massive, multi-million dollar commercial projects because they make our revenue numbers look impressive. However, Kory’s experience in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) space reveals a different truth: high revenue does not always equal high value. Professional buyers, such as private equity firms or large family offices, are not looking for "lumpy" one-off projects. They are looking for predictability and stability.
When a buyer looks at a business, they are essentially looking at a machine that generates cash. If that machine relies on a single, massive 10 million dollar project to stay afloat, it is considered high-risk. If that project doesn't repeat next year, the business collapses. Instead, buyers are far more attracted to what Kory calls "boring" revenue. They want to see hundreds of small, recurring maintenance contracts or service agreements. A portfolio of five thousand dollar jobs that happen every week is infinitely more valuable to a sophisticated buyer than a single 5 million dollar contract that might never happen again.
To prepare for an exit, a founder must begin shifting their sales strategy years in advance. This means moving away from the "commodity" game of bidding for the lowest price on massive projects and moving toward a "value" game where you provide a recurring, essential service to a loyal client base. This shift not only stabilizes your cash flow while you still own the business, but it dramatically increases the "multiple" a buyer is willing to pay when it is time to sell.
If you are a blue-collar founder who still keeps their "accounting" as a stack of paper invoices on a desk, you are significantly devaluing your life’s work. One of the most critical elements of a high-value exit is the ability to prove your numbers. Professional buyers operate on a metric known as EBITDA, Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. While this sounds like corporate jargon, it is essentially a measure of your business's true cash-generating power after you "add back" personal expenses and one-time costs.
Kory emphasizes that you cannot sell what you cannot prove. High-value transactions require a "clean" financial story. This means having real-time job costing, WIP (Work in Progress) reporting, and a balance sheet that makes sense to an outside auditor. If a buyer has to spend three months trying to figure out if your projects were actually profitable, they will likely walk away or offer you a much lower price to account for the risk of the unknown.
Investing in a high-level accountant or a Fractional CFO is not an expense; it is a value-creation strategy. By having clear financial visibility, you can show a buyer exactly where your margins are coming from and how you manage your overhead. This level of transparency builds the trust necessary to move a deal from a "maybe" to "closed."
The biggest mistake a founder can make is being too important to the daily operations of the business. If you are the only one who can bid the jobs, manage the superintendents, or maintain the client relationships, you do not own a business, you own a high-paying job. Sophisticated buyers are terrified of "founder-dependent" businesses. They know that if they buy the company and you decide to walk away, the business will fail.
To achieve a maximum exit, you must replace yourself before you sell. This requires building a leadership team that can run the company without your daily input. Kory’s advice is clear: your goal should be to arrive on Monday morning after the sale and realize that the business doesn't actually need you to function.
This transition is often psychologically difficult for founders who take pride in being the smartest or hardest-working person in the room. However, your ego is the biggest obstacle to your wealth. A business that is "turnkey" and has a president or general manager in place is worth significantly more than a business where the founder is still putting on boots every morning. You want the buyer to see themselves as an investor in a successful system, not as a replacement for your labor.
Most founders wait until they are completely burnt out before they think about selling. When you are "fried" and desperate to leave, you lose all your leverage in a negotiation. A "fire sale" is when you sell because you have to; a "structured exit" is when you sell because you want to, on your terms and on your timeline.
A structured exit typically involves a transition period of two to five years. During this time, the founder might "roll" a portion of their equity into the new company, staying on as an advisor or board member. This allows the founder to take a massive "first bite of the apple" in cash, while keeping a "second bite" that could triple or quadruple in value when the new holding company eventually sells again.
This model, often used by private equity, creates a partnership rather than just a transaction. It ensures that the legacy of the business is preserved, the employees are taken care of, and the founder remains involved at a strategic level without the stress of daily operations. For the founder who loves the industry but hates the grind, this is the ultimate win-win scenario.
The journey from a contractor to a consultant is about moving from the "how" to the "why." It is about recognizing that your business is a product in itself, and like any product you sell to a client, it must be polished, professional, and reliable.
The exit you want is closer than you think, but it requires you to stop working in the business and start working on the business. Surround yourself with advisors, mentors, and coaches who have navigated these waters before. Don't try to be the hero of the story; try to be the architect of the system. When you build with the end in mind, you aren't just creating a job for yourself; you are creating an asset that will provide for your family and your employees for generations to come.
11.3.2026 10:00Ep. 80 - Contractor to Consultant: How Kory Mitchell Mastered the Exit
Ready to stop letting software and insurers set your prices? We sit down with restoration veteran and industry advocate Ben Justesen to map out a practical blueprint for blue-collar profit: building your own labor rates, managing WIP with confidence, and turning real culture into a recruiting edge. Ben’s story moves from a $400k patent lawsuit and five years of survival mode to leading markets in pricing by feeding data back into estimating platforms and, more importantly, engineering his own defensible rates from labor burden, overhead, and targeted margins.
We break down how to translate takeoffs into true budgets, why material margins are thin and labor must carry the difference, and how production rates, sourced from your historical job data, make estimates faster and more accurate. Cash flow gets a no-fluff treatment: progress billing tied to visible milestones, staying over-billed instead of being the bank, and aligning estimating, production, and accounting around a single WIP report so red flags show up while there’s still time to act.
Culture is the force multiplier. Ben details the shift from lip service to lived values like humility, initiative, ownership, and hunger, then shows how to hire for them with a recruiter’s route, structured interviews, and paid working days across departments. We also explore documentation tech, 360 job captures that let estimators scope remotely, lock down supplements, and eliminate disputes by showing before, during, and after in exact detail. That same documentation powers people-first marketing: celebrating crews and subs, earning name-specific reviews, and attracting talent who want to be part of a winning team.
If you’re a contractor who’s tired of thin margins, late cash, and chaotic hiring, this conversation hands you a clear playbook: build rates from your numbers, bill from visual milestones, track production relentlessly, and let your values drive every process. Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, share it with a fellow builder, and leave a review with your biggest pricing or WIP breakthrough.
Tune in to the Blue Collar Business Podcast with Sy Kirby for the rawest, most relevant stories behind building a successful business in the trades. New episodes drop every Wednesday at 5 am CST—put your boots on and get ready to level up.
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Never miss an update—follow, subscribe, and join the conversation!
In the world of blue collar business, there is a tax most of us pay early on. I call it the "ignorance tax." It is that painful period where you are working your tail off, landing jobs, and seeing revenue climb, yet somehow your bank account is bone dry. You’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, staring at a screen trying to figure out how a three million dollar year felt less profitable than a one million dollar year.
I recently sat down with Ben Justesen, a 20 year veteran of the restoration and construction industry, to talk about the hard lessons learned in the trenches of Moses Lake, Washington. Ben’s journey is a mirror for many of us: taking over a family business, facing a devastating 400,000 dollar lawsuit that he didn't see coming, and surviving five years in "survival mode" before finally cracking the code on cashflow and culture.
The reality of the trades is that we are capital intensive. We buy the trucks, we buy the fuel, we pay the labor, and we front the materials. If you aren't careful, you become the bank for your customers. And let me tell you, being a bank is a quick way to go broke.
Most contractors, especially when they are hungry and starting out, fall into the trap of underbilling. You are so worried about keeping the client happy or "getting the job" that you wait until milestones are fully completed before asking for a dime.
Ben and I discussed the "Work in Progress" (WIP) report, which is a document every business owner needs to live by. If you have ten projects going and you are underbilled on all of them, your life is going to be hell. You are incurring costs every single day before you even step foot on the job site. There are submittals, mobilization, erosion control, and material orders.
The goal is to stay overbilled. This doesn't mean you are cheating the customer; it means you are getting paid for the work as it happens, or slightly ahead of the cost curve, so you aren't using your own survival capital to fund their project.
One of the biggest hurdles for contractors is the "money conversation." We have a lot of empathy; we don't want to feel like we are "squeezing" people. But there is a massive difference between being nice and being kind. Being nice is avoiding the hard talk and going out of business. Being kind is setting clear expectations so there are no surprises.
Ben’s strategy for this is brilliant: Visual Milestones.
Instead of telling a customer you’ll bill them when you hit 50,000 dollars, tell them the payment schedule follows the physical progress of the house.
When a customer can see the progress, they feel comfortable releasing the funds. You have to talk about this process at least two or three times before you even arrive on site. If you set the expectation early, it’s just a process. If you bring it up for the first time when you need the check, it feels like a confrontation.
In the restoration world, and increasingly in excavation and general contracting, we rely heavily on estimating software. The danger is that many guys don't actually know what is inside those line items. They trust the "market rate" the software spits out without checking if that rate actually covers their unique overhead.
Your overhead is not a static number. It changes as your revenue changes. Ben actually developed a labor rate calculator because he realized most guys couldn't calculate their labor burden.
What is Labor Burden? It’s not just the hourly wage you pay your guys. It’s the FICA, the payroll taxes, the Medicare, the workers' comp, and the benefits.
If you don't know your production rates, how many man-hours it actually takes your crew to install 500 feet of pipe or dry out a 2,000 square foot basement, you are just guessing. And in this economy, with tighter margins and rising material costs, guessing is a death sentence.
To move out of survival mode and into a thriving business, you need three wheels turning in sync:
If your field lead calls you two weeks into a job and says, "We bid 2,000 tons of gravel but we’re already at 2,800 tons and we're only halfway," that is a win. Why? Because you caught it while you still have time to find the error or file a change order, rather than finding out at the end of the month when the bank account is empty.
Culture as a Recruitment Tool
We talk a lot about culture, but Ben brought up a point that really hit home: Repeatable unacceptable behavior is the death of culture. You can have "Integrity" written on the wall, but if you allow a toxic high-performer to stay on the team, that is your real culture. Ben moved his company to a "One-Day Paid Working Interview." He would pay a candidate to work a full day with every department. At the end of the day, the team would debrief based on four core values:
When your team owns the hiring process, they protect the culture. They don't want to work with someone who doesn't pull their weight. This shift changed his business from one that "lip-serviced" culture to one that attracted talent from across the country.
At the end of the day, Ben’s biggest piece of advice wasn't about a spreadsheet or a software. It was about taking care of yourself. We get so caught up in the grind, the 2 a.m. emergency calls, and the stress of the payroll cycle that we forget why we started. If you aren't winning at home, you aren't winning. You need to have 100% input, physically, mentally, and emotionally, before you can give 100% output to your business.
Don't be afraid of your competition. Have an abundance mindset. Share what you know, tighten up your billing, and remember that the people on your trucks are the most valuable asset you own.
4.3.2026 11:00Ep. 79 - Overbilling is Survival: Managing Construction Cashflow With Ben Justesen
A good pour rewards speed and precision, but building a company takes a different mix. We sit down with Kyle Harris, president of Harris Company Concrete Construction, to trace how a young finisher who loved the rush of pour days became a leader who runs on systems, coaching, and clear numbers, while navigating California’s maze of regulations without losing his edge.
Kyle walks us through the early wins and the 2008 gut punch that forced him to learn business the hard way: licensing scrutiny, cash flow shocks, and contracts that bite. The breakthrough came with a coach who pushed him to replace heroics with policies and procedures, install checklists for everything from demo prep to payroll, and fit people into roles where they actually excel. He explains how reading financial statements, understanding true overhead, and pricing the real cost of trucks, iron, and time changed his bids and protected margins.
Then we get real about California. Low-carbon mix mandates, VOC restrictions, CARB compliance, and multi-layer inspections make structural work slower and riskier, yet the climate and markets in wine country, custom residential, and commercial builds offer year-round volume and rates that can offset overhead. Kyle shares practical tactics for RFIs, inspections, scheduling pours a month out, and why paying experts; CPAs, safety consultants and attorneys, buys back the only asset that scales revenue: your time.
This conversation is a playbook for any builder who’s great at the trade but stuck in the business. You’ll hear how to let go of the tools without losing respect, lead crews with clarity instead of speed talking, and build a peer circle that keeps you honest and moving. If you’ve felt alone, underbid, or buried in red tape, Kyle’s hard-won lessons will help you reset the formwork and pour a stronger foundation for your company.
Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe, share it with a friend in the trades, and leave a review telling us the one system you plan to implement this week.
Tune in to the Blue Collar Business Podcast with Sy Kirby for the rawest, most relevant stories behind building a successful business in the trades. New episodes drop every Wednesday at 5 am CST—put your boots on and get ready to level up.
Follow and stay connected:
Never miss an update—follow, subscribe, and join the conversation!
There is a moment in every blue-collar entrepreneur’s journey when the truth hits hard.
You realize that being great at your trade is not the same thing as being great at business.
You can pour flawless concrete. You can frame houses, run equipment, weld pipe, or wire a building better than anyone on your crew. But the day you decide to start your own company, you step into a completely different role. You are no longer just the tradesman. You are the contractor. The leader. The decision-maker. The one carrying the risk.
That transition is where most of us get humbled.
In this episode, I sat down with Kyle Harris, president of Harris Company Concrete Construction in Sonoma County, California. Kyle’s story is not polished. It is not corporate. It is the real, gritty evolution from young, ego-driven tradesman to seasoned business owner who understands systems, leadership, and financial discipline.
If you are building a construction company, a concrete business, or any blue-collar operation, there is something in this story for you.
Kyle did not grow up planning to own a concrete company. Like most of us, he worked his way through different trades. Framing, welding, building pools, working in shops. Concrete stuck because it matched his personality. It was physical, fast-paced, chaotic on pour days, and deeply satisfying when finished.
There is something addictive about concrete. It is foundational. It is visible. It is immediate. When you pour, you see the result.
But loving concrete is one thing. Running a concrete construction company is another.
Kyle went out on his own in 2006 at 21 years old. California was booming. Jobs were everywhere. Confidence was high. He thought he had it figured out.
Then 2008 hit.
When the economy collapsed, so did the illusion that skill alone could sustain a business. Jobs dried up. Cash flow tightened. And the 23-year-old who thought he knew everything had to confront a hard reality.
Being good at the trade does not mean you understand contracts, retention, insurance requirements, licensing, tax obligations, or cash flow management.
That lesson hits most of us at some point. The question is whether we choose to grow or blame everyone else.
One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation was the identity shift that has to happen.
The day you get your contractor’s license, you are not just the guy on the tools anymore. You are responsible for pricing, contracts, billing, safety compliance, human resources, scheduling, and financial strategy.
That shift is uncomfortable.
When you start out, especially young, you are fueled by ego. You have to be. You are managing men older than you. You are negotiating with general contractors who test you. You are trying to prove you belong.
But the same ego that gets you started will eventually hold you back.
Kyle talked openly about that early phase. Saying yes to jobs he should have passed on. Agreeing to terms he did not fully understand. Pretending to know what certain documents or clauses meant because he did not want to look inexperienced.
That pattern is common in construction entrepreneurship. We would rather fake confidence than admit ignorance.
The problem is, business does not reward fake confidence. It punishes it.
The turning point in Kyle’s story came when he agreed to work with a business coach.
At first, the cost felt outrageous. Paying hundreds of dollars per hour to talk about business strategy seemed insane when you are grinding through cash flow problems and field issues.
But the value was not in motivational talk. It was in clarity.
The first uncomfortable realization was that most of the problems in his company were not employee problems. They were leadership problems.
He had no documented systems. No written procedures. No defined expectations. Everything lived in his head. He moved fast, talked fast, and expected his crew to interpret his instructions correctly every time.
When they failed, he blamed them.
His coach asked a simple question: where are your policies and procedures?
There were none.
That is when the work began. Building standard operating procedures. Creating checklists. Defining workflows. Documenting how the office functions. Clarifying how field operations should run. Establishing clear communication structures.
It felt like homework. It felt tedious. It was not the reason he fell in love with concrete.
But it is the reason his company exists today.
If you want freedom in a construction business, you have to build systems. Without them, you are just self-employed and exhausted.
Another hard-earned lesson was understanding people.
Most blue-collar business owners struggle with this. We hire someone because they say they are a finisher, an operator, a foreman. When they do not perform, frustration builds quietly. We avoid direct conversations because we do not want confrontation.
Eventually, we explode. We fire them in anger.
That is not leadership. That is poor communication delayed.
Kyle learned that sometimes the person is not wrong, just in the wrong seat. The “bad finisher” might be a great rebar hand. The struggling crew member might excel in a different role.
But that requires honest conversations, clear expectations, and documented performance standards.
Leadership is not about being the loudest voice on the job site. It is about creating clarity so people can succeed.
One of the most painful but necessary evolutions for any contractor is understanding financial statements.
It is not enough to know you have money in the bank. You need to understand overhead burden, equipment costs, accounts receivable versus accounts payable, and how depreciation strategies affect long-term tax exposure.
Kyle shared a moment when his accountant explained that his accounts receivable were lower than his accounts payable. Even if checks were coming, the structure was flawed. The business was not producing enough margin to sustain its obligations.
That realization is humbling.
But construction is capital intensive; trucks, equipment, insurance, labor, fuel, compliance costs. If you do not understand how to price work to cover overhead and generate true profit, you are building stress, not wealth.
Paying professionals for guidance can feel expensive. But doing it alone often costs far more.
We also talked about what it means to operate a concrete construction company in California.
There is no sugarcoating it. The regulatory environment is intense. Low carbon concrete requirements, fly ash mix mandates, VOC restrictions, emissions compliance for equipment, layered inspection processes, and detailed documentation standards all add complexity.
Structural pours can require engineer observation, special inspection, and county inspection before approval. Equipment standards demand newer, more expensive machines. Compliance requires documentation and oversight.
But there are advantages too. A long working season. Strong demand in certain markets. High-end residential and winery projects in Sonoma County. Higher billing rates that, when managed properly, offset increased overhead.
The lesson is not that one state is better than another. It is that every environment requires strategic adaptation. Complaining does not move you forward. Understanding the rules and pricing accordingly does.
This part resonates deeply.
Most of us start businesses chasing freedom. We think we will control our schedule. We think we will answer to no one.
The reality is different.
Your schedule becomes your customer’s schedule. Developers answer to banks. General contractors answer to developers. Subcontractors answer to general contractors.
Freedom does not appear on day one.
It comes later, after systems are built, leadership is developed, financial structure is solid, and you are no longer personally carrying every operational burden.
That process can take years.
If you are grinding through long days, tight margins, crew frustrations, and financial stress, you are not alone.
The worst thing you can do is isolate yourself.
Talk to other business owners. Ask suppliers questions. Seek mentors. Be honest about what you do not know. Successful people are often willing to help those who are coachable and serious.
The biggest shift in Kyle’s journey was not technical. It was mental.
He became comfortable saying, “I do not know.”
He stopped pretending. He hired experts. He paid for coaching. He documented systems. He had hard conversations. He put ego in its place.
That is what building a sustainable blue-collar business actually looks like.
It is not flashy. It is not instant. It is not easy.
But if you are willing to grow beyond the trade and embrace the business side of construction, the reward is more than money. It is clarity. Stability. Leadership. And the ability to build something that lasts beyond your own hands.
That is the evolution from concrete to clarity.
25.2.2026 11:00Ep. 78 - California Concrete: Navigating Rules and Regulation With Kyle Harris
Some stories start with luck. Ours starts with sweat, a $20 bill, and a phone camera. Marvin went from picking shingles in small-town Wisconsin to building a trusted asphalt brand and a media engine that opened doors to stages, sponsors, and a wider mission: make blue-collar work visible, respected, and easier to win.
We dig into how simple, consistent documentation; tank fills, applications, cured results, and two-week check-backs, creates social proof that outperforms any sales script. Marvin shares the exact playbook that 4–6x’d his revenue: show the process, show the people, and keep showing up. When online critics argued methods across climates, he didn’t fight; he educated through trade articles and talks, turning confusion into context. That credibility unlocked a podcast, partnerships with major brands, and live hosting at ConExpo, all while the crew kept paving, sealing, and striping.
There’s a real talk undercurrent here: posting is uncomfortable. The early videos were rough. Family and locals raised eyebrows. Anxiety hit. The cure wasn’t ego; it was purpose. If you want more leads, better applicants, and stronger community ties, you can’t stay invisible. We map out a practical path for owners; what to film, where to post, and how to balance personal and professional stories, so your feed becomes a trust engine and a recruiting magnet. You’ll hear how employer brand grows when safety, training, and crew wins are out front, and why omnichannel visibility beats one-and-done ads.
If you’re three days from the lights going off or just ready to lead your market, this conversation hands you a toolkit: start now, post daily, educate through context, and let your work speak on camera. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs the push, and leave a review with the first video you plan to make, what will you show tomorrow?
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When people talk about blue collar success stories, they often focus on the revenue numbers, the equipment fleets, or the big jobs landed. What they miss is the grind behind it. The 100 degree days. The frozen fingers. The nights spent wondering how to make payroll. The anxiety of trying something new while everyone around you whispers that you are crazy.
This is the real story behind modern blue collar business growth. It is not just about paving roads, laying pipe, or framing houses. It is about ownership. It is about visibility. And increasingly, it is about social media marketing in construction.
If you are running a blue collar business today and you are not actively telling your story, you are already behind.
Long before there were podcasts, speaking engagements, or industry panels, there was a 12 year old Marvin Joles picking up roofing shingles in rural Wisconsin.
Twenty dollars for a full day in the heat. That was the hook.
For a kid who had never held that much cash before, it was not just a paycheck. It was proof. Proof that work created opportunity. Proof that business owners controlled their destiny. And proof that if you were willing to sweat, you could build something bigger than your circumstances.
That early exposure to entrepreneurship is what sparked the curiosity that so many contractors eventually develop. Not just how to do the work, but how to price it. How to market it. How to scale it. How to protect it.
Those questions are what separate a worker from a business owner.
When you launch a construction business in a county with 700 people, you do not have the luxury of unlimited leads. You cannot rely on walk in traffic. You cannot hide behind a brand name.
You have to build trust.
In the early 2000s, building an asphalt maintenance company in rural Wisconsin meant sealcoating driveways, filling cracks by hand, and striping parking lots with basic equipment. It meant driving long distances. It meant adapting to whatever work came through the door.
It also meant figuring out how to stand out.
The breakthrough did not come from buying more equipment. It came from picking up a phone and documenting the work.
In 2013, when most contractors were still skeptical of Facebook for business, videos started going live from the asphalt plant.
Loading sealcoat. Applying it on site. Showing the finished result. Returning two weeks later to prove it still looked brand new.
This was not polished marketing. It was simple transparency.
And that transparency created trust.
People buy from contractors they know, like, and trust. Social media accelerated all three.
Instead of being the unknown asphalt company down the road, the business became the familiar face in the feed. The contractor who showed up every day. The one who explained the process. The one who showed community involvement.
Revenue multiplied within 18 months.
That is not hype. That is what happens when visibility meets consistency.
Here is the uncomfortable truth for many blue collar business owners: if you want to grow, you must embrace content creation.
That does not mean you need a film crew. It does not mean you need to dance on TikTok. It means you need to tell your story.
When someone in your market thinks about asphalt paving, excavation, plumbing, roofing, or utility construction, does your name come to mind?
If not, someone else’s will.
The old model of marketing relied on billboards, radio ads, and word of mouth. Today, word of mouth lives online. Seven touchpoints are typically required before a customer even considers calling you. Social media accelerates those touchpoints dramatically.
When your content shows up in someone’s feed while they are scrolling at night, you are building familiarity without ever knocking on their door.
There is a part of social media marketing that no one warns you about: the fear.
The first week of posting can feel brutal. You imagine neighbors laughing. Competitors judging. Family members questioning your focus.
The anxiety is real.
But here is the truth. Most of the people criticizing you are not building anything themselves. They are not risking embarrassment. They are not putting their work on display.
The alternative to pushing through that discomfort is regret.
Ten years from now, would you rather say you tried and failed, or that you never tried at all?
No one writes books about the person who almost started.
One of the biggest shifts happening in the blue collar industry right now is the rise of the digital community.
Asphalt contractors connecting across states. Excavators sharing best practices. Utility companies discussing equipment. Podcasters collaborating across specialties.
When construction professionals collaborate instead of compete in isolation, the entire industry improves.
Trade workforce shortages are real. The next generation is not going to stumble into these careers by accident. They need to see what is possible.
They need to see the trucks. The job sites. The travel. The pride. The paychecks. The lifestyle.
The content being produced today by young tradespeople on TikTok and YouTube is bringing more awareness to the trades than traditional recruiting ever did.
If you want skilled labor to apply to your company, show them what working for you actually looks like.
What started as simple job site documentation evolved into podcasting, magazine contributions, and speaking at national construction events.
Why?
Because when you consistently share value, people notice.
Writing for industry publications like Pavement Maintenance and Reconstruction Magazine. Serving on committees within the National Asphalt Pavement Association. Hosting live podcasts at major expos.
None of that happens overnight.
It happens because someone decided to press record and keep pressing record.
Consistency compounds.
Many contractors see social media success and assume the goal is fame.
It is not.
The goal is clarity.
Why are you posting? To land more jobs? To recruit employees? To build industry authority? To educate customers?
If your only goal is attention, you will burn out quickly.
If your goal is service and growth, the momentum becomes sustainable.
One piece of content can change your business trajectory. But only if it aligns with a clear purpose.
Owning a construction company is hard. It is harder than most outsiders realize.
Insurance audits. Equipment breakdowns. Weather delays. Payroll stress. Clients who pay late. Employees who quit unexpectedly.
No amount of Instagram content eliminates those challenges.
But visibility makes everything else easier.
It makes sales easier because customers already trust you.
It makes hiring easier because applicants know your culture.
It makes partnerships easier because vendors recognize your brand.
It makes leadership easier because your team sees you pushing forward publicly.
We are still early in the digital era. Social media in construction is barely a decade old in serious form. The contractors who start today are not late. They are simply the next wave.
The best time to start was ten years ago. The second best time is now.
If you are sitting in your truck between job sites wondering whether you should begin documenting your journey, here is your answer: Yes.
Pull out your phone. Introduce yourself. Show the work. Share the lessons. Talk about the valleys as well as the wins.
It can be you.
The next generation of blue collar leaders will not just be the best operators. They will be the best storytellers.
And the contractors who embrace that reality will not just survive. They will lead.
So whether you are under a shaded tree, standing on fresh blacktop, or setting pipe in the mud, remember this:
The grind is the story.
Now tell it.
18.2.2026 12:00Ep. 77 - 33 Million Views: How a Ditch Digger Built a Media Empire | With Marvin Joles from In the Mix Podcast
Ever feel like you’re wearing every hat, working every hour, and still falling behind? We sat down with Missy Washam and Mayce DelValle of Mpactful Messages to unpack a blueprint that actually scales on the jobsite: connect with your people, empower with clarity, and prioritize what moves profit and life forward. No theory, just tools, stories, and steps you can use today.
We start with connection as the core of leadership. Not fluff, simple acts like knowing your crew’s real lives, setting expectations in plain language, and modeling calm when the schedule slips. Influence isn’t a title; it’s how you show up. From there, we dig into empowerment done right: moving from “do this” to “own this.” You’ll learn how to define success, constraints, and checkpoints so delegation doesn’t boomerang back onto your plate. A powerful case study shows how these methods didn’t just boost performance, they saved a marriage and jump-started personal health.
Then we tackle time: time blocking, habit stacking, and a ruthless look at time-wasters that keep owners stuck in trucks, inboxes, and emergencies. We talk promotions too, why the best operator isn’t automatically the best leader, and how to equip new supervisors with communication, standards, and accountability before handing them the name badge. Along the way, we challenge the ego that keeps leaders clinging to low-leverage work and share a free resource at manager-reset.com to help you buy back hours immediately.
If you’re ready to replace chaos with systems and intensity with consistency, this conversation will meet you where you are and move you forward one clear step at a time. Subscribe, share with a fellow builder, and leave a review telling us the one habit you’ll commit to this week.
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The blue-collar industry is built on grit, pride, and hard work. We know how to outwork just about anyone. We know how to solve problems in the dirt, in the heat, in the chaos. What we have not always been taught is how to lead people, how to manage growth, or how to build a business that does not slowly destroy our health, our families, and our sanity.
Most of us were never trained to be leaders. We were trained to dig ditches, run equipment, weld pipe, pull wire, pour concrete, frame buildings, or manage crews through sheer force of will. Then one day we wake up and someone hands us a title. Superintendent. Manager. Owner. CEO. And everyone around us expects us to magically know how to lead, delegate, prioritize, and scale a business.
That gap between being good at the work and being good at leading people is where most blue-collar businesses struggle. It is also where burnout lives.
In the trades, leadership is often confused with toughness. If you work the longest hours, never take time off, never complain, and carry everything on your shoulders, you are seen as a strong leader. The truth is that behavior might build a company for a season, but it will eventually break you.
I have lived this. Ten years in business taught me that doing everything myself was not leadership. It was fear dressed up as control. Fear that someone else would not do it right. Fear that it would cost me money. Fear that letting go meant losing relevance.
The result was predictable. Long days. Constant stress. Missed moments at home. A business that depended entirely on me to function.
That is not leadership. That is survival mode.
Blue-collar leaders burn out faster because most of us were promoted for being great producers, not great leaders. We were the best operator, the best foreman, the best estimator, the hardest worker on the crew. None of that automatically translates into people leadership.
We also carry a deep sense of pride. Pride in our work. Pride in providing. Pride in doing things ourselves. That pride can become an ego that prevents us from asking for help or admitting we do not know what we are doing.
Add in constant pressure from customers, employees, vendors, banks, and families, and you have a recipe for emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion.
Burnout does not happen overnight. It happens when small problems compound over time because we never had the tools to address them properly.
One of the biggest misconceptions in blue-collar leadership is that connection with your people is soft or touchy-feely. It is not. Connection is knowing your people well enough to lead them effectively.
Connection means you know who has a kid with a ballgame this week. You know who is struggling at home. You know who thrives under pressure and who needs clear structure. Connection creates trust. Trust creates buy-in. Buy-in creates performance.
You cannot lead people you do not understand. Titles do not create influence. Behavior does.
When your team sees you show up consistently, keep your word, and put people first, they will follow you. When they see you say one thing and do another, they will disengage.
Every leadership book tells you to delegate. Very few teach you how to do it well.
Delegation without clarity creates frustration. Empowerment without accountability creates chaos. True empowerment happens when you give someone ownership, not just tasks.
That means:
Most leaders fail at empowerment because they skip the clarity part. Then when things go wrong, they take the task back and tell themselves they should just do it alone. That decision costs you time, growth, and eventually your health.
Empowerment done right frees leaders to focus on building the business instead of drowning in it.
One of the hardest truths I had to learn is that if something is unclear, it is my responsibility. If someone fails repeatedly, I need to ask whether I trained them properly, set expectations clearly, and followed up consistently.
Leadership is not about repeating yourself louder. It is about confirming understanding. One of the simplest tools that changed how I communicate is asking people to repeat back what they heard. Not to embarrass them, but to make sure we are aligned.
People do not ignore instructions on purpose most of the time. They misunderstand them.
One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned came from a conversation about time. If you are doing work that someone else can do for thirty dollars an hour, you are stealing from your business.
Leaders often confuse being busy with being productive. If you are consuming all day but not creating, building, or improving systems, you are stuck.
If you have time to scroll, you have time to create.If you have time to complain, you have time to improve one thing.If you have time to do everything yourself, you are avoiding something harder.
Buying back your time is not about working less. It is about working on the right things.
Blue-collar leaders love intensity. Long hours. Big pushes. Grinding until something breaks. That approach works in short bursts but fails long-term.
Consistency wins. Small actions done daily outperform massive efforts done occasionally.
Reading one page a day beats reading a book once a year.Delegating one task properly beats dumping ten tasks poorly.Leaving work ten minutes earlier consistently beats one big vacation while everything burns down behind you.
Consistency builds momentum. Momentum builds confidence. Confidence builds better leaders.
Anyone can wear a title. Influence is earned when things go wrong.
Your team watches how you handle stress.They watch how you treat people when mistakes happen.They watch whether you take responsibility or shift blame.
Leadership is modeling the behavior you want repeated. You cannot demand accountability if you avoid it yourself. You cannot expect commitment if you are disengaged.
People do what they see, not what they are told.
If you are stuck, overwhelmed, burned out, and tired of the grind, do not try to fix everything at once. That is how people stay stuck.
Take one step.Fix one system.Delegate one responsibility.Block one hour of uninterrupted time.Have one honest conversation.
Movement creates momentum. Waiting for clarity keeps you frozen.
You do not need the entire plan. You need the next right step.
The trades are the backbone of this country. Blue-collar leaders deserve tools that match the weight they carry. Leadership is not about working yourself into the ground. It is about building something that lasts.
Winning at work starts with winning at home. When leaders are healthy, present, and focused, businesses grow. When leaders are burned out, everything suffers.
The industry does not need tougher leaders. It needs better-equipped ones.
If we want stronger teams, better culture, and sustainable growth, it starts with us being willing to learn what we were never taught.
And it starts today.
11.2.2026 11:00Ep. 76 - Empower, Don’t Exhaust: Fixing Leadership at the Core With Missy Washam and Mayce DelValle
A night shift, a permit delay, and a fresh pot of coffee changed the way Matthew Gleaves thinks about safety. Sitting in a rescue trailer with harnesses and figure eights on the table, he turned small talk into real training and watched incident rates fall while morale climbed. That moment became the spark for Confined Space Coffee, and a blueprint for building a safety culture that crews actually believe in.
We dig into Matthew Gleaves’ path from ministry to pipe fitting to safety leadership, including seasons on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and a rescue that cemented a “prepare before it breaks” mindset. We break down why trench standards must hold in “comfortable” places like front yards, how compliant doesn’t always mean safe, and why EMR is more than a number, it’s a gatekeeper to bids, margins, and reputation. Expect clear takes on competent person duties, near-miss reporting that helps instead of shames, and a “Take Five” routine that makes pausing to plan as normal as putting on a hard hat.
This conversation also reaches the human side of the trades. Confined Space Coffee supports organizations fighting PTSD, suicide, and trafficking, because the toughest confined spaces are often the heart and mind. We talk about checking on your people, turning office-vs-field tension into joint planning, and using simple rituals, like a cup of coffee, to open honest conversations that stick when the job gets loud and the hours get long. If you lead crews, bid complex work, or just want fewer close calls, this one’s a practical guide you can use tomorrow.
If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review. It helps more builders, operators, and safety pros find the tools, and the courage, to do the work right.
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Safety in the blue-collar world has a branding problem.
We all know it matters. We all know it saves lives. And yet, for most tradesmen and women, the word safety immediately brings to mind long meetings, boring videos, check-the-box paperwork, and a guy in a vest reading OSHA slides off a laptop while everyone mentally checks out.
That disconnect is costing our industry real people.
I have spent my entire career in and around blue-collar work. Dirt work. Utilities. Construction. Commercial job sites where things can go sideways in seconds if people are not paying attention. I have also spent years building a business, managing crews, dealing with workers' comp claims, EMR ratings, near misses, and the emotional weight of knowing that one bad decision can change someone’s life forever.
Here is the truth most people do not want to admit. Safety does not fail because people do not care. Safety fails because we teach it wrong.
Most safety programs are designed to meet minimum requirements, not to change behavior.
They are built around compliance instead of culture. They rely on fear, repetition, and paperwork rather than trust, conversation, and real-world application. They happen in classrooms instead of job site trailers. They are delivered by people crews do not know, do not trust, and do not relate to.
Blue-collar workers are action-oriented problem solvers. We learn by doing. We learn through experience. We learn through conversation with people who have been there before us. When safety training ignores that reality, it becomes background noise.
I have sat through every version of safety training you can imagine. I have watched good people fall asleep during eight-hour classes and then walk straight into dangerous situations because nothing stuck. That is not a people problem. That is a system problem.
Every trench collapse story hits differently when you have stood next to a hole that caved in behind you.
Every confined space incident feels closer when you have been hundreds of feet in the air or deep underground, knowing that if something goes wrong, rescue is not immediate. Every workers' comp claim feels heavier when you realize it represents a family mortgage, car payment, anda future that could be disrupted.
Safety is not theoretical in our world. It is deeply personal.
I have watched strong, capable men carry invisible weight from divorce, financial pressure, PTSD, and burnout while still showing up every day to get the job done. I have been that guy. Many of you reading this have been that guy, too.
That is why safety cannot just be about hard hats, trench boxes, and harnesses. It has to include mental health, awareness, and the courage to ask someone how they are really doing.
The most effective safety training I have ever seen did not happen in a classroom.
It happened in a job site trailer at two in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand.
No slideshow. No lecture. Just conversation.
When you slow things down enough to talk with someone instead of at them, something changes. Questions come up naturally. Curiosity replaces resistance. People start connecting safety concepts to their actual work instead of abstract rules.
That is how awareness grows. That is also how trust grows.
Trust is the foundation of every strong safety culture. Without it, no amount of policy will save you.
In construction, confined spaces are regulated environments with limited entry and exit. We all know the definition.
But the longer I stay in this industry, the more I realize that confined spaces exist everywhere. Not just in tanks, trenches, and lift stations, but in people.
When communication breaks down between the field and the office, people retreat. When pressure builds without an outlet, people shut down. When personal struggles go unspoken, they grow heavier.
That is why safety culture and company culture are inseparable. If your people do not feel seen, heard, and supported, safety becomes just another rule to work around.
Let us talk business for a moment.
Your Experience Modification Rate is not just an insurance number. It is a direct reflection of how well your company protects its people. It impacts your ability to bid work, win contracts, and grow sustainably.
A high EMR costs you money. It costs you opportunities. It costs you credibility.
But the real cost of poor safety is not measured in premiums or lost bids. It is measured in injuries, burnout, turnover, and regret.
The companies that win long term are the ones that understand this early. They do not treat safety as overhead. They treat it as an investment.
If you own or lead a company, your people are watching you.
They watch how seriously you take safety meetings. They watch whether you wear your PPE. They watch how you respond to near misses. They watch whether production always comes before protection.
You cannot outsource culture. If safety only matters when OSHA is around, your people know it. If it matters every day, they feel it.
The best leaders I know do not preach safety. They model it. They talk about it casually and consistently. They correct issues without humiliation. They ask questions instead of making assumptions.
They understand that standards do not change just because the environment feels comfortable.
At first glance, coffee might seem like a strange vehicle for safety culture.
But when you think about it, coffee has always been where conversations happen. Breaks. Early mornings. Late nights. Trailers. Shops. Kitchens. Job sites.
Coffee slows people down just enough to talk. That is the real power behind Confined Space Coffee. It is not about caffeine. It is about connection.
It creates a reason to pause. A reason to gather. A reason to ask better questions.
When used intentionally, it becomes a simple tool for leaders to engage their crews in real conversations about safety, awareness, and life.
Safety does not end when the shift does.
That is why it matters when companies support causes that address mental health, PTSD, human trafficking, and recovery. These issues exist in our industry whether we talk about them or not.
Blue-collar workers are some of the toughest people on the planet. They are also human. They carry scars that do not show up on job hazard analyses.
Supporting organizations that help people out of confined spaces of the mind and heart is not charity. It is leadership.
You do not need a massive safety department to make a difference.
Start small.
Have better conversations. Ask how someone is really doing. Take five minutes before work to talk through risks. Reward safe behavior instead of only correcting unsafe behavior. Learn your EMR and understand what drives it. Stop cutting safety line items to win bids.
Most importantly, remember that safety is not about perfection. It is about intention. When people know you care, they care more, too.
That is how cultures change. One conversation at a time.
4.2.2026 11:00Ep. 75 - Brewing Brotherhood: A Coffee Brand Born in the Dirt | With Matthew Gleaves
If you think durable companies are built on flash, this conversation will change your mind. We sit down with excavation leader Matt Bachtel to unpack a 26-year journey powered by humble starts, careful decisions, and an unwavering investment in people. From mowing lawns and delivering filters at a dealership to running multi-crew water and sewer work across Northeast Ohio, Matt shows how steady growth and clean execution beat speed every time.
We dig into the early years, mentors who opened doors, a chicken coop yard organized like a showroom, and the hard choice to rent equipment until the numbers said buy. Matt explains why he dumped spreadsheets for industry software long before it was cool, and how proper cost codes, AIA billing, and change-order discipline turned a small firm into a professional outfit. You’ll hear how foremen were grown from parts runners and pipe layers, how GPS skills evolved into drones and precision layout, and how a modest barn operation matured into a facility that earned customer confidence without losing its roots.
Then the playbook exploded. A culture scare, a sudden retirement, and COVID-era shocks collided with inflation and supply shortages. Matt walks through promoting young standouts to foremen, adding a fourth crew, and rebuilding systems that broke under rapid growth. The customer-facing quality never slipped, because the team communicated, adapted, and kept documentation tight.
Looking to 2026, we break down the firm’s two-year public service line replacement contract for 1,245 homes, the five-page procedure that makes it possible, and the personal discipline that keeps momentum alive when January hype fades.
If you’re a blue-collar owner or manager trying to scale without losing your soul, this is your field guide: know your market, hire for humility, rent smart, promote from within, and turn repeat pain into written process.
Subscribe, share this with a teammate who’s ready to level up, and leave a review with the toughest operational challenge you want us to tackle next.
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In this business, too many stories are curated to impress rather than inform. That’s not what we’re doing here. If you’re in the trenches of building a blue-collar business, especially in excavation or utility work, you know the reality: success is a grind. It’s slow, gritty, unforgiving work. But it’s also the most rewarding path I know. That’s why sitting down with Matt Bachtel, president of Bachtel Excavating, meant so much to me. Because this isn’t a story about overnight success. This is 25 years of grit, growth, and doing it the right way.
Matt didn’t build his company off hype. He built it off humility, blue-collar values, and surrounding himself with great people. Whether you’re just getting started or trying to navigate that next level of growth, there’s a lot here to learn from.
Let’s break it down, not as a recap, but as hard-won lessons from a man who’s lived every phase of the excavation business.
From Yellow Iron Dreams to Entrepreneurial Reality
Matt’s story begins like many of ours do: a kid fascinated by equipment. The yellow iron drew him in, but what kept him was something deeper. He started mowing lawns in the seventh grade, working for an excavator at 15. But every old-school operator told him, “Go to college, you don’t want to do this.”
He went. He got a degree in business marketing from Ohio State. But he couldn’t shake the call of the dirt.
While others may have used college to escape the trades, Matt used it to enhance his understanding of them. During his time at OSU, he hustled part-time at a heavy equipment dealership, learning the industry inside and out. From parts runs to pressure washing, from updating client lists to landing his first full-time sales territory, he earned every inch.
It was in these early days he got a critical look at the back end of the business; inventory management, customer relationships, the structure behind the shop. Most guys never get that education, but for Matt, it laid the groundwork.
Then came the decision that defines most business owners: he walked away from a dream sales job, sold his house, bought his first mini-excavator and dump truck, and launched Bachtel Excavating in May 2000.
Here’s where Matt’s story diverges from many others in the excavation world.
He didn’t chase revenue. He didn’t try to scale too fast. He was methodical, intentional, and maybe most important, financially conservative. In a world obsessed with flash, Matt focused on foundation. He watched others go from one crew to five to thirty, and flame out. That was never going to be his path.
He rented before he bought. He ran lean. And he invested in people more than machines.
In the early days, it was Matt and a few close friends. His brother, a high school buddy named Keith, and eventually a small, loyal crew. One of them worked for free the first summer just to be part of something they believed in. That same guy is now the operations manager. That’s what loyalty and vision look like when they come together.
And when his wife, an accountant by trade, got involved, things only got sharper. From helping implement QuickBooks to eventually leading the charge on migrating to a full construction-specific software platform, she brought in financial discipline that most excavating outfits never build until it’s too late.
This wasn’t just a business. It was a mission, and the foundation was being laid stone by stone.
If there’s one theme that carries throughout Matt’s story, it’s growth through people.
Not just hiring, but building.
He didn’t go looking for hotshot foremen. He didn’t bring in “30-year guys” who didn’t align with the culture. He developed his team from within. One guy started as a parts runner and floor sweeper while attending OSU’s construction management program full time. He’s now running crews.
Another showed up at Matt’s house after being told he needed a CDL. A year later, he was back, with a license in hand. Hired on the spot.
This is the heart of the Bachtel philosophy: grow with great people, not just warm bodies. Promote when it's earned. Train when it’s needed. And lead with humility, not ego.
That’s how Matt went from a one-crew operation to running multiple crews with foremen who are not only skilled but fully bought into the culture. These are guys who, when they leave (if they ever do), Matt would write a glowing reference without hesitation. Because they gave their all, and he did too.
Every contractor remembers where they were in 2008.
Matt had just grossed over a million in 2007. By the next year, the economy crashed. Two well-established excavators in his area folded, even though they hadn’t missed a single payment. Why? The banks pulled their lines of credit.
Matt, by contrast, was financially sound. No flashy overhead. No bloated payroll. No bad debt.
He watched those companies go down and learned a critical lesson: cash is king. And growth without a plan is a liability.
But that wouldn’t be the only test.
The last five years have been some of the most chaotic in blue-collar business history. Starting in 2019, Matt had just come off a record year when personal issues with a key foreman surfaced. A difficult transition followed. Then came COVID-19.
His team kept working. But like all of us, they were hit with material shortages, labor market swings, inflation, equipment delays, and uncertainty at every turn. He lost a key estimator. They promoted from within, again. They rewrote their playbooks in real-time.
And here’s the key: the customers never noticed. Internally, they knew they were breaking systems, but they were transparent about it. Their office team knew. They communicated with their field. They made sure their people knew the “why” behind the changes.
That kind of cultural integrity? It doesn’t happen by accident.
One of the most under-discussed factors in excavation success is back-office maturity. Most guys start with what they know: how to move dirt. But if you don’t evolve the systems behind the work, you’ll break under the weight of your own growth.
Matt saw this early.
QuickBooks and spreadsheets only took them so far. With more commercial jobs and AIA billing requirements, they needed robust cost coding, job costing, and real-time data.
That’s when they invested heavily in construction-specific software. They didn’t just buy it. They brought in consultants. They rebuilt processes. They overhauled their operations.
It wasn’t easy. It took two years. But it unlocked growth they couldn’t have achieved otherwise.
Today, Bachtel runs like a company twice its size because the systems support the team, not the other way around. And Matt’s still writing new procedures today, 26 years later. Not from a whiteboard. From a jobsite need.
Because that’s what leadership looks like.
For Bachtel Excavating, 2026 is all about execution.
They’ve landed a large-scale public works waterline replacement contract involving over 1,200 houses. That’s not just digging, it’s scheduling, customer relations, logistics, and precision.
So, they’re writing the playbook before the job starts.
Four pages into the procedure and counting, the entire leadership team is involved. Because they understand one truth that applies to every blue-collar business: if something happens more than once, it needs a system.
This is what operational maturity looks like in practice. And it’s how you go from surviving to scaling.
If you’re stuck, struggling, or just trying to find your next gear, here’s what Matt Bachtel would tell you:
At the end of the day, this isn’t a flashy story. It’s a real one.
And in a world full of fake-it-til-you-make-it posts and contractor bravado, Matt’s 25-year journey reminds us that doing it the right way still matters.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You just need to stay true to who you are, and build it brick by brick, person by person, job by job.
That’s how blue-collar legacies are made.
28.1.2026 11:00Ep. 74 - Scaling Slow, Winning Big With Matt Bachtel
Want to know how general contractors decide which subs to trust with real commercial work? We sit down with Baxter Horton, Director of Pre-Construction at Baldwin Shell, to open the black box of estimating, pre-con, and risk management in a way most folks never get to hear. Baxter’s path from trade partner to GC gives him a rare perspective on what actually wins a bid: clear scope, financial readiness, honest conversations, and a schedule you can defend.
We talk through the jump from residential to commercial and why cash flow can make or break that first project. Baxter explains how GCs level bids, why detailed proposals on letterhead matter, and what to include in your inclusions, exclusions, and assumptions so a reviewer can select you with confidence. We cover bonding limits, insurance requirements, 30-60-90 terms, and how to build cost codes that let you justify production and protect your margin. If you’ve ever wondered why “we do everything” turns a GC off, this is your blueprint to speak their language.
You’ll learn practical ways to bring value beyond being low: flagging scope gaps like roof drain tie-ins, aligning civil and plumbing drawings, proposing alternates that cut weeks off the schedule, and documenting the savings in time and general conditions. We dig into communication cadence, how to ask for feedback after a loss, and when to stop investing in contractors who won’t value your detail. Baxter also shares Baldwin Shell’s footprint across Arkansas, the types of projects they build, and why they’re hiring estimators and pre-con managers who think like problem solvers, not price relayers.
If you’re a subcontractor aiming to get that first commercial win, or a young estimator looking to build a career in preconstruction, this conversation gives you the tactical playbook: know your costs, manage risk on paper before dirt moves, and play the long game with partners who value clarity and trust.
Subscribe, share with a teammate who bids, and leave a review telling us the one change you’ll make on your next proposal.
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In the world of dirt, pipe, and steel, to those of us who make our living with boots on the ground and grit in our teeth, storytelling probably isn't the first tool we think about when we reach for something to help build our business. Excavators? Check. GPS-grade control? Check. A reliable crew? Check.
But storytelling?
Most blue-collar business owners, myself included for a long time, never put storytelling in the same category as the essentials. But if you’re building something to last, something to pass on, something that actually moves the needle in your community, your team, and even your industry... storytelling might be the most overlooked, underutilized, and powerful tool in the blue-collar toolbox.
I recently had the honor of sitting down with Aaron Witt, founder of BuildWitt and the Dirt World Summit, for what turned out to be one of the most eye-opening conversations I've had around marketing, leadership, and purpose in our industry. Aaron has spent the better part of a decade documenting the stories behind the infrastructure we all help build. Not the flashy equipment walk-arounds or highlight reels, but the people, the processes, and the purpose behind this work.
Aaron didn’t grow up blue-collar, but he found himself on a pipe crew in Phoenix at 18 and was hooked. Since then, he’s not just been building a company, he's been building a movement.
His early days of telling stories through blogs, social posts, and eventually a podcast (now with over 350 episodes) laid the groundwork for what’s now known as the Dirt World Movement: a collective push to bring respect, visibility, and pride back to the trades by telling better stories.
Breaking Into Commercial Construction: What Every Subcontractor Needs to Know Before Making the Jump
Commercial construction is often seen as the holy grail for blue-collar subcontractors. The contracts are bigger, the projects are more prestigious, and for many, it represents the next level of business growth. But what does it really take to go from residential or light commercial into the high-stakes world of commercial construction, and more specifically, to build a relationship with a general contractor (GC) that can be sustained over the long haul?
That was the heart of the conversation in this episode of the Blue Collar Business Podcast, where I sat down with Baxter Horton, Director of Preconstruction at Baldwin & Shell Construction Company. If you’re a subcontractor trying to make that leap, or are already in the game but looking to tighten up your systems and processes, this one is packed with gold.
We talked about everything from how to get your foot in the door with a GC, to managing your financial risk, to why most subs don’t actually know their true costs. More importantly, Baxter peeled back the curtain on what a preconstruction director actually looks for when considering a new subcontractor and what separates the guys who just want to “get in” from the ones who actually get called back.
Let’s break it down.
Stop Chasing Revenue and Start Managing Risk
If you're used to the residential world, you're probably used to collecting a 25–50% deposit up front. Commercial construction doesn’t work that way. You’re playing in a world where you're expected to fund your portion of the job, sometimes for 60 to 90 days before you see your first payment.
That means cash flow isn't just a detail. It's a dealbreaker.
One of the most important takeaways from this conversation was how GCs like Baldwin & Shell don’t just manage construction, they manage risk. They aren’t just evaluating your price. They’re evaluating whether your company has the financial depth, manpower, and systems in place to finish the job without becoming a risk to the project itself.
If you can’t manage your cash flow, if you’re unclear on your real operating costs, or if your overhead is out of control, you’re not a strategic partner, you’re a liability.
Want to get serious about fixing that? Companies like Mobilization Funding can help new or growing subcontractors learn how to cash-flow their first commercial projects without getting underwater. It’s a tool, and you need to use every one available if you’re serious about surviving, and thriving, in the commercial space.
Relationships Still Win Jobs — But Not Without Clarity
Baxter made it clear that Baldwin & Shell values relationships. But not everyone does, and subs need to get good at reading the room. If you’re putting in the effort to provide thoughtful, detailed proposals, communicate clearly, and offer value-engineered (VE) ideas but that information is being passed on to someone else who gets the job, it may be time to re-evaluate who you’re bidding.
When you reach out to an estimator or preconstruction lead, be direct about what your company actually self-performs. Don’t say “we do everything,” that just muddies the water. Say “we specialize in water, sewer, and storm with our own crews,” or “we self-perform all flatwork and sub out excavation.” That gives the estimator something real to work with and shows them where you fit.
Here’s another tip: be willing to start small. If you’re trying to get in with a GC for the first time, don’t expect a $1 million scope on day one. Offer to knock out smaller packages like roof drain connections, light grading, or tie-ins. Earn trust. Show that you communicate well, meet schedules, and deliver what you promise.
As Baxter put it: “I recently had a sub take on a job that was 1/100th the size of what they’re capable of doing, and both sides enjoyed it. Now we know them and trust them. That’s how relationships start.”
Here’s a reality check: If your bid proposal just says “Scope: water, sewer, storm, $225,000,” you’re likely getting tossed to the bottom of the pile.
Your proposal is your sales pitch. GCs are managing risk. Your job is to show them why picking you reduces that risk.
A strong proposal should:
Don’t assume they’ll call to clarify. If you leave things vague, they’ll fill in the blanks, and that usually doesn’t work in your favor.
This also shows you’re thinking like a business owner, not just a guy with a dozer.
Scheduling Is Just As Important As Price
You’re obsessing over whether your number is $3,000 higher than the next guy. What you might be missing is how valuable your timeline is to the GC.
Every day a project runs longer, the GC is spending money on superintendents, trailers, dumpsters, porta-potties, not to mention project delays that can cost the owner big. If you can deliver your scope faster, with fewer problems, and give that GC two weeks of their schedule back, you’ve added real value that may be worth more than a cheaper number.
So, when you’re bidding, ask for the preliminary schedule. Plug your duration into your proposal. Better yet, offer sequencing advice, or flag schedule risks based on prior experience. It shows that you’re thinking ahead and solving problems before they happen.
GCs want partners who think like builders, not just vendors.
Here’s a secret: estimators are swamped. The good ones, like Baxter, are spinning plates from all directions, owner demands, architect revisions, internal team questions, subcontractor follow-ups.
That doesn’t mean they don’t want to hear from you, it means you need to respect their time.
Here’s how to communicate well:
Remember: persistent doesn’t mean annoying. It means professional follow-up.
Let’s be real, not all GCs are created equal. Some care about the long game. Others will grind you down, award to the lowest number no matter what, and disappear when the job’s done.
Pay attention to how you're treated in the preconstruction process. If your VE ideas get sent to every other sub, if your proposal gets cherry-picked, or if your calls go unanswered, that tells you everything you need to know about how they’ll treat you in the field.
Good GCs will:
Bad ones... won’t.
If you’re trying to grow your business, partner with GCs that want to grow with you, not just use you.
The biggest takeaway? Don’t judge yourself on yesterday’s decisions with today’s wisdom. Whether you're a two-year-old company trying to land your first commercial job or a ten-year vet trying to scale to bigger scopes, it's never too late to tighten up your systems, your proposals, and your relationships.
Learn the language of commercial construction: scheduling, preconstruction, cost tracking, scope clarification. And most of all, communicate like a pro.
Because at the end of the day, commercial construction isn’t just about concrete and contracts. It’s about people. It’s about trust. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do, and proving it, one project at a time.
If you're in Northwest Arkansas and looking for a team that values the same, Baldwin & Shell is hiring in preconstruction, estimators, pre-con managers, and more. And if you’re a trade partner looking to work with a GC that actually values your expertise, reach out to Baxter Horton directly at bhorton@baldwinshell.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.
The opportunities are out there. But they won’t fall in your lap.
Communicate well. Know your numbers. Show your value.
That’s how you win in commercial construction, not just once, but for the long haul.
21.1.2026 11:00Ep. 73 - Win More Bids, Lose Less Money with Baxter Horton
Ever feel like the dirt world is being defined by people who’ve never set foot on a job site? We brought in Aaron Witt to flip that script with a clear, practical playbook for blue-collar storytelling, leadership development, and building a pipeline of talent who actually understands the work. Aaron walks through his journey from pipe crew laborer to scaling BuildWitt into training and events that put people first, then shows why the simplest moves, like posting on LinkedIn daily, beat expensive, complicated marketing plans.
We unpack how transparent project storytelling can turn public skepticism into support, and why the most effective recruiting content is the human side: the operator who solved a tricky grade, the foreman who coaches new hires, the team that delivered safe work under pressure. The conversation gets personal, too. We talk mental health with honesty, non-negotiable habits that compound (read ten pages, train, write), and the reminder that winning at home is the base for leading at work. If leaders don’t go first, with vulnerability, clarity, and consistency, no marketing agency can fix what’s missing.
Dirt World Summit comes up as more than an event; it’s a catalyst. The goal isn’t to be the biggest conference. It’s to feed the hungriest 1,250 leaders so they return to their crews with tools, focus, and a fire to raise standards. Expect insights on making projects visible to the public, practical outreach like school visits and job site tours, and a straightforward mandate: own your narrative or someone else will. One habit, one post, one conversation at a time, we can attract the next generation and build companies that are more than projects and paychecks.
If this resonates, follow, share with a teammate, and leave a review. Your voice helps more builders find the show, and helps the dirt world keep raising the bar.
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In the world of dirt, pipe, and steel, to those of us who make our living with boots on the ground and grit in our teeth, storytelling probably isn't the first tool we think about when we reach for something to help build our business. Excavators? Check. GPS-grade control? Check. A reliable crew? Check.
But storytelling?
Most blue-collar business owners, myself included for a long time, never put storytelling in the same category as the essentials. But if you’re building something to last, something to pass on, something that actually moves the needle in your community, your team, and even your industry... storytelling might be the most overlooked, underutilized, and powerful tool in the blue-collar toolbox.
I recently had the honor of sitting down with Aaron Witt, founder of BuildWitt and the Dirt World Summit, for what turned out to be one of the most eye-opening conversations I've had around marketing, leadership, and purpose in our industry. Aaron has spent the better part of a decade documenting the stories behind the infrastructure we all help build. Not the flashy equipment walk-arounds or highlight reels, but the people, the processes, and the purpose behind this work.
Aaron didn’t grow up blue-collar, but he found himself on a pipe crew in Phoenix at 18 and was hooked. Since then, he’s not just been building a company, he's been building a movement.
His early days of telling stories through blogs, social posts, and eventually a podcast (now with over 350 episodes) laid the groundwork for what’s now known as the Dirt World Movement: a collective push to bring respect, visibility, and pride back to the trades by telling better stories.
We’ve all heard the complaints: “People just don’t understand what we do.” But as Aaron pointed out, the bigger issue is that no one is telling them. And when we fail to speak up, someone else will tell our story for us, and probably get it wrong.
That’s how blue-collar industries wind up with stigmas. That’s how the narrative gets hijacked. And that’s how we lose the next generation of workers before they even realize what opportunities are right in front of them.
Telling your story isn’t about boasting or marketing fluff. It’s about connection. It’s about being visible in a world that desperately needs infrastructure yet barely understands where it comes from or who’s building it.
Aaron shared a perfect example from his visit to the Netherlands where major public works projects are presented with media-rich visitor centers and real-time visual progress updates. Why? Because they want their citizens to understand what’s being built. In the U.S., we often have billion-dollar public projects wrapped in mystery. You can’t even tell what’s being done unless you’re on the inside.
That disconnect hurts us. Storytelling is how we fix it.
If you think telling your story requires a full-time videographer, an expensive agency, or a team of creatives, think again.
Aaron said it best: if all you do is post on LinkedIn once a day, you’re already ahead of most of the industry. That single act, sharing a thought, a photo from the field, a challenge you overcame, or something about the people who make your company what it is, starts shaping the narrative around your business.
And it starts with you.
There’s no replacement for leadership buy-in. Aaron has seen it firsthand: the companies making the biggest waves in civil construction today all have leadership at the top who believe in telling the story. Whether it’s SGT Corporation, Turner Mining Group, or Quality Enterprises, what they share publicly isn’t marketing, it’s leadership.
The best marketing doesn’t look like marketing. It looks like authenticity. And that’s something our industry has in spades, we just need to start sharing it.
Aaron told a story that stuck with me about Glenn Barranco, a civil construction leader in North Dakota. Glenn didn’t show up to a heavy equipment program to recruit. He showed up because he believes in the mission of pouring into the next generation. He spent hours with a handful of students simply talking to them, answering questions, and showing them that this industry has a future for them.
And that’s what this all boils down to. Leadership isn’t just about project execution or financial performance. It’s about people. It’s about being the kind of leader who cares more about the kid asking where the water goes after a flush than about the next bid submission.
You don't need to create viral videos. You just need to show up, talk about the work you’re doing, and speak to the value of the people doing it.
One of the recurring themes Aaron and I connected on was personal growth. It’s easy to think about becoming a better leader in terms of systems, strategy, and scale. But if we’re not sharpening ourselves, we can’t expect anyone else on our team to grow either.
Aaron shared openly about his own struggles with anxiety, burnout, and the pressure to constantly perform. What changed the game for him wasn’t a new tool, it was building consistent, healthy habits. Reading 10 pages a day. Working out every day. Reflecting. Writing. Making self-development non-negotiable.
That consistency not only made him sharper, it made him more empathetic, more present, and a better communicator. And that’s something every leader needs if they’re serious about impacting the next generation.
One of the most powerful moments from the Dirt World Summit (and this podcast conversation) was when Aaron and I talked about Randy, a speaker at the Summit who drilled home the idea of winning at home. You can’t call yourself a great leader if you’re losing with your wife and kids.
This isn’t just about company culture. It’s about who you are when the boots come off. The best leaders in construction aren’t just building roads, they’re building legacies. And that starts with being present, putting the phone down, and being the father, mother, husband, or wife your family needs.
This year’s Dirt World Summit is already 80% sold out, and it's only January. That tells you something.
It tells you that people in our industry are hungry for something different. They’re not just looking for another conference to check a box. They’re looking for real conversations, deeper relationships, and tools to become better people, not just better contractors.
In 2026, the Summit is dialing back the size and dialing in the quality: 1,250 industry leaders who are all in. The goal? To feed the hungriest, and let them raise the bar for everyone else.
That’s how change happens.
If you’re a small blue-collar business owner, and this all feels overwhelming, here’s the best piece of advice I can give you, borrowed directly from Aaron:
Pick one thing.
It doesn’t have to be all of them. Just one.
Because when we all do one thing to get better, the industry gets better.
And when that happens, we’re not just building roads, pipelines, or treatment plants.
We’re building something that lasts.
14.1.2026 11:00Ep. 72 - Build Better, Share Louder
Want proof that small, consistent moves can change a business and a life? We open the year with a candid reset: what worked in 2025, what flopped, and why culture, systems, and storytelling will drive everything we do in 2026. No buzzwords. Just real lessons from a crew that learned to document the process, own mistakes, and turn that transparency into relationships, opportunities, and a stronger company.
We walk through the journey from kitchen-table recordings to a growing media flywheel, where YouTube, TikTok, and the podcast help us translate white-collar frameworks into job site language. You’ll hear why one piece of content can spark a career shift, how mindset beats hype, and where we’re doubling down: core values, short-term priorities, and a five-year target that forces better systems. We also share shout-outs to mentors and tools that moved the needle, from WIP reporting to cost controls and construction finance support, because profit follows process and process follows clarity.
Looking ahead, we preview standout guests who refuse the “that’s how it’s always been” script, and we map Q1 plans for ConExpo, including meetups, booth interviews, and a call to spotlight overlooked products and crews. We’re gearing up for our 100th episode milestone and want your ideas, your questions, and the problems you want solved on air. If you build, sell, or support blue-collar work, this is your space to learn practical strategies, avoid expensive mistakes, and find the confidence to speak up about what really matters.
Subscribe, share with a friend in the trades, and leave a review with the one system you’ll fix first this year. Your feedback shapes the next conversation, and might be the spark someone else needs to get moving.
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If there's one message I hope resonates as we step into 2026, it's this: you are one piece of content away from changing your life.
That might sound like a stretch if you're running crews, turning wrenches, or climbing scaffolding every day, but I’ve lived it. What started as a couple of YouTube videos during a snowy slowdown, has turned into a podcast with 75+ episodes, a YouTube channel with over 30,000 subscribers, and speaking opportunities I never imagined I’d have. Not because I chased clout. Not because I had a marketing team and a $10,000 camera setup. Because I started.
That’s the message I want to drive home this year to every blue-collar business owner, tradesman, and aspiring entrepreneur in the trenches: the path to growth, visibility, and even better processes in your business might start with hitting “record.”
This isn't just about building a media brand. It's about sharing real stories, real struggles, and real lessons learned in the trades. For too long, this industry has operated in silos, one business struggling quietly over here, another repeating the same mistakes down the road. We’ve lacked a shared space to talk about systems, leadership, culture, money, and mindset in a way that speaks our language.
That’s where content comes in.
When you create content, whether it’s a quick video filmed from your truck, a podcast from your kitchen table, or a written blog post explaining a hard-earned lesson, you’re not just promoting your business. You’re adding to the knowledge base of the industry. You’re helping the next guy, or the kid watching from high school wondering if he’s got what it takes, see what this trade really is about.
And the crazy thing? That kind of content can change your life too.
It changed mine.
I’ll be honest, 2025 wasn’t my most profitable year in business. But it was my most transformative.
The biggest growth didn’t show up in the bank account; it showed up in my mindset, in our company culture, and in the systems and processes we’ve been building behind the scenes. I had to learn, again and again, that “nothing changes if nothing changes.” That’s a quote from Jocko Willink that’s stuck with me. And it’s never felt more true than it did this past year.
Thanks to people like Shelena at 4G Enterprises, Miss Julie at SyCon, and the Construction CFO team, I’ve gotten more focused than ever on the foundations of the business: process, clarity, and communication. We’ve worked on defining our five-year goals, realigning our core values, and building real accountability inside our teams.
We didn’t hit every metric. But we did change the trajectory. And that matters more.
When I first started this podcast, it was on a whim, just trying to share something from the heart with people who might be in the same boat. I never imagined it would take me to where we are today: booked through April, with guests from every corner of the trades, and a show that’s helping people build their businesses in real-time.
Some of the guests we've had, like Nick Peters, John from BuildWitt, and countless others, have dropped gold on this show, not just in business advice, but in how to lead, grow, and operate with purpose. These conversations aren’t just content, they’re curriculum for the blue-collar business owner.
And the truth is, none of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken that first step. If I hadn’t started recording from my kitchen table. If I hadn’t been willing to look dumb, mess up, or learn on the fly.
You don’t need a studio to start sharing what you know. You just need a phone and a story. Your real story.
We’re just getting started.
If you're in the trades, and you're looking to connect, learn, and grow this year, there are a few things you should keep your eye on:
This year’s ConExpo (March 2–7) is going to be massive. It’s the largest construction industry trade show in North America and happens every three years. Me and Will will be out there doing podcast episodes on-site, setting up meetups, and trying to spotlight not just the big manufacturers but the underdog companies that deserve attention.
If you're a vendor or company attending, or even just a fan of the show, reach out: media@syconexc.com or bluecollarbusinesspodcast.com. We’d love to meet you, possibly feature your story, or connect while we’re there.
From heavy hitters like Aaron Witt to local legends with stories worth hearing, we’ve got a killer guest list lined up. These aren’t just interviews. They’re insight-packed conversations aimed at helping you operate better, whether it’s managing crews, running P&L, or scaling your brand.
We’re closing in on our 100th episode. That’s a milestone we’ve been eyeing since day one. I want it to be big. We’ll be putting up some polls and asking for your input. What do you want to see for our 100th show? Drop a comment, send a message, let us know.
What I hope this show and this message does is create a ripple effect. You don’t have to wait until you're “ready.” You don't need a million-dollar budget. What you do need is a willingness to show up, share what you know, and keep learning as you go.
The trades are changing. Mindsets are shifting. We're seeing more attention, more innovation, and more collaboration than ever before. But we’ve got a long way to go.
And that’s where you come in.
Whether you're an excavator, electrician, roofer, general contractor, or one of the thousands of other roles in this industry, you have something to share. A hard lesson. A system that works. A mistake to avoid. You never know how much impact your story could have on someone else in the field.
If there’s one piece of advice I want to leave you with as we head into this year, it’s this:
Start.
Put yourself out there. Film a clip. Write a post. Record a podcast. Open up about what you’re learning and what you’re building.
One video really can change your life. Not because it goes viral. But because it connects with the right person.
To all of you who have listened, subscribed, shared, commented, or just quietly tuned in on your way to the jobsite: thank you. You’ve helped shape this community. You’ve helped shape me.
This podcast was built to shine a light on the working men and women that keep this country (and Canada!) moving. It’s about helping each other build something better, not just in our companies, but in our industry.
So here’s to 2026. To stronger systems. Better leadership. More collaboration. And the courage to put yourself out there.
We’ll be back next week with a full episode. Until then, keep fighting the good fight. Keep learning. Keep building.
And remember, your story matters.
7.1.2026 11:00Ep. 71 - Why 2025 Humbled Me