Blue-Collar BS

Terry Taylor grew up moving 40 times before graduating high school, attending 25 different schools, and finding his path through sports instead of the wrong crowd. In this raw and honest episode, Terry shares how basketball and football taught him the perseverance, competitiveness, and accountability that propelled him from an hourly worker to plant manager at one of the biggest aerospace companie...

In this episode, we talk with Joe McClaran, a millennial talent acquisition manager who's passionate about changing perceptions of the skilled trades. Joe shares his journey from mortgage collections and food service to becoming a skilled trades advocate, and discusses the real challenges and opportunities in recruiting and retaining young talent in the construction industry. Joe reveals the truth...

Brad's morning at Panera turned into an accidental observation study on how personal drama is infiltrating the workplace. Surrounded by Gen X and Boomer professionals complaining about family issues, relationship problems, and personal grievances with coworkers, he witnessed something that used to be unthinkable people bringing their entire personal lives into professional spaces. The once-impenet...

Two Gen X women who worked their way through male-dominated manufacturing share stories about earning respect, managing up, and why facts beat emotions every time. Becca and Jennifer reunite with Brad who used to manage them back when they all worked at Bucyrus to discuss leadership lessons. Both women rose from early roles to director level positions Becca now leads marketing at Super Products ma...

At 22 years old, Colin Thomey manages staff members twice his age while running his own golf performance business on the side. His journey from retail frustration to golf course general manager reveals what happens when Gen Z enters leadership roles in family businesses. Colin learned early on in his career that coming on too strong with new ideas instead of taking time to understand the family bu...

When is a job really finished? This episode explores the gray area between completed work and customer satisfaction through Steve's personal experience as both contractor and homeowner in a landscaping project gone sideways. The conversation centers around a classic scenario: contractor completes work per original scope, homeowner calls four months later wanting additional work done. Steve built a...

How aware are you of your surroundings? Retired law enforcement captain Catherine Trimboli shares decades of experience about personal safety and situational awareness, revealing why our phone-obsessed generation has become sitting ducks for criminals. This GenXer spent 30+ years in law enforcement, working everything from jails to freeway patrol as a deputy, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. Her...

A $6 soldering iron that catches fire the first time you use it versus a snap-on tool that still works perfectly after 35 years the difference between cheap tools and quality equipment mirrors the challenge many blue-collar businesses face with workforce compensation and expectations. The conversation starts with tool brand loyalty Milwaukee versus DeWalt versus Ryobi - and evolves into a deeper q...

A lot of business owners wake up one day looking like "crispy toast" and realize they need to exit only to discover their business isn't sellable. Mike Finger lived this nightmare firsthand and spent five brutal years rebuilding his company with buyers in mind before successfully selling. This Gen Xer has bought and sold multiple businesses over 25 years, learning hard lessons about what makes com...

What happens when two 30-something millennials decide to shake up a traditional industry dominated by older, established companies? Tim and Vadim from IRBIS HVAC prove that age is just a number when you combine technical expertise with smart marketing and genuine care for your team. These Ironman finishers started as hands-on technicians and built their Silicon Valley HVAC company from scratch, re...

From production manager to entrepreneur in just three months Nathan Schnell's water jet cutting startup reveals the real challenges and unexpected wins facing young business owners in traditional manufacturing industries. Born in 1995, Nathan represents that unique generation caught between millennials and Gen Z - old enough to appreciate wisdom from seasoned professionals, young enough to embrace...

What happens when workplace positivity becomes a toxic mask that's slowly killing your business? Steve's recent post about this very issue sparked a fascinating conversation that reveals why so many blue-collar organizations are struggling with employee loyalty and retention. The discussion began with a complete misunderstanding of what "toxic positivity" means. Its not about creating contagious p...

You don’t need to know the trade to own the business. Adam Goldman helps people see why franchising might be the smartest move they’ve never considered. We brought on Adam Goldman, a franchise consultant who's seen hundreds of folks jump ship from corporate life and into something way messier and way more fulfilling. From office cleaning to water restoration to lighting installs, Adam’s not just w...

We’ve all worked places where the culture sucked. Aaron Beay decided to build the one he always wanted and five years later, no one’s left. We brought Aaron on because of the culture he’s created one that actually retains young talent, and not by accident. After 18 years in the field, burnout pushed him to try teaching. That part-time gig turned into a full-blown strategy for recruiting and traini...

Ever thought about owning a franchise but had no idea what kind would actually fit? Chris Mesker’s been there and most people don’t realize how many are built for the trades. In this episode, we dig into what franchise ownership really looks like, especially for those of us coming from the trades, stuck in a job you hate, or just done working for someone else. Franchising isn’t just fast food. The...

If you’ve listened to the show for a while, you know that we are big believers that not everyone is meant for a 4-year university. It looks like the mainstream media has also picked up on that, and we're excited to dive into what that means for the future of work. Brad and I had a fantastic conversation this week about a significant cultural shift: high schoolers increasingly choosing the trades o...

We’ve heard a lot of “that’s how we’ve always done it” in the trades but Frank Manning is showing how to lead with humility, trust, and a hands-on mindset. Frank is the President of Diversified Marine, isn’t your typical shipyard boss. He stumbled into the marine industry after a failed business venture and has been hooked ever since. Leading one of the top tugboat building teams on the West Coast...

We did something a little different this week a crossover with Erin and Lori from BROADcast for Manufacturers. We tackled how fear based leadership and economic uncertainty are gutting decision-making, hiring, and trust across the shop floor. We dug into why leaders freezing up or worse, constantly changing course is killing morale and productivity. A recent Russell Reynolds report gave us a solid...

We’re talking with Jacob Emery, a guy who went from digging trenches at $9 an hour to running the company and that’s just half the story. Jacob’s not just leading R & R Pipeline in central Ohio, he’s also building a culture that challenges the old-school, cutthroat mindset in the trades. What really hit us was the moment someone looked him in the eye and asked, “What the hell are you doing wit...

We’ve known George for nearly a decade, and what stands out most is his ability to connect with people across industries, titles, and generations. This episode is packed with helpful tips on how he’s learned to lead by listening, adapting, and meeting people where they are. Our longtime friend George McCaughan is joining us this week to talk about how to lead people across generations from union g...

We figured, hey it’s the 4th of July. Let’s skip the heavy stuff and just talk food, fireworks, and all the random things that make this holiday what it is. This week, we're keeping it light because it's the 4th of July and nobody needs a lecture while they're flipping burgers or chasing kids around the backyard. We’re talking backyard games, cookout must haves, fireworks chaos, and all the weird...

We’ve always wanted to hear it straight from the source so this week, we brought in a real Gen Zer (and Steve’s daughter) to break down what it’s actually like to be young and working today. This one’s personal and eyevopening. We’re joined by Kayla, Steve’s high school aged daughter, who’s already on her third job and has plenty to say about what’s working (and what’s not) in the workplace. From...

We knew Stefanie Couch was gonna bring the heat when she showed up in her pink hat and yep, she delivered. We’re talking branding in the trades, leading teams across generations, and how to stand out without selling out. She grew up in a family lumber yard, crushed it in the corporate world, and now she runs her own agency helping construction companies fix what’s not working usually starting with...

We're not here to sugarcoat it—some of the worst dumpster fires we see in business start at the top. And we know, because we’ve either helped put them out or accidentally started a few ourselves. This episode came out of a real conversation about leadership gone sideways—owners jumping in to save the day when what they really need to do is get out of the way.  From a 6:15 a.m. client text to...

We weren’t ready for the energy Precious L. Williams brought into this episode—and honestly, we needed it. From sales rooms to stages, she’s the kind of speaker who doesn’t just hold attention—she demands it. Precious doesn’t play it safe—and that’s exactly why we wanted her on. She’s built her brand by saying what most people won’t, and in this episode, she’s dropping truth about what it really t...