Blue Collar Nation

Millennials and Generation Z will be making up the bulk of our future technicians in all trades. As the trades evolve and change, the way in which techs are trained will need to evolve, too. Larry and Eric sit down for an in-depth conversation with Lisa Warner and Cheryl McRae of AMP Creative to go deep on what the future of training will need to look like to engage and get younger people excited...

This week the boys are running the show without a guest. With the recent passing of Eric's father, he talks about his Dad's strong work ethic and just putting your head down and making it happen.  The boys also share what the mission, vision, and goals are for the newly rebranded company Super Tech University. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morn...

Want to learn about a little known and lucrative business or add on service for your home services business? Listen to how our good friend, Jim McDonough, of Veterans Cleaning Solutions created a thriving business using a little used add on service to propel his business revenues and profits. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don&ap...

Eric and Larry had the pleasure of restoration industry expert and author Rachel Stewart, 𝗖𝗘𝗢/𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗫𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 . Rachel is a thought leader in the industry and has great insights for all home services industries.  Rachel also has a podcast, Restore Your Power to Succeed you will love. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeet...

We had Leighton Healy of KnowHow on the show to talk about various topics including technician retention and how to keep them with you longer, Leighton learning to swim in Pablo Escobar's pool, and the Restoration Survey and how your data can help shape the industry. This is a great episode with a super smart and engaging guest. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to y...

Joe Crisara is widely know as THE trainer for sales in the trades.  Joe's long tenure in the HVAC industry along with more than a decade teaching trades people the proper way to do in-home sales means Joe knows a thing or two.  In this episode, Eric and Larry sit down with Joe to get feedback as to what constitutes a great in-home sales call. Joe has so many nuggets to improve the sales techn...

Home services is a difficult line of work. We spend our days in other people's homes and businesses dealing with their stress, angst, and sometimes craziness on their home turf.  Although rarely talked about, this can cause field technicians, CSR's, and DSR's large amounts of stress. Please give this one a listen. Lisa Warner grew up in a blue collar home with parents who owned and...

Lisa Lavender is a thought leader in the home services space. A dedicated restoration professional, Lisa wears many hats with her many businesses. Eric and Larry had a wonderful conversation with Lisa about the concept of proper onboarding of new team members to both attract and retain talent. This often overlooked concept can make or break a new hire's attitude about your company on day one...

Andrea Stenberg is a renaissance woman. A great student in high school she decided to forgo college to work with her hands and "do" things. She loves to help people and see the fruits of her hard work in real terms. Eric and Larry have a great conversation with Andrea about the rewards and the trade-offs so many of us make to work in the blue collar service industry. This is a wonderful...

We have whole Strategies for Success crew on hand to celebrate our good friend Bill Yeadon on the eve of his retirement after 46 amazing years in the industry. TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in soft skills. When you invest in your team and teach them soft skills, your team can make...

 Goals 2022: Eric and Larry are back talking about what went right and wrong in 2021, and what they are working toward in 2022. TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in soft skills. When you invest in your team and teach them soft skills, your team can make you more profit. Go to https://...

Eric and Larry are joined with the guys from the Outerspaces Podcast Joshua Gillow of Masterplan Outdoor Living and Duane Draughon of VizX's Design Studios . The guys go deep on concepts of what it takes to become more successful in business and in life. **Note: there is a little bit of salty language at times in this episode, so make sure to listen in the correct environment. TITLE SPONSOR:...

Larry and Eric have the tables turned on them as Michelle Blevins takes control and interviews they guys about all the crazy stories from their start up days. This is a rebroadcast of  Michelle's podcast. Buckle up, it's a wild one. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don't lose money in the field because your service t...

Eric and Larry had the pleasure to sit down with Scott Tackett and John Monroe of Violand Management Associates on the final day of the Business Planning Summit in Captiva Island, FL earlier this month. The crew talks about the often overlooked importance of taking a time out to go offsite to plan the upcoming year and also some the the key ingredients necessary to run the type of company we all d...

We have  Jon Isaacson back on the show to talk about his great new book called, So You Want to be a Project Manager. We sit down and talk about all the struggles that so many home services contractors have in helping their people make this transition. This is a great episode for any trade as the topic is universal. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningte...

Today we have on Yana Sprague, CSR extraordinaire and typical home services client, to talk about what qualities female clients look for in a service call. Yana has years of experience in the home services industry and also is known to be a tough cookie as a client. Listen is as Eric and Larry dissect every step of the service experience with Yana from the initial phone call to the post job follow...

Ever see all the destruction that happens in a big hurricane or storm. We all think that the insurance companies will just take care of us when it comes time to fix our homes.  Often that is not the case. We have a great conversation with Doug Quinn , who had a great home and life living on the Jersey Shore until Hurricane Sandy came and wiped out his house. Now Doug devotes his life to helping ot...

We are joined by a super interesting guest today, Rusty Cochran. Rusty is founder and President of We Care Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning in Murrieta, CA. Rusty has had a long journey to success in the home services industry. Rusty, a self professed "slow learner" had a lot up ups and downs growing his service business. Unlike most, Rusty dug deep and kept pushing through to tak...

Michelle Blevins, the owner and editor of C&R Magazine , has a passion for print. After seeing the industry move to all digital platforms, Michelle doubled down and brought back a printed version of C&R, delivered to your doorstep. Listen as Michelle and the boys talk about print, the restoration industry, entrepreneurship, and much more. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it...

We had Larry Cooper on to talk about The Experience Trade Show in Las Vegas show in retrospect and also go into what we can all expect for the Cinncinati show coming in April. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don't lose money in the field because your service techs are not great at sales, customer service, and communicating wi...

Bill Yeadon of Jon Don takes control of the mic and interviews Larry and Eric about their trials and tribulations when starting out in the home services industry. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don't lose money in the field because your service techs are not great at sales, customer service, and communicating with clients. ...

Purple Cow is a marketing classic. Now roughly 20 years old this book stands the test of time. Bill, Larry, and Eric sit down to discuss this classic book and how to use it in a local home services business. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don't lose money in the field because your service techs are not great at sales, custom...

TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don't lose money in the field because your service techs are not great at sales, customer service, and communicating with clients.  Morning Tech Meeting has video lessons that can be sent directly to your tech's phones for training. See other great podcasts we enjoy on our Blue Collar Nati...

The boys are of to Las Vegas this week for the Experience trade show. Learn all of the cool things they hav going on. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don't lose money in the field because your service techs are not great at sales, customer service, and communicating with clients.  Morning Tech Meeting has video lessons that c...

TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com .  Don't lose money in the field because your service techs are not great at sales, customer service, and communicating with clients.  Morning Tech Meeting has video lessons that can be sent directly to your tech's phones for training. See other great podcasts we enjoy on our Blue Collar Nati...