Blue Collar Business Podcast
Welcome to the Blue Collar Business Podcast with Sy Kirby. Dive deep into the world of hands-on entrepreneurship and the gritty side of making things happen. Join us for actionable tips on scaling your blue-collar business, managing teams, and staying ahead in an ever-evolving market. We'll also discuss the latest industry trends and innovations that could impact your bottom line. If you're passionate about the blue-collar world and eager to learn from those who've thrived in it, this podcast is a must-listen. Stay tuned for engaging conversations and real-world advice that can take your blue-collar business to new heights.
Episodes
82 episodes
Ep. 82 - A Visual Stakeout Rover Changes How Crews Work
This episode was filmed live at Con Expo in Las Vegas! Join us for this special episode with Chuck Harris!A lot of construction tech looks great in a demo and then dies on the jobsite. So we recorded this one live from ConExpo 2026 in th...
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Season 1
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Episode 82
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26:16
Ep. 81 - Digging Blind: The 811 Truth No One Tells You with Khrysanne Kerr
This episode was filmed live at Con Expo in Las Vegas! Join us for this special episode with Khrysanne Kerr!A locate mark that’s a few feet off can wreck a schedule. A utility strike can change a life. That’s why we sat down with Khrysan...
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Season 1
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Episode 81
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27:16
Ep. 80 - Contractor to Consultant: How Kory Mitchell Mastered the Exit
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 80
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1:03:36
Ep. 79 - Overbilling is Survival: Managing Construction Cashflow With Ben Justesen
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 confi...
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Season 1
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Episode 79
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1:13:51
Ep. 78 - California Concrete: Navigating Rules and Regulation With Kyle Harris
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 leade...
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Season 1
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Episode 78
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1:07:49
Ep. 77 - 33 Million Views: How a Ditch Digger Built a Media Empire | With Marvin Joles from In the Mix Podcast
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 77
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1:12:49
Ep. 76 - Empower, Don’t Exhaust: Fixing Leadership at the Core With Missy Washam and Mayce DelValle
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, em...
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Season 1
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Episode 76
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1:04:58
Ep. 75 - Brewing Brotherhood: A Coffee Brand Born in the Dirt | With Matthew Gleaves
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 inciden...
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Season 1
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Episode 75
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1:09:31
Ep. 74 - Scaling Slow, Winning Big With Matt Bachtel
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...
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1:12:09
Ep. 73 - Win More Bids, Lose Less Money with Baxter Horton
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 73
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1:01:25
Ep. 72 - Build Better, Share Louder
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 pip...
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Season 1
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Episode 72
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1:04:54
Ep. 71 - Why 2025 Humbled Me
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. Jus...
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Season 1
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Episode 71
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18:23
Ep. 70 - Systems, Schools & Screwups: Real Talk for Blue Collar Growth
The jump from “busy” to “built” is where most blue collar shops stall. We open the hood on that leap, talking through the real costs of scaling past $1M: quality wobbling under volume, crews chasing equipment, cash flow stretched by 90-day wait...
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Season 1
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Episode 70
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1:03:12
Ep. 69 - GPS Disruption: EasyNav Changes the Game
You flip the key, the screen lights up, and your machine shows true elevation without a base or a model. That one moment changes everything, no waiting on stakes, no rebenching, no guessing. We brought EasyNav from CHC Navigation into our own e...
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Season 1
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Episode 69
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1:28:40
Ep. 68 - Marketing That Actually Pays
Ready to see how blue-collar media actually turns into real bids, stronger teams, and a clearer brand? We walk through the messy middle of building a YouTube-first strategy from jobsite clips and how-tos to a repeatable system that wins trust. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 68
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1:11:57
Ep. 67 - How A Tradesman Builds A Website That Wins Work
Tired of chasing the wrong leads and wondering why your shiny site doesn’t ring the phone? We sat down with Australian marketer Wes Towers of Uplift 360 to unpack a simpler path: build a clear, fast website that reflects your crew, publish real...
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Season 1
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Episode 67
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48:35
Ep. 66 - How Storytelling And Simulators Can Close The Trades Labor Gap
The labor gap isn’t just a numbers story; it’s a connection and knowledge story. We bring on JJ Owen, executive director of the Skilled Careers Coalition and Skills Jam, to map a practical playbook for reaching Gen Z, transferring craft wisdom,...
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Season 1
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Episode 66
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47:40
Ep. 65 - Profit Is Not A Dirty Word
If you’ve ever stared at your month-end and wondered where the profit went, this conversation is the flashlight you’ve been missing. We talk candidly about the real money leaks in contracting—underbilling, missing labor burden, ignored equipmen...
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Season 1
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Episode 65
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1:26:45
Ep. 64 - From HVAC to Excavation Boss
A motocross kid with a box blade turns into an excavation owner with a clear head for profit and a deep respect for family time. That’s the arc Cole Morse walks us through, from watching his father rebuild an HVAC business after crisis to selli...
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Season 1
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Episode 64
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57:20
Ep. 63 - Fixing Bad Data Before It Breaks Your Job
The fastest way to burn profit is to build off bad data. We sit down with Tylor Foster, founder and CEO of DirtLab, to unpack how rushed designs, mismatched elevations, and vague standards cascade into RFIs, idle equipment, and rework—and how t...
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Season 1
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Episode 63
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1:02:28
Ep. 62 – Visibility Wins: Make the Invisible, Visible
Hard work shouldn’t feel like guesswork. Sy sits down with Zach Estes, founder of Lean Dirt, to unpack a simple, battle-tested way to run civil construction with less chaos and more clarity. We get straight into the 2-3-4 framework, two systems...
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Season 1
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Episode 62
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1:02:17
Ep. 61 - Digging Digital Trenches
Think your marketing problem needs more ad spend? Luke Eggebraaten argues it needs a better foundation. We dig into the exact steps excavation and utility contractors can take to get found, get picked, and get paid, without wasting cash on “mag...
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Season 1
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Episode 61
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1:11:01
Ep. 60 - From Machines to Mentorship
Payroll panic, pricing doubts, and the pull of the machine, if you’ve ever felt that tug-of-war, you’ll feel seen here. We sit down with John to unpack how Dirt to Dollars grew from hard questions in the field into a coaching program grounded i...
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Season 1
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Episode 60
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44:31
Ep. 59 - Big Jobs, Bigger Mistakes: What They Don’t Teach in Construction
Ever wonder why some blue-collar businesses look huge online yet struggle to keep cash in the bank? We dig into the real story behind sustainable growth with John Seaman of JC Property Professionals, how a kid raised on job sites built a compan...
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Season 1
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Episode 59
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58:05
Ep. 58 - How GCs Win With Subs
Tired of hard-bid chaos and the “race to the bottom” that leaves everyone exhausted and underpaid? We sit down with Dylan Ream, regional manager at ARCO, to unpack how design-build flips the incentives so subs can profit, owners get clarity, an...
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Season 1
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Episode 58
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1:07:46