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
90 episodes
Ep. 90 - Bilingual Safety First: Stopping Construction Line Strikes
Downtime is a profit leak, but a line strike due to a language barrier is an outright tragedy. Right now, infrastructure projects are booming all across the country, yet a massive portion of the boots on the ground doing the actual digging are ...
Ep. 89 - Damage Prevention Truths with CGA Contractor Experts
Utility strikes are more than just a production delay; they are a massive financial liability and a significant threat to crew safety. For years, the people actually doing the digging were left out of the policy-making rooms, resulting in a sys...
Ep. 88 - Utility Safety: The Cost of Taking Shortcuts
Unmarked utilities and accidental strikes are more than just a nuisance; they are massive profit leaks that put lives at risk every single day. In an industry where the pressure to produce often outweighs the patience to be safe, the "boots on ...
Ep. 87 - Family First ROI: Why Presence is Provision with Cory Carlson
Downtime is a profit leak, but a broken home is a life-altering bankruptcy that many leaders in the trades don’t see coming until the papers are served. In an industry where we pride ourselves on building the world around us, we often let our o...
Ep. 86 - Machine Control Secrets for Grading and Utilities with Matt Gillett
Downtime is not a mechanic problem, it is a profit leak that can wipe out a week of work in two days. We sit down with Matt Gillett, founder of Gillett Excavating in Michigan, to tell the truth about what it takes to grow an excavation company ...
Ep. 85 - Stop Hiring C-Players: Using Tech to Scale with Jonathan Whistman
If you’ve ever said, “We can’t find good people,” this conversation challenges the real problem: we’re not building a place good people want to belong. I’m joined by Jonathan Whistman, CEO of WhoHire and founding partner of The Sales Boss, to t...
Ep. 84 - Identify the Need: Building a Niche Empire in the Trades with Ed Katz
A competitor ten times bigger rolls into town, undercuts your price, and takes your market share nearly overnight. Most owners panic, cut margins, and burn out. Ed Katz did something different: he listened to what customers kept asking for, bui...
Ep. 83 - Why Your Crews are Failing at Implementation with Ron Nussbaum
If your crews are working hard but the money still disappears, the leak might be communication, not effort.We sit down with Ron Nussbaum, a Marine veteran and the founder behind BuilderComms and Builder Labs, to talk about the messy tru...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
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,...