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
51 episodes
Ep. 51 - Designing a Future and a Legacy Together
The delicate dance between entrepreneurship and marriage takes center stage in this heartfelt conversation with Sy and Sara Kirby. The couple opens up about the challenges and triumphs of building a construction business while raising a family ...
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Season 1
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Episode 51
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37:34
Ep. 50 - Why You Should Be Winning Federal Contracts as a Small Business
Have you ever wondered if there's a more stable revenue stream waiting for your blue collar business? In this eye-opening episode, Eric Knellinger, president of US Federal Contractor Registration, reveals the largely untapped world of federal g...
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Season 1
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Episode 50
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57:35
Ep. 49 - Making Time for What Truly Matters
Time—the ultimate non-renewable resource. For blue collar business owners juggling family life with entrepreneurial demands, time management isn't just a productivity hack—it's survival.In this raw and revealing second installment of ou...
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Season 1
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Episode 49
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45:11
Ep. 48 - Rebuilding Intimacy, Building Business
Sy Kirby takes a deeply personal turn in this episode, inviting his business partner and wife of 11 years, Sara, to kick off a special four-part series on the challenges of marriage in entrepreneurship. Their raw conversation offers an intimate...
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Season 1
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Episode 48
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44:55
Ep. 47 - How to Move Forward When You're Mentally and Physically Stuck
If you're tired of spinning your wheels, worn down from the same routine, or just feeling mentally buried, this episode is built for you. We’ve stitched together the best answers from multiple guests who all responded to one honest question: wh...
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Season 1
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Episode 47
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21:10
Ep. 46 - Cash Flow Clarity: Funding Big Jobs Right
The most successful construction business owners know a secret that others learn the hard way: understanding cash flow is the difference between thriving and barely surviving. In this powerful conversation with Scott Peper, CEO of Mobilization ...
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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53:56
Ep. 45 - Your Questions Answered: Blue-Collar Business Growth and Hard Truths
This week on the Blue Collar Business Podcast, I’m bringing you something a little different—a live Q&A session straight from TikTok and YouTube. I took your real, raw questions and gave honest answers based on what I’ve lived and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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28:16
Ep. 44 - How to Get Paid Faster
Ever finished a job perfectly, only to wait weeks or months to actually get paid for it? For blue collar businesses, cash flow isn't just an accounting concept—it's the lifeblood that keeps crews working, equipment running, and families fed.
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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50:11
Ep. 43 – Hard Bids, Bad Clients, and Better Business Models with Mark Zweig
Mark Zweig takes us on a remarkable journey through his multiple years in architecture, engineering, and construction, sharing candid insights about the industry that few are willing to discuss.From his early career in architecture firm...
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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1:02:27
Ep. 42 – Digitizing the Trades: An Aussie Tradie's Mission
Trade skills are vanishing with retiring workers while younger generations struggle to find mentors. Marc Webb, growing up in an Australian coal mining town with limited career options, recognized this crisis after his journey from greenkeeper ...
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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1:20:57
Ep. 41 - Why Buildertrend Failed Us (and How Project Management Saved It)
Ever felt trapped in the endless cycle of gathering more work than you can handle, scrambling to complete it, then desperately seeking more jobs to stay afloat? Sy Kirby calls this the "hamster wheel of death" for blue collar entrepreneurs—and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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1:03:54
Ep. 40 - Ditching Corporate America to Build a Landscaping Empire
What happens when your body knows what your mind won't admit? For Matt Keller, it took chest-tightening panic attacks in his corporate office to recognize he was on the wrong path entirely. Despite managing a $250 million budget at Walmart by a...
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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47:24
Ep. 39 - The Plumbing Pioneer's Playbook
Turning a $5.50 per hour job into a six-crew plumbing empire doesn't happen overnight. Jerry Houy's 20-year journey building Jerry's Plumbing reveals what's truly possible when determination meets opportunity in the skilled trades.Jerry...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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45:41
Ep. 38 - How to Thrive When You’re Tired of the Blue Collar Rut
In this special compilation episode, Sy brings together powerful insights from past guests, each answering the same crucial question: "What advice do you have for a blue-collar worker who’s sick of being stuck in the mud?" Wheth...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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18:37
Ep. 37 - How to Handle Honest Questions from Your Team
What truly separates successful excavation companies from those that struggle? In this revealing episode, Sy Kirby brings his core Sy-Con team—Wes, Jesus, and Sam—into the studio for an unfiltered conversation about the realities of running a b...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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1:17:58
Ep. 36 - Performance Pay in Construction: Boost Culture and Profits
What if your workers treated every dollar of your labor budget as if it were their own money? In this eye-opening conversation, Michael Fortinberry, co-founder and president of Protiv, reveals the fundamental flaw in how blue-collar businesses ...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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53:10
Ep. 35 - Buying a GC Company at 30: What They Don’t Tell You
What happens when an architecture graduate decides he'd rather build buildings than design them? For Trent Hanna, President of SSI Northwest Arkansas, this realization launched a journey through construction superintendency and project manageme...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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52:21
Ep. 34 - When Content Became My Most Valuable Tool: Why I Started a Podcast
Ever wondered if marketing your blue-collar business is worth the investment? In this candid solo episode, Sy Kirby pulls back the curtain on how creating the Blue Collar Business Podcast transformed his excavation company in ways he never anti...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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33:31
Ep. 33 - The Hidden Challenges of Excavation Growth
What happens when a business owner with 22,500 TikTok followers who started pushing a mower across the street meets a podcast host who's been through the excavation industry's highest highs and lowest lows? Pure, unfiltered wisdom that every bl...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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1:10:47
Ep. 32 - Dirt to Dollars: Excavating Success with Clay Hudspeth
Clay Hudspeth of HudX Excavation takes us on a journey through his entrepreneurial evolution, sharing the wisdom gained from over 25 years in the blue-collar world. After building a successful landscaping business with multiple crews, Clay comp...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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43:34
Ep. 31 - Turning Your Side Hustle into a Thriving Business: Bear Iron Works
The remarkable journey of Bear Iron Works exemplifies how practical innovation solves real-world construction challenges. Father-son team Mike and Roggen Frick transformed what began as a side hustle into a thriving American manufacturing enter...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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45:43
Ep. 30 - Finding Your Next Job Just Got Easier
The blue collar industries are experiencing a critical communication breakdown that's been misinterpreted as a skilled worker shortage. Brent Flavin, co-founder of BoomNation, joins the Blue Collar Business Podcast to reveal what's really happe...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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44:33
Ep. 29 - Reclaim Your Time and Grow Your Business
When you've mastered your craft but your business owns your life, something's deeply wrong. Richard Walsh knows this firsthand – from digging trenches at $5/hour to building (and losing) a successful landscaping company during the 2008 crash, h...
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1:13:06
Ep. 28 - Unlocking Billions in Government Contracts
The world of government contracting remains largely hidden from most blue collar businesses, yet it represents billions in untapped opportunities waiting to be claimed. In this eye-opening conversation with Melinda Colon of Fortis OBM, we disco...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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59:22
Ep. 27 - Bridging the Contractor-Architect Gap
Join us for an enlightening conversation with Lance Cayko, the co-founder of F9 Productions and host of the Inside the Firm podcast, as he shares his transformative journey from a farm upbringing to a flourishing career in architecture. Lance's...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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49:52