<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:psc="http://podlove.org/simple-chapters" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Violent Action Podcast]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to The Violent Action Podcast where real stories meet real results. Each episode features driven entrepreneurs, contractors, and business owners who are taking action and building something bigger than themselves. We dive into their journeys—the wins, the setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way. If you're serious about growth, business, and making things happen, this podcast is for you.</p>]]></description><link>https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com/</link><generator>Riverside.fm (https://riverside.com)</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 18:46:08 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://api.riverside.com/hosting/nLzuCJmu.rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><author><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></author><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:30:59 GMT</pubDate><copyright><![CDATA[2026 Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><ttl>60</ttl><category><![CDATA[Business]]></category><category><![CDATA[Entrepreneurship]]></category><itunes:author>Blue Collar Business Accelerator</itunes:author><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;Welcome to The Violent Action Podcast where real stories meet real results. Each episode features driven entrepreneurs, contractors, and business owners who are taking action and building something bigger than themselves. We dive into their journeys—the wins, the setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way. If you&apos;re serious about growth, business, and making things happen, this podcast is for you.&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Blue Collar Business Accelerator</itunes:name><itunes:email>dylan@bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:category text="Business"><itunes:category text="Entrepreneurship"/></itunes:category><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><item><title><![CDATA[How 2 Young Landscapers Built a $1M Business in Just 3 Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Apply to join the Accelerator</p><p>➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p>Check out our website</p><p>➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>At just 20 and 21 years old, Austin and Ryan from RNA Lawn &amp; Landscape are on track to do nearly $1 million this year across lawn maintenance, snow, landscaping, and hardscaping.</p><p></p><p>But their story started in high school with two teenagers, a couple snow blowers, and a willingness to knock on doors.</p><p></p><p>After a snowstorm helped them land 30–35 clients, a single Facebook post from a happy customer caused their phones to blow up. They began reinvesting everything they made, eventually buying their first zero-turn mower and trailer before they even had lawn-care clients lined up.</p><p></p><p>Then a customer asked if they built patios.</p><p></p><p>They had never built one before.</p><p></p><p>They said yes.</p><p></p><p>That roughly $9,500 patio took far longer than expected and they essentially broke even, but it showed them what was possible. After graduating, they skipped college and went all in on the business.</p><p></p><p>Their revenue exploded:</p><p>$110K → $225K → $540K → Nearly $1M</p><p></p><p>Today, they have five full-time employees, multiple crews, and have gone from mowing lawns to completing projects worth tens of thousands of dollars—including a six-figure project.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, you’ll learn:</p><p></p><ul><li>How two teenagers built a nearly $1M landscaping business</li><li>How they went from $110K to nearly $1M in just a few years</li><li>Why they skipped college and went all in on the trades</li><li>How a single Facebook post generated a massive wave of leads</li><li>How they went from small lawn jobs to six-figure projects</li><li>The expensive change-order mistake that cost them thousands</li><li>Why every change order needs to be priced and approved in writing</li><li>How they built a team of young employees through their local network</li><li>Why hiring friends can become a major problem without clear expectations</li><li>How becoming a fixture in their community helped transform their brand</li></ul><p></p><p>Austin and Ryan didn't start with experience, money, or a perfect plan. They started small, made mistakes, learned expensive lessons, and kept taking action.</p><p></p><p>Now they're building a nearly $1 million landscaping and hardscaping company before they’re even old enough to rent a car.</p><p>Essential listening for anyone in the trades who wants to see what's possible when you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks and go all in.</p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">1bb3e08f-2f4d-4bd1-a0d5-95c363d2f847</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/ab9b34bd08d5e0d3e59b0722e3b0e907c8fa8d4bdda45897bc0396ac073cedc1/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIxYmIzZTA4Zi0yZjRkLTRiZDEtYTBkNS05NWMzNjNkMmY4NDciLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE5MzM3YTk5ODE4ZGNlMWVmNTc4MTRmL2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjlfXzIxLTQ4LTU3Lm1wMyJ9.mp3" length="84295828" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/1bb3e08f-2f4d-4bd1-a0d5-95c363d2f847/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out our website&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At just 20 and 21 years old, Austin and Ryan from RNA Lawn &amp;amp; Landscape are on track to do nearly $1 million this year across lawn maintenance, snow, landscaping, and hardscaping.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But their story started in high school with two teenagers, a couple snow blowers, and a willingness to knock on doors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After a snowstorm helped them land 30–35 clients, a single Facebook post from a happy customer caused their phones to blow up. They began reinvesting everything they made, eventually buying their first zero-turn mower and trailer before they even had lawn-care clients lined up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then a customer asked if they built patios.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They had never built one before.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They said yes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That roughly $9,500 patio took far longer than expected and they essentially broke even, but it showed them what was possible. After graduating, they skipped college and went all in on the business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Their revenue exploded:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;$110K → $225K → $540K → Nearly $1M&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, they have five full-time employees, multiple crews, and have gone from mowing lawns to completing projects worth tens of thousands of dollars—including a six-figure project.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, you’ll learn:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How two teenagers built a nearly $1M landscaping business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they went from $110K to nearly $1M in just a few years&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why they skipped college and went all in on the trades&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How a single Facebook post generated a massive wave of leads&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they went from small lawn jobs to six-figure projects&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The expensive change-order mistake that cost them thousands&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why every change order needs to be priced and approved in writing&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they built a team of young employees through their local network&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why hiring friends can become a major problem without clear expectations&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How becoming a fixture in their community helped transform their brand&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Austin and Ryan didn&apos;t start with experience, money, or a perfect plan. They started small, made mistakes, learned expensive lessons, and kept taking action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now they&apos;re building a nearly $1 million landscaping and hardscaping company before they’re even old enough to rent a car.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Essential listening for anyone in the trades who wants to see what&apos;s possible when you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks and go all in.&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:43:54</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>11</itunes:episode><itunes:title>How 2 Young Landscapers Built a $1M Business in Just 3 Years</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[How This Young Roofer Turned One $16K Job Into an $800K Business]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Apply to join the Accelerator<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a><br /><br />Check out our website<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a><br /><br />At 20 years old, Jack from Waters Landscape Design is on track to do roughly $600K this year after starting with just $40K in revenue. But his story is far from a straight line. Before building a successful hardscape, landscape, and concrete business, Jack dropped out of high school, struggled with alcohol at a young age, and spent time rebuilding his life before finding his way back into the trades.<br /><br />Jack shares how his first-ever patio was a complete disaster: a roughly 400-square-foot job sold for just $2,000, built with reused pavers, and based with river rock. He and a buddy spent four days figuring it out as they went, and after another early patio job, he found himself roughly $10,000 underwater. But instead of quitting, he kept learning, kept selling, and kept taking on bigger opportunities.<br />After making around $40K his first year on small jobs, Jack joined the Blue Collar Business Accelerator, quit his factory job, and went all in on building a real business. He went from having virtually no online presence to building a brand, knocking doors, collecting reviews, generating leads, and eventually having 50K months. In his second year, the business jumped to roughly $350K in revenue.<br />You’ll discover:<br /><br />* How Jack went from skipping school to work landscaping jobs to running a business on pace for $600K<br /><br />* Why his first $2,000 patio was one of the most expensive lessons of his career<br /><br />* How he lost roughly $10K on another patio because he didn’t know how to price the work<br /><br />* What changed when he stopped treating landscaping like a side hustle and started building a real business<br /><br />* Why quitting his job and betting on himself completely changed his mindset<br /><br />* How door knocking and free reviews helped him build a brand and generate his first major wave of leads<br /><br />* How his average project size grew from around $500–$2,000 to roughly $30K<br /><br />* Why you don’t need massive six-figure projects to build a highly profitable company<br /><br />* How he entered this season with nearly $100K already booked before the season started<br /><br />* Why taking action matters more than knowing everything before you start<br /><br />Today, Jack has employees, equipment, money in the bank, and a growing business that is already on pace for around $600K. But the biggest takeaway from his story is that he didn’t start with the knowledge, experience, or perfect circumstances most people think they need.<br /><br />He made mistakes. He underbid jobs. He lost money. He second-guessed himself. But he kept moving forward and eventually turned a side hustle into a real business.<br /><br />Essential listening if you’ve ever felt like your past mistakes, lack of education, or lack of experience disqualify you from building something bigger." but based off this transcript</p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">6c925fe2-3540-497b-b98f-764ab907604b</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 21:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/0e164e07947d60adbd6e7ff2a6da1252c55b9820d5752f2f21c471614ece9a70/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI2YzkyNWZlMi0zNTQwLTQ5N2ItYjk4Zi03NjRhYjkwNzYwNGIiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE5MTEwNGQxOTU0ZjFkMWY5NjEzOGJmL2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjhfXzYtMzYtMjkubXAzIn0=.mp3" length="61849748" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/6c925fe2-3540-497b-b98f-764ab907604b/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check out our website&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At 20 years old, Jack from Waters Landscape Design is on track to do roughly $600K this year after starting with just $40K in revenue. But his story is far from a straight line. Before building a successful hardscape, landscape, and concrete business, Jack dropped out of high school, struggled with alcohol at a young age, and spent time rebuilding his life before finding his way back into the trades.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jack shares how his first-ever patio was a complete disaster: a roughly 400-square-foot job sold for just $2,000, built with reused pavers, and based with river rock. He and a buddy spent four days figuring it out as they went, and after another early patio job, he found himself roughly $10,000 underwater. But instead of quitting, he kept learning, kept selling, and kept taking on bigger opportunities.&lt;br /&gt;After making around $40K his first year on small jobs, Jack joined the Blue Collar Business Accelerator, quit his factory job, and went all in on building a real business. He went from having virtually no online presence to building a brand, knocking doors, collecting reviews, generating leads, and eventually having 50K months. In his second year, the business jumped to roughly $350K in revenue.&lt;br /&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* How Jack went from skipping school to work landscaping jobs to running a business on pace for $600K&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Why his first $2,000 patio was one of the most expensive lessons of his career&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* How he lost roughly $10K on another patio because he didn’t know how to price the work&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* What changed when he stopped treating landscaping like a side hustle and started building a real business&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Why quitting his job and betting on himself completely changed his mindset&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* How door knocking and free reviews helped him build a brand and generate his first major wave of leads&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* How his average project size grew from around $500–$2,000 to roughly $30K&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Why you don’t need massive six-figure projects to build a highly profitable company&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* How he entered this season with nearly $100K already booked before the season started&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Why taking action matters more than knowing everything before you start&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today, Jack has employees, equipment, money in the bank, and a growing business that is already on pace for around $600K. But the biggest takeaway from his story is that he didn’t start with the knowledge, experience, or perfect circumstances most people think they need.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He made mistakes. He underbid jobs. He lost money. He second-guessed himself. But he kept moving forward and eventually turned a side hustle into a real business.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Essential listening if you’ve ever felt like your past mistakes, lack of education, or lack of experience disqualify you from building something bigger.&quot; but based off this transcript&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:32:13</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>10</itunes:episode><itunes:title>How This Young Roofer Turned One $16K Job Into an $800K Business</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[The $20,000 Mistake That Changed His Landscaping Business]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Apply to join the Accelerator</p><p>➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p>Check out our website</p><p>➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>Nate from Tommy Johnny Landscape started his business doing just $80K in revenue his first year. Now, only a few years later, he’s on pace to do roughly $750K–$800K while landing $50K, $60K, and even $100K landscape installs.</p><p></p><p>But his growth didn’t come from simply buying more trucks, adding crews, or spending more money on ads.</p><p></p><p>In year two, Nate spent over $20,000 on a marketing agency—a decision he says was one of the worst he ever made. He went on more than 100 estimates from the campaigns and only landed five jobs, ultimately wasting money and valuable time.</p><p></p><p>Instead of quitting, he learned from it.</p><p></p><p>Nate went from doing $2K–$3K landscaping jobs and posting in Facebook groups to averaging roughly $20K–$40K projects, building a stronger local brand, getting involved in his community, and growing the business from roughly $240K to nearly $590K in one year.</p><p></p><p>Now, despite being on pace for nearly $800K, Nate still runs one crew by choice. Rather than rushing to add more employees, trucks, and overhead, he’s focused on building cash reserves, raising prices, landing better projects, and strengthening the business before making his next move.</p><p></p><p>You’ll discover:</p><ul><li>How Nate went from $80K in year one to nearly $800K in just a few years</li><li>Why spending over $20K on paid ads became one of his biggest business lessons</li><li>How he went on more than 100 estimates and only landed five jobs from those campaigns</li><li>Why doing more revenue doesn’t automatically mean you should add more crews</li><li>How staying with one crew could actually make him more profitable than expanding</li><li>Why renting equipment instead of buying everything has helped him build a stronger business</li><li>How his average project size grew from roughly $2K–$3K to $20K–$40K</li><li>Why he’s now competing for $50K, $60K, and $100K landscape installs</li><li>How being responsive and showing customers you care can win jobs over larger competitors</li><li>Why Nate believes paid ads are a waste of money for many small, local contractors</li><li>How getting involved in the community can create more valuable opportunities than paid advertising</li><li>Why your first big job should never be the first time you try something you’ve never done before</li><li>Why growing too aggressively can create more problems instead of more profit</li></ul><p></p><p>Today, Nate is building a business with better projects, a stronger brand, more cash, and the ability to choose the type of work he wants to take on.</p><p></p><p>The biggest takeaway from his story? Real growth isn’t always about looking bigger. Sometimes the smartest move is to slow down, stay profitable, build the right foundation, and prepare before attacking the next level.</p><p></p><p>Essential listening for any contractor who wants to grow without ending up with more trucks, more employees, more revenue—and more problems.</p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">be049a06-b49e-45a0-a6cc-235b20ff9ad7</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/5b57d7a95cd221d138cff0b74e2762da26e09269d0fcaa8074d82da38e873169/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiJiZTA0OWEwNi1iNDllLTQ1YTAtYTZjYy0yMzViMjBmZjlhZDciLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4Y2E0MmIwYmY3MTlhNzc2YzI2Nzk5L2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjRfXzIyLTYtMi5tcDMifQ==.mp3" length="56923681" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/be049a06-b49e-45a0-a6cc-235b20ff9ad7/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out our website&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nate from Tommy Johnny Landscape started his business doing just $80K in revenue his first year. Now, only a few years later, he’s on pace to do roughly $750K–$800K while landing $50K, $60K, and even $100K landscape installs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But his growth didn’t come from simply buying more trucks, adding crews, or spending more money on ads.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In year two, Nate spent over $20,000 on a marketing agency—a decision he says was one of the worst he ever made. He went on more than 100 estimates from the campaigns and only landed five jobs, ultimately wasting money and valuable time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead of quitting, he learned from it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nate went from doing $2K–$3K landscaping jobs and posting in Facebook groups to averaging roughly $20K–$40K projects, building a stronger local brand, getting involved in his community, and growing the business from roughly $240K to nearly $590K in one year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Now, despite being on pace for nearly $800K, Nate still runs one crew by choice. Rather than rushing to add more employees, trucks, and overhead, he’s focused on building cash reserves, raising prices, landing better projects, and strengthening the business before making his next move.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Nate went from $80K in year one to nearly $800K in just a few years&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why spending over $20K on paid ads became one of his biggest business lessons&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he went on more than 100 estimates and only landed five jobs from those campaigns&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why doing more revenue doesn’t automatically mean you should add more crews&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How staying with one crew could actually make him more profitable than expanding&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why renting equipment instead of buying everything has helped him build a stronger business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How his average project size grew from roughly $2K–$3K to $20K–$40K&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he’s now competing for $50K, $60K, and $100K landscape installs&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How being responsive and showing customers you care can win jobs over larger competitors&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why Nate believes paid ads are a waste of money for many small, local contractors&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How getting involved in the community can create more valuable opportunities than paid advertising&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why your first big job should never be the first time you try something you’ve never done before&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why growing too aggressively can create more problems instead of more profit&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, Nate is building a business with better projects, a stronger brand, more cash, and the ability to choose the type of work he wants to take on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The biggest takeaway from his story? Real growth isn’t always about looking bigger. Sometimes the smartest move is to slow down, stay profitable, build the right foundation, and prepare before attacking the next level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Essential listening for any contractor who wants to grow without ending up with more trucks, more employees, more revenue—and more problems.&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:29:39</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>9</itunes:episode><itunes:title>The $20,000 Mistake That Changed His Landscaping Business</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Unlikely Path From Lawn Mowing To A Nearly $1M Asphalt Maintenance Business]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Apply to join the Accelerator<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p>Check out our website<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>Less than two years ago, Nate Wielkiewicz from Property Potential Services had essentially no business, two lawns paying $40 each, and maybe $1,000 to his name. Today, he’s on pace to approach $1 million in revenue with roughly 40% margins, four full-time employees, and two part-time team members.</p><p></p><p>But Nate’s story is about more than rapid growth. After years working in asphalt and paving, he started his business expecting accounts to roll in simply because he did good work. When that didn’t happen, he had to confront one of the biggest lessons of his journey: business growth doesn’t happen overnight.</p><p></p><p>He shares how he went from putting out 500 door hangers without getting a single call to landing his first major five-figure jobs. He explains why his mindset was simply “it’s going to work or it’s going to work,” how he put his first month in the Accelerator on a credit card, and why dropping his ego and becoming more teachable changed everything.<br />After generating just a few thousand dollars early on, Nate did roughly $300K last year and is now approaching $1 million with zero money spent on paid advertising.</p><p></p><p>You’ll discover:</p><ul><li>How Nate went from mowing two $40 lawns to running an asphalt maintenance business on pace for nearly $1M</li><li>Why his first 500 door hangers produced zero calls—and what that taught him about patience</li><li>How three five-figure jobs gave him the confidence to quit his job and go all in</li><li>Why doing good work alone isn’t enough to build a successful company</li><li>How dropping his ego and staying teachable became one of the biggest drivers of his growth</li><li>Why he shifted his focus from chasing revenue to building a more profitable business</li><li>How his average job grew from $40 lawns to $30K–$60K projects</li><li>How systems, SOPs, and clear expectations allow him to step away from the job site</li><li>Why building a recognizable brand helped generate leads, relationships, and real community support</li><li>How his company helped raise nearly $11K in less than 24 hours for his foreman after a serious accident</li><li>Why the worst-case scenario of starting a business is often simply returning to the job you already have</li></ul><p></p><p>Today, Nate is still in the trenches, waking up before 4 AM, loading trucks, working with his crew, selling projects, and building the systems necessary to scale even further.</p><p></p><p>The biggest takeaway from his story is simple: Nate didn’t start with money, a massive customer base, paid ads, or years of business experience. He started with a couple of lawns, a willingness to learn, and the belief that if he kept taking the right actions long enough, the results would eventually come.</p><p></p><p>He made mistakes. He expected things to happen too quickly. He compared his chapter one to other people’s chapter 20. But instead of quitting when things didn’t work immediately, he stayed disciplined, adjusted his expectations, and kept moving forward.</p><p></p><p>Essential listening if you’ve ever felt like your business is too small, your industry is too niche, or you don’t have the resources to build something bigger.</p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">f735ee96-4698-45bc-a812-e609a4228871</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/42bc8c2f35a26daa6ba582f2524d98168f9dc62ef7b064d88a616ffcb355dfd8/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiJmNzM1ZWU5Ni00Njk4LTQ1YmMtYTgxMi1lNjA5YTQyMjg4NzEiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4YzliMzI3NTc5NzA5OGFlMzZkMzUxL2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjRfXzIxLTI3LTQ2Lm1wMyJ9.mp3" length="64719455" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/f735ee96-4698-45bc-a812-e609a4228871/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out our website&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Less than two years ago, Nate Wielkiewicz from Property Potential Services had essentially no business, two lawns paying $40 each, and maybe $1,000 to his name. Today, he’s on pace to approach $1 million in revenue with roughly 40% margins, four full-time employees, and two part-time team members.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But Nate’s story is about more than rapid growth. After years working in asphalt and paving, he started his business expecting accounts to roll in simply because he did good work. When that didn’t happen, he had to confront one of the biggest lessons of his journey: business growth doesn’t happen overnight.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He shares how he went from putting out 500 door hangers without getting a single call to landing his first major five-figure jobs. He explains why his mindset was simply “it’s going to work or it’s going to work,” how he put his first month in the Accelerator on a credit card, and why dropping his ego and becoming more teachable changed everything.&lt;br /&gt;After generating just a few thousand dollars early on, Nate did roughly $300K last year and is now approaching $1 million with zero money spent on paid advertising.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Nate went from mowing two $40 lawns to running an asphalt maintenance business on pace for nearly $1M&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why his first 500 door hangers produced zero calls—and what that taught him about patience&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How three five-figure jobs gave him the confidence to quit his job and go all in&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why doing good work alone isn’t enough to build a successful company&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How dropping his ego and staying teachable became one of the biggest drivers of his growth&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he shifted his focus from chasing revenue to building a more profitable business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How his average job grew from $40 lawns to $30K–$60K projects&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How systems, SOPs, and clear expectations allow him to step away from the job site&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why building a recognizable brand helped generate leads, relationships, and real community support&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How his company helped raise nearly $11K in less than 24 hours for his foreman after a serious accident&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why the worst-case scenario of starting a business is often simply returning to the job you already have&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, Nate is still in the trenches, waking up before 4 AM, loading trucks, working with his crew, selling projects, and building the systems necessary to scale even further.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The biggest takeaway from his story is simple: Nate didn’t start with money, a massive customer base, paid ads, or years of business experience. He started with a couple of lawns, a willingness to learn, and the belief that if he kept taking the right actions long enough, the results would eventually come.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He made mistakes. He expected things to happen too quickly. He compared his chapter one to other people’s chapter 20. But instead of quitting when things didn’t work immediately, he stayed disciplined, adjusted his expectations, and kept moving forward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Essential listening if you’ve ever felt like your business is too small, your industry is too niche, or you don’t have the resources to build something bigger.&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:33:42</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>8</itunes:episode><itunes:title>The Unlikely Path From Lawn Mowing To A Nearly $1M Asphalt Maintenance Business</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[No Degree, No Plan, No Direction… Now $600K Building Patios at 20]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p><b>Apply to join the Accelerator</b><br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p><b>Check out our website</b><br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>At 20 years old, Jack from Waters Landscape Design is on track to do roughly $600K this year after starting with just $40K in revenue. But his story is far from a straight line. Before building a successful hardscape, landscape, and concrete business, Jack dropped out of high school, struggled with alcohol at a young age, and spent time rebuilding his life before finding his way back into the trades.</p><p></p><p>Jack shares how his first-ever patio was a complete disaster: a roughly 400-square-foot job sold for just $2,000, built with reused pavers, and based with river rock. He and a buddy spent four days figuring it out as they went, and after another early patio job, he found himself roughly $10,000 underwater. But instead of quitting, he kept learning, kept selling, and kept taking on bigger opportunities.</p><p><br />After making around $40K his first year on small jobs, Jack joined the Blue Collar Business Accelerator, quit his factory job, and went all in on building a real business. He went from having virtually no online presence to building a brand, knocking doors, collecting reviews, generating leads, and eventually having 50K months. In his second year, the business jumped to roughly $350K in revenue.</p><p><br />You’ll discover:</p><ul><li>How Jack went from skipping school to work landscaping jobs to running a business on pace for $600K</li><li>Why his first $2,000 patio was one of the most expensive lessons of his career</li><li>How he lost roughly $10K on another patio because he didn’t know how to price the work</li><li>What changed when he stopped treating landscaping like a side hustle and started building a real business</li><li>Why quitting his job and betting on himself completely changed his mindset</li><li>How door knocking and free reviews helped him build a brand and generate his first major wave of leads</li><li>How his average project size grew from around $500–$2,000 to roughly $30K</li><li>Why you don’t need massive six-figure projects to build a highly profitable company</li><li>How he entered this season with nearly $100K already booked before the season started</li><li>Why taking action matters more than knowing everything before you start</li></ul><p></p><p>Today, Jack has employees, equipment, money in the bank, and a growing business that is already on pace for around $600K. But the biggest takeaway from his story is that he didn’t start with the knowledge, experience, or perfect circumstances most people think they need.</p><p></p><p>He made mistakes. He underbid jobs. He lost money. He second-guessed himself. But he kept moving forward and eventually turned a side hustle into a real business.</p><p></p><p><b>Essential listening if you’ve ever felt like your past mistakes, lack of education, or lack of experience disqualify you from building something bigger.</b></p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">5335996e-5ecc-43cf-8de4-f2c0d82c9027</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:23:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/3766102233542b01996b1e4d2efaffa9e86b30d6c06666bf4d2e6df91a251bcb/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI1MzM1OTk2ZS01ZWNjLTQzY2YtOGRlNC1mMmMwZDgyYzkwMjciLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4YzU1NjY3NjM1YjNmMDlkYTkzNWJhL2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjRfXzE2LTI5LTU4Lm1wMyJ9.mp3" length="84762270" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/5335996e-5ecc-43cf-8de4-f2c0d82c9027/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Check out our website&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At 20 years old, Jack from Waters Landscape Design is on track to do roughly $600K this year after starting with just $40K in revenue. But his story is far from a straight line. Before building a successful hardscape, landscape, and concrete business, Jack dropped out of high school, struggled with alcohol at a young age, and spent time rebuilding his life before finding his way back into the trades.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Jack shares how his first-ever patio was a complete disaster: a roughly 400-square-foot job sold for just $2,000, built with reused pavers, and based with river rock. He and a buddy spent four days figuring it out as they went, and after another early patio job, he found himself roughly $10,000 underwater. But instead of quitting, he kept learning, kept selling, and kept taking on bigger opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After making around $40K his first year on small jobs, Jack joined the Blue Collar Business Accelerator, quit his factory job, and went all in on building a real business. He went from having virtually no online presence to building a brand, knocking doors, collecting reviews, generating leads, and eventually having 50K months. In his second year, the business jumped to roughly $350K in revenue.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Jack went from skipping school to work landscaping jobs to running a business on pace for $600K&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why his first $2,000 patio was one of the most expensive lessons of his career&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he lost roughly $10K on another patio because he didn’t know how to price the work&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What changed when he stopped treating landscaping like a side hustle and started building a real business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why quitting his job and betting on himself completely changed his mindset&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How door knocking and free reviews helped him build a brand and generate his first major wave of leads&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How his average project size grew from around $500–$2,000 to roughly $30K&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why you don’t need massive six-figure projects to build a highly profitable company&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he entered this season with nearly $100K already booked before the season started&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why taking action matters more than knowing everything before you start&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, Jack has employees, equipment, money in the bank, and a growing business that is already on pace for around $600K. But the biggest takeaway from his story is that he didn’t start with the knowledge, experience, or perfect circumstances most people think they need.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He made mistakes. He underbid jobs. He lost money. He second-guessed himself. But he kept moving forward and eventually turned a side hustle into a real business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essential listening if you’ve ever felt like your past mistakes, lack of education, or lack of experience disqualify you from building something bigger.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:44:09</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:title>No Degree, No Plan, No Direction… Now $600K Building Patios at 20</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[From High School Side Hustle to Building a $500K Business Before 21]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>➡️ Apply to join the Accelerator<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p>Check out our website<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>A&amp;A Outdoor Services started with two young guys knocking on doors and cleaning up lake weeds.</p><p></p><p>Today, at just <b>19 and 20 years old</b>, they’re on track to do roughly <b>$500K this year</b>.</p><p></p><p>Andrew and Adam started working at 13 and 14 years old. After spending summers tying up boats around the Brainerd lakes area, they got tired of working for someone else and decided to make money for themselves.</p><p>So they started knocking on doors.</p><p></p><p>With no real brand, little equipment, and no idea how to price jobs, they offered shoreline weed removal. From there, they got into snow removal, lawn care, and landscaping — building A&amp;A Outdoor Services through door knocking, Facebook, door hangers, and a willingness to take risks before they felt ready.</p><p></p><p>They bought their first mower before they had a single lawn account.</p><p>They signed their first commercial account before owning the equipment needed to service it.</p><p></p><p>And at one point, they spent nearly everything they had on a <b>$24,500 dump trailer</b>, leaving just <b>$500 in the bank</b>.</p><p></p><p>Their growth has been fast:</p><p><b>$40K → $120K → $225K → on track for $500K this year.</b></p><p></p><p>In this episode, they break down how they’ve grown the company, the risks they’ve taken, and what it really takes to build a business at a young age.</p><p></p><p>You’ll discover:</p><ul><li>How they started working and hustling at just 13 and 14 years old</li><li>Why they went door to door offering lake weed removal as teenagers</li><li>How a simple Facebook post brought them 15 snow customers in one snowfall</li><li>Why they bought a $5,000 mower before they had a single lawn account</li><li>How they went from $40K to $500K in just a few years</li><li>Why they spent $24,500 on a dump trailer and left themselves with $500</li><li>How they signed a commercial account before owning the equipment needed to do the work</li><li>Why taking risks before feeling completely ready helped accelerate their growth</li><li>Why they skipped college and bet on their business</li><li>How they hired two experienced full-time employees at just 19 and 20 years old</li><li>Why building a strong local brand helped them attract better employees</li><li>How they divide responsibilities between operations, sales, estimating, and the back end of the business</li><li>Why being young is never a valid excuse for not starting</li><li>How investing in education and getting around the right people accelerated their growth</li><li>How they went from not knowing how to turn on a mower to building a company on track for half a million dollars</li></ul><p></p><p>Andrew and Adam’s story is proof that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start.</p><p></p><p>You don’t need to be older. You don’t need decades of experience. And you don’t need to know exactly how everything is going to work.</p><p></p><p>You just need to start, take risks, learn fast, and keep betting on yourself.</p><p>If you’re a young entrepreneur, contractor, landscaper, or home service business owner trying to build something bigger, this episode is packed with lessons on risk, branding, hiring, sales, operations, mindset, and what can happen when you stop making excuses and start taking action.</p><p></p><p><b>The sky might be higher than you think.</b></p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">0372bf5e-a0c8-4ac6-9582-ed024f175c05</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 20:32:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/35d1af7db55d1a709b59604e11ba12210c740a20feaad15ae976dabecfd4cae7/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIwMzcyYmY1ZS1hMGM4LTRhYzYtOTU4Mi1lZDAyNGYxNzVjMDUiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4YjRjODFkYTAzZWNkY2MwOThkNDI2L2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjNfXzIxLTM5LTQ1Lm1wMyJ9.mp3" length="58902299" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/0372bf5e-a0c8-4ac6-9582-ed024f175c05/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;➡️ Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out our website&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A&amp;amp;A Outdoor Services started with two young guys knocking on doors and cleaning up lake weeds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, at just &lt;b&gt;19 and 20 years old&lt;/b&gt;, they’re on track to do roughly &lt;b&gt;$500K this year&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew and Adam started working at 13 and 14 years old. After spending summers tying up boats around the Brainerd lakes area, they got tired of working for someone else and decided to make money for themselves.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So they started knocking on doors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With no real brand, little equipment, and no idea how to price jobs, they offered shoreline weed removal. From there, they got into snow removal, lawn care, and landscaping — building A&amp;amp;A Outdoor Services through door knocking, Facebook, door hangers, and a willingness to take risks before they felt ready.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They bought their first mower before they had a single lawn account.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They signed their first commercial account before owning the equipment needed to service it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And at one point, they spent nearly everything they had on a &lt;b&gt;$24,500 dump trailer&lt;/b&gt;, leaving just &lt;b&gt;$500 in the bank&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Their growth has been fast:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;$40K → $120K → $225K → on track for $500K this year.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, they break down how they’ve grown the company, the risks they’ve taken, and what it really takes to build a business at a young age.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they started working and hustling at just 13 and 14 years old&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why they went door to door offering lake weed removal as teenagers&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How a simple Facebook post brought them 15 snow customers in one snowfall&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why they bought a $5,000 mower before they had a single lawn account&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they went from $40K to $500K in just a few years&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why they spent $24,500 on a dump trailer and left themselves with $500&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they signed a commercial account before owning the equipment needed to do the work&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why taking risks before feeling completely ready helped accelerate their growth&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why they skipped college and bet on their business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they hired two experienced full-time employees at just 19 and 20 years old&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why building a strong local brand helped them attract better employees&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they divide responsibilities between operations, sales, estimating, and the back end of the business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why being young is never a valid excuse for not starting&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How investing in education and getting around the right people accelerated their growth&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How they went from not knowing how to turn on a mower to building a company on track for half a million dollars&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew and Adam’s story is proof that you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You don’t need to be older. You don’t need decades of experience. And you don’t need to know exactly how everything is going to work.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You just need to start, take risks, learn fast, and keep betting on yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’re a young entrepreneur, contractor, landscaper, or home service business owner trying to build something bigger, this episode is packed with lessons on risk, branding, hiring, sales, operations, mindset, and what can happen when you stop making excuses and start taking action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;The sky might be higher than you think.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:30:41</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>6</itunes:episode><itunes:title>From High School Side Hustle to Building a $500K Business Before 21</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time to Start Your Business]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>➡️ Apply to join the Accelerator<br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p>Check out our website<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>Chad with <b>Davis Dirtworks</b> spent 18 years working his way from a laborer to a foreman before finally starting his own excavation business.</p><p>Today, he’s on track to do roughly <b>$800K in revenue this season</b> with just two employees.</p><p></p><p>But he didn’t start with everything figured out.</p><p></p><p>Chad launched Davis Dirtworks as a side hustle in 2018, taking on pole barn pads, clearing, boulder walls, and pretty much any job the phone rang about. He spent nearly five years waiting for the “perfect time” to quit his W-2 job.</p><p></p><p>In 2022, he finally stopped waiting.</p><p></p><p>At 38 years old, with two young kids and just <b>$2,000 in his bank account</b>, Chad quit his job and went all in.</p><p></p><p>Since then, he’s grown Davis Dirtworks from a one-man operation into a business approaching $800K in annual revenue. Along the way, he learned expensive lessons about taking bad jobs, rushing work, managing cash flow, buying equipment, hiring employees, and building a brand.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Chad shares why being “busy” doesn’t always mean you’re making money, how he learned to focus on more profitable projects, and why getting help changed the way he thinks about business.</p><p></p><p>You’ll discover:</p><ul><li>How Chad went from laborer to foreman before starting his own business</li><li>Why he spent nearly five years building the business on nights and weekends</li><li>Why he quit his W-2 job with only $2,000 in the bank</li><li>How taking any job can keep business owners stuck</li><li>Why being busy doesn’t always mean you’re making money</li><li>How Chad went from doing $300–$500 jobs to landing $100K+ projects</li><li>Why focusing on ideal projects helped him take control of his business</li><li>How he’s on track for roughly $800K with just two employees</li><li>Why profit matters more than revenue</li><li>How setting your ego aside and getting help changed the way he runs his business</li><li>What actually happens when you hit a gas line — and what Chad did after it happened</li><li>How much his gas line mistake actually cost</li><li>Why rushing jobs can become expensive</li><li>How he destroyed a $6,500 garage door</li><li>How social media helped him find customers, connections, and even an employee</li><li>Why simple iPhone videos can outperform expensive drone footage</li><li>Why building a personal brand can help you grow a trade business</li><li>Why it’s never too late to start your own business<p></p></li></ul><p>Chad’s story is proof that you don’t need to start at 20 years old, have everything figured out, or wait until you have the perfect amount of money in the bank.</p><p></p><p>If you’re a contractor, excavator, landscaper, or home service business owner trying to stop chasing every random job, create a more consistent pipeline, build a stronger brand, and take control of your business, this episode is packed with practical lessons on mindset, profit, marketing, hiring, mistakes, and growth.</p><p></p><p>Essential listening for anyone in the trades who knows they’re capable of more — but keeps waiting for the perfect time to make the move.</p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">2536cec0-1c65-4449-b319-5653b94ac02c</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:55:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/767fb3d12d99afa9c191bc0cc8e7a43c8db2e4116d0a2b1a63a8b6f912788cce/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIyNTM2Y2VjMC0xYzY1LTQ0NDktYjMxOS01NjUzYjk0YWMwMmMiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4OTQ1OWVkNTg1YWM2MGYxMjgyMzEzL2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjJfXzgtNDUtNTAubXAzIn0=.mp3" length="76255129" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/2536cec0-1c65-4449-b319-5653b94ac02c/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;➡️ Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out our website&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chad with &lt;b&gt;Davis Dirtworks&lt;/b&gt; spent 18 years working his way from a laborer to a foreman before finally starting his own excavation business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, he’s on track to do roughly &lt;b&gt;$800K in revenue this season&lt;/b&gt; with just two employees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But he didn’t start with everything figured out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chad launched Davis Dirtworks as a side hustle in 2018, taking on pole barn pads, clearing, boulder walls, and pretty much any job the phone rang about. He spent nearly five years waiting for the “perfect time” to quit his W-2 job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2022, he finally stopped waiting.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At 38 years old, with two young kids and just &lt;b&gt;$2,000 in his bank account&lt;/b&gt;, Chad quit his job and went all in.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since then, he’s grown Davis Dirtworks from a one-man operation into a business approaching $800K in annual revenue. Along the way, he learned expensive lessons about taking bad jobs, rushing work, managing cash flow, buying equipment, hiring employees, and building a brand.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Chad shares why being “busy” doesn’t always mean you’re making money, how he learned to focus on more profitable projects, and why getting help changed the way he thinks about business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Chad went from laborer to foreman before starting his own business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he spent nearly five years building the business on nights and weekends&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he quit his W-2 job with only $2,000 in the bank&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How taking any job can keep business owners stuck&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why being busy doesn’t always mean you’re making money&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Chad went from doing $300–$500 jobs to landing $100K+ projects&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why focusing on ideal projects helped him take control of his business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he’s on track for roughly $800K with just two employees&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why profit matters more than revenue&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How setting your ego aside and getting help changed the way he runs his business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What actually happens when you hit a gas line — and what Chad did after it happened&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How much his gas line mistake actually cost&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why rushing jobs can become expensive&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he destroyed a $6,500 garage door&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How social media helped him find customers, connections, and even an employee&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why simple iPhone videos can outperform expensive drone footage&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why building a personal brand can help you grow a trade business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why it’s never too late to start your own business&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Chad’s story is proof that you don’t need to start at 20 years old, have everything figured out, or wait until you have the perfect amount of money in the bank.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’re a contractor, excavator, landscaper, or home service business owner trying to stop chasing every random job, create a more consistent pipeline, build a stronger brand, and take control of your business, this episode is packed with practical lessons on mindset, profit, marketing, hiring, mistakes, and growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Essential listening for anyone in the trades who knows they’re capable of more — but keeps waiting for the perfect time to make the move.&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:39:43</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>5</itunes:episode><itunes:title>Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time to Start Your Business</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Charging More Might Actually Be Better for Everyone]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>➡️ <b>Apply to join the Accelerator</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p><b>Check out our website</b><br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>Noah with Rooted Tree Works is just a few years into building his business — and he’s already on track to do roughly <b>$600K–$650K this year with just three full-time employees</b>.</p><p></p><p>But before tree work, Noah picked rocks in farm fields, milked cows, worked in the dairy industry, went to trade school for welding, and even spent time welding in Africa.</p><p></p><p>When he returned, he decided to learn a completely new trade.</p><p>He Googled the nearest tree service, called them, and said, “I’ve been working in the trades since I was 13. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink, and I show up early.”</p><p></p><p>They hired him that day.</p><p></p><p>After working for two tree companies, Noah started building Rooted Tree Works. Last year, with two employees, the business did roughly <b>$350K</b>. This year, with three full-time employees, they’re on track to nearly double that revenue while significantly improving their profit margins.</p><p>In this episode, Noah breaks down how he built a business that can now generate revenue <b>even when he isn’t on the job site</b>.</p><p></p><p>He shares why hiring the right people changed everything, how strong reviews and branding allow him to win jobs without being the cheapest, why he spends <b>$0 on paid ads</b>, and how BCBA helped turn his vision into a concrete plan for growth.</p><p></p><p><b>You’ll discover:</b></p><ul><li>How Noah went from farm work and welding to building a $600K+ tree business</li><li>Why he started with nothing more than a chainsaw, climbing gear, and his truck</li><li>How the business grew from $350K to a projected $600K–$650K</li><li>Why people and systems are the biggest drivers of business growth</li><li>How hiring the right crew lead helped him step away from the job site</li><li>Why hiring for character can be more important than hiring for experience</li><li>How to empower employees to lead jobs without the owner being present</li><li>Why business owners need to work <b>on the business</b>, not just in it</li><li>How Noah is doing over $600K with <b>$0 spent on paid advertising</b></li><li>Why strong reviews and a professional brand allow you to charge more than competitors</li><li>How he wins jobs without being the cheapest option</li><li>Why charging more isn’t unethical if you provide greater value</li><li>How one BCBA referral turned into <b>$19K worth of work</b></li><li>Why most business owners know where they want to go but don’t know how to get there</li><li>How BCBA gave Noah concrete, tangible actions to grow his business<p></p></li></ul><p>Noah’s story is proof that you don’t need decades of experience, a massive team, or a huge advertising budget to build a successful business.</p><p></p><p>If you’re a contractor or home service business owner trying to get off the tools, build a stronger team, generate consistent work, and create a business that can operate without you on every single job site, this episode is packed with practical lessons on hiring, leadership, branding, pricing, reviews, systems, and growth.</p><p></p><p><b>Essential listening if you’re trying to stop owning a high-paying job and start building a real business.</b></p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">aa59955b-014e-4bb5-9d68-6f9a3652735b</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:56:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/c6f5d406eb2391ed77f96e50a358647f4e55b20ee43e948f3200380292955bc5/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiJhYTU5OTU1Yi0wMTRlLTRiYjUtOWQ2OC02ZjlhMzY1MjczNWIiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4ODZkY2ViNWQ1YmFhODU0OGY0MmRhL2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjFfXzE3LTI1LTIubXAzIn0=.mp3" length="76167357" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/aa59955b-014e-4bb5-9d68-6f9a3652735b/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;➡️ &lt;b&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Check out our website&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Noah with Rooted Tree Works is just a few years into building his business — and he’s already on track to do roughly &lt;b&gt;$600K–$650K this year with just three full-time employees&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But before tree work, Noah picked rocks in farm fields, milked cows, worked in the dairy industry, went to trade school for welding, and even spent time welding in Africa.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When he returned, he decided to learn a completely new trade.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He Googled the nearest tree service, called them, and said, “I’ve been working in the trades since I was 13. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink, and I show up early.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They hired him that day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After working for two tree companies, Noah started building Rooted Tree Works. Last year, with two employees, the business did roughly &lt;b&gt;$350K&lt;/b&gt;. This year, with three full-time employees, they’re on track to nearly double that revenue while significantly improving their profit margins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Noah breaks down how he built a business that can now generate revenue &lt;b&gt;even when he isn’t on the job site&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He shares why hiring the right people changed everything, how strong reviews and branding allow him to win jobs without being the cheapest, why he spends &lt;b&gt;$0 on paid ads&lt;/b&gt;, and how BCBA helped turn his vision into a concrete plan for growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Noah went from farm work and welding to building a $600K+ tree business&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he started with nothing more than a chainsaw, climbing gear, and his truck&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How the business grew from $350K to a projected $600K–$650K&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why people and systems are the biggest drivers of business growth&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How hiring the right crew lead helped him step away from the job site&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why hiring for character can be more important than hiring for experience&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How to empower employees to lead jobs without the owner being present&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why business owners need to work &lt;b&gt;on the business&lt;/b&gt;, not just in it&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Noah is doing over $600K with &lt;b&gt;$0 spent on paid advertising&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why strong reviews and a professional brand allow you to charge more than competitors&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he wins jobs without being the cheapest option&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why charging more isn’t unethical if you provide greater value&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How one BCBA referral turned into &lt;b&gt;$19K worth of work&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why most business owners know where they want to go but don’t know how to get there&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How BCBA gave Noah concrete, tangible actions to grow his business&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Noah’s story is proof that you don’t need decades of experience, a massive team, or a huge advertising budget to build a successful business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’re a contractor or home service business owner trying to get off the tools, build a stronger team, generate consistent work, and create a business that can operate without you on every single job site, this episode is packed with practical lessons on hiring, leadership, branding, pricing, reviews, systems, and growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essential listening if you’re trying to stop owning a high-paying job and start building a real business.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:39:40</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>4</itunes:episode><itunes:title>Why Charging More Might Actually Be Better for Everyone</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[He Refused to Go to College... Now He's Doing $500K at Just 19 Years Old]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>➡️ <b>Apply to join the Accelerator</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p><b>Check out our website</b><br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>Andrew with AJS Outdoor Services is just 19 years old — and he's already on track to do roughly $500K this year with his Minnesota landscaping business.</p><p></p><p>But he didn't come from money, didn't have a business degree, and had zero experience running a company.</p><p></p><p>Andrew started at 13 years old by knocking on his neighbor's door and asking if he could mow their lawn. He grew that into 10 mowing clients, used the money to buy his first mower, and spent his teenage years flipping jet skis, four-wheelers, and other equipment before getting serious about building a real business.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Andrew breaks down how he went from doing roughly $100K his first real year in business to $220K the following year and now being on pace for around $500K at just 19 years old.</p><p></p><p>He shares why he almost went to college, how his grandfather's old-school approach to business nearly influenced him to avoid building a website or online presence, and the mindset shift that completely changed how he views business growth.</p><p></p><p>Andrew also explains the costly lessons he learned around cash flow, commercial contracts, employees, systems, and why having money in the bank gives you more freedom than simply buying more equipment.</p><p></p><p><b>You'll discover:</b></p><p></p><ul><li>How Andrew went from knocking doors at 13 to building a $500K landscaping business at 19<p></p></li><li>Why clients can't buy from you if they don't know your business exists<p></p></li><li>How he grew from $100K to $220K to a projected $500K in just a few years<p></p></li><li>Why relying entirely on word-of-mouth can hold a contractor back<p></p></li><li>How a lack of cash nearly created a serious problem after a large snow contract fell behind on payments<p></p></li><li>Why having cash in the bank gives business owners more options<p></p></li><li>How Andrew grew his business with <b>$0 spent on paid ads</b><p></p></li><li>Why backend business inputs matter more than simply posting your work online.<p></p></li><li>How he structures his day between the field, quoting jobs, and working <b>on</b> the business<p></p></li><li>Why getting off the job site by 5 PM has been one of his biggest rules for growth<p></p></li><li>How he manages employees and creates a culture where his team understands why the owner needs to leave the job site<p></p></li><li>How going to the gym helped Andrew become more disciplined in business<p></p></li><li>How he learned to install larger landscaping and hardscaping projects without years of formal experience<p></p></li><li>Why he turned down college just one week before classes started to bet on himself<p></p></li></ul><p>Andrew's story is proof that you don't need a business degree, years of experience, or the perfect background to get started.</p><p></p><p>If you're a young entrepreneur, contractor, or home service business owner trying to grow beyond an owner-operator business, this episode is packed with practical lessons on marketing, cash flow, leadership, employees, systems, discipline, and betting on yourself.</p><p></p><p><b>Essential listening if you're trying to build a real business — even if you're starting with nothing more than a lawnmower, a willingness to knock doors, and the discipline to keep showing up.</b></p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">c485e940-246c-43e2-b6a5-5b0df46da6a2</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:56:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/d05b8dc18c0df671829f0dae4254bbbaf256e0393b180cb2862ffc450d2a78b5/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiJjNDg1ZTk0MC0yNDZjLTQzZTItYjZhNS01YjBkZjQ2ZGE2YTIiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4NzE0ZWMxNjJlZWNlYjM1MzA3ZTU5L2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMjBfXzE2LTUzLTMxLm1wMyJ9.mp3" length="81852438" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/c485e940-246c-43e2-b6a5-5b0df46da6a2/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;➡️ &lt;b&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Check out our website&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew with AJS Outdoor Services is just 19 years old — and he&apos;s already on track to do roughly $500K this year with his Minnesota landscaping business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But he didn&apos;t come from money, didn&apos;t have a business degree, and had zero experience running a company.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew started at 13 years old by knocking on his neighbor&apos;s door and asking if he could mow their lawn. He grew that into 10 mowing clients, used the money to buy his first mower, and spent his teenage years flipping jet skis, four-wheelers, and other equipment before getting serious about building a real business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Andrew breaks down how he went from doing roughly $100K his first real year in business to $220K the following year and now being on pace for around $500K at just 19 years old.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He shares why he almost went to college, how his grandfather&apos;s old-school approach to business nearly influenced him to avoid building a website or online presence, and the mindset shift that completely changed how he views business growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew also explains the costly lessons he learned around cash flow, commercial contracts, employees, systems, and why having money in the bank gives you more freedom than simply buying more equipment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;You&apos;ll discover:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Andrew went from knocking doors at 13 to building a $500K landscaping business at 19&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why clients can&apos;t buy from you if they don&apos;t know your business exists&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he grew from $100K to $220K to a projected $500K in just a few years&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why relying entirely on word-of-mouth can hold a contractor back&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How a lack of cash nearly created a serious problem after a large snow contract fell behind on payments&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why having cash in the bank gives business owners more options&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Andrew grew his business with &lt;b&gt;$0 spent on paid ads&lt;/b&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why backend business inputs matter more than simply posting your work online.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he structures his day between the field, quoting jobs, and working &lt;b&gt;on&lt;/b&gt; the business&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why getting off the job site by 5 PM has been one of his biggest rules for growth&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he manages employees and creates a culture where his team understands why the owner needs to leave the job site&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How going to the gym helped Andrew become more disciplined in business&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he learned to install larger landscaping and hardscaping projects without years of formal experience&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he turned down college just one week before classes started to bet on himself&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Andrew&apos;s story is proof that you don&apos;t need a business degree, years of experience, or the perfect background to get started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&apos;re a young entrepreneur, contractor, or home service business owner trying to grow beyond an owner-operator business, this episode is packed with practical lessons on marketing, cash flow, leadership, employees, systems, discipline, and betting on yourself.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Essential listening if you&apos;re trying to build a real business — even if you&apos;re starting with nothing more than a lawnmower, a willingness to knock doors, and the discipline to keep showing up.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:42:38</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>3</itunes:episode><itunes:title>He Refused to Go to College... Now He&apos;s Doing $500K at Just 19 Years Old</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Being a Good Human Might Be Your Best Business Strategy]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Apply to join the Accelerator<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a></p><p></p><p>Check out our website<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a></p><p></p><p>Dave with Prestige Gutters has built an 18-employee gutter business in the Twin Cities — and he says the biggest reason behind his success has nothing to do with money.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, Dave breaks down how he lost roughly $100K in just four weeks because his business was generating more opportunities than he could personally handle, how he manages 18 employees from a home office, and why he believes faith, relationships, and simply being a good human being have been the foundation of his growth.</p><p></p><p>Dave shares how he went from being a door knocker and project manager to building a gutter company that can install 3–5 projects a day without requiring him to be in the field. He explains why he intentionally removed himself from production early, how he uses SOPs and simple systems to make the business “dummy proof,” and how he keeps his crews organized across multiple areas of the Twin Cities.</p><p></p><p>You’ll discover:</p><p></p><ul><li>Why Dave believes selling in person is one of the biggest advantages a home service business can have<p></p></li><li>How door hangers, neighborhood awareness, and simply showing up have generated a steady stream of opportunities<p></p></li><li>Why speed-to-lead cost him roughly $100K and forced him to hire additional salespeople<p></p></li><li>How he manages 18 employees using simple systems, SOPs, a notebook, and a whiteboard<p></p></li><li>Why he refuses to treat homeowners like numbers — and how that philosophy has helped him build long-term relationships and referrals<p></p></li><li>How faith influences the way he runs his business, treats employees, and serves his community<p></p></li><li>Why he believes giving value without expecting anything in return eventually compounds into business growth<p></p></li><li>How selling in person allows him to build trust, read the homeowner, explain the project, and create a better customer experience<p></p></li><li>Why he believes most contractors are actually running a high-paying job instead of a real business<p></p></li></ul><p>Dave also shares the philosophy that has shaped the way he approaches business and life: <b>love God, love your neighbor, and treat people the way you want to be treated.</b> His approach isn't about chasing money or trying to squeeze every dollar out of a customer. It's about creating an experience people remember, serving the community, and building relationships that compound over time.</p><p></p><p>If you're a contractor, entrepreneur, or business owner trying to build something that gives you more freedom instead of simply creating another job for yourself, this episode is packed with practical lessons on sales, systems, leadership, relationships, and the long game of building a business the right way.</p><p></p><p>Essential listening if you want to build a business that makes money, serves people, and doesn't require you to be everywhere at once.</p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">388ae71d-58a1-43c0-bcb0-e8c08a6b3c46</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:56:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/1d49717d0b6c8b2a80c79d45c0163a68604193b4b9768ed28475eeba6686eea4/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIzODhhZTcxZC01OGExLTQzYzAtYmNiMC1lOGMwOGE2YjNjNDYiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE4NDgwYWUwNzk1NTFlYzdlNzgxMzc3L2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMThfXzE3LTU2LTI5Lm1wMyJ9.mp3" length="75786179" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/388ae71d-58a1-43c0-bcb0-e8c08a6b3c46/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out our website&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dave with Prestige Gutters has built an 18-employee gutter business in the Twin Cities — and he says the biggest reason behind his success has nothing to do with money.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Dave breaks down how he lost roughly $100K in just four weeks because his business was generating more opportunities than he could personally handle, how he manages 18 employees from a home office, and why he believes faith, relationships, and simply being a good human being have been the foundation of his growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dave shares how he went from being a door knocker and project manager to building a gutter company that can install 3–5 projects a day without requiring him to be in the field. He explains why he intentionally removed himself from production early, how he uses SOPs and simple systems to make the business “dummy proof,” and how he keeps his crews organized across multiple areas of the Twin Cities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why Dave believes selling in person is one of the biggest advantages a home service business can have&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How door hangers, neighborhood awareness, and simply showing up have generated a steady stream of opportunities&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why speed-to-lead cost him roughly $100K and forced him to hire additional salespeople&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How he manages 18 employees using simple systems, SOPs, a notebook, and a whiteboard&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he refuses to treat homeowners like numbers — and how that philosophy has helped him build long-term relationships and referrals&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How faith influences the way he runs his business, treats employees, and serves his community&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he believes giving value without expecting anything in return eventually compounds into business growth&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How selling in person allows him to build trust, read the homeowner, explain the project, and create a better customer experience&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why he believes most contractors are actually running a high-paying job instead of a real business&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dave also shares the philosophy that has shaped the way he approaches business and life: &lt;b&gt;love God, love your neighbor, and treat people the way you want to be treated.&lt;/b&gt; His approach isn&apos;t about chasing money or trying to squeeze every dollar out of a customer. It&apos;s about creating an experience people remember, serving the community, and building relationships that compound over time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&apos;re a contractor, entrepreneur, or business owner trying to build something that gives you more freedom instead of simply creating another job for yourself, this episode is packed with practical lessons on sales, systems, leadership, relationships, and the long game of building a business the right way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Essential listening if you want to build a business that makes money, serves people, and doesn&apos;t require you to be everywhere at once.&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:39:28</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>2</itunes:episode><itunes:title>Why Being a Good Human Might Be Your Best Business Strategy</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title><![CDATA[From $150 Dock Repairs to a 600K Business Owner at 22-Years-Old]]></title><description><![CDATA[<p>Apply to join the Accelerator<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997</a><br /><br />Check out our website<br />➡️ <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com" target="_blank">https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com</a><br /><br />At 22, Kobe is already running a mobile welding and fabrication business on pace for roughly $600K in revenue - and he built it from zero with almost no business experience. The biggest lesson? His fastest growth didn’t come from working harder. It came from pricing correctly, raising rates, and learning how to run a real business before the business ran him.<br /><br />Kobe shares how growing up on a family resort in Bemidji, Minnesota taught him to fix everything himself, from plumbing and electrical to docks and boat lifts. That hands-on upbringing led to welding at age 8, four years of shop classes in high school, and a first job at 15 in a fabrication shop where he learned production welding before automation started replacing the work.<br /><br />He also breaks down the bold move that changed everything: spending $18K of his savings on a four-month welding program in Wyoming, then turning that training into travel work across the country before realizing he could make more by going solo. From there, he started taking dock repairs and custom fabrication jobs out of the back of his truck, slowly building a business that went from roughly $90K in year one to about $230K in year two.<br /><br />You’ll discover:<br /><br />* Why his first big mistake on a galvanized cable railing taught him more than any class could<br /><br />* How he figured out his true overhead and stopped undercharging for labor, fuel, wear and tear, software, and shop costs<br /><br />* Why Google reviews, testimonials, and proof of work became essential to raising prices with confidence<br /><br />* How he hired his first employee with SOPs and an employee handbook already in place<br /><br />* What “underpromise and overdeliver” looks like in a trade business when steel, powder coating, and suppliers all go sideways<br /><br />Kobe also lays out where the business is headed next, from a bigger shop and more crews to staying ruthlessly profitable while scaling residential and commercial work. If you’re a welder, tradesperson, or young operator trying to turn skill into real income, this episode is packed with the kind of practical lessons that can save you years of mistakes.<br /><br />Essential listening if you want to build a trade business that actually makes money, not just keeps you busy.</p>]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">1aa3a606-d32a-4f77-adff-4de58b2793ef</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Blue Collar Business Accelerator]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:07:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/315903f4906e7c4f3065eb04ed8f415296c81fd64ff981838dc0bfd818cfc505/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiIxYWEzYTYwNi1kMzJhLTRmNzctYWRmZi00ZGU1OGIyNzkzZWYiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJlNzYyNTljMy1jZTJmLTRmMjEtOTVmMS0xZDY1YTdmMDI4MmIiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTcwY2VmMTc0MDVlYzA0MDUxOWFkZTYiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE3YTY4MjE1ZmFlMGZhM2NjYjQ3OWYwL2R5bGFuLXByb2NoZWxzLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTgtMTFfXzItOS01Lm1wMyJ9.mp3" length="60287416" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:transcript url="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/episodes/1aa3a606-d32a-4f77-adff-4de58b2793ef/transcripts.txt" type="text/plain"/><itunes:summary>&lt;p&gt;Apply to join the Accelerator&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.info/apply-336997&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check out our website&lt;br /&gt;➡️ &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer nofollow&quot; href=&quot;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://bluecollarbusinessaccelerator.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At 22, Kobe is already running a mobile welding and fabrication business on pace for roughly $600K in revenue - and he built it from zero with almost no business experience. The biggest lesson? His fastest growth didn’t come from working harder. It came from pricing correctly, raising rates, and learning how to run a real business before the business ran him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kobe shares how growing up on a family resort in Bemidji, Minnesota taught him to fix everything himself, from plumbing and electrical to docks and boat lifts. That hands-on upbringing led to welding at age 8, four years of shop classes in high school, and a first job at 15 in a fabrication shop where he learned production welding before automation started replacing the work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He also breaks down the bold move that changed everything: spending $18K of his savings on a four-month welding program in Wyoming, then turning that training into travel work across the country before realizing he could make more by going solo. From there, he started taking dock repairs and custom fabrication jobs out of the back of his truck, slowly building a business that went from roughly $90K in year one to about $230K in year two.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You’ll discover:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Why his first big mistake on a galvanized cable railing taught him more than any class could&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* How he figured out his true overhead and stopped undercharging for labor, fuel, wear and tear, software, and shop costs&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* Why Google reviews, testimonials, and proof of work became essential to raising prices with confidence&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* How he hired his first employee with SOPs and an employee handbook already in place&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* What “underpromise and overdeliver” looks like in a trade business when steel, powder coating, and suppliers all go sideways&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kobe also lays out where the business is headed next, from a bigger shop and more crews to staying ruthlessly profitable while scaling residential and commercial work. If you’re a welder, tradesperson, or young operator trying to turn skill into real income, this episode is packed with the kind of practical lessons that can save you years of mistakes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Essential listening if you want to build a trade business that actually makes money, not just keeps you busy.&lt;/p&gt;</itunes:summary><itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit><itunes:duration>00:31:24</itunes:duration><itunes:image href="https://hosting-media.riverside.com/media/podcasts/e76259c3-ce2f-4f21-95f1-1d65a7f0282b/logos/ed85acec-f6a8-4e44-ab62-647a9942a0b7.jpeg"/><itunes:episode>1</itunes:episode><itunes:title>From $150 Dock Repairs to a 600K Business Owner at 22-Years-Old</itunes:title><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item></channel></rss>