Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast

Lyndsey McDonald didn't grow up dreaming of owning a plumbing company. In fact, she had no professional experience in the trades.After an unwanted divorce changed the trajectory of her life, Lyndsey rebuilt her career, moved her family from Oregon to Middle Tennessee and eventually took an even bigger leap: starting Plumbing Pro.Lyndsey joins Jim McCarthy to talk about rebuilding from difficult circumstances, starting a company in an industry she didn't know, surrounding herself with people smarter than her and creating a workplace designed to treat skilled tradespeople differently.They also discuss five weeks of PTO for plumbers, hiring and work ethic, why skilled trades can offer a path toward financial stability, the impact of AI on white-collar careers and why the trades may be entering one of their biggest periods of opportunity.

What happens when the career you've built for 15 years is suddenly no longer who you are?Donna Leggett spent years in accounting and financial leadership — and once listed sales and retail among the careers she never wanted.Today, she's doing both.Donna is the owner of Pearce Bespoke Nashville, helping clients build custom wardrobes while building an entirely new career and business of her own.In this episode of the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast, Donna talks with Jim McCarthy about leaving the identity and security of a career she knew inside and out, moving to Nashville, learning how to sell, building a business from the ground up and the morning she sat at her desk wondering, “Who am I now?”They also get into why you shouldn't judge a customer by appearance, the psychology behind how we dress, why Donna refuses to “closet shame,” “budget shame” or “body shame” her clients, common mistakes men make with suits and why simply showing up can create opportunities you never expected.Sometimes changing careers isn't just about learning a new job.It's about discovering who you are without the old one.SPONSORS: ItsYourShow.co - Podcast and Short-Form Content Ideation and ProductionMuleTown Bikes :: MuletownBikes.comColumbia, Tennessee (on the square)Christian Brothers Automotive – Spring Hill :: www.cbac.com/spring-hill/Across from Walmart on Highway 31, Spring Hill, Tennessee

After more than two decades in law enforcement, Chris Morris probably didn't expect his next career to involve coffee — especially considering he originally hated the stuff.But years of overnight shifts, a search for lower-acidity coffee and a lot of experimentation eventually led to Peacemaker Coffee Company.Chris joins Jim McCarthy to talk about making the leap from law enforcement into entrepreneurship, learning the coffee industry, getting rejected by retailers, building a growing business and discovering opportunities in white-label coffee and co-packing.They also get into coffee roasting, caffeine, acidity, Amazon, commodity pricing, business margins and some memorable stories from Chris's years behind the badge.

Jacob Bourque joins Jim McCarthy for a conversation that begins with logistics, cold calling and building a referral-based business — and eventually becomes something far more personal.Jacob talks about spending years making cold calls, learning how genuine relationships create long-term customers, specialty tax strategies and why there may be no such thing as truly passive income.Then the conversation turns to losing his father unexpectedly at 26.Jacob shares the moments when he still wishes he could pick up the phone and call his dad, why he once dialed the old number just to see what would happen, and how his father’s emphasis on experiences rather than possessions left him with something far more valuable: memories.It’s a conversation about business, grief, family, resilience and remembering what all the work is ultimately for.Follow along at www.mmtbp.comSPONSORS: ItsYourShow.co - Podcast and Short-Form Content Ideation and ProductionMuleTown Bikes :: MuletownBikes.comColumbia, Tennessee (on the square)Christian Brothers Automotive – Spring Hill :: www.cbac.com/spring-hill/Across from Walmart on Highway 31, Spring Hill, Tennessee

For decades, skilled trades were often treated as Plan B while college was sold as the path to success. That equation may be changing fast.Electrical-industry sales professional Esteban Legarea joins Jim for a conversation about AI and the future of blue-collar work, college debt, learning through experience, building customer relationships, the realities of sales, and accidentally discovering a career he never knew existed. Esteban shares how he went from waiting tables to the warehouse floor and ultimately found a career he genuinely loves.SPONSORS: ItsYourShow.co - Podcast and Short-Form Content Ideation and ProductionMuleTown Bikes :: MuletownBikes.comColumbia, Tennessee (on the square)Christian Brothers Automotive – Spring Hill :: www.cbac.com/spring-hill/Across from Walmart on Highway 31, Spring Hill, Tennessee