Blue Collar StartUp

Dr. Michael Brophy, President of Hudson Valley Community College, joins Mike Nelson and Derek Foster on Blue Collar StartUp to discuss the skilled labor shortage, the future of trades education, workforce development, and the growing demand for technical skills across New York's Capital Region. From AI's impact on traditional careers to hands-on training, shorter certificate programs, and employer partnerships, discover how technical education is preparing workers for new opportunities in the trades.Learn more about Hudson Valley Community College at hvcc.edu/index.html and explore its programs for students and working professionals.0:00 Introducing Blue Collar StartUp and Hudson Valley Community College2:17 Dr. Brophy's Career in Higher Education4:44 The College's Programs and Capital Region Campuses7:20 How Technical Education Has Changed8:39 What Regional Employers Say the Workforce Needs10:08 Why Students Need More Hands-On Trade Experiences11:47 Why Employers Need More Than Technical Skills14:01 The Skilled Labor Shortage and Career Opportunities15:31 Meeting Demand for Skilled Workers Across the Region17:07 The Capital Region's Growing Technology and Manufacturing Economy18:38 Retraining Adults for New Careers19:27 Shorter Training Programs and Employer Partnerships22:08 Why Attitudes Toward the Trades Are Changing24:13 The Business Opportunities Available in the Trades25:28 How AI Is Changing Higher Education and Lifelong Learning28:30 Why Skilled Trades Will Still Matter in an AI-Driven World31:08 Connecting High School Students With Hands-On Training33:55 How Local Employers Can Connect With Hudson Valley Students37:51 Expanding Training Capacity and the Future of the College40:23 Exploring Programs and Visiting CampusWant more Blue Collar StartUp?Website: bluecollarstartup.io Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup #BlueCollarStartUp #SkilledTrades #WorkforceDevelopment #HudsonValleyCommunityCollege #FutureOfWork

What does it take to turn a plumbing business into a thriving company? Pete and Alicia Green of Go Green Plumbing share how they grew from one service truck into a multimillion-dollar operation through financial discipline, business systems, leadership, and community investment. They also explain why knowing your break-even costs, separating salary from profit, and learning how to run a business are essential for long-term success in the trades.Learn more about Pete and Alicia Green at gogreenplumb.com. 0:00 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp2:06 Pete and Alicia’s Story and the Start of Go Green3:26 Building a Business Roadmap Before Hiring5:40 Pete’s Early Interest in the Trades7:39 Failed Businesses, Visionaries, and Implementers9:06 Learning Business Systems and Leadership12:26 What Nexstar Offers Plumbing and HVAC Contractors16:32 When Is a Contractor Ready for Business Coaching?19:10 Why Pete Committed to the Nexstar System21:15 The Conversation That Inspired Pete to Start His Business24:42 Starting With One Truck and Working Long Hours25:17 Why Knowing Your Break-Even Cost Matters27:00 Sacrifice, Salary, Profit, and Reinvesting in Growth31:01 Go Green’s Early Revenue and Growth34:07 Learning From Bad Reviews, Employees, and Mistakes37:52 Finding the Right Roles and Supporting the Team45:51 Go Green Community Promise and Giving Back50:06 Advice for Future Tradespeople and Business OwnersVisit bluecollarstartup.io for more real stories and practical lessons from blue-collar business owners.Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup #BlueCollarStartUp #PlumbingBusiness #BlueCollarBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SkilledTrades

Matt Fishbune, CEO of Duke's, joins Blue Collar StartUp to discuss how a specialized sewer root control company grew from its Syracuse, New York roots into a nationwide business through acquisitions, market expansion, skilled labor, leadership development, and a focus on its core business. Matt also shares lessons from Duke's growth, including how to evaluate new markets, build teams across multiple regions, develop future leaders, and why the trades should never be viewed as a fallback career.Connect with Matt Fishbune and learn more about Duke's at dukes.com.0:00 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp3:57 How Duke's Root Control got started in Syracuse7:41 Turning a chemical product into a service business10:54 Building a specialized blue-collar workforce12:56 Matt's role and building Duke's for the next 40 years15:05 Growth, acquisitions and entering new markets18:13 Why Duke's invests in greenfield expansion21:11 Learning from failed investments and "scar tissue"22:53 How Duke's decides which markets to enter24:05 Why local relationships matter in a national business27:03 Building the infrastructure to manage nationwide growth30:47 Creating a more effective organizational structure32:42 Why leadership needs to get out in the field35:05 The "Chief Reminding Officer" approach to leadership38:00 Building Duke's Academy and developing leaders39:50 Why onboarding can become overwhelming42:18 When expanding into a new market can be a mistake45:05 The "30-foot dunk" test for new business ideas46:31 Why the trades are not a fallback option48:04 Learning the trade and the business side49:37 Where to learn more about Duke'sWant more Blue Collar StartUp?Website: bluecollarstartup.io Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartup Instagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup #BlueCollarStartUp #BlueCollarBusiness #TradesBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SkilledTrades

Brianna Ford, Founder of All In Heating & Air, shares how she went from working inside multimillion-dollar HVAC companies to launching her own business from zero customers, building a database, generating leads through community involvement, and growing a recognizable local brand. She also breaks down restructuring a $40 million HVAC company that was losing $1 million a month, why businesses need to hire ahead of growth, and how she created processes and KPIs to build All In Heating & Air. Learn more about All In Heating & Air and connect with Brianna at callallin.com. 0:00 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp3:17 Meet Brianna Ford of All In Heating & Air5:26 Growing an HVAC company from $3.5M to $28M6:06 Restructuring a $40M company losing $1M a month9:16 The power of nurturing your customer database11:42 The three areas to fix a struggling business14:13 Why Brianna decided to start her own HVAC company16:38 Turning the All In dream into a real business20:08 Building a marketing strategy without relying on Google21:39 How Facebook groups generated $100K in leads23:20 Jeremy's role in building the business25:01 The first calls and first month of All In27:15 Why you should hire before you feel ready29:19 Creating KPIs when you don't have a database32:28 Going from operations to sales and cold calling33:57 Building business systems for future growth35:59 What Brianna would do differently37:35 Learning to network when nobody knows you39:07 Why growth is uncomfortable40:16 Brianna's advice: Take the leap of faithWant more Blue Collar StartUp?Website: bluecollarstartup.ioFacebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartupInstagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup #BlueCollarStartUp #HVACBusiness #HVAC #TradesBusiness #Entrepreneurship

What does it take to build a memorable brand and consistent marketing strategy for a home service or contracting business? Crystal Williams, Co-Founder of Lemon Seed Marketing, shares practical advice on contractor branding, business naming, social media content, Google Business Profiles, mascots, and community engagement.Learn more about Crystal Williams and Lemon Seed Marketing at lemonseedmarketing.com. 0:00 Intro & Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp1:49 Meet Crystal Williams & Lemon Seed Marketing2:11 Growing Up in the Trades3:58 From Side Hustle to Fractional Marketing5:58 What a Fractional Marketing Team Actually Does7:07 Why Brand Consistency Matters for Contractors9:20 How Should Contractors Name Their Business?10:21 The Biggest Business Naming Mistake Contractors Make12:30 Creating a Unique, Memorable Business Name14:17 Why Most Contractor Names Are Too Similar15:15 The Story Behind Spot On Pest Control17:19 How Lemon Seed Marketing Got Its Name19:24 Why Mascots Can Build Brand Recognition22:38 Do Mascots Work Beyond the Trades?25:33 Is There a Marketing Silver Bullet?27:19 Why Content Is King for Contractors29:55 The Google Business Profile Mistake Contractors Make37:55 Community Engagement & Building a Referral Engine40:10 Turning Community Causes Into Marketing Opportunities43:45 How to Get Started With Lemon Seed MarketingWant more Blue Collar StartUp?Website: bluecollarstartup.ioFacebook: facebook.com/bluecollarstartupInstagram: instagram.com/thebluecollarstartup#ContractorMarketing #HomeServiceBusiness #ContractorBranding #SmallBusinessMarketing #BlueCollarStartUp