You flip the key, the screen lights up, and your machine shows true elevation without a base or a model. That one moment changes everything, no waiting on stakes, no rebenching, no guessing. We brought EasyNav from CHC Navigation into our own excavator and walked through installation, setup, and real-world use with Ryan Deemer, (Skid Steer Nation) and Chuck Harris (Benchmark Tool & Supply) to see how this tech finally meets the blue-collar bar: cost effective, reliable, and easy to use.

We cover the practical wins first. In-field design lets crews cut pads, set slope trenches, crown long driveways, and cast planes with a few taps. Utility and septic teams get safer, faster workflows by setting trench depth from the cab and capturing bottom-of-trench shots for airtight documentation. For owners wrestling with labor, the retention angle is big: once operators see clean visuals and simple tasks, they don’t want to go back, your shop becomes the place they stay.

We also get honest about money and support. Entry-level 3D at the price of old 2D systems means ROI lands fast; fewer hours, fewer bodies, and more jobs finished each month. Financing and strong warranties smooth cash flow, and Benchmark’s nationwide service network, remote screen support, and growing training library remove the fear from onboarding. Need to scale to full 3D modeling later? The path is there without ripping out hardware.

Beyond the gear, we talk culture and systems: define values, fix one fire at a time, and build a hiring process that selects for attitude and teaches skill. Save and reuse designs for franchise pads and long driveways, give clients clean as-builts, and stop bleeding time waiting on stakes. The message is simple, adopt now and lead, or risk losing your best operators to crews that already have.

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Ready to see how blue-collar media actually turns into real bids, stronger teams, and a clearer brand? We walk through the messy middle of building a YouTube-first strategy from jobsite clips and how-tos to a repeatable system that wins trust. From a million-view shifting tutorial to a small skid steer pull that sparked big connections, we break down what worked, what didn’t, and why storytelling now sits at the center of everything we publish.

We cover the grind behind “consistency”: crafting hooks that hold retention, writing human captions that beat AI every time, and packaging long-form videos so searchers can find exactly what they need. Events like Mid-America Trucking Show and Treybo Expo became accelerants, linking our online work with a real-world community: truckers, operators, foremen, who now shape our roadmap. The result is a channel that doubles as a living portfolio: project playlists in our email signatures that GCs and owners can click, watch, and trust.

You’ll also hear the hard parts we rarely say out loud: slow weeks where views stall, people changes that hurt, and the patience it takes to keep shipping when the algorithm shrugs. Those lessons sparked our next step: The Pipe Playbook, a practical training hub for utility contractors covering pipe installation, safety, estimating, project management, and sequencing. It’s built from wins and mistakes we’ve paid for, with new videos added monthly and a direct line for topic requests, so your crew gets the answers that matter on the days they matter.

If you’re waiting for perfect gear, stop. Your phone is enough. Film one real process, title it for search, post to YouTube, slice for shorts, and iterate. Story builds trust. Trust drives work. 

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Tired of chasing the wrong leads and wondering why your shiny site doesn’t ring the phone? We sat down with Australian marketer Wes Towers of Uplift 360 to unpack a simpler path: build a clear, fast website that reflects your crew, publish real job stories tied to your service areas, and push that signal across every channel customers actually use—Google, YouTube, TikTok, and even AI tools like ChatGPT.

We start by fixing the foundation. Your website should read like a straight answer on a job site: who you help, what you do, where you work, why you’re different, and how to book you. Service pages beat slideshows, and trust markers—reviews, photos, case studies—do the heavy lifting. From there, we swap “search engine optimization” for “search everywhere optimization,” because customers don’t just Google; they watch, scroll, and ask AI. The win comes from consistent, specific updates: short blogs and case studies that name the suburb, the problem, the fix, and the result.

If writing scares you, talk instead. Wes shares a dead-simple AI workflow: have ChatGPT interview you after a job, answer by voice during your drive, and hand a ready-to-polish draft to your marketer. Repurpose that into Google Business updates, social captions, and short videos. No gloss required—authentic clips from the truck often outperform studio productions, as long as they’re clear and helpful. We also dive into brand basics: a tight logo, colors, and voice applied everywhere, so people recognize you on the road and online.

Expect practical takeaways you can use this week: pick your core services and areas, tighten your site copy, post a case study, and syndicate it with a scheduler that hits Google too. Real beats perfect, and momentum compounds when your message matches the team who shows up on site. Enjoy the conversation, then put it to work—subscribe, share with a fellow contractor, and leave a review telling us which channel you’ll start with first.

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The labor gap isn’t just a numbers story; it’s a connection and knowledge story. We bring on JJ Owen, executive director of the Skilled Careers Coalition and Skills Jam, to map a practical playbook for reaching Gen Z, transferring craft wisdom, and rebuilding the trades pipeline with real stories, real training, and real community.

We start by unpacking why five pros exit for every one who enters—and how that compounds into lost know-how on jobsites. JJ shows how to meet young people where they are: TikTok, YouTube, classrooms, and jobsite tours. We talk about peer-to-peer storytelling, mentorship that actually transfers skills, and why polished content loses to authentic day-in-the-life clips that answer two core questions: Will I belong here? Can I grow here?

From SkillsUSA’s Teamworks competition to paid high school apprenticeships, we spotlight models that work and the tools that accelerate learning. Simulators, AR, and VR aren’t toys; they’re bridges to confidence and safer first reps, whether you’re welding or running an excavator. On the retention side, we break down building an internal micro-training library so rookies show up prepared and foremen feel respected, not drained. That small shift creates buy-in on both sides and keeps culture strong.

Along the way, we dig into “fans first” thinking for trades recruiting, partnerships with media and industry, and a mindset reset for leaders who are ready to adapt instead of complain. If you’re serious about hiring, training, and keeping great people, this conversation gives you a blueprint you can start using this week.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow Skills Jam on TikTok and YouTube, visit skilledcareers.org to connect, and subscribe to the show. Share this episode with a fellow builder and drop a review to help more blue-collar pros find us.

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If you’ve ever stared at your month-end and wondered where the profit went, this conversation is the flashlight you’ve been missing. We talk candidly about the real money leaks in contracting—underbilling, missing labor burden, ignored equipment repairs—and the uncomfortable leadership shift required to fix them. Profit isn’t a dirty word; it’s a discipline, and the Work In Progress (WIP) report is the tool that turns chaos into clarity.

With returning guest Nick Peters of Sterling Seacrest Pritchard, we break down how to compartmentalize your bids: direct costs you swing a shovel at, indirects that quietly drain your margin, and overhead that must be recovered before a single dollar is truly profit. We show how a timely WIP flags trouble fast, how daily production data from the field fuels smarter decisions, and why change orders should be priced with facts, not feelings. You’ll hear tough-love truths about denial, ego, and why growth without systems is just a faster way to lose money.

This is a playbook for owners and leaders who are ready to trade revenue drunk for profit sober. Expect practical tactics: set field production targets, capture quantities daily, align estimating and accounting, and run estimate-to-actual reviews that build accountability. Expect real-world decisions: when to cut a division that feeds pride but not profit, how to bid fewer but better jobs, and how to lead through the pushback that comes with culture change. Most of all, expect to leave with a clearer path: know your costs, watch your WIP, and build habits that repeat good results.

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A motocross kid with a box blade turns into an excavation owner with a clear head for profit and a deep respect for family time. That’s the arc Cole Morse walks us through, from watching his father rebuild an HVAC business after crisis to selling his first driveway grade and learning, job by job, what makes work sustainable. We dig into the real numbers behind “grossing $450k with a basic setup,” why renting bigger iron can out-earn owning smaller gear, and how a single miscalculated basement dig became a masterclass in swell, walkouts, and estimating discipline.

We talk sales without the slime: sell yourself, not just equipment. Cole breaks down how he built trust by explaining process, finding common ground, and fixing mistakes before they festered. He shares how motocross connections opened a Cat rental account when credit history couldn’t, and why relationships and reputation compound faster than ad spend. The YouTube conversation goes beyond clicks—documenting mistakes, sharing bids, and showing the math turns hate into reach and reach into real opportunity for people trying to start their own blue-collar companies.

Most of all, we explore what it means to build a business that serves your life. Cole sets boundaries, keeps Sundays for rest, and steps away when his family needs him. Profit over pride, presence over payroll bloat, and momentum without losing your soul. If you’re stuck on the fence—burned out on the crew but unsure how to start—this is your blueprint: ask for help, rent before you buy, learn publicly, and keep your word.

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The fastest way to burn profit is to build off bad data. We sit down with Tylor Foster, founder and CEO of DirtLab, to unpack how rushed designs, mismatched elevations, and vague standards cascade into RFIs, idle equipment, and rework—and how to stop it before a blade ever touches dirt. Tylor draws on years at Granite’s large projects group to show why clean inputs and strong project controls aren’t optional; they’re the foundation that turns weekly WIP into real insight and keeps your forecast honest.

We walk through the real-world path from paper plans to usable GPS models: drone topos, machine control, takeoffs that become working documents, and constructibility reviews that surface conflicts when they’re cheap to fix. If you’ve ever tried to plug engineer CAD directly into your machines, you know the pain: broken layers, missing standards, unusable formats. DirtLab acts as a digital translator between designers and operators, packaging issues and files so engineers can respond fast—and so your crews build it right the first time.

Training is the multiplier. Not the “click here, then here” kind, but the kind that teaches the why, so your team can adapt when the perfect dataset doesn’t exist. Tylor shares ten-second tips that add up to months of savings, plus a frank take on dealer support gaps and how to build a support network that sticks. We also tackle the generational shift: younger leaders embracing base and rover and machine control to control costs, veterans guarding hard-won craft, and the middle ground where tech makes good operators great. The bottom line: technology is no longer about nice-to-have ROI; it’s about the feasibility of staying competitive as owners and DOTs codify digital delivery.

If you’re tired of finding problems in the field, want fewer RFIs, and need models your machines can trust, this conversation lays out the system: clean inputs, constructibility-first modeling, and training that scales from bid to blade. Enjoy the episode, then subscribe, share it with your crew, and leave a review to help more builders find it.

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Hard work shouldn’t feel like guesswork. Sy sits down with Zach Estes, founder of Lean Dirt, to unpack a simple, battle-tested way to run civil construction with less chaos and more clarity. We get straight into the 2-3-4 framework, two systems, three actions, four routines, that turns hidden information into visible standards and transforms accountability from a speech into a system.

We start by reframing value vs waste and why civil construction is real value creation, then zoom into the tools that make teams faster: a single home for project information, a clean action system that leaders actually use, and “success statements” that define outcomes for every role. Zach shows how to rate performance green, yellow, or red without micromanaging, how to write standards people can follow, and how daily logs close the loop with estimating so bids reflect real production, not wishful numbers. Sy shares field-tested wins and misses, from switching software to the cost of a gas line strike, and how transparency with crews creates buy-in when margins are thin.

We also explore practical tech that pays off immediately. A basic to‑do app beats a notebook for capture, organization, and review. AI becomes a pocket coach for routes, checklists, calculations, and training scripts. And “mise en place” applies to project data as much as tools: everything in its place, accessible in one spot. The thread running through it all is purpose: clarify why you wake up, put it where you’ll see it, and then make the plan, the numbers, and the tasks just as visible. That’s how you move from firefighting to forward motion.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review so more builders find it. Got a question or a guest you want on the mic? Drop us a note at bluecollarbusinesspodcast.com and let’s tackle it together.

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Think your marketing problem needs more ad spend? Luke Eggebraaten argues it needs a better foundation. We dig into the exact steps excavation and utility contractors can take to get found, get picked, and get paid, without wasting cash on “magic” lead promises. Luke shares how he went from broad small-business marketing to serving the dirt world exclusively, why that focus matters, and how his team helps crews build a digital presence that matches the quality of their work in the ground.

We walk through the essentials: claim and optimize your Google Business Profile, build clear service pages that answer real questions, and make reviews a habit after every job. Then tie it together with short, authentic posts across Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and, don’t skip this, your Google Business updates. You’ll learn how Google evaluates authority, relevancy, and user experience in an AI-first world, and why strong content beats keyword tricks every time. Luke also tackles the biggest money pit he sees: paid ads without an operational or digital base. His rule of thumb is simple: build the fire, then add fuel.

This conversation goes beyond lead flow. We show how the same funnel that wins jobs also attracts better people: awareness of your culture, consideration on a clean careers page, conversion with a quick application. When you keep marketing during busy seasons, you flatten peaks and valleys and gain leverage to choose better clients and projects. Along the way, we swap practical tactics for consistent posting, talk through partner red flags, and share mindset tools, priorities, gratitude, and patience that keep owners from burning out.

If you’re ready to replace guesswork with a grounded plan, hit play and take notes. Then subscribe, leave a review, and share this with a contractor who needs a real marketing reset.

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Payroll panic, pricing doubts, and the pull of the machine, if you’ve ever felt that tug-of-war, you’ll feel seen here. We sit down with John to unpack how Dirt to Dollars grew from hard questions in the field into a coaching program grounded in reality, not buzzwords. He explains why context matters more than clichés, how to price for risk without flinching, and the simple shifts that move a crew from chaos to consistent wins.

We get specific about the owner’s turning point: stepping out of the cab to lead with clarity. John’s skydiving story nails the instinct we all fight, grabbing the “pilot’s chair” when the real job is to jump. We walk through what working on the business actually looks like: forecasting pipeline, tightening service mix, compressing geography, coaching foremen on plan-first execution, and measuring jobs with honest cost data. You’ll hear a standout success story from Gabe, who dropped maintenance, specialized in hardscape, focused on density, and grew average ticket to $25–30K by aligning operations with strategy.

We also pull back the curtain on scaling media. With a dedicated content lead, John built a system for filming, editing, posting, and analyzing what actually sticks. It’s not vanity; it’s a growth engine for SEO, hiring, lead quality, and community trust. And when the world broke after Hurricane Helene, that community fueled service over profit, fuel runs, radios, no power, and months of grit helping neighbors rebuild. A year later, the impact is still visible, and the lesson is clear: healthy businesses can say yes when it counts most.

If you’re stuck in the mud, mentally, financially, operationally, this conversation gives you a practical path out: narrow your services, price with courage, empower your people, and commit to consistent action. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and drop a comment with the one move you’ll make this week. Your team and your future self will thank you.

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