Blue Collar StartUp

In this Blueprint episode of Blue Collar StartUp, host Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Systems chats with Carrie Kirvin, now with MP: Wired for HR, about payroll and HR solutions for small businesses. At the time of this recording, Carrie was with Paychex, where she helped entrepreneurs save time, manage cash flow, and stay compliant through services like payroll outsourcing, workers’ compensation, and 401(k) plans.

0:14 Podcast Introduction

0:38 Guest Introduction: Carrie Kirvin, formerly of Paychex

1:10 About Paychex and Its Services

2:55 Benefits of Outsourcing Payroll for Small Businesses

4:40 When to Consider Outsourcing Payroll

6:00 Company Size and Paychex Services

7:00 Process of Setting Up Payroll with Paychex

10:03 Transitioning from Another Payroll Provider

11:09 Human Resources Services and Compliance

13:24 Employee Retention Tax Credits

15:00 Workers’ Compensation and Payroll Integration

18:56 Paychex and NYSIF Partnership for Workers’ Comp

20:00 Retirement Planning and 401(k) Services

20:50 New York State 401(k) Mandate

22:00 Keeping Clients Informed on Regulatory Changes

23:50 Contact Information for Carrie Kirvin

24:10 Outro

In this episode of Blue Collar Start Up, hosts Mike Nelson of Five Towers Media and Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Systems are joined by Scott McKenna and Stacy Spector of Catamount Consulting. Tune in as they explore workforce development challenges, the role of entrepreneurship in attracting young talent to the trades, the importance of emotional intelligence, and much more!

0:15 Intro

0:51 Introducing Scott and Stacy

3:11 Workforce Development Challenges and Entrepreneurship

9:29 Pros and Cons of Encouraging Entrepreneurship

14:42 Need for Coaching and Mentorship

19:23 Proactive Recruitment and Education

26:24 Challenges of Entrepreneurship

30:55 Emotional Intelligence in Workforce Development

38:55 Handling Failure and Growth Mindset

43:46 “Unemployable” Entrepreneurs and Ownership Models

48:57 Employee Engagement and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

54:51 Closing Thoughts

55:06 Outro

In this episode of Blue Collar Start Up, your hosts Mike Nelson of Five Towers Media and Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Systems interview Kendra Hart, president at Martin Electric. Listen in as they discuss experimentation within business growth, the experiences of being a young woman in construction, setting up your team for success, and much more!

0:15 Introduction

2:22 Meet Kendra Hart

3:20 The History of Martin Electric

6:35 Thriving Under Pressure

8:42 Utilizing her Accounting Degree

9:44 Getting Certifications and Using Local Resources

12:22 The Hard Hat Wall

13:14 The Current Scope of the Business

16:06 Valuing what you Created

16:57 Onboarding and Training Processes

19:17 Starting Pay Rates and Benefits

20:24 Schools Not Promoting the Trades

22:12 Trades are for People who Learn Differently

23:23 Managing 20 People at Once

25:24 Leadership Training

26:29 Bring your People to Conferences

28:29 Time Management

29:41 What does Growth Look Like?

31:37 Changes in Structure

32:36 The Original Principles are Still in Place

34:00 Don’t Worry about What Other People Think

37:15 Just Do It

38:31 Hiring Process

40:40 Establishing a Better Interview Process

43:05 Parting Knowledge

44:02 Where to Find Kendra and Martin Electric

45:03 Closing Thoughts

45:58 Outro

In this episode of Blue Collar StartUp, your host Derek Foster (Daigle Cleaning Services) sits down with returning guest, Josh Jewett of Cole’s Collision. Tune in to learn about the creation of a process – Indicators of when a process may be necessary, how to pivot with change, monitoring the process and adjusting with feedback, prioritizing tasks, setting standards, and outcomes!

Want to connect with Blue Collar StartUp? Reach out to us at [email protected]

00:55 - The systemic approach and finding efficiency 

02:34 - Red flag indicators leading to process creation

04:45 - Pivoting with change and how to address it

06:36 - Monitoring the process and receiving feedback

10:38 - Prioritizing tasks and setting standards

15:40 - Where is the line between process creation and micromanaging?

19:12 - Managing deviations and differences 

In this episode of Blue Collar StartUp, your hosts Mike Nelson (Five Towers Media) and Derek Foster (Daigle Cleaning Services) interview Mike Munter and Alex Dominguez of Munter Enterprises. Tune in to hear them discuss choosing to pursue the trades after trying out college, going into a construction job with no experience, passing down skills to younger workers, and much more!

Want to connect with Blue Collar StartUp? Reach out to us at [email protected]

In this episode of Blue Collar StartUp, your hosts Mike Nelson of Five Towers Media and Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Systems interview Jack Miller and Dan Pratt of Jack Miller Contractors. Join them as they discuss the building science mindset, innovation in the construction field, team growth and the processes behind it, and much more!

1:01 Thanking Sponsors

2:12 Introducing Dan and Jack

4:35 Building Science Mindset

6:21 Changing Technologies

7:32 The Costs of Building

9:45 The Structure of Jack Miller Contractors

11:39 Jack Finding his Spark

12:56 Learning Build Science

14:49 Taking a Leap

16:28 Having Employees vs Working Alone

17:51 Letting Go of Control

20:26 Giving your Team Room to Grow

24:06 Employee Meetings 

25:20 Indicating Process Breaks

26:06 Documenting Systems

29:28 Knowledge Transfer

31:40 Looking for Passion in Interviews

34:51 Branded Company Clothing37:20 How did Jack and Dan Meet

38:55 The Last Interview Step

41:20 The Importance of Strong Company Values

42:34 Learning to Say “No”

44:46 Overcoming Challenges

45:49 One Piece of Advice 

47:40 The Key to Success

48:58 Where to Find Jack Miller Contractors

50:00 Outro

In this episode of Blue Collar StartUp, your hosts Mike Nelson of Five Towers Media and Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Systems interview Mason Lord, co-owner and founder of Hudson Valley Preservation and Trades Up. Tune in as they talk about giving kids hands-on experience with tools, handling the stress of building a business, and much more!

0:15 Introduction

2:38 New Sponsors

3:53 Introducing Mason Lord

8:30 Local & National Goals

10:50 Inspiring Stories

13:09 For Profit vs Nonprofit

15:08 Starting a Construction Business

25:32 Factory Build vs Modular Homes

27:25 Facing Challenges

29:55 Dealing with Stress

31:36 Mentors

33:44 Podcasts that Mason Listens to

35:34 Morning Routine

39:15 Getting Kids Hands Dirty

43:10 Upcoming Events

47:33 Where to Find Trades Up & Hudson Valley Preservation

48:28 One Piece of Advice

50:48 Closing Thoughts

51:15 Outro

In this episode of Blue Collar StartUp, we're mixing things up a bit. When the podcast first launched, we released a series of professional tips called Blue Collar Blueprints. These previously exclusive episodes contain valuable insights that we’re excited to share with you! In addition to our regular interview episodes, we’ll be bringing these Blueprints to our listeners as well.

This episode features an introduction by Mike Nelson of Five Towers Media and questions from Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Services. Today’s focus is on Ryan and Thomas Farnan from Northwestern Mutual. Tune in as they discuss personalizing financial plans for every person, not having a minimum limit their clients need to put in to start, and much more!

0:15 Podcast Introduction

0:50 Episode Introduction

5:25 Blue Collar Blueprints: The Farnan Brothers

5:46 Introducing Ryan and Thomas Farnan

6:20 Working with Small Business Owners

7:50 Saving to Start your own Business

8:45 Strategies for Business Owners are Personalized

10:23 Retirement

11:40 Age Level

13:24 What’s the Minimum Amount you can Start With?

18:18 Generational Differences in Saving Money

19:26 One Piece of Advice for Everyone Watching

20:40 Market Outlooks

21:43 How to reach Thomas and Ryan

22:30 Outro

In this episode of Blue Collar StartUp, your hosts Mike Nelson of Five Towers Media and Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Services interview Nick Schkrioba, sales consultant with the professional employer organization, Peoplease. Listen in as they talk about workers comp models, maintaining a high retention rate, modern software, and much more!

Want to connect with Nick and learn more about Peoplease? You can reach him via email at [email protected] or by phone at (941)224-8981

0:16 Introduction

1:42 Introducing Nick Schkrioba

3:24 Nick’s Background

4:09 Dedication to Sales

6:38 What is a Professional Employer Organization

11:08 Main Industries

13:28 Hiring & Firing

18:56 Worker’s Comp Stories

20:02 Preventative Measures

25:50 Locations of Most PEO Clients

27:07 Payroll and Modern Software

30:18 Looking for People to Help

32:11 75,000 Employees and 3,000 Clients Nationwide

34:40 Smallest Businesses Peoplease Works With

36:36 If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It

39:10 Getting Connected Locally 

40:21 Benefits and Coverage

43:33 401K 

45:47 One Thing about Peoplease

46:54 Where to find Nick and Peoplease

47:40 Closing Thoughts

49:34 Outro

In this episode of Blue Collar Startup, your hosts Mike Nelson of Five Towers Media and Derek Foster of Daigle Cleaning Systems interview Matt Whitbeck, owner of Whitbeck Construction. Listen in as they explore the experiences of a first-generation business owner, the challenges of growing faster than one can access education and resources, maximizing the lifespan of construction projects, and much more!0:16 Introduction0:59 Who is Matt Whitbeck?7:33 The Freedom to do Charitable Events8:29 Northeast Construction Trades Workforce Coalition10:30 Transferring Knowledge to the Younger Generation11:02 First Generation Business13:22 How Matt got Started24:25 Matt’s Biggest Challenges 26:08 The Search for Knowledge28:29 Digging for Information32:09 This Old House36:12 Sustainability and the Lab Build41:30 Working on Buildings from 100+ Years Ago42:48 You Decide Your Own Fate45:40 Where to Find Matt and Whitbeck Construction46:38 Outro