In this episode, Mike interviews Derek Foster: co-founder of Blue Collar StartUp, president of Daigle Cleaning Systems, and CEO of DCS Franchises. Derek has grown a commercial cleaning and janitorial business from his side hustle to a thriving multi-million dollar business with over 100 employees! In this podcast, Derek fills us in on how he got started, going from side hustle to full time, and what it takes to grow a successful business in the janitorial industry.

Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp the podcast. 

Our Mission is Simple: To facilitate the growth and development of Blue Collar businesses. We will showcase REAL Blue Collar businesses in interviews, and use these stories to help educate and empower the next generation of trades workers to become Blue Collar business owners.    

Learn more about Blue Collar StartUp at https://bluecollarstartup.io/ 

04:13 - Work Ethic

06:50 - Side Hustle Start Up

10:05 - Creating Process

11:13 - Everyone Sucks Sometime

13:46 - When Mistakes Happen, You Have Two Choices

25:05 - State of the Blue Collar Industries

29:41 - From Chaos... Comes Opportunity

31:29 - Patience - It Goes a Long Way!

32:14 - Biggest Challenge Derek Ever Faced

33:00 - Wake-Up Call

37:10 - Will vs Skill

37:22 - What Would he do Differently, if he Could Do it Again?

38:34 - Mentors Along the Way

44:01 - Secret to Success