In episode 122 of Blue Collar StartUp, hosts Michael Nelson and Derek Foster sit down with  Richard Ruzzo, who shares how he built Shepherd Communication & Security from a small telecom contracting operation into a growing commercial security company by refocusing the business, embracing enterprise thinking, and betting on the right people. He talks about losing a major revenue stream, rebuilding from the ground up, and the lessons every trade business owner should learn.

You can learn more about Richard Ruzzo and Shepherd Communication & Security at shepherdcny.com.

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0:00 Intro

0:15 Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp

1:04 Business owner group therapy

2:15 Help us grow the show

4:28 Patreon and business growth insights

5:36 Introducing Richard Ruzzo

6:14 What Shepherd Communication & Security does

8:03 Why security and low-voltage work is still a trade

11:58 Growing the company to 34 employees

13:11 Why trades can outperform traditional college paths

16:13 The garage business that sparked the idea

17:28 Landing their first telecom contract

18:36 Building the Shepherd brand

19:30 Why relying on one client is dangerous

20:45 Lifestyle business vs enterprise business

23:03 Rethinking the entire company strategy

24:38 Losing a major revenue stream

27:06 The people who helped transform the company

32:00 Landing a project 10x bigger than anything before

35:06 How Shepherd decides which services to offer

41:57 Why security matters more than ever today

43:00 Final thoughts and where to find Shepherd