The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber TCF1051: Smart Kids Should Skip College (And Learn a Trade Instead) with Benji Carlson
Benji Carlson has spent his life building movements in the trades. From the franchise painting world to Breakthrough Academy to now helping lead Leanscaper, an AI-powered platform for landscapers. In this deep-dive with Tom, they tackle the real reasons the trades lost their shine, and what it’s going to take to make them cool again.
They talk content, culture, recruiting, money, and what separates struggling contractors from thriving ones. This episode is pure 🔥 for anyone serious about growing a blue-collar business with pride and purpose.
👇 CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:13 - Who is Benji Carlson?
03:00 - Why Startups Are His Sweet Spot
06:00 - Biggest Mistakes Contractors Make With Content
12:00 - The “It’s Not About You” Content Rule
14:30 - What Does It Mean to “Make the Trades Cool Again”?
17:00 - Why the College-First Narrative Failed
20:00 - The Death of Shop Class
23:00 - Being Blue-Collar and Broke Ain’t Cool
28:00 - Why the Trades Are Primed for a Renaissance
30:00 - AI’s Impact on the White-Collar Workforce
32:30 - How Contractors Must Shift Their Culture
35:00 - Using Social Media to Attract Top Talent
39:00 - Leadership vs. Managing: Be the Grandfather
41:00 - Get Young: Benji’s Mindset Shift for Building Culture
43:00 - Branding, Swag & the Piecework Future
46:00 - Rapid Fire: Benji’s Top Advice
53:00 - AI Tools That Are Changing the Game
57:00 - What Every Contractor Should Do This Week
59:00 - What Is LANA? The AI Tool Built for Landscapers
1:00:00 - Final Thoughts + Where to Find Benji
Follow Benji Carlson & Leanscaper
Website: leanscaper.com
Instagram: @leanscaper
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