Blue Collar Prosperity

In the U.S., there are currently more job openings than people looking for work. Corporate Immigration Attorney, Matthew Hellrung, is the Co-Founder and Partner of Meltzer Hellrung.   Matthew specializes in helping companies meet their talent needs through immigrant program creation and management.  Therefore helping home service businesses bridge the labor gap and plan ahead for seasonal demands. In today's interview, Paul and Matthew talk about: How do you utilize the H2B Visa Program? Steps businesses need to take to recruit seasonal workers. The importance of planning ahead. The future of immigration policies in the U.S. as they relate to labor needs. Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to book a free call: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/call/

Cory Parks started out his career as a full-time firefighters, working his way up to Chief. Like most firefighters, he had a side gig. In his case, he started HydroHelp 911 to help solve crawl space and basement issues. Before he knew it, he had a full-time business and had to decide on his next step with the fire department. Paul and Cory dive into his journey and how he's been able to scale well beyond the $5mm mark. Cory is the president and founder of HydroHelp911. At HydroHelp they focus on helping homeowners solve structural and moisture issues before they become more costly and dangerous. They are the crawl space and foundation experts…but it wasn’t always easy. Paul and Cory dive into: Importance of strong financials and constantly reviewing these. The best way to invest in your team. Marketing that has worked for him to keep his phone ringing and growth continuing. Why all leaders and owners must invest in themselves before anyone else. Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to book a free call: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/call/

Most marketing agencies simply focus on driving more leads to your company...even if it means spending a bunch of money on ads. Many marketing agencies also get paid on a percentage of your ad spend. In today's episode, Paul Maskill sits down with Fractional CMO Brennen Smith. Brennen is a revenue-driven fractional CMO who helps $2M to $20M+ home service companies turn marketing into a scalable revenue engine. After running his own agency for 10 years, Brennen now helps the trades generate more leads, close more jobs, and lower customer acquisition costs — without the overhead of a full-time CMO. He’s on a mission to help owners stop guessing and start growing — with marketing that’s aligned to sales, ops, and customer service for long-term profit. Paul and Brennen dive into: The difference between a Fractional CMO and Marketing Agency. Why it's so important to track all your calls (and have call tracking numbers). The power of monthly email newsletters. Why more leads might not solve your problem. The importance of integrating marketing with sales and operations. Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to book a free call: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/call/

With labor being one of the biggest expenses in a home service company (and the biggest thing we sell), it's imperative to make sure the compensation model is accurate. As companies scale, most start to implement performance pay. However, if not done properly, it can be a disaster on multiple fronts. In today's episode, I share what you need to know when implementing performance pay in your blue collar business: The pros and cons of different models. Why it's important to always have your recruiting engine going. Back test before implementation. Have your standards, mission and values in place. Have your scorecards in place for your team members. Overcoming the biggest fears and objections Interested in a financial assessment of your company? Book a call here and we'll make it happen: http://thebluecollaradvisors.com/call

Tim Brown is the CEO of Hook Agency, a Google Paid Ads, SEO & Web Design firm that’s gone from 1 person to 30 in 6 years. Championing roofing companies, HVAC companies and Home Service businesses by helping them drive more traffic and leads – has led him to growing his team and learning to lead to be more useful. Content strategy, persuasive web design, and actionable small business marketing are his biggest areas of expertise. Tim's new book (Hometown Hero) digs deep into all the ways you can be a hometown hero aka five mile famous with your business. Some of the topics we focus on are: What's working in the world of marketing for home service companies? Why community involvement is so important to building your brand. What do we need to do in order to have a strong brand? Why it's more powerful to go all-in on a 5 mile service area instead of trying to service everyone who calls. You can get a copy of Tim's new book at hometownherobook.com. Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to book a free call: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/call/

It is usually one of the hardest roles to fill in any organization...sales. The best sales person in most home service companies is still the owner. When work slows down, the owner goes out into the field and sells a bunch of work to keep the crews rolling. So, how do we eliminate this trap and find great sales professionals? Ryan Hogan started Talent Harbor to solve this problem. Paul and Ryan focus on some great topics in this interview: Where do we find the best sales people? What are the best sales people actually looking for? How do we overcome the fear that the best sales people might not have technical/industry knowledge? What is the true cost of constant turnover? Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to book a free call: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/call/

Don Rabovsky is the founder of Volca. Volca is a referral marketing platform that helps contractors automate and streamline their customer and b2b referral programs. In today's interview, Don digs into:  What is the difference and pros/cons of organic growth versus relying on paid ads? What are some of the keys in setting up a successful referral program? How can we use branding and social media to expand our reach? Why do most referral programs fail? How you can stay top of mind with your existing database that already knows, likes and trusts you? Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price

Home service companies often struggle with cash flow and profitability. A fractional CFO can help navigate financial decision-making and enhance pricing strategies. Debunking myths about profitability, the discussion highlights key metrics crucial for business sustainability. Adopting small, manageable habits can lead to significant financial improvements. With the right tools and assessments, owners can achieve better operational efficiency and, ultimately, financial freedom.

Lewis Vandervalk, the owner of Blue Crocus Solutions, shares his expertise in digital marketing for blue-collar businesses. He emphasizes the importance of SEO and creating true referral partnerships for driving online visibility. Lewis discusses innovative guerilla marketing tactics, like collaborating with local restaurants to attract customers. He also highlights leveraging AI and technology to streamline content creation and improve efficiency, ensuring business owners build strong community connections while enhancing their marketing strategies.

Danielle Putnam (originally featured in episode 12) is President of The New Flat Rate, a pioneering software company that created the first menu-pricing system for contractors in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industries. After 14 years with TNFR, she’s focused on scaling its technology and expanding its impact across the home service sector. Danielle was named “Woman of the Year” at Service World Expo, served as President of Women in HVACR, and was featured in ACHR News’ “Top 40 Under 40.” She’s also a passionate speaker and advocate for women in the trades—and when she’s not working, she’s raising her four children with her husband in Dalton, GA. In today's interview, Paul and Danielle talk about: A quick refresh on menu pricing and why it's so important. What are the biggest mistakes contractors make when it comes to pricing. What is a champion in the truck? How do they drive change? Why you don't have to roll out new initiatives to everyone at once. How can we involved our family into our mission, mission and values on a personal level and business level? Ready to transform from a stressed out, uncertain business owner, to a confident, respected CEO with clarity of your financial health? Visit today to finally solve your pricing problems: https://thebluecollaradvisors.com/price