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This week Steve brings back some real-world insight from an industry event he attended, Driven by Innovation, where leaders from several automotive and manufacturing companies talked about labor shortages, automation, and AI. One panelist’s comment stuck with both of us: instead of hiring to backfill every open role, their company is pausing hiring and focusing on developing the people they already have. We dig into what that actually looks like in practice, including an electrical contractor who pre-builds customized components in-house so field crews spend less time building and more time installing. We talk about what automation and AI are really changing on the floor, not necessarily eliminating people, but shifting what skills and judgment are needed from them. We also get into what happens to employee time once automation frees some of it up, something most companies don’t think through. More output isn’t the only answer, and treating people as disposable the moment efficiency improves is a mistake a lot of companies are learning the hard way. The conversation also touches on a surprisingly fun detour into Jeep’s design process, including how they still build full-scale clay models by hand even with AI in the mix, and the origin story behind the now-famous “Jeep duck” tradition Highlights Why one company chose to pause hiring and invest in developing existing employees instead.How a contractor cut field time by pre-building components in-house.What happens to employee time once automation frees some of it up, and why so few companies plan for it.Why using AI and automation to justify layoffs often backfires.A fun look at Jeep’s design process, including full-scale clay models and the origin of the Jeep duck tradition. Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week we welcome back Matt Guse, owner of MRS Machining, for his second appearance on the show. Matt is also a board member of the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation and Chippewa Valley Technical College, and an NCAA Division III football official. We talk about the shifting employment landscape and how younger workers often expect to leapfrog straight to leadership without putting in the time to earn it, and how Matt approaches building real leaders on his shop floor instead. He shares how bringing in a new robot to the shop, something everyone initially feared, ended up becoming one of the team's favorite tools once people saw it as something that made their jobs easier rather than a threat. We also get into how Matt built MRS's reputation in the community, from being known by name at the local school and gas station to a customer who was won over before ever stepping through the door just from what he heard around town. Matt also opens up about writing his first book to preserve MRS's story and legacy for his family, and how that same book unexpectedly turned into a business development tool that brought in over a million dollars in new work. We close out talking about presence, self-care as a leader, and why face-to-face connection still matters more than anything digital. Highlights Why younger workers often expect leadership before they've earned it, and how Matt addresses that.How MRS turned a feared new robot into one of the team's most valued tools.Building a business reputation in the community, one gas station and diner conversation at a time.How writing a legacy book for his family turned into a surprise business development win.Why real, face-to-face connection matters more than ever in a distracted, phone-first world. Get in touch with Matt: Website LinkedIn Book Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week we dig into a topic every business owner deals with but rarely talks about openly: cash flow. Not revenue, not sales volume, but the actual timing of money moving in and out of a business, and why that timing matters more than most owners realize. We talk through what strong cash flow looks like in practice, invoicing quickly, collecting on time, and knowing predictable expenses well before they hit, so a business can plan ahead instead of reacting. We share a story about a client who tracks a simple weekly ratio of receivables to payables as his single most important number, and another example where speeding up invoicing turned a 45-day backlog into same-day billing, freeing up serious cash without adding headcount. We also get into why collecting payment on the spot, rather than waiting weeks for a check, can change a business's entire financial position. We also cover what cash flow means during a business transition, especially when handing a company to a family member, and why having a financial cushion matters when new leadership means mistakes will happen. Brad shares a personal story from early in his career about a costly supplier mistake and how owning it directly, rather than hiding from it, became one of the most important lessons of his career. Highlights Why predictable cash outflow and unpredictable cash inflow require different strategies.A simple weekly ratio one business owner uses to track his cash position.How speeding up invoicing turned a major backlog into a same-day process.Why cash reserves matter most when selling a business to a family member.A personal story about owning a costly mistake early in a career, and why it built long-term trust. Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week's guest is Sue Schuster, partner at BizFi.io, where she helps small businesses access the right kind of capital to grow. Before finance, Sue spent 18 years building and running a swim school with her parents, eventually selling it after COVID upended the business, so she's coming at this from real experience building and exiting a company, not just advising from the outside. We get into the difference between good debt and bad debt, why a line of credit is worth having even when you don't think you need one, and how dangerous merchant cash advances and credit card stacking can be for a business that gets stuck needing fast cash. Sue also explains the generational divide she sees in how people approach debt, with younger business owners often not understanding how credit actually works, and older owners sometimes being too debt-averse to grow. We also talk about why she prefers debt over giving up equity, and the risks small business owners take when they don't fully understand what a loan actually costs. Highlights The difference between good debt and bad debt, and why it matters for growing a business.Why every business should have a line of credit, even if they never use it.The dangers of merchant cash advances and credit card stacking.Why debt is often a smarter move than giving up equity in your company.Sue's own journey building, scaling, and selling her swim school business. Get in touch with Sue: Website Facebook LinkedIn Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week we dig into one of the trickiest conversations in small business: handing a family business down to the next generation. It's a topic that comes up constantly in the work we both do outside the show, and it rarely goes the way anyone expects. We talk about the gap between owning a business and actually operating it, and how often parents assume they're still running the day-to-day when the reality has already shifted without them fully realizing it. We get into the emotional side too, the assumptions everyone makes without ever putting them into words, the resentment that builds when expectations aren't clear, and the awkward reality of a parent still drawing a full salary for a fraction of the hours. We also talk about the professional team around a family business, the accountant, the advisor, the insurance person, who's been there for decades and may not actually be equipped to help with a transition like this. The through-line of the conversation is that almost none of these problems are really about money. They're about clarity, communication, and having the hard conversation early instead of waiting until resentment has already set in. Highlights Why parents and kids often disagree on what "running the business" actually means.The financial and emotional tension that builds when compensation and hours don't match up.Why the trusted advisors around a family business may not be right for the next chapter.The difference between talking to family as family and talking to family as coworkers.Why clarity, not money, is usually the real obstacle in a family business transition. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week's guest is Cary Sparrow, founder and CEO of WageScape, a company that pulls together the world's largest and most current labor market data set. Before building WageScape, Cary spent time on nuclear submarines in the Navy and had a long career in engineering, military consulting, and operations leadership. We get into how WageScape works, scanning job ads across the country every day to build a real, unbiased picture of what companies are paying for specific roles, rather than relying on guesswork, outdated averages, or word of mouth. Cary explains why relying on anecdotes about what a competitor paid someone can lead companies to make costly decisions in either direction, overpaying out of fear or underpaying and losing the right people for critical roles. We also talk about the wild swings in wage growth since the pandemic, jumping from a steady 3% a year to 30% a year during the labor shortage, and why that whiplash is still causing headaches for companies trying to figure out fair pay today. Cary shares his read on the current job market, including why so many people are on edge right now, and where he sees real opportunity, especially for people willing to learn how to use AI tools in their work. We also touch on the challenge veterans face translating military experience into skills that make sense to civilian employers. Highlights How WageScape collects and uses real-time labor market data.Why anecdotal pay comparisons can lead companies to make costly mistakes.The wild wage swings since the pandemic and what they mean for hiring today.Where Cary sees real opportunity in today's uncertain job market.The challenge of translating military experience into civilian job skills. Get in touch with Cary: Website LinkedIn Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week's episode is a little different. On the 25th anniversary of September 11th, we set aside the usual format to talk about where we were that day, what we remember, and how it shaped the years that followed. We walk through the morning as it unfolded for each of us, from the confusion of realizing what was actually happening to the strange stillness that settled over everything in the hours after. We talk about the images that stuck with us most, the return of air travel, the way people leaned into community and country in a way that felt different from anything before or since. We also touch on stories from that day we didn't learn about until years later, including the diversion of dozens of flights to a small town in Newfoundland and how that community responded. This episode is also a reminder that the impact of that day didn't end in 2001. The effects reached people in ways that aren't always visible, and for anyone who was a kid at the time, it shaped how they understand the world without them fully realizing it. We wanted to use this episode as an invitation to check in with the people around you, especially today. Highlights Personal memories from the morning of September 11th and how the day unfolded.The eerie quiet that followed and how quickly the world changed.Lesser-known stories from that day, including the flight diversions to Newfoundland.The lasting, sometimes invisible impact on families and later generations.A reminder to check in on the people around you. Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week on the show we talk with Jared Millar, co-founder and head of operations at Big Blue Collar, a growth partner built specifically for blue collar businesses. Before getting into marketing and operations, Jared spent years running his own tile setting business, so he's coming at this from inside the trades, not just as an outside consultant. A lot of the conversation centers on a mindset shift Jared sees constantly: business owners think their problem is a lack of leads, when the real issue is usually what happens after the phone rings. Missed calls, no follow-up system, no plan for staying in touch with a customer who isn't ready to buy yet, these gaps cost more than any ad spend ever could. Jared also gets into the value of looking inward before spending more on marketing, using the idea of finding the biggest leak first instead of trying to patch everything at once. We also dig into team culture and training, including a story about a crew that didn't feel empowered to answer a simple question on the spot, and what that costs a business in missed opportunities. Jared closes out with his read on how different generations of owners are adapting to newer tools and marketing channels, and where he sees the biggest room for growth right now. Highlights Jared's background running his own trades business before moving into growth and marketing.The "find the biggest hole and plug it" approach to fixing a struggling business.How team culture and training affect whether missed opportunities get caught or lost.How different generations of blue collar owners are adapting to newer marketing tools. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. We bring on guests to talk about topics you won't find anywhere else, straight from people who actually work in the trades. Get in touch with Jared: Website LinkedIn Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

We're joined by Jim Vinoski, a Gen Xer who spent over three decades on factory floors before turning to writing about American manufacturing. He wrote for Forbes for seven years and is releasing a book profiling 22 of the best American manufacturers, built on stories he collected from a career spent inside the industry rather than looking at it from the outside. We talk about how manufacturing has been unfairly written off for decades, and why the companies that actually thrive tend to share the same handful of traits: they treat people as individuals rather than resources, they think in decades instead of quarters, and the people running them genuinely love the work. Jim shares some standout stories from the book, including a Wisconsin company that built a K-12 STEM program from scratch to solve its own labor shortage, and a Michigan manufacturer that hires people straight out of halfway houses and built its own affordable housing subdivision for employees and the surrounding community. One of the most surprising finds in his research was Revere Copper, a company founded by Paul Revere himself that's still running strong today, and now positioned well for the AI and grid infrastructure boom because of its focus on copper. Highlights Jim's three-decade manufacturing career and what led him to start writing about the industry.The common traits behind the standout companies in his upcoming book.A Wisconsin company that built its own K-12 pipeline to solve the skills gap.A Michigan manufacturer's approach to second-chance hiring and affordable housing.The surprising history behind Revere Copper, founded by Paul Revere himself. Jim's book on America's best manufacturers is out now, links in the show notes. Make sure to subscribe to the show so you never miss episodes. We appreciate you being here. Get in touch with Jim: Website LinkedIn Youtube Jim's Book Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Daniel Walsh grew up with a father who was a plumber, but he couldn't have foreseen that his career would eventually lead him to serve people just like his dad. He ended up creating a tech platform for the trades. Daniel is the founder of VeroSkills, an AI hiring platform built to solve one of the biggest headaches in the trades, finding good people fast, without the cost of a full staffing agency. We talk about how small businesses like his dad's never had access to real recruiting firepower, and how VeroSkills is closing that gap by running AI-driven interviews that actually test trade knowledge instead of just scanning resumes. We also get into the bigger picture behind why this matters right now. An entire generation, maybe two, got pushed toward college and away from the trades, and the shortage we're living with today is the bill coming due. Daniel's take is that the trades are about to become some of the best jobs around, especially as AI and infrastructure investment ramp up, and that convincing the next generation of that is the real challenge ahead. Highlights: Daniel's path from a plumber's son to building an AI hiring platform for the trades.Why small blue collar businesses have never had real access to staffing help, and how that's changing.The labor shortage as a long time coming, not a surprise.Why the trades might be some of the best jobs of the next decade. If you're looking for a change or you're trying to hire good people without knowing the right person to call, check out VeroSkills. Make sure to subscribe to the show so you never miss episodes. We appreciate you being here. Get in touch with Daniel: Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week we're joined by Toby Van Sistine, Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Builders Association (MBA), whose path into home building started with a detour into aerospace engineering before he landed in construction for good. We dig into a theme this show returns to often: why Gen Z isn't seeing a clear path into the trades, and how Toby's own son found his way into an electrical apprenticeship almost by accident. Toby's take: kids aren't lazy, they just need someone to show them the door exists, and parents need permission to be okay with their kid choosing a toolbelt over a diploma. We also got into new territory for the show: Toby's take on why the building industry feels so combative right now. HGTV expectations, nickel-and-dimed contracts, and homeowners who'll drop $50K on a home theater but fight a contractor over $500. His read: something broke in how people trust the people building their homes. Also in this episode: smart homes and disposable appliances, plus a look at this year's Parade of Homes, now in its 80th year. Go give your contractor a little love this week. They've earned it. Highlights: This year's Parade of Homes.Toby's unconventional path into home building.Why the trades need better messaging, to kids and their parents.The real reason the building industry feels more combative than ever.How weather, region, and red tape shape the labor force differently across the country. Get in touch with Toby: Website LinkedIn Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week on the show we're talking about something most business owners never think about until they can't find people to hire the pipeline. Tom Hermann is an educator who spent 24 years as a principal and now works on connecting schools with businesses through experiential learning. And he's got something important to tell you. There's a massive gap between what schools teach and what the real world actually looks like. No amount of videos or lectures can bridge that. A student can learn construction theory in a classroom, but until they're 25 feet up in the air on an actual job site with nothing to grab, they don't really know what it's like. That's where you come in. The shift happening right now in education is that schools finally understand they can't do it alone. They need businesses to open their doors. Not for a year-long commitment. Not for a massive time investment. For a half day. An hour. Even just a conversation. Let a teacher walk your facility for 30 minutes so they can go back and tell students about the real work happening in their own community. But here's the bigger piece when you bring people into your organization, whether they're students or new hires, they need to understand they belong to something bigger than their job. They need to see the whole picture, not just their task. And they need to know there's a path forward. That sense of belonging and purpose matters more than the paycheck now. Highlights: There's a gap between school and work that experience is the only way to bridge.Most schools need businesses to help. The commitment level is very low start small.New employees need to understand how their role fits into the bigger picture.Belonging and purpose matter more to younger workers than the paycheck.Clear growth paths and "what's next" conversations change retention dramatically.Your best recruitment tool is your local school. Make sure to subscribe to Blue Collar BS where we talk about the things most don't want to talk about so we can help move the trades forward. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear real conversations from people actually working in the trades today. Helpful Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQZokbCmCkg&authuser=0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMu4ySZKVZE&authuser=0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wd0J-Uk9Eo&authuser=0 Get in touch with Tom: LinkedIn Phone - 262-497-6351 Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week on the show we're exploring something most business owners don't talk about the mental game. Brad's been writing about his golf experiences and how they directly parallel running a business. Not in a cute, surface level way. In a real way that matters to how you lead and make decisions. The thing about golf is it reveals exactly what's happening in your head. You can have all the physical tools, all the knowledge, all the experience, but if your mind isn't right, you're not going to perform. Same in business. You can have the best systems, the best team, the best opportunity, but if you're operating from fear or desperation or anger, it changes everything about how you show up. Brad broke 80 on a new course this year a goal he'd been chasing for four years. Physically he could do it the whole time. The piece that was missing was mental. He had to learn to be present instead of fixated on the result. He had to learn to control what he could control his reaction, his communication instead of getting frustrated at things outside his control. For business owners, this is everything. Your service tech gets angry because a customer doesn't show up. Now he's providing bad service, cutting corners, not following process. A salesman loses a deal and decides the market's dead instead of asking what they could have done differently. A leader gets frustrated at a problem and makes decisions from that place instead of solving from clarity. The best coaches whether in golf or business help you see the gap between where you are and where you want to be, then help you close it. They show you what you're missing. And they teach you to stay present. Highlights: The mental game in golf is exactly the mental game in business.You can have all the skills and still perform poorly if your mind isn't right.Most business problems come from reacting out of fear instead of solving from clarity.Control what you can control your reaction and how you communicate.Being present means focusing on the solution, not fixating on the result. Make sure to subscribe to Blue Collar BS where we talk about the things most don't want to talk about so we can help move the trades forward. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear real conversations from people actually working in the trades today. Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week on the show we're talking about something that might be the most important thing you never thought about who you're spending time with. Jamar Jones wrote a book called "Change Your Circle, Change Your Life" because he realized that his ability to consistently change his circle of people was what got him where he is. Not his skills alone. Not his hustle. The people around him. Most business owners go through life never really auditing who they're letting into their space. You've got the same two guys you've been working with for 35 years. Or you frequent the same place every morning and complain with the same people about the same stuff and then you wonder why things aren't changing. The thing is you don't have to cut people out. You don't have to burn bridges. You can add to your circle. But you do have to start separating yourself from what Jamar calls the vampires the people who are constantly draining your energy with victim mentality, complaining, and whining. Because here's the reality: if you're around that all day, you become that. Your circle shapes your energy, your mindset, and ultimately what you can achieve. The other piece is being intentional. Stop saying "I just want to be better next year." That means nothing. You need to know exactly what you want, who has what you need, and be willing to ask for help. Make introductions for other people first. Give value. Build real relationships, not transactional ones. And then and only then ask for what you need. Highlights Who you spend time with shapes who you become.You don't have to cut people out, but you do have to limit the toxic ones.Intentionality about your goals and conversations changes everything.Most people won't ask for help, but most people will give it if you ask.Your circle is one or two introductions away from completely changing your life. Make sure to subscribe to Blue Collar BS where we talk about the things most don't want to talk about so we can help move the trades forward. Share this episode with a friend or colleague who would benefit from hearing real conversations from people who actually work in the trades today. Get in touch with Jamar: Website Linkedin Youtube Book Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week on the show we're discussing a real life example of how home service businesses operate when they don't have their systems dialed in. Without the proper CRM and real processes, you and your team are winging it. You're losing time and money while everyone's frustrated because they're not on the same page. In this example a large landscaping project was what the homeonwere needed. They called 10 different companies and only one called back. Those other companies lost money just by not having a process in place to return calls. What stands out in this situation are massive opportunities to streamline operations. Between a three-hour scope meeting, handwritten quotes, and communication happening through personal cell phones, there's clear potential to implement software and systems that would transform how the business operates. When business owners say cash flow is the problem, maybe it's time to take a look at a few simple things: Where are you spending your time? Are there some processes that could be automated? Is it time to let go of the old ways of doing things and update by bringing in software? Highlights Manual quote process means your team is never on the same page.Being the one who answers the phone is the simplest way to stand out make sure you have a system for callbacks.Operations are the foundation - everything else builds on that.Implementing a communication platform shows professionalism and streamlines communication so your team isn't texting clients from their personal phones. Get in touch with us: Check out the Blue Collar BS website. Steve Doyle: Website LinkedIn Email Brad Herda: Website LinkedIn Email This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy