Due to all that is going on in this crazy world right now, Larry and Eric understand how hard this is on service providers. We know lots of companies are struggling to get work and with clients isolating themselves, what do we call do? Blue Collar Nation will put out a daily podcast for the forseeable future to address the current situation. If you have questions, concerns or anything at all, please email us at eric@morningtechmeeting.com TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve...
Mar 16, 2020•11 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Ed Cross has been an influential attorney in the restoration industry for decades. In this episode we sit down with Ed and talk about the steps contractors and service providers can take to stay out of litigation. Also, we have a spirited talk about Restoration Industry pricing and Xactimate. This episode has been sponsored by morningtechmeeting.com . TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in...
Mar 12, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Jeff Langenwalter of Patriot Environmental is one of the best sales and marketing reps we have ever met. Jeff knows what it takes to be good at route sales, and that is a key ingredient in growth for most blue collar service companies. In this episode, Jeff breaks down the keys skills and habits it takes to excel in route sale and marketing. Jeff also gives key insights about how to manage, train, and hold a sales rep accountable. If you want to grow your business, this is a must listen episode....
Mar 05, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Are you busy all of the time but not making any profit in your contracting or service business? If so, you are not alone. We sit down with Shawn Van Dyke to discuss why that happens and how to stop it. This is a MUST listen to those wanting the most out of their business. Shawn Van Dyke is a construction business coach, keynote speaker, and author of two books - Profit First for Contractors and The Paperwork Punch List. Most contractors are not profitable which makes them feel uncertain about wh...
Feb 27, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Mason Tomaino is a salesman. His whole family excels at sales. Mason loves people and people do business with him in return. We sat down with Mason to talk about how to build a business through creating relationships. (Even if you are shy and reserved). This is a must listen to learn how to grow a local business. TITLE SPONSOR: MORNING TECH MEETING This episode it brought to you by www.morningtechmeeting.com . Don't lose money in the field because your service techs are not great at sales, custo...
Feb 23, 2020•1 hr 18 min
As contractors we often encounter mold on jobs. What do we do? How do we deal with the situation correctly? What is our liability as contractors and service providers? These are some of the questions we address in this podcast. Peter Lyons of Tru-Eco Environmental Consulting , a return guest on the podcast, is an expert in how to handle mold in a professional way and a practical way. This podcast was sponsored by http://morningtechmeeting.com where the Tech Whisperer trains your techs soft skill...
Feb 20, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Our habits dictate our levels of success in both business and your personal life. Hear Larry and Eric discuss success habits to get better at life. This podcast has been brought to you by https://morningtechmeeting.com . TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in soft skills. When you invest in your team and teach them soft skills, your team can make you more profit. Go to https://supertechu.c...
Feb 13, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Eric and Larry talk about their Blue Collar Titans podcast summit of interviewing 21 successful blue collar influencers in the industry. These interviews will not be public, but you can hear them by signing up at https://morningtechmeeting.com/titans/ . Please sign up to hear amazing stories, strategies, ideas, and content that will change the way you view your blue collar business. We spent time with Howard Partridge, Al Levi, Shawn Van Dyke, Joe Kowalski, Ellen Rohr, Derek Preece & Katie H...
Feb 06, 2020•37 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Eric and Larry talk about confronting the fears that hold owners back from creating the company they really want to own. Larry opens up about how his fears were very difficult to overcome and how Eric helped coach him to let go and grow. Please visit morningtechmeeting.com to find out more about Eric and Larry. TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in soft skills. When you invest in your tea...
Jan 23, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Bill Yeadon is a wealth of knowledge. Bill is the director of education at Jon-Don and is an amazing instructor. For those who don't know Bill, he is a reading machine. Bill is on a quest for knowledge, and he loves to take in new information. In this podcast, Larry and Eric talk to Bill about his 5 favorite business books of all time and his 3 favorite podcasts. This one was super fun and very informative. This podcast was sponsored by morningtechmeeting.com . Please visit morningtechmeeting.co...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Larry and Eric talk about goal setting and achieving through each of their unique (and opposite) perspectives. This podcast was sponsored by morningtechmeeting.com . Please visit morningtechmeeting.com to find out more about Eric and Larry. TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in soft skills. When you invest in your team and teach them soft skills, your team can make you more profit. Go to ...
Jan 09, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 24
The area of testing and abatement is a real quandry for contractors. Most want to do the right thing by their clients and techs, but they also need to be able to get jobs and make money to keep the doors opening against companies that may not be playing fair. That's why it is such a quandry for business owners. In this episode we have a long, and sometimes difficult, talk with Peter Lyons of Tru-Eco Environmental about the many aspects of this issue. Peter is a wealth of knowledge in the area ha...
Dec 19, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Guy La Rocque is a man of many passions. He has built an amazing roofing company in Southern California, at one time employing more than 300 people. He is a 42x Ironman triathlon and 25x marathon finisher and also an Eco Challenge finisher. Guy is a family man and also heavily involved in the local community. Guy gets the most out of his life and that is why we wanted to sit down with him and find out his "secret" to making that happen. It turns out there is no secret (imagine that!), Guy just s...
Dec 12, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Thomas Blackwell has an amazing book he just published, The Liberty of Our Language Revealed . Eric and I read the book and our lives are changing for the better. As high achievers, we are very hard on ourselves. However, we tend to beat ourselves up a lot, too. These negative thoughts are keeping us from becoming as great as we desire to be. Thomas Blackwell's book is a great start to learning how to change your inner dialogue and become the entrepreneur, spouse, parent, and friend you always h...
Dec 05, 2019•59 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Eric and Larry sit down for a special Thanksgiving episode of the Blue Collar Nation podcast. The boys will review their 3 favorite books of the year, talk about goals for 2020, and talk about what blue collar business owners need to do to make positive changes in their businesses. Eric has a shiner too! You can see that on youtube here . Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons ...
Nov 26, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Mark Dent , journalist for The Hustle, recently interviewed Eric for an article on the future of the blue collar trades. The article focused on the scarcity of younger generations getting into the trades. We are potentially headed for a crisis in America, due to lack of skilled tradespeople, that could result in a lack of services for all of us. According to Forbes the economy in the blue collar industries will lose $1.5 trillion by 2028 due to lost revenue which will be caused by the inability ...
Nov 21, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Bruce DeLoatch , IICRC instructor, entrepreneur, and all-around amazing guy joins us this week to talk about building systems in your business. So many blue collar service business owners pay lip service to building systems, but never get around to doing it. This comes at a great cost to the business, causing chaos, lost money, frustration, and often unhappy owners. Bruce, who admits that he does not like systems, explains how owners who repel the idea of taking the time and effort to build syst...
Nov 14, 2019•58 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Larry is in charge of the microphone in this one. In this episode, Larry interviews Eric about his long journey to becoming a leader. The highs, the lows, and how he (finally) figured it out. This is an episode that should not be missed. The boys share a 33 year history together and their is nobody better suited to get Eric to talk than Larry. Learn about leadership. owning mistakes, becoming self aware, and how to build a team culture that is the envy of business owners. Sponsored by Morning Te...
Nov 08, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Eric and Larry are back at it this week with a new episode of the Blue Collar Nation podcast with mortgage banker Dave Powers . In this episode, the guys talk about how home ownership can build wealth for techs and owners, alike. Eric, Larry, and Dave talk about home ownership and the living the American dream. Topics include: renting vs. buying, how to budget to own a home, and the steps required to get approved for a mortgage. Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech Univers...
Nov 01, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 16
The most important tool in your toolbox is your body. You cannot produce when your body is broken. Eric, Larry, and Dr. Tony sat down in Dr. Tony's office to chat about how to stay in the field producing. Topics such as diet, exercise, and injury prevention for regular Joe's to keep them feeling great and in top form. Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in...
Oct 24, 2019•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 15
This is a super special episode for Eric and Larry. Mr. Phenomenal, Howard Partridge , graced our presence to talk about how to build a great company. Howard was Eric and Larry's coach and mentor for many years. Without Howard's guidance, they never would have achieved success in their business. We sat down with Howard and discussed leadership, company culture, making mistakes, and why every blue collar service business owner could benefit from having a coach. This is a must listen to episode. S...
Oct 17, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Talking about safety sucks! However, it is our responsibility, as blue collar owners, to make sure our team is safe at work. In this episode Eric and Larry sit down with Charles Kurtek of BBSI to talk about how a good company culture can improve company culture. Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in soft skills. When you invest in your team and teach them...
Oct 10, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Real wealth is often achieved by owning real estate. Many blue collar service business owners do not realize that they may be able to own their own building, instead of leasing. In this episode of the podcast, Eric and Larry sit down with Dave Neault of KW Commercial and chat about the steps and strategies service business owners can use to create long term wealth for themselves and their families. This is a don't miss episode . Be sure to take out a pen and paper and get ready to take notes. Da...
Oct 02, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Blue collar business owners often wear so many hats in their business that online marketing is often at the bottom of their to-do list. Now that the Yellow Pages and the newspaper are no longer viable options, what should blue collar businesses do? Today we sit down with Derek Preece and Katie Harris of S.O.S. Digital Marketing to talk about how to navigate the new world of online marketing. Derek owned a large water damage restoration business for many years and knows the pitfalls of marketing ...
Sep 20, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 11
We have identified the problem, and the problem is YOU! All too often it is the owner that is the roadblock to real success in a blue collar service business. Larry and Eric were certainly guilty of that. In this episode the boys get real about their shortcomings and they encourage all of the owners to do the same. Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in so...
Sep 19, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this episode Larry and Eric sit down with former Shamrock Manager Andrew Acker. The boys talk tonight about how to grow leaders from within the company. Andy came to Eric and Larry as a self described "punk kid" and ended up a true leader within the company. Tonight they talk about how to find and develop leaders from within and the pitfalls that many companies have in trying to develop leaders. Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your t...
Sep 12, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Eric and Darrin sit down and talk about the importance of knowing your financial numbers in a blue collar service business. Both Eric and Darrin have started out working hard and not really knowing their financial position on a daily basis which led to many issues in their businesses. Darrin has done a ton of work in the last few decades to become a master in the art and science of blue collar small business finance. So settle in and see if you are where you need to be regarding your company's f...
Sep 05, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 8
It's just Eric, The Tech Whisperer, today. Larry was away getting some much needed R&R, so Eric took the reigns solo and talked a little about how to be a better performer at work as the owner. In this episode, Eric talks about how difficult the rigors of being a small business owner can be and how to take of yourself better. Eric has had some stress related health issues in the past and self care for small business owners has become a very important topic of conversation for him. This is a ...
Aug 27, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Eric and Larry have a special guest today in Darrin Preece. Darrin acted as a mentor to the guys in the early days of their business and now they are all great friends. Today, the guys will talk about the 5 Factors that Limit Growth in blue collar service businesses. There are a lot of gems and reality checks in this episode. Please listen and commit to growing! YOu can contact Darrin at RAD Consulting . Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve ...
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Eric and Larry discuss the personal nature of connecting with a local market. In this episode, they share their tricks of the trade to better engage their community and create cheerleader clients that stayed with them for years. Sponsored by Morning Tech Meeting TITLE SPONSOR: Super Tech University Dramatically improve your team's performance with a system of short daily video lessons training your team in soft skills. When you invest in your team and teach them soft skills, your team can make y...
Aug 07, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 5
