Blue Collar Millionaire Podcast

Tired of feeling like a pushy salesperson just to close a deal?

In this episode, we break down how to make profitable sales without being pushy. It’s all about trust, education, and delivering real value.

We cover:

If you want your business to stay booked without begging, this one’s for you...

They started in the van, doing it all - sales, fulfillment, late-night admin just to stay afloat. Now? They’re running million-dollar companies with teams, systems, and the freedom to think like CEOs.

In this episode, Chris and Kevin break down what it really takes to go from being overworked to building a business that works for you. They discussed:

When to hire your first employee (and how to know you're ready)

Why sales is the last thing a founder should give away

How to build momentum even when operations aren’t pe...

In this episode, we’re back with Part 2 of our conversation with real estate investor and entrepreneur Michael Burns.

This one’s packed with hard-earned wisdom on how to lead from the front, make smart bets (especially on yourself), and avoid the mistakes that wipe out even experienced investors.

Topics we hit:

From Flipping Houses to Building Empires: Michael Burns' Journey

He lost millions, rebuilt from scratch, and came back stronger.

In this episode of Blue Collar Millionaire, Michael Burns shares the raw, unfiltered story of how he went from flipping hundreds of homes in Utah to losing nearly everything and then rebuilding a real estate empire in Ohio.

This isn’t just a real estate story. It’s a lesson in grit, humility, and what it really takes to survive hard times in life and business.

🔹 Lessons from losing $2M and sta...

Everyone’s fighting over the same leads, the same job boards, and the same tired marketing tactics. But what if there was a smarter, cheaper, and way more effective way to stand out?

In this episode, Chris and Kevin reveal the underrated strategy that’s quietly driving top-tier hires, dream clients, and long-term partnerships: hosting your own high-value experiences.

✅ Learn how to:

Build powerful business relationships without pitching.
Create events that magnetize A-players and ideal clients.
Elevate your brand in any industry without breaking the bank.
Build tr...

Turn One Job Into Five: How to Upsell Without More Ads You don’t need more ads.

You need a better system.

In this episode, Chris and Kevin break down exactly how to turn one small job into multiple high-value opportunities using smart upselling, strategic follow-ups, and a service model that builds trust and long-term relationships.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

✅ The 4-step upsell ladder (inspection → repair → replacement → subscription)

✅ Why getting in the house is your #1 revenue move

✅ How to use “when was the last time” questions to create de...

AI isn’t a threat, it’s your secret weapon.

Missed calls. Lost leads. Overwhelmed staff. We’ve all been there. In this episode, we dive into how AI is solving those problems fast and helping blue-collar businesses grow smarter, not just harder.

Hear how one business went from startup to 45 trucks and a multimillion-dollar exit, thanks in part to AI. Get real call demos, find out how it boosts scheduling, lead follow-up, and rehashing old clients. Plus, learn why private equity is pouring into this space and what that means for your future...

Are you pricing jobs based on what the competition charges—or worse, just winging it? In this episode, Chris and Kevin break down exactly why so many blue collar businesses are losing money on every job… and how to stop the bleeding.

You’ll learn:

✅ How to price for profit (not just to stay busy)

✅ Why a 30% overhead and 20% profit margin should be your baseline

✅ How cash flow issues—not lack of leads—put businesses under

✅ Real strategies to fix your pricing, deposits, vendor terms, and more

✅ Why staying small is...

Let’s be real. Excuses are easy, ownership is hard. In this episode, Kevin and Chris dive into the raw truth about what’s really holding most entrepreneurs back: themselves.

From blaming lowballers and labor shortages to avoiding tough conversations about culture and leadership, this is a wake-up call for anyone who’s serious about growth. It’s not your market. It’s not your team. It’s the habits and blind spots you’ve allowed to stay.

✅ Learn how to:

Stop handing your power away with excuses

Take extreme ownership of your outcomes...

Most business owners get delegation wrong because they think hiring someone experienced means they can "hand off the crown" and walk away.

In this episode, Chris and Kevin break down the real key to successful delegation: empowering your team with the systems, support, and clarity they need to win.

We share firsthand lessons on:

- Why hiring "skilled" people isn't enough

- How to build buy-in and ownership

- What accountability actually looks like

- The mindset shift that took us from chaos to clarity

What separates a busy business from a profitable one? Processes.

In this episode, kevin and Chris unpack how to scale a business by building simple, repeatable systems that remove you from the day-to-day chaos and unlock serious growth.

Here’s what we cover:

✅ Why most entrepreneurs stay stuck as technicians 

✅ How to identify and fix your biggest bottleneck

✅ Building processes that allow you to delegate and scale

✅ How we grew a startup windshield business with lightning speed

✅ The mindset shift from working in your...

College debt or career head start?

In this episode of Blue Collar Millionaire, we dive deep into the growing opportunities in the blue collar space and why more people are choosing trades over traditional degrees. We break down real numbers—man-hour profitability from carpet cleaning to fire restoration—and explain how young workers can go from zero experience to business ownership in just a few years.

We talk about:

Why blue collar isn't a fallback—it’s a fast track

The massive wave of retiring business owners creating buyout opportunities

How p...

In this episode, we delve into the critical importance of rapid response times for boosting business conversions, illustrated with real-life case studies. Discover how responding quickly to customer inquiries can significantly enhance your business credibility and conversion rates, demonstrated by examples from blue-collar industries.

Learn why being 'born ready' and setting up efficient communication systems can make or break your business, as we share strategies adopted by market leaders and the Amazon culture. Explore how implementing quick response systems can unlock substantial financial gains and customer loyalty.

Want to get in the room...

In this episode, we’re breaking down the real reason people leave companies—and how the best leaders flip the script. If you're running a business, your team can either make or break you. So how do you build loyalty, boost performance, and create a culture that people want to be a part of?

Chris and Kevin get real about the mistakes they made early on, the lessons that reshaped their leadership, and the powerful mindset shift that changed their team culture forever. They share tactical ways to connect with your people, reward the right behavior, and beco...

In this episode, we delve into why blue collar millionaires avoid get rich quick schemes and the importance of controlling your investments. With real-life examples and personal anecdotes, we explain why high-risk investments often amount to gambling and usually result in losses.

Discover the necessity of having control over your investments and learn practical tips to protect yourself from financial pitfalls. Join us to explore safer, smarter investment strategies backed by hard-earned experience and learn about the resources available at Blue Collar Millionaire. Net aimed at guiding you towards sustainable financial success.

00:00 Introduction: Avoiding Get Rich Q...

In this episode, we dive deep into relationship capital—the ultimate hack for credibility, visibility, and exponential opportunities in business.

🔹 Why brand ambassadors and key relationships drive business growth

🔹 How networking in the right rooms changed our careers

🔹 The importance of leveraging other people’s experience, skills, and connections

🔹 Why investing in exclusive masterminds and paid networking groups is a game-changer

🔹 How to become the connector in your industry and open doors to new opportunities “If I lost everything, the ONE thing I’d ask to keep is my relationships.” Want to...

What Happens When You STOP Looking for the Easy Button in Sales? 

Too many business owners and salespeople search for shortcuts instead of doing what works. The truth? There is no easy button in business. If you want to win, you need to put in the effort, remove risk for your customers, and make it a no-brainer for them to choose YOU over the competition.

In this episode, we break down:
✅ Why customers hesitate to buy—and how to eliminate that hesitation
✅ The Test Method: a simple way to show your value before asking f...

Stop Selling, Start Solving: The Secret to Closing More Deals

Most people get sales wrong. They focus on selling when they should be solving. In this episode, we break down the exact method to land high-value deals, even if you’re starting from scratch.

Why nobody cares about your company history (and what actually gets their attention)

How to structure win-win deals where you don’t take on risk The power of controlling the lead and building an affiliate network Why the best entrepreneurs aren’t the best technicians—they’re the best m...

The Hard Truth About Success: Avoid These Career Pitfalls

Success isn’t a straight path—it’s a journey filled with lessons, setbacks, and breakthroughs. In this episode, we dive into the biggest career mistakes people make in their 20s, 30s, and 40s and how to avoid them. From learning the right skills early on to leveraging relationships and scaling your business, we break down what we wish we knew sooner.

We talk about:

✅ The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs and professionals make in each decade

✅ Why your environment and relationships determine your success

Your Customers Hold the Key to Your Next Big Business Move

If you’re not listening to your customers, you’re missing out on massive opportunities for growth. In this episode, we dive into the importance of understanding your customer’s language, pinpointing their pain points, and using that information to refine your marketing, sales, and service offerings.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
🔥 How to identify and leverage customer trigger words for marketing
🔥 The subcontractor model and why it’s a game-changer for scaling
🔥 Real-world examples of businesses pivoting based on customer feedback

Most business owners think competition is about outworking the other guy. But the real winners? They collaborate, learn, and leverage smart strategies to grow FAST.

In this episode, we dive into:
✅ Secret Shopping – How to spy on your competitors (ethically) and improve your sales process.
✅ Shop Tours & Hands-on Learning – Why working with industry leaders outside your market will fast-track your success.
✅ Sam Walton’s Strategy – How the Walmart founder used competitor insights to dominate retail (and how you can apply this to your business).
✅ Avoiding Expensive Trial & Error – The smartest way to learn new services and l...

Want a HIGH-PERFORMING Team? Watch This Now

Building a team that excels in both culture and performance is no easy task, but it's the key to scaling a successful business. In this episode, Chris and I dive deep into strategies for hiring A-players, identifying team members who are holding your business back, and making the tough decisions that ultimately lead to growth.

We’ll share actionable tips like:

Learn the art of the pivot and make smart business moves with these tips! Overcome the fear of change and adapt to new opportunities for success.

In this episode, Kevin and Chris emphasize the importance of pivoting in business decisions to ensure growth and financial success. They discuss reassessing compensation structures, services, prices, and team members to better align with future goals. Personal experiences are shared, illustrating how timely pivots can lead to significant business transformations.

The conversation covers setting realistic timelines for testing new strategies and gathering sufficient data to make informed decisions. Ultimately...

Learn about the millionaire mindset and how to achieve success through focus, execution, and personal growth. This video will teach you how to set and achieve your goals like a millionaire!

In this episode, Kevin and Chris explore the crucial concept of focus and why it's essential for business growth. Kevin shares how focusing on one thing, like his gutter cleaning business, helped him achieve multi-million dollar success. They talk about the dangers of spreading yourself too thin and the power of prioritizing your most important goals. From lead generation to efficiency, this episode is packed with...

Learn how to track and dominate your business competition with these tips on analyzing data and setting realistic revenue goals. Stay ahead of the game!

In this episode, Chris and Kevin discuss the critical role of tracking business metrics to ensure success rather than relying on accidental achievements They emphasize the importance of analyzing data, setting realistic revenue goals for 2025, and identifying key activities that drive growth. The conversation covers practical tips on maximizing lead conversion, the significance of follow-ups, choosing profitable services, and using CRM systems like Housecall Pro. Join them as they break down strategies...

Discover the strategies of delegation and systemization to grow your business. Learn how to fractionalize yourself to increase productivity and scale your business effectively.

In this episode, we dive into the game-changing strategies of delegation and systemization to grow your business. Learn how to fractionalize yourself without diluting your expertise, create detailed SOPs, and build training systems that free you from the daily grind.

Learn the exact steps we’ve used to document processes, leverage technology like Loom and AI tools, and develop virtual training programs to transform our businesses into well-oiled machines.

In this episode, Kevin and Chris dive into the importance of being honest with yourself about your goals and commitments. Are you truly going to take on that new idea, or is it time to let it go? We discuss:

💡 Plus, Kevin and Chris share their personal stories of managing time, avoiding shiny object syndrome, and ho...

Are you focusing too much on finding new customers and neglecting the goldmine in your existing database? This episode is all about increasing the lifetime value of your customers and building stronger, more profitable relationships.

We dive into actionable strategies for:

Whether you're in cleaning, landscaping, or any other blue-collar business, these tips will help you turn one-time customers into long-term assets.

Tune in and take action—your business wi...

What’s Holding Your Team Back from LEVELING UP?

In this episode, Kevin and Chris dive into the strategies that will take your business to the next level. Learn how to raise your company’s standards, track performance, and create a culture where accountability thrives.

Discover how small changes, like keeping score and recognizing top performers, can have a massive impact on team morale and productivity. Kevin shares stories from his journey, including lessons learned in his own companies, and Chris discusses the importance of leading by example.

Highlights include:

Learn why scaling smarter is the ultimate key to sustainable business growth. In this video, we uncover the numbers behind scaling a business effectively and the strategies needed for long-term success.

We’ll guide you through actionable steps, from reverse engineering your goals to tracking critical metrics like customer acquisition costs and profit margins, to help you build a business that works for you.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

✅ How to reverse-engineer your revenue goals for clarity and focus

✅ Why understanding unit costs is a game-changer for profitability

✅ How...

Find out what we learned from building a powerful network and participating in high-level masterminds. Networking has been a game-changer for us, and we're sharing our insights in this video!

Join Kevin and Chris from Blue Collar Millionaire as they dive into the transformative power of networking and masterminds in achieving lasting business success. In this episode, they share firsthand insights on the value of attending exclusive dinners, investing in high-level connections, and cultivating the 'hustle gene' that sets successful entrepreneurs apart. Learn how their personal experiences—like life-changing dinners and mastermind events—built the powerful networks that...

These Skills are ESSENTIAL for Business Growth: Marketing and Recruiting

In this episode, Kevin and Chris delve into the key skills necessary to scale your business effectively. They emphasize the importance of strong marketing practices and strategic recruitment to build a solid team. The discussion includes practical tips on identifying red flags in applicants, crafting essential interview questions, and understanding your company's needs for clarity in hiring. They also highlight the benefits of outsourcing administrative tasks to virtual assistants to allocate more resources to operational staff. Additionally, the episode covers maintaining a positive company culture, being a...

If your hiring process is failing, don't worry - we've got you covered! Discover why your hiring process isn't working and learn how to fix it in this video.

In this episode, Chris and Kevin, delve into the essentials of hiring the right employees for your business. They emphasize the importance of evaluating an applicant's past to predict future performance, highlight the significance of a growth mindset, and share practical strategies for effective interviews. They discuss red flags, the necessity of clarity in job roles, and innovative techniques, such as task-based application processes, to ensure that only...

In this episode of Blue Collar Millionaires, we explore the transformative impact of mentors, coaches, and continuous self-education on personal and professional growth.

Discover invaluable resources such as industry-specific podcasts, essential audiobooks, and the compounded benefits of gathering new information during your daily routine. Learn about the strategic advantages of investing in paid educational groups, personal coaching, and mastermind sessions to tackle business challenges and elevate your skillset.

This episode is a must-watch for anyone looking to optimize their journey to success.

00:00 The Power of Coaches

00:47 Scaling with Podcasts a...

In this engaging episode, Kevin and Chris explore essential strategies for blue collar business owners aiming to achieve significant growth.

You'll learn:

We also discuss the importance of cutting through your ego, taking consistent action, and why surviving tough times defines who you are as an entrepreneur.

In this episode, Chris and Kevin talk about practical ways to keep your business from getting stuck and how to keep growing. They focus on the need to shift from being just a skilled worker (technician) to learning marketing skills to build a business you could sell one day.

They explain how tracking your numbers and using both inbound (people coming to you) and outbound (you reaching out) marketing is crucial to keeping leads flowing, even when things slow down. The episode also covers ways to make things easier for customers, like speeding up estimates and using...

In this podcast episode, Kevin and Chris emphasize the importance of being proactive and engaging in revenue-generating activities instead of wasting time. They discuss the essential actions needed to create CHANGE and drive success, how to audit your time to shift from busy to productive, the importance of staying top of mind through valuable connections, and leveraging social media to generate leads. Plus, we share tips for overcoming distractions and finding your focus in a chaotic world to help your business grow FAST!

00:00 Introduction: The Necessity of Change

00:08 The Importance of Being Available

In this video, we dive deep into the lesson of perseverance and the importance of follow-up. Many people quit after the first few attempts, but success often comes after persistence. Follow-up is where the money is, and too many businesses miss out on valuable opportunities because they stop too soon. Kevin and Chris share real-life examples from their team’s experience and discuss strategies you can use to effectively follow up with clients, build relationships, and win big deals. Remember, never give up until you hear a clear 'no,' and always stay top of mind for when the ne...

In this episode, Kevin and Chris discuss the importance of leading with value when approaching potential mentors or successful individuals in your industry. Key insights include putting in the hustle, offering help first, and demonstrating your willingness to act on advice.

Learn how to effectively ask for guidance by providing value upfront and understanding the significance of preparation and effort.

This strategy not only helps in gaining valuable mentorship but also in establishing a reputation as a go-getter in any field. 

00:00 Introduction: The Value of Hustle

00:35 How to Get a...

In this episode, Chris and Kevin get real about the blue-collar hustle, dropping some serious knowledge on what happens when you start raking in the dough. They dive into the highs and lows of managing that new wealth—because let's face it, with great power comes great potential for really dumb decisions. You'll hear why keeping your business lean and mean is the way to go, and why splurging on a yacht or ten might not be the best idea (at least, not yet).

Chris also spills the beans on his own rollercoaster rides with real estate an...