July 23, 2025 • 21 mins
If you're tired of spinning your wheels, worn down from the same routine, or just feeling mentally buried, this episode is built for you. We’ve stitched together the best answers from multiple guests who all responded to one honest question: what do you say to the blue collar worker who’s sick of being stuck in the mud? The responses are real, hard-earned, and brutally honest.
You’ll hear from folks who’ve been in the ditch, started from nothing, and fought their way up. Some are running companies now, some are still grinding it out, but every one of them knows what it feels like to hit a wall. Whether it’s money problems, burnout, home stress, or the pressure of leading a team, they’ve all had to dig deep and keep pushing. This isn’t fluff. It’s straight from the heart of the construction industry and other blue-collar trades.
They talk about what helped them push through - finding mentors, being willing to start at the bottom, staying moldable, and learning fast. There’s advice on managing teams, taking pride in your work, and chasing opportunity when it shows up, even if it feels uncomfortable. You’ll hear how some of these guests faced down business failure, self-doubt, and the emotional weight that comes with responsibility, and how they kept going anyway.
If you’re a laborer, foreman, or owner and you’re feeling stuck, this episode brings you the words you didn’t know you needed. It’s the kind of real-world impact that comes from experience, not textbooks. No gimmicks. Just solid business advice, personal lessons, and a reminder that you’re not alone in this fight.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey guys, welcome to the Blue Collar Business Podcast
, where we discuss the realest,rawest, most relevant stories
and strategies behind buildingevery corner of a blue collar
business.
I'm your host, cy Kirby, and Iwant to help you in what it took
me, trial and error and a wholelot of money to learn the
information that no one in thisindustry is willing to share.
Whether you're under that shadetree or have your hard hat on,
(00:30):
let's expand your toolbox, thelast thing I got for you.
I ask everybody what's thetakeaway for the blue-collar
worker who's sick and tired ofbeing stuck in the mud and I
know for us that can mean quiteliteral, since we came from the
ditches and the muddy holes butI'm talking a little bit about
(00:52):
that mental game that we talkedabout.
Maybe emotionally, he's offkilter at home and works,
suffering because of he's scaredhe might lose his job.
Let's talk about those guysthat are 18 to 22 years old.
They're stuck in their headmentally.
They've been somewhere for ayear or two.
Tell them from your experience,other than the few things that
(01:13):
you've already mentioned how dothey propel through their 20s
and get set up for their 30slike we are?
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Don't be set in your ways.
Very good one man.
I've talked to young guys andthey want to start as a foreman,
they want to start as asuperintendent.
They don't want to go in theditch.
But, like we've said, you go inthe ditch.
You work hard, you'reprofessional, you show some
enthusiasm, you show someprogress, you learn the job.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Retain information.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
You retain it, you're going to climb pretty quick.
There's a lot of open holes inthis industry.
100% buddy.
I don't know how many timesI've been offered a job from a
contractor, you know or how manytimes I've had contractors call
me and want to know guys tohire.
(02:08):
Do you know anybody to?
Speaker 1 (02:09):
hire, I've done it.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Do you know anybody to hire?
Do you know anybody to hire?
I need truck drivers.
Do you know anybody to hire?
Yeah, you know anybody.
But don't be moldable.
If you hate being in the ditch,you hate lighting a pipe, okay,
go do something else.
Go get out of the ditch, goelse, go get out of this, go get
out of the pipe.
Go talk to the framer who's onthe job.
He'll give you a job that dayTomorrow.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I guarantee it 100%, buddy.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
It might be picking up trash Yep, pick up trash but
it wasn't what you were doing Infour years when I quit college.
I went five years with Mike andwithin two to three years, I
was making more money than mymother was as a 30-year teacher
(02:53):
with a master's degree.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
That's so sad.
It's great.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Fantastic for you, terrible for Mama Bear there
because the teachers, teachersare severely underpaid, isn't it
A hundred percent?
And that's a whole otherconversation.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
But you know our whole family's teachers, Right,
but there's opportunity there.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Point proven, brother , a hundred percent point proven
.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
And it could happen in two years.
It could happen in three years.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You can speed up a four-year degree, a four-year
educational degree.
You can hop in a ditch or go towork as a plumber's apprentice.
I know Bobby Brewer poursbeautiful manholes and storm
boxes and he's always beggingfor that.
One guy that retains just alittle bit of information about
how to put a manhole togetherand a box together.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
If you're 19, if you're 20, if you're 21, and you
work hard and you can beprofessional and you can learn
it by the time you're 25, he'sprobably going to give you a
truck to drive 100%.
He's probably going to give youall the tools you want.
He's going to give you all thework time you want and he's
(04:03):
probably going to pay you goodbecause he doesn't want you to
go somewhere else.
That's right, because as soonas that guy starts doing good
work and somebody else sees it,it's on dude.
They're gonna be like hey, whatare you making?
Yep, and you get this?
Yeah.
And then that guy's gonna wantto keep you.
Yep, and if you can show, it'snot just.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
It's not just the money side of it, it's from this
side of the table, bro.
It's like I've invested in thisguy.
Oh time wise yeah for afreaking year to get him to the
knowledge where I can pick upthe phone and we can talk about
a corp stop you know what I?
mean for sure it's like it'sthat investment, that retraining
in a company, oh my well, youknow, as an inspector, you're,
(04:46):
you know, as you get new guysit's a lot more involved with.
We do the same thing, but kindof more, a little bit more
repetitive.
We're not looking for as muchas you guys are, but man, it's
so different.
But I think that's a greattakeaway, dude.
Yeah, I mean you, just you gotto you've got a lot of life to
live.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
You're going to be working for 30 or 40 years.
You're going to work untilyou're 50, 60, 70 years old by
the time you're 25, if you canget to a foreman, superintendent
role, you're going to have lesstime in the ditch.
There's going to be crappy days.
Somebody's going to call andsay you're going to have to run
a track, go, you bet, enjoy it.
Enjoy running a track.
Go Prior, enjoy it, yes.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Enjoy running the track.
Prioritize that moment Becauseit's fun it is.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
It's a big, giant video game.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
But I ask everybody, man, every blue-collar guy
that's just absolutely sick andtired of being stuck in the mud.
Maybe it's a guy that's been atthe same job for seven years.
Maybe it's the owner that'strying to make that first new
purchase.
Maybe it's mental.
Maybe it's mental, Maybe it'sphysical, Maybe it's emotional
going through some hard stuff athome and you just can't capture
(05:52):
the right mindset to show upevery day and keep going.
How do they give us a keytakeaway that's helped you do
everything that you're doingmentally, man or physically, but
stuck in the mud, dude, How'dthey get out of that mud?
Mmm.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
So here Do it Been in a lot of bad situations, right,
like everybody has, andeverybody's bad situations are.
You know what I mean?
My bad situation is way worsethan somebody that probably
doesn't own a company.
Arguably, you know what I'msaying.
Yep, I do, buddy, and then I'llcall Trey to complain about it.
And he's like arguably, youknow what I'm saying, and then
I'll call trey to complain aboutit and he's like oh, you know
that's a tuesday, yeah, exactlylike you know so.
So everybody's problem.
(06:31):
But what's a big deal?
You know somebody complainingabout losing a tire on their, on
their car, whatever.
It's a huge deal to them, right?
This is not fair to me to saythat that's no big deal, because
it would be if I was in thatboat, right?
So, anyways, I say that to saywhen I've been in all those
situations and there's timeswhere, like when we had multiple
commercial sites going at onceand we're getting screwed around
(06:52):
on stuff that we can't controland man, it's running.
You were talking aboutanswering to your wife when
she's like where's this moneyand where's man?
It takes a toll on youremployees yourself, your wife,
your kids, your everything.
You know what I mean.
I mean it runs you into theground.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
You know it's funny, dude, you didn't say yourself in
there and we always.
It's like we always not to cutyou off, but it's like we always
place ourself completely last,yeah, in this equation, because
we have so many peopleresponsible I don't have time
for that, I don't have time tothink about my feelings exactly.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Yeah, know what I mean.
Yeah, but then, you know, youget to the point where, like,
you're so run down, like youcan't you know what I mean
Mentally yes, like I can't.
And I finally got to thatbreaking point, you know.
And when I get in thosesituations here's what I started
(07:46):
doing, and this is easy sittingright here.
It's harder when it's happening.
But you end up in that boatwhere, like, I'll mourn, so to
speak, that situation.
Right, like I'll go through it.
So, yeah, deal with.
You know what I mean.
Go on for a day or two or threeor week or whatever it takes.
I mean, during that last, mostrecent process, I mean there was
tear shed, dude, like I'll behonest between me and my wife.
(08:07):
But you know, down at the yard,like, just, I don't know what
we're gonna do.
Yeah, we tried so and we werethat way in the beginning when
we had 20.
You know what I mean.
Now we're, we're about to loseanother 40 grand, you know, and
it's like, how did we try thishard and end up?
You know, now she's cryingbecause I'm going through this.
I'm you know, I'm like how,anyways buddy, do I get what
(08:33):
you're saying?
yes, I lived it and that's thestuff.
Nobody's gonna understand, norshould they right, they won't
ever know without going throughwhat we're into.
But I'll go through thosesituations, and they used to be
smaller, you know.
In hindsight it's like why didI care that much about that?
Right, eventually I'll besaying the same thing about this
most recent situation.
(08:53):
If you're growing problems, getbigger, right, but I'll go
through and more in thatsituation, like I said, not make
any rash decisions, deal withit for a few days and then
eventually I have to logicallylook at the situation and say,
okay, I've got.
What are my options here?
Right, shut down.
And so, like I have to honestlyanswer this question to myself
(09:14):
a couple of times because it gotso bad, do I quit?
Do I close the doors?
Do I give up?
And I have to sit there youknow what I mean, boy, do I?
For a couple minutes, you know,and like, don't be prideful.
Is that the best option?
And maybe it is.
But every time I'm like, youknow, either either keep going
or shut her down, and every timeI'm like, well, I can't, I
(09:37):
can't, freaking, quit at thispoint, you know.
So I just get away fromeverything changing exactly.
You know it's all up anddownhill.
If you get a call, a bad call,you're about to get a good call.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
So there's usually a string of bad calls, there's a
string of good calls and it'sjust up and down.
But it's finding that middleground and keeping everybody
level, which sounds so easysitting there it's so easy.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
But every time I talk to, like I said, like trey bo
for going through, I just keepon keeping all you know, just
keep going.
And I'm like, yeah, dude, I getit, but that's all you know,
just keep going.
And I'm like, yeah, dude, I getit, but that's really it.
You know what I mean it reallyis.
Like when you're like how do youget through those times, dude?
You just keep going.
And that's so easy to say Do it.
Yeah, like you just put anotherfoot in front of the other and
if you're going to fail, you'regoing to go down swinging.
(10:21):
We might go under.
As Trayvon says, I'll be backin business the next day.
That's right.
I mean, I don't know.
That's what it boils down to me.
It's so easy to sit here andsay you just keep going, but
that's all there is to it.
Right, learn?
Everybody talks about hard work.
Yeah, that's a given, that's aprerequisite.
Hard work alone won't get youthere.
Network, learn, give a shit youknow what I mean I do and work
(10:43):
your ass off in relationships.
Just keep going.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Yeah, our relationships are absolutely
everything.
Having those influences, likeyou've mentioned, to not even
really just vent to man, yeah,and them just not really give
you any keep on keeping on.
You know what I mean.
And you're like did you justhear what I said?
I'm fixing to go bankrupt?
And they're like did you justhear what I said?
(11:06):
I'm fixing to go bankrupt?
And they're like boy, you don'tknow even close to bankrupt,
get your ass out there and goback to work.
You know what I mean?
Yes, and it's just that comfortand the confidence over just
decades of just keep.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, they've seen those situations and they seem
small to them.
They don't have that muchempathy because they forgot that
.
You know what I mean.
Like they went through that tooand they care, but like, dude,
it's going to be okay.
You know what I mean.
Like you're going to survive.
You have this far.
So it reminds me real quickthat there's a TikTok.
I don't know if you've seen it,I don't remember the guy's name
, I'm going to butcher it.
(11:42):
But he says he's talking to hismentor.
He's owed a million bucks, he'sdown.
You know, he's down, bad,whatever he.
They've refinanced, they'vedone everything they can.
They're about to go bankrupt.
He's talking to one of hismentors and he's like you know,
tells him the story and he'slike I don't know what I'm gonna
do.
And he said the guy looks at meand laughs and says son, if
you're not worried about goingbankrupt about every three years
(12:04):
, you ain't doing shit anywayjustin win waller.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I know exactly.
Yeah, justin waller, that'swhat it is.
Yeah, my god, where you at king.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
I've watched that clip to like in some lows you
know what I mean and then,because it right after, he says
he goes.
I can't explain it.
Or he said it's not the answerI wanted, but I just felt better
and that's so true.
Like every time I think of that, I'm like and you know, like I
said what you just said abouttrey, he's the same way of like
dude, either, like that's partof the growth, right.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Like if you're not worried about going bankrupt,
you're not doing shit, you'renot even if, if the irs or you
ain't going bankrupt or you'renot pushing the envelope, yeah,
like literally now.
There's so many probably30-year business snooties that
would probably sit here and tellyou otherwise.
But for a guy like me and you,brother, that had nothing,
(12:54):
started now and said I'm goingto do this, there ain't no other
freaking way for us.
Right, dog, right.
What if a guy is sitting therejust absolutely sick and tired
of being stuck in the mud,whether that's literal stuck in
the mud, whether that's literalsense in the mud or mentally
stuck in the mud of doing thesame thing, I gotta get up and
(13:15):
go do the same job, whether it'sa different location.
I gotta run the same wire.
I gotta punch the same nail, Igotta lay the same line.
That guy, how does he get outof that situation and how just?
it doesn't have to be anythingmajor but, the things that you
have seen in the changes inmorale and personalities here.
(13:36):
Any tips you can give for ablue collar guy like that?
Speaker 6 (13:40):
I think I'll try to kind of relate this question to
what I do, because I'm not goingto sit here and try to tell the
blue collar worker that I knowhow to get him out of the mud,
because I'm not in the mud withhim, respectively so.
But I have seen, we've beenthrough some times this year,
(14:01):
for sure, for sure,rollercoaster, my guy oh yeah,
but it's been so cool, I thinkthat I don't know, with getting.
You could kind of relate thisback to the barriers that we
were facing and we weren'treally they weren't really sure
(14:22):
if it was going to stick, youknow, when we were first getting
out there.
But I just kind of, I thinkgetting after it, chasing
opportunity, I think is a goodway to, even if it's.
I don't know if your bosssometimes brings in or someday
(14:43):
brings in a camera guy and, uh,you need to show.
I don't know how to put this.
I think your boss brings in acamera guy and you're not really
sure how to feel about it.
But there's opportunity there.
You can somehow use to youradvantage something different.
(15:09):
You know, because you keeprepeating the same thing over
and over again.
It's something different.
It's something to maybe you dosee it taking pride.
You got a different source ofpride because your work is
getting finally getting shownright.
Um, but yeah, I I don't have asuper great answer for that
(15:32):
question.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
That's a fantastic answer, but, like the same guy
that's been doing this 10-15years, camera shows up.
There's opportunity there,strike on it?
Speaker 6 (15:43):
yeah, absolutely.
I know it's new and it'sdifferent, but gotta, gotta
adapt.
Sometimes, you know, I thinkthat's huge.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
The digital marketing space, the videography?
Um.
Start tomorrow, guys.
There's no reason you shouldn't.
Don't think you've got to makeit some special thing.
There's youtube channels outthere.
Um, I would say, brand it youif you want to.
Um, what's a takeaway for theblue collar worker who is sick
(16:15):
of being stuck in the mud?
And I'm talking about thosedrivers or your guys that come
to you, they're just down andout mentally, physically,
emotionally, and they just,they're just tired of out
mentally, physically,emotionally, and they just,
they're just tired of it.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Um, I, you know I hate not to sound like a Disney
movie, but you gotta, you know,like um.
Probably one of my favoritequotes I'll give to here Um, but
, but but one of them is um, yougotta keep moving forward.
You know, um, most great thingsin the Bible, every great thing
that I can remember in theBible, started out in adversity.
(16:50):
So good things are to come.
And if your dreams don't scareyou, they're not big enough, and
that's where I live my life.
I don't know that they'reinspiring to everyone, but
that's what inspires me, right,like, if it doesn't scare me
just a little bit, I'm notdreaming big enough, dude, that
(17:12):
is, uh, 100, something to strivefor and relatable.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
I'm sitting here across the table.
I'm just 100, relating whereyou're coming from.
Because the guy at the topcan't ever stop dreaming,
because as soon as he does, thewhole thing comes crumbling down
.
Because it's always going to betough up there down on the
bottom dealing with everyday-to-day problems and
sometimes it can get hard andkeep moving forward.
(17:42):
Keep the trucks rolling downthe road, hopefully with a load
on them.
Keep the trucks rolling downthe road, hopefully with a load
on them.
What's a takeaway for that bluecollar worker who is sick and
tired of being stuck in the mud?
And that may be physical You'veseen me come into your shop
pretty muddy before but alsomentally, emotionally.
You know you were vulnerablethere a minute ago.
I'm the same way.
(18:03):
It's hard some days to just getup and do it.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
I tell you, the first thing is is, uh, have a mentor
that you can reach out to, andit's and I need, I mean somebody
that's going to be a mentor foryou, probably their their whole
life, yeah, their whole life byyours, their whole life yeah
(18:28):
and your goal is to not needthem, and you know.
but you need to be able to reachout to somebody and say, and it
could be a friend, it could berelative, but somebody that
doesn't have really any skin inthe game, that that can impart
with you the best advice basedon experience.
(18:48):
And you know, some people havesomebody like that and some
people don't.
If you don't which honestly Inever really did, right, you
know, and a similar situationlike my dad is kind of, you know
, he's not a guy I could call upand talk about.
So, anyway, I think thatoverall, that that's the most
(19:11):
important thing is have a mentoror friend, somebody that knows
you, that likes you, that trustsyou.
Call you on your crap, it callsyou on your crap.
They'll say, no, dude, that'snot you, you've got yourself
going down a hole, you don'teven need to be around the low
end.
And that's helped me make betterdecisions over time because, uh
(19:34):
, if you're like me at all andyou are that you, if somebody
needs your help, you just do it.
And you know it's just like Igotta talk myself out of this or
that, or I don't need to bedoing this, or if it's even I
kind of stopped buying stinkingdiesels.
I don't even need it, whateverit is.
(19:55):
You know, yeah, whether it's amaturity thing.
When I say maturity, I meanexperience.
Experience, you know, like like, uh, you know coach.
Well, there may be somebodyreally good, but if he doesn't
have a lot of experiencecoaching people and bringing
them up, I'm not going to be theright hire.
No, so that's the same thingwith you.
(20:17):
You need to hold yourselfaccountable, dude.
That's been my big 24 word wasaccountability, yeah, and you
know, lead by example on everyaspect of your life.
So, um, you have to be that,that leader for everybody, and
lots of times you just don'twant to bear the weight, but you
(20:37):
have to.
True, you have to get up and doit again.
You have to do it and uh, well,you don't have to, but if don't
, you have no chance at allbeing successful.
There's no chance.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
If you've enjoyed this episode, be sure to give it
a like.
Share it with the fellers.
Check out our website to sendus any questions and comments
about your experience in theblue collar business.
Who do you want to hear from?
Send them our way and we'll doour best to answer any questions
you may have.
Till next time, guys.
Hey guys, welcome to the Blue Collar Business Podcast
, where we discuss the realest,rawest, most relevant stories
and strategies behind buildingevery corner of a blue collar
business.
I'm your host, cy Kirby, and Iwant to help you in what it took
me, trial and error and a wholelot of money to learn the
information that no one in thisindustry is willing to share.
Whether you're under that shadetree or have your hard hat on,
(00:30):
let's expand your toolbox, thelast thing I got for you.
I ask everybody what's thetakeaway for the blue-collar
worker who's sick and tired ofbeing stuck in the mud and I
know for us that can mean quiteliteral, since we came from the
ditches and the muddy holes butI'm talking a little bit about
(00:52):
that mental game that we talkedabout.
Maybe emotionally, he's offkilter at home and works,
suffering because of he's scaredhe might lose his job.
Let's talk about those guysthat are 18 to 22 years old.
They're stuck in their headmentally.
They've been somewhere for ayear or two.
Tell them from your experience,other than the few things that
(01:13):
you've already mentioned how dothey propel through their 20s
and get set up for their 30slike we are?
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Don't be set in your ways.
Very good one man.
I've talked to young guys andthey want to start as a foreman,
they want to start as asuperintendent.
They don't want to go in theditch.
But, like we've said, you go inthe ditch.
You work hard, you'reprofessional, you show some
enthusiasm, you show someprogress, you learn the job.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Retain information.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
You retain it, you're going to climb pretty quick.
There's a lot of open holes inthis industry.
100% buddy.
I don't know how many timesI've been offered a job from a
contractor, you know or how manytimes I've had contractors call
me and want to know guys tohire.
(02:08):
Do you know anybody to?
Speaker 1 (02:09):
hire, I've done it.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Do you know anybody to hire?
Do you know anybody to hire?
I need truck drivers.
Do you know anybody to hire?
Yeah, you know anybody.
But don't be moldable.
If you hate being in the ditch,you hate lighting a pipe, okay,
go do something else.
Go get out of the ditch, goelse, go get out of this, go get
out of the pipe.
Go talk to the framer who's onthe job.
He'll give you a job that dayTomorrow.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I guarantee it 100%, buddy.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
It might be picking up trash Yep, pick up trash but
it wasn't what you were doing Infour years when I quit college.
I went five years with Mike andwithin two to three years, I
was making more money than mymother was as a 30-year teacher
(02:53):
with a master's degree.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
That's so sad.
It's great.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Fantastic for you, terrible for Mama Bear there
because the teachers, teachersare severely underpaid, isn't it
A hundred percent?
And that's a whole otherconversation.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
But you know our whole family's teachers, Right,
but there's opportunity there.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Point proven, brother , a hundred percent point proven
.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
And it could happen in two years.
It could happen in three years.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
You can speed up a four-year degree, a four-year
educational degree.
You can hop in a ditch or go towork as a plumber's apprentice.
I know Bobby Brewer poursbeautiful manholes and storm
boxes and he's always beggingfor that.
One guy that retains just alittle bit of information about
how to put a manhole togetherand a box together.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
If you're 19, if you're 20, if you're 21, and you
work hard and you can beprofessional and you can learn
it by the time you're 25, he'sprobably going to give you a
truck to drive 100%.
He's probably going to give youall the tools you want.
He's going to give you all thework time you want and he's
(04:03):
probably going to pay you goodbecause he doesn't want you to
go somewhere else.
That's right, because as soonas that guy starts doing good
work and somebody else sees it,it's on dude.
They're gonna be like hey, whatare you making?
Yep, and you get this?
Yeah.
And then that guy's gonna wantto keep you.
Yep, and if you can show, it'snot just.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
It's not just the money side of it, it's from this
side of the table, bro.
It's like I've invested in thisguy.
Oh time wise yeah for afreaking year to get him to the
knowledge where I can pick upthe phone and we can talk about
a corp stop you know what I?
mean for sure it's like it'sthat investment, that retraining
in a company, oh my well, youknow, as an inspector, you're,
(04:46):
you know, as you get new guysit's a lot more involved with.
We do the same thing, but kindof more, a little bit more
repetitive.
We're not looking for as muchas you guys are, but man, it's
so different.
But I think that's a greattakeaway, dude.
Yeah, I mean you, just you gotto you've got a lot of life to
live.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
You're going to be working for 30 or 40 years.
You're going to work untilyou're 50, 60, 70 years old by
the time you're 25, if you canget to a foreman, superintendent
role, you're going to have lesstime in the ditch.
There's going to be crappy days.
Somebody's going to call andsay you're going to have to run
a track, go, you bet, enjoy it.
Enjoy running a track.
Go Prior, enjoy it, yes.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Enjoy running the track.
Prioritize that moment Becauseit's fun it is.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
It's a big, giant video game.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
But I ask everybody, man, every blue-collar guy
that's just absolutely sick andtired of being stuck in the mud.
Maybe it's a guy that's been atthe same job for seven years.
Maybe it's the owner that'strying to make that first new
purchase.
Maybe it's mental.
Maybe it's mental, Maybe it'sphysical, Maybe it's emotional
going through some hard stuff athome and you just can't capture
(05:52):
the right mindset to show upevery day and keep going.
How do they give us a keytakeaway that's helped you do
everything that you're doingmentally, man or physically, but
stuck in the mud, dude, How'dthey get out of that mud?
Mmm.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
So here Do it Been in a lot of bad situations, right,
like everybody has, andeverybody's bad situations are.
You know what I mean?
My bad situation is way worsethan somebody that probably
doesn't own a company.
Arguably, you know what I'msaying.
Yep, I do, buddy, and then I'llcall Trey to complain about it.
And he's like arguably, youknow what I'm saying, and then
I'll call trey to complain aboutit and he's like oh, you know
that's a tuesday, yeah, exactlylike you know so.
So everybody's problem.
(06:31):
But what's a big deal?
You know somebody complainingabout losing a tire on their, on
their car, whatever.
It's a huge deal to them, right?
This is not fair to me to saythat that's no big deal, because
it would be if I was in thatboat, right?
So, anyways, I say that to saywhen I've been in all those
situations and there's timeswhere, like when we had multiple
commercial sites going at onceand we're getting screwed around
(06:52):
on stuff that we can't controland man, it's running.
You were talking aboutanswering to your wife when
she's like where's this moneyand where's man?
It takes a toll on youremployees yourself, your wife,
your kids, your everything.
You know what I mean.
I mean it runs you into theground.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
You know it's funny, dude, you didn't say yourself in
there and we always.
It's like we always not to cutyou off, but it's like we always
place ourself completely last,yeah, in this equation, because
we have so many peopleresponsible I don't have time
for that, I don't have time tothink about my feelings exactly.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Yeah, know what I mean.
Yeah, but then, you know, youget to the point where, like,
you're so run down, like youcan't you know what I mean
Mentally yes, like I can't.
And I finally got to thatbreaking point, you know.
And when I get in thosesituations here's what I started
(07:46):
doing, and this is easy sittingright here.
It's harder when it's happening.
But you end up in that boatwhere, like, I'll mourn, so to
speak, that situation.
Right, like I'll go through it.
So, yeah, deal with.
You know what I mean.
Go on for a day or two or threeor week or whatever it takes.
I mean, during that last, mostrecent process, I mean there was
tear shed, dude, like I'll behonest between me and my wife.
(08:07):
But you know, down at the yard,like, just, I don't know what
we're gonna do.
Yeah, we tried so and we werethat way in the beginning when
we had 20.
You know what I mean.
Now we're, we're about to loseanother 40 grand, you know, and
it's like, how did we try thishard and end up?
You know, now she's cryingbecause I'm going through this.
I'm you know, I'm like how,anyways buddy, do I get what
(08:33):
you're saying?
yes, I lived it and that's thestuff.
Nobody's gonna understand, norshould they right, they won't
ever know without going throughwhat we're into.
But I'll go through thosesituations, and they used to be
smaller, you know.
In hindsight it's like why didI care that much about that?
Right, eventually I'll besaying the same thing about this
most recent situation.
(08:53):
If you're growing problems, getbigger, right, but I'll go
through and more in thatsituation, like I said, not make
any rash decisions, deal withit for a few days and then
eventually I have to logicallylook at the situation and say,
okay, I've got.
What are my options here?
Right, shut down.
And so, like I have to honestlyanswer this question to myself
(09:14):
a couple of times because it gotso bad, do I quit?
Do I close the doors?
Do I give up?
And I have to sit there youknow what I mean, boy, do I?
For a couple minutes, you know,and like, don't be prideful.
Is that the best option?
And maybe it is.
But every time I'm like, youknow, either either keep going
or shut her down, and every timeI'm like, well, I can't, I
(09:37):
can't, freaking, quit at thispoint, you know.
So I just get away fromeverything changing exactly.
You know it's all up anddownhill.
If you get a call, a bad call,you're about to get a good call.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
So there's usually a string of bad calls, there's a
string of good calls and it'sjust up and down.
But it's finding that middleground and keeping everybody
level, which sounds so easysitting there it's so easy.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
But every time I talk to, like I said, like trey bo
for going through, I just keepon keeping all you know, just
keep going.
And I'm like, yeah, dude, I getit, but that's all you know,
just keep going.
And I'm like, yeah, dude, I getit, but that's really it.
You know what I mean it reallyis.
Like when you're like how do youget through those times, dude?
You just keep going.
And that's so easy to say Do it.
Yeah, like you just put anotherfoot in front of the other and
if you're going to fail, you'regoing to go down swinging.
(10:21):
We might go under.
As Trayvon says, I'll be backin business the next day.
That's right.
I mean, I don't know.
That's what it boils down to me.
It's so easy to sit here andsay you just keep going, but
that's all there is to it.
Right, learn?
Everybody talks about hard work.
Yeah, that's a given, that's aprerequisite.
Hard work alone won't get youthere.
Network, learn, give a shit youknow what I mean I do and work
(10:43):
your ass off in relationships.
Just keep going.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Yeah, our relationships are absolutely
everything.
Having those influences, likeyou've mentioned, to not even
really just vent to man, yeah,and them just not really give
you any keep on keeping on.
You know what I mean.
And you're like did you justhear what I said?
I'm fixing to go bankrupt?
And they're like did you justhear what I said?
(11:06):
I'm fixing to go bankrupt?
And they're like boy, you don'tknow even close to bankrupt,
get your ass out there and goback to work.
You know what I mean?
Yes, and it's just that comfortand the confidence over just
decades of just keep.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, they've seen those situations and they seem
small to them.
They don't have that muchempathy because they forgot that
.
You know what I mean.
Like they went through that tooand they care, but like, dude,
it's going to be okay.
You know what I mean.
Like you're going to survive.
You have this far.
So it reminds me real quickthat there's a TikTok.
I don't know if you've seen it,I don't remember the guy's name
, I'm going to butcher it.
(11:42):
But he says he's talking to hismentor.
He's owed a million bucks, he'sdown.
You know, he's down, bad,whatever he.
They've refinanced, they'vedone everything they can.
They're about to go bankrupt.
He's talking to one of hismentors and he's like you know,
tells him the story and he'slike I don't know what I'm gonna
do.
And he said the guy looks at meand laughs and says son, if
you're not worried about goingbankrupt about every three years
(12:04):
, you ain't doing shit anywayjustin win waller.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I know exactly.
Yeah, justin waller, that'swhat it is.
Yeah, my god, where you at king.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
I've watched that clip to like in some lows you
know what I mean and then,because it right after, he says
he goes.
I can't explain it.
Or he said it's not the answerI wanted, but I just felt better
and that's so true.
Like every time I think of that, I'm like and you know, like I
said what you just said abouttrey, he's the same way of like
dude, either, like that's partof the growth, right.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Like if you're not worried about going bankrupt,
you're not doing shit, you'renot even if, if the irs or you
ain't going bankrupt or you'renot pushing the envelope, yeah,
like literally now.
There's so many probably30-year business snooties that
would probably sit here and tellyou otherwise.
But for a guy like me and you,brother, that had nothing,
(12:54):
started now and said I'm goingto do this, there ain't no other
freaking way for us.
Right, dog, right.
What if a guy is sitting therejust absolutely sick and tired
of being stuck in the mud,whether that's literal stuck in
the mud, whether that's literalsense in the mud or mentally
stuck in the mud of doing thesame thing, I gotta get up and
(13:15):
go do the same job, whether it'sa different location.
I gotta run the same wire.
I gotta punch the same nail, Igotta lay the same line.
That guy, how does he get outof that situation and how just?
it doesn't have to be anythingmajor but, the things that you
have seen in the changes inmorale and personalities here.
(13:36):
Any tips you can give for ablue collar guy like that?
Speaker 6 (13:40):
I think I'll try to kind of relate this question to
what I do, because I'm not goingto sit here and try to tell the
blue collar worker that I knowhow to get him out of the mud,
because I'm not in the mud withhim, respectively so.
But I have seen, we've beenthrough some times this year,
(14:01):
for sure, for sure,rollercoaster, my guy oh yeah,
but it's been so cool, I thinkthat I don't know, with getting.
You could kind of relate thisback to the barriers that we
were facing and we weren'treally they weren't really sure
(14:22):
if it was going to stick, youknow, when we were first getting
out there.
But I just kind of, I thinkgetting after it, chasing
opportunity, I think is a goodway to, even if it's.
I don't know if your bosssometimes brings in or someday
(14:43):
brings in a camera guy and, uh,you need to show.
I don't know how to put this.
I think your boss brings in acamera guy and you're not really
sure how to feel about it.
But there's opportunity there.
You can somehow use to youradvantage something different.
(15:09):
You know, because you keeprepeating the same thing over
and over again.
It's something different.
It's something to maybe you dosee it taking pride.
You got a different source ofpride because your work is
getting finally getting shownright.
Um, but yeah, I I don't have asuper great answer for that
(15:32):
question.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
That's a fantastic answer, but, like the same guy
that's been doing this 10-15years, camera shows up.
There's opportunity there,strike on it?
Speaker 6 (15:43):
yeah, absolutely.
I know it's new and it'sdifferent, but gotta, gotta
adapt.
Sometimes, you know, I thinkthat's huge.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
The digital marketing space, the videography?
Um.
Start tomorrow, guys.
There's no reason you shouldn't.
Don't think you've got to makeit some special thing.
There's youtube channels outthere.
Um, I would say, brand it youif you want to.
Um, what's a takeaway for theblue collar worker who is sick
(16:15):
of being stuck in the mud?
And I'm talking about thosedrivers or your guys that come
to you, they're just down andout mentally, physically,
emotionally, and they just,they're just tired of out
mentally, physically,emotionally, and they just,
they're just tired of it.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Um, I, you know I hate not to sound like a Disney
movie, but you gotta, you know,like um.
Probably one of my favoritequotes I'll give to here Um, but
, but but one of them is um, yougotta keep moving forward.
You know, um, most great thingsin the Bible, every great thing
that I can remember in theBible, started out in adversity.
(16:50):
So good things are to come.
And if your dreams don't scareyou, they're not big enough, and
that's where I live my life.
I don't know that they'reinspiring to everyone, but
that's what inspires me, right,like, if it doesn't scare me
just a little bit, I'm notdreaming big enough, dude, that
(17:12):
is, uh, 100, something to strivefor and relatable.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
I'm sitting here across the table.
I'm just 100, relating whereyou're coming from.
Because the guy at the topcan't ever stop dreaming,
because as soon as he does, thewhole thing comes crumbling down
.
Because it's always going to betough up there down on the
bottom dealing with everyday-to-day problems and
sometimes it can get hard andkeep moving forward.
(17:42):
Keep the trucks rolling downthe road, hopefully with a load
on them.
Keep the trucks rolling downthe road, hopefully with a load
on them.
What's a takeaway for that bluecollar worker who is sick and
tired of being stuck in the mud?
And that may be physical You'veseen me come into your shop
pretty muddy before but alsomentally, emotionally.
You know you were vulnerablethere a minute ago.
I'm the same way.
(18:03):
It's hard some days to just getup and do it.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
I tell you, the first thing is is, uh, have a mentor
that you can reach out to, andit's and I need, I mean somebody
that's going to be a mentor foryou, probably their their whole
life, yeah, their whole life byyours, their whole life yeah
(18:28):
and your goal is to not needthem, and you know.
but you need to be able to reachout to somebody and say, and it
could be a friend, it could berelative, but somebody that
doesn't have really any skin inthe game, that that can impart
with you the best advice basedon experience.
(18:48):
And you know, some people havesomebody like that and some
people don't.
If you don't which honestly Inever really did, right, you
know, and a similar situationlike my dad is kind of, you know
, he's not a guy I could call upand talk about.
So, anyway, I think thatoverall, that that's the most
(19:11):
important thing is have a mentoror friend, somebody that knows
you, that likes you, that trustsyou.
Call you on your crap, it callsyou on your crap.
They'll say, no, dude, that'snot you, you've got yourself
going down a hole, you don'teven need to be around the low
end.
And that's helped me make betterdecisions over time because, uh
(19:34):
, if you're like me at all andyou are that you, if somebody
needs your help, you just do it.
And you know it's just like Igotta talk myself out of this or
that, or I don't need to bedoing this, or if it's even I
kind of stopped buying stinkingdiesels.
I don't even need it, whateverit is.
(19:55):
You know, yeah, whether it's amaturity thing.
When I say maturity, I meanexperience.
Experience, you know, like like, uh, you know coach.
Well, there may be somebodyreally good, but if he doesn't
have a lot of experiencecoaching people and bringing
them up, I'm not going to be theright hire.
No, so that's the same thingwith you.
(20:17):
You need to hold yourselfaccountable, dude.
That's been my big 24 word wasaccountability, yeah, and you
know, lead by example on everyaspect of your life.
So, um, you have to be that,that leader for everybody, and
lots of times you just don'twant to bear the weight, but you
(20:37):
have to.
True, you have to get up and doit again.
You have to do it and uh, well,you don't have to, but if don't
, you have no chance at allbeing successful.
There's no chance.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
If you've enjoyed this episode, be sure to give it
a like.
Share it with the fellers.
Check out our website to sendus any questions and comments
about your experience in theblue collar business.
Who do you want to hear from?
Send them our way and we'll doour best to answer any questions
you may have.
Till next time, guys.
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