Blue Collar Culture

Business Results the Old Fashioned Way

Finding the Right Team for a Blue Collar Business

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They may not be seen as “hip” as the big tech companies by the business press or popular culture, but blue-collar businesses truly are the backbone of the U.S. economy.

Inspired by their blue-collar backgrounds, Jeremy Macliver and Ryan Englin, the hosts of the Blue Collar Culture Podcast, are on a mission to help blue-collar businesses stand out from their competition and get the people they need on their team to thrive.

Blue collar definitely includes typical construction type trades. But Jeremy and Ryan include other industries in the definition, such as companies that have a lot of frontline, hourly employees in manufacturing, IT, and more.

Upcoming guests include an outsourcing expert who finds top employees in unlikely places, a staffing consultant who says good hiring is a “group effort,” and more.

Tune in to find out…

  • Why the right team is key to growth – and how to get it
  • How to create effective leaders in your business
  • The key differences between blue-collar and white-collar businesses that you won’t expect
  • The biggest myths about company culture
  • And more

Listen now…

Mentioned in this episode:

Transcript

Steve Gordon: Welcome to the Blue Collar Culture Podcast. My name is Steve Gordon, I am not your host, but I am here to introduce you to your hosts. This is the trailer episode for the podcast Blue Collar Culture. And I'm really excited about this because I got to tell you, I have a special place in my heart for blue collar businesses. I owned one in an earlier iteration of my career. And you got two guys here who are going to host this podcast who also I think really believe that blue collar businesses are the backbone of the economy.

So I want to welcome your hosts to the podcast, Jeremy Macliver of Guaranteed Traction and Ryan Englin of Core Matters. Gentlemen, welcome. I love this idea. It's just fantastic. So I'd love it if you'd start off just Jeremy, if you say a quick hello and then Ryan, if you follow and just give us a quick little snapshot if you would, each of you, for your background and why this podcast is important to you.

A Podcast Aimed at the Backbone of the Economy

Jeremy Macliver: Yeah, Steve. Thanks. So this podcast is definitely important just because I, you know, I mean, I grew up in a blue collar home. My dad made a living welding. And we were taught the trades from an early age and going through school, I knew that college wasn't for me. But I've gone on to have a great career and made good money in different companies and then finally went on to own several of my own. I owned a body shop and saw people make some great money in that. And then ran a steel company, so firm believer in the blue collar culture and blue collar trades and excited to host this.

Steve: Fantastic. And Ryan, tell us a little bit about your background.

Ryan Englin: Yeah. Thanks for the warm introduction. And, you know, I grew up in a blue collar house as well. My dad was in manufacturing. He taught me from an early age how to work with my hands. And even though I eventually diverged out a little bit and gotten to a traditional white collar corporation, it just never really fit for me. There was just a lot of things about the culture that just didn't align well with me. And so I always saw myself getting pulled back in.

And when I launched this company so many years ago, it really was just on my heart to just go after these small business owners, these blue collar businesses, and just help them get a leg up on the competition because I knew there were so many opportunities out there for them. So I was able to take a lot of what I had learned in that white collar space and translate it to blue collar businesses and really teach them how to stand out from their competition and really attract the right people to their business.

Steve: That's fantastic. So tell us a little bit about why you decided to create a podcast around the idea of blue collar culture. Ryan, you want to take the first shot at this one?

Ryan: Yeah. So for those people that get to know us or those that know Jeremy and I, you're going to find out that we love chasing new ideas. And I think we were sitting around a table one day and we're like, hey, let's write a book that can help people out with this. And so we started writing a book about the idea of Blue Collar Culture.

And then we thought, hey, a podcast is a great way to get to meet people and really expand our reach and share this idea with a bunch of people. So let's invite guests in. And the idea just really happened, feels almost overnight to me. But it's something that we're so excited to share the guests that we're bringing in because all of them were very passionate about this same topic. So

Steve: That's fantastic. Jeremy, just give us a little bit of a frame for this. So when you guys talk about Blue Collar Culture, I know that that, there's a specific kind of definition of that in your mind. So what is Blue Collar Culture from your perspective?

To Serve an Underserved Demographic

Jeremy: Yeah, so interestingly enough, we don't frame it just with blue collar trades as in the typical, but it's really those trades that have a lot, are those industries that have a lot of frontline employees, a lot of hourly employees who are really more interested in the results. So high results-focused type environment where we're really looking for that consistency that, you know, like manufacturing IT, and then all the typical construction type trades.

Steve: Okay. Well, and that leads me kind of into my next question, which is, for folks who have stumbled across this, they may be listening to this trailer episode to see what it's all about. Who is the podcast really targeted to? Who should be listening?

Ryan: Yeah, I would say that anybody that's really struggling to get their hands around their team, around growth inside their business. But typically the leaders of the organization. We're going to, I talk a lot about culture, as the title might suggest.

And culture does start at the top. I know there's a lot of debates on, you know, how you can really become intentional about culture, but it really starts with the leadership team. And so those business leaders, those business owners, those ones that really want to make a difference, that really want to get their hands around their business, get their hands around their team and really achieve their goals, this is meant for.

Steve: I gotta tell you, I think that is, you know, the audience that really I think will benefit from this is one that is underserved and having built a business in you know, in a blue collar industry, I will tell you, it's a different thing. And, you know, a lot of the advice that's out there doesn't work very well. You hear all this stuff about culture, and so much of it, it seems like over the last 10 or 15 years, centers around having basketball courts and ping pong tables and all that sort of thing. And I just get the sense that's not what you guys are talking about here. Is that right, Jeremy?

Jeremy: You're exactly right. Yeah. So this is taking that theory out. And, you know, both of us have, you know, been in that space. And, you know, I ran several different companies in there. And you'll see a lot of stuff and is trying to translate it to the real world and it just didn't feel as translatable. So that's what we're, really about what really works out there.

Steve: Fantastic. Well, I'm excited to see what's coming. I know you guys have a great lineup of guests on the way. You're working on a book which when you listen to this, you may be listening to this before the book comes out or you may be listening to this after the book comes out. And I believe the book's going to be up by the same title, correct? Blue Collar Culture. Is that right guys?

Jeremy: That's our plan. So

Ryan: Yeah, that's what we're working on right now.

Steve: Alright, so I think the best thing for you to do if you just discovered the podcast is to hit the subscribe button right now. And then go check out the website, go to bluecollarculture.com. And you can get all kinds of resources there. And at that point, the book is out. When you listen to this, you'll be able to get a copy of the book as well. Ryan, Jeremy, thank you so much for the work that you're doing. I really believe this is going to be very, very important for the businesses you're trying to reach. And I can't wait to see what's coming next.

Ryan: Thank you.

Jeremy: Thanks.

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