You're Working Too Hard
To Have This Little To Show For It.
70-hour weeks. Chasing invoices. Lying awake at 11pm running numbers that still don't add up.
Your spouse is tired of hearing about it. Your kids get whatever's left of you — which lately isn't much.
The revenue looks fine. The bank account tells a different story.
This isn't what you signed up for. And working harder isn't going to fix it.
Fix My Business →Start Here. Free Tools That Show You Exactly Where You Stand.
No sales call. Just your numbers — yours — in about two minutes.
FREE TOOL
Margin Is King Calculator
Find out if your pricing is actually covering your costs — or quietly bleeding you dry. Plug in your numbers and see your real margin in seconds.
Get the Free Calculator →FREE TOOL
Blue Collar Profit Matrix
Five numbers in. Eight answers out. See your real net profit, break-even margin, profit gap, and how many jobs you need to hit your revenue target.
Get the Free Profit Matrix →PAID TOOL — $47
Business Valuation Calculator
Most trades businesses aren't worth anything when the owner walks out the door. Find out what yours is actually worth — and what needs to change to fix that.
Get the Valuation Calculator — $47 →Was $97 — Get it now for $47
Looking for everything in one place? → See all free tools
You're Not Running a Business.
You're Running a Job That You Own.
There's a name for this. You're an Operator Owner — the business doesn't run without you in it. Every day, every job, every fire. You showed up to be your own boss and ended up being everyone's employee.
The Owner Operator is different. Their business runs. They work on it, not just in it. And eventually, it pays them — really pays them — without requiring 60 hours a week to do it.
Right now, you're probably:
- 💬 Fighting with your spouse about money — again. The revenue looks fine. The account doesn't.
- 📋 Chasing invoices from last month while you're already two jobs behind on this one.
- ⏱ Working 60–70 hours a week and your family gets whatever's left — which is usually not much.
- 😴 Lying awake at 11pm running numbers in your head that still don't add up.
- 👀 Watching other guys in your trade seem to have it figured out — wondering what you're missing.
Here's what you're missing: a system.
Not hustle. Not more hours. Not a bigger truck or another employee. A system.
The Number That Changes Everything
There's one ratio that separates trades owners who build real wealth from the ones who stay stuck.
We call it the Magic Ratio.
Most owners start at revenue and hope profit is left over at the end. The Magic Ratio flips that completely. You start with the profit number you need — and build your price up from there. Every line item has a job. Nothing is left to chance.
STEP 1 — BUILD YOUR GROSS MARGIN
| Target Net Profit | + |
| Operating Expenses | + |
| Owner's Fair Market Salary | + |
| = Gross Margin | ✓ |
STEP 2 — SET YOUR PRICE
| Gross Margin | + |
| Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) | + |
| = Required Revenue | ✓ |
That revenue number at the bottom? That's your price. Not a guess. Not a markup pulled from thin air. A number built from what your business actually needs to pay you properly and still be profitable.
Here's What Happens When
Real Trades Owners Apply It
Jesse was a plumber making a plumber's salary. Once he understood scalability and how to price for real growth — everything changed.
Jesse — Owner, Bekmar Plumbing
Carter's busy months were great. But the moment sales slowed, everyone got paid except him. After fixing his numbers, he's doing more profitable work — with more time for himself.
Carter — Owner, Anyplace Auto Repair
Paul was a subcontracted tiler — stressed, chaotic, financially drained. Within 12 months his finances were stable and he'd expanded rapidly.
Paul — Owner, Post Modern Design
Ryan learned how to move his numbers to hit his required margins. His plumbing business keeps growing — even in a down economy.
Ryan — Owner, OnPoint Plumbing & Gas
89–93% of active participants achieve positive net profit during the program.
During 2020 — when most trades businesses were in survival mode — 100% of active clients paid themselves a fair market wage. Every one.
Here's How It Works
Three things have to change in your business for you to stop trading time for money. Here's exactly what we work on — and what shifts for you when we do.
STEP 1
Know Your Real Number
Before anything else, we diagnose your actual financial picture. Not your revenue. Your net profit — after your salary, after overhead, after everything. Most owners have never seen this number clearly.
Once you do, every pricing and business decision changes. You stop guessing. You start knowing.
STEP 2
Price for Profit — Not Just to Win Jobs
We rebuild your pricing using the Magic Ratio so every job you quote is already profitable before the work starts. No more hoping the math works out at month-end. No more subsidizing customers with your own salary.
Margin becomes predictable. Cash flow stabilizes. For the first time, you can actually plan — because the numbers are working for you, not against you.
STEP 3
Build the Business That Runs Without You
Pricing is the foundation. But the goal is a business that operates without you being the answer to every question. We build the systems, the org chart, the playbooks, and the people processes that make that possible.
You get your time back. Your business becomes a real asset — one that could run, grow, or eventually sell without depending on you being there every day.
Full Access. Real Coaching.
A System That Actually Works.
Here's exactly what's included while you're a client.
MONTH 1 — DIAGNOSE AND FIX
Four 90-Minute Weekly Sessions
Week 1 — Diagnose your real numbers. See exactly where you are.
Week 2 — Build your first budget and profit plan.
Week 3 — Fix your pricing using the Magic Ratio.
Week 4 — Lock in the plan. Start executing.
MONTHS 2–12 — BUILD AND GROW
Ongoing Coaching and Accountability
Two focused one-on-one sessions per month — Week 1 and Week 2.
Call-anytime support between sessions — no waiting until your next scheduled call.
Minimum four hours per week self-directed implementation — this is where the work happens.
THE PLATFORM
250+ Tools, Templates and Playbooks
Calculators, pricing tools, org chart builders, hiring playbooks, SOP templates — built specifically for trades businesses.
Hundreds of hours of training videos covering every part of the system.
Progress tracking and full team access — so your key people can be in the system too.
WHAT YOU KEEP AFTER THE PROGRAM
Everything You Build Is Yours
Your budget. Your org chart. Your pricing tools. Your playbooks. Your systems.
Platform access is tied to your enrollment — but the work you do during the program stays with you permanently.
You're not renting a system. You're building one that belongs to your business.
THE TIMELINE
What Changes and When
90 Days — Pricing fixed. Real profit visible. Most owners start feeling the difference here.
12 Months — Systems running. Team accountable. Net profit growing consistently.
24 Months — A business with a real valuation. One you could sell if you wanted to — or simply enjoy owning.
This Isn't Theory.
These Are Real Trades Businesses.
Every owner below came in skeptical, overworked, and undercharging. Here's what changed when they fixed the numbers.
89–93% of active participants achieve positive net profit during the program.
During 2020 — when most trades businesses were in survival mode — 100% of active clients paid themselves a fair market wage. Every single one.
"Jesse was a plumber making a plumber's salary. Now that he understands scalability and growth, everything is different."
Jesse — Owner, Bekmar Plumbing
"Paul was a subcontracted tiler — stressed out, chaotic and financially drained. Now his stress is gone, his finances are stable, and he expanded rapidly in just over 12 months."
Paul — Owner, Post Modern Design
"Kristy and Jesse were running their renovation business and just wanted their freedom back — time for their kids, their family. They were great at the work. They just didn't have the business skills to get there. Then things changed. Drastically."
Kristy — Co-Owner, I Know A Guy Renovations
"John's excavation business was in a downward spiral. The numbers in the books weren't matching the bank account. He'd worked with other advisors — none of them got involved in his success the way this program did. He gained a clear picture of where he was and what he needed to do. Everything changed."
John — Owner, Dig Dug Inc
"On Carter's busy months, things were great. But the moment sales slowed, everyone got paid except him. He had no idea how to read the numbers — so all he did was chase more sales. After fixing the foundation, he's doing more profitable work, has more time for himself, and built a hiring process that actually works."
Carter — Owner, Anyplace Auto Repair
"Kelvin was spending over 16 hours a day in the shop and had been doing it for 8 years. They were on the verge of calling it quits. Working through the program, they hit record sales — with Kelvin working a normal schedule. He even has time to take his son to school in the morning."
Kelvin & Tracy — Owners, County Line Trailers
"Malcolm was a deck builder who thought his business was doing well. He was getting large invoices but couldn't stay on top of expenses. He came in 80% skeptic, 20% cynic. The next 12 months were some of the best his business had ever seen."
Malcolm — Owner, AV Deck Shop
"Ryan wanted so much more than to be a fly-by-night company but had no idea how to get there. He learned how to move his numbers to hit his required margins. His business keeps growing — even in a down economy."
Ryan — Owner, OnPoint Plumbing & Gas
These aren't hand-picked outliers.
They're trades owners who learned the right numbers and started using them.
If You're Ready to Stop Guessing,
Let's Talk.
This program isn't for everyone. It's for trades owners who are done working 80-hour weeks for a paycheque that doesn't reflect the effort — and are ready to actually do something about it.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF:
✔ You're a trades or blue-collar business owner doing at least $250K in annual revenue
✔ You're working IN the business more than you want to be
✔ You know the revenue is there — but the profit and the freedom aren't
✔ You're willing to do the work — four hours a week minimum, consistently
✔ You want a system, not a cheerleader
WHAT YOU GET WHILE YOU'RE A CLIENT:
— 13+ years of proven trades business methodology
— A dedicated coach who knows how trades businesses actually work
— 250+ tools, templates and playbooks built for your industry
— A cohort of owners going through it alongside you
— Everything you build during the program stays with you after
This is not a weekend seminar. Not a generic business course. Not a coach who's never actually run a trades business telling you to think bigger.
It's a structured 12-month program with a real curriculum, a real coach, and real accountability — built specifically for the way trades businesses work. You implement as you go. Most owners start seeing the difference within 90 days.
Apply now and find out if you qualify.
We review every application personally. If it's a fit, we'll set up a call to walk through exactly what the program looks like for your business.
Apply Now — See If You Qualify →Not a licensed vocational school or accredited academic institution. Results vary based on market conditions, industry, business size, and implementation. Nothing on this site constitutes financial, accounting, or legal advice.
Common Questions
Straightforward answers for trades owners who don't have time to wade through fine print.
What is Blue Collar Blackbelt and who is it for?
Blue Collar Blackbelt is a 12-month business coaching program built exclusively for trades and blue-collar business owners doing at least $250K in annual revenue. It's for owners who are profitable on paper but not in their bank account — and who are ready to fix the foundation, not just chase more revenue.
What's the difference between markup and margin — and why does it matter?
Markup is the percentage you add on top of your cost. Margin is the percentage of your selling price that is profit. A 50% markup is only a 33% margin. Most trades owners price using markup, think they're making 30–50% profit, and end up wondering why there's nothing left. Getting this wrong is the single most common reason trades businesses are busy and broke at the same time.
What is the Magic Ratio?
The Magic Ratio is a pricing formula that builds your price from the bottom up — starting with the net profit you need, adding your operating expenses and fair owner salary, then adding your cost of goods sold. The result is a price that actually makes you money, rather than a markup guess that might not.
How long does it take to see results?
Most owners start seeing a measurable difference within 90 days once pricing and foundational numbers are corrected. The program runs 12 months — by the end, clients typically have systems in place, a team that's accountable, and a business that can function without the owner being present for every decision.
What is the Business Valuation Calculator?
The Business Valuation Calculator is a $47 tool that helps trades business owners understand what their business is actually worth today — and what needs to change to increase that value. Most trades businesses have no exit value because the business depends entirely on the owner. The calculator shows you where you stand and what to do about it.
How is this different from other business coaching programs?
Most business coaching is generic. Blue Collar Blackbelt was built specifically for trades and blue-collar business owners — the pricing formulas, the systems, the tools, and the coaching are all designed around how a trades business actually operates. The program has a 13+ year track record, with 89–93% of active participants achieving positive net profit during the program.
