The Business Behind Blue-Collar

Info: Arrive, check in, grab a drink, and connect with other residential contractors and trade professionals. This time is intentionally unstructured to allow for casual conversation before the program begins.

Info: Jay Nelson opens the evening by setting the stage for why TradeWins exists and why many contractors were taught the trade but never taught how to intentionally build the business underneath the work. This segment focuses on the difference between being busy and having a structured business, and why owner dependency is so common in the trades.

Info: Henry Freeman shares how homeowner search behavior is changing and the growing role AI plays in search and recommendations. This session explains why traditional SEO alone is no longer enough, what contractor websites must do to earn trust and visibility, and how clarity and structure influence which businesses homeowners choose.

Info: Jay brings the conversation back together by connecting modern marketing realities to the business itself. This segment explains how structure, systems, clear roles, and accountability work together, with core Business Operating System concepts explained in plain language.

Info: The evening closes with open discussion, questions, and real-world conversation. This time is designed to connect the ideas back to real business decisions and allow attendees to talk through what applies to their own situation, with space for one-on-one conversations to continue.

Info: Most contractors don’t struggle because they’re bad at the work. Many are skilled, busy, and profitable. The real challenge is that very few were ever taught how to intentionally build the business underneath the work.
Structure, systems, clear numbers, and defined roles are what allow a trade business to grow without running entirely through the owner. The Business Behind Blue-Collar exists to help contractors understand and build that missing layer.
This monthly series is not a sales pitch or a theory-heavy workshop. It’s a practical, operator-led conversation about how real trade businesses are structured, run, and grown over time. Each session is designed to create clarity around real decisions contractors are already facing and to learn alongside others in the trades.
For those who want to go deeper, TradeWins also offers structured education beyond these monthly conversations, including an upcoming in-person course through Ivy Tech. Details are shared at the event.

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Host or Publisher TradeWins: A Blue-Collar Collective