Welcome to The Violent Action Podcast where real stories meet real results. Each episode features driven entrepreneurs, contractors, and business owners who are taking action and building something bigger than themselves. We dive into their journeys—the wins, the setbacks, and the lessons learned along the way. If you're serious about growth, business, and making things happen, this podcast is for you.
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At 32 years old, Dalton started Landscaping Solutions with a $1,500 Chevy pickup, a 10-foot trailer, and virtually no money. Just four years later, his landscaping, hardscaping, snow removal, hydroseeding, and commercial maintenance company is on track to do roughly $2.7–$3M in revenue.
Dalton didn’t build the company by taking on massive debt or buying brand-new equipment. His early setup included a $14,000 used skid steer, a $10,000 truck he bought with cash, and another skid steer he acquired through a barter deal. With less than $30K invested in equipment, he eventually did roughly $800K in revenue.
His growth started with small jobs and word of mouth. One early patio led to a $40,000 project, while a $35-a-day local radio advertisement consistently generated landscaping leads. From there, Dalton used Facebook, reviews, community involvement, contractor relationships, and a growing brand to move into larger projects.
He went from roughly $800K in year two to $2.1M, eventually landing seven projects over $100K in a single year. But chasing growth also taught him some painful lessons. After taking on major commercial snow accounts and investing heavily in equipment, he experienced firsthand how 60–120+ day payment terms can destroy cash flow—even when the business is profitable.
Today, Dalton is running a leaner company, doing more revenue with fewer employees, while focusing on profitability, systems, design, delegation, and building a brand customers are willing to wait for.
You’ll discover:
How Dalton went from a $1,500 truck and 10-foot trailer to a company approaching $3M
How he generated roughly $800K with less than $30K invested in equipment
Why staying profitable and stacking cash gave him opportunities other contractors couldn't take
How a $35/day local radio ad became a consistent source of landscaping leads
How one small patio turned into a $40,000 project through word of mouth
Why $5K–$10K jobs can sometimes be more valuable than chasing $100K projects
How contractor relationships helped him land his first $100K+ project
How he went from $800K to $2.1M in revenue
The hard lesson he learned chasing major commercial snow accounts
Why long payment terms can create massive cash-flow problems
How he grew revenue while reducing his crew from nine employees to seven
Why detailed designs, job packets, material lists, and 3D visuals helped him become more efficient
How delegating payroll and accounting allowed him to focus on growing the business
Why Dalton stopped trying to build the company everyone else was building
Today, Landscaping Solutions is on pace for roughly $2.7–$3M in revenue—just four years after Dalton started with almost nothing.
His biggest lesson?
Focus on the company you want to build, not everything you see other people doing.
Essential listening for any contractor who wants to grow while staying profitable, controlling overhead, and building a business that can actually last.
Why This $800K Landscaping Company Stopped Chasing Revenue
At 31 years old, Gary from A&E Outdoors in Minnesota is on pace to hit roughly $1M in revenue this year with his lawn, landscape, hardscape, and snow business.
But getting there wasn't easy.
Gary started landscaping at 16, mowing lawns while still in high school. After years of working for other companies, he began building A&E Outdoors on the side while working a full-time job.
He started with snow work using an old pickup and shovels, eventually building a landscape business through Facebook leads and word of mouth. He worked all day, ran estimates at night, and admits he was drastically underpricing his jobs.
In 2021, Gary went full-time with A&E Outdoors and did roughly $140K in revenue. The company then grew to approximately $230K, $360K, $480K, and $650K. Today, he's around $770K and expects to reach roughly $850K soon, with a goal of hitting $1M.
But revenue wasn't the real problem.
For years, Gary thought growing meant taking on more work, buying more equipment, hiring more people, and pushing the top-line number higher. The result was a growing business that wasn't nearly as profitable as it should have been.
After learning to focus on profitability, everything changed.
He Lost Everything But Refused to Quit — Now He Runs a Profitable Junk Removal Company
At 32 years old, Scotty from Four Seasons Junk Removal left a corporate B2B sales career paying roughly $150K–$180K a year to build a junk removal business from scratch.
With no industry experience, he started by flipping couches from Facebook Marketplace. He quickly realized the same idea could become a real junk removal company.
He bought a $65,000 truck, launched Four Seasons Junk, and thought he had finally found his path.
Then life hit hard.
After landing a $25,000 job, Scotty and his wife filed for divorce. He went from owning a home and living a comfortable life to moving into a studio apartment with very little money.
To keep the business alive, he worked 10–12 hour shifts as an Amazon delivery driver while running Four Seasons Junk the rest of the week. He was averaging roughly 26,000 steps a day just from Amazon.
Meanwhile, the business was struggling. At one point, he was doing only around $14,000 in sales over an entire quarter. He was deep in what he calls the "Valley of Despair" and seriously considered quitting.
Scotty initially resisted Blue Collar Business Accelerator after already losing thousands of dollars on other coaching. Eventually, he put his ego aside and started implementing the strategies.
From a “Bad” Market to $1.2M in Excavation & Hardscape — Why He Had to Scale Back
Brett from Yeti Earthworks started his excavation and hardscape business in Northern Minnesota with one mini excavator, a borrowed trailer, and a $1,200 stump-removal job. Four years later, the company was doing just under $1.2M in annual revenue — but Brett learned the hard way that more revenue doesn't always mean more money in your pocket.
After spending 15 years in the pipeline industry, Brett wanted to stop living on the road and build something of his own. His first year in business brought in roughly $75K. As Yeti grew, so did the equipment, employees, and overhead. Brett found himself falling into the same trap many contractors do: believing that more equipment and a bigger crew automatically meant more growth.
Eventually, he realized the business was making money just to send it right back out the door.
Brett shares how he went from chasing revenue and adding overhead to intentionally building a leaner, more profitable company. He also explains how his mindset around pricing completely changed. He once believed Northern Minnesota couldn't support premium pricing, until he realized he was limiting himself by only thinking about the smaller jobs in his market.
Today, Yeti focuses on higher-end customers and larger projects, including $50K patios and $80K walls, while turning away or referring smaller jobs that aren't the right fit.
You'll discover:
This 25 Year Old Built a $7.5 Million Snow Company (Stefano Narducci)
Stefano Narducci started Northern Snow at just 18 years old with two walk-behind snow blowers and a simple idea: find a problem in his market and solve it better than everyone else.
His first summer generated roughly $20K. Today, Northern Snow is on track for around $7.5M in top-line revenue.
But getting there was anything but easy.
In this episode, Stefano breaks down the three major stages of building Northern Snow — going from $0 to $1M, getting stuck in the $1M–$3M “swamp,” and then figuring out how to scale from $3M toward $7M+.
He explains how he went door-to-door to build his first customers, why snow removal became the foundation of the company, and how a tractor-based operation allowed Northern Snow to grow from a handful of driveways into thousands of residential properties.
You’ll discover:
• How Stefano identified a gap in his local snow removal market and turned it into a business
• How he went from two walk-behind snow blowers to an operation with dozens of tractors
• How Northern Snow grew from roughly 175 driveways to nearly 6,000
• Why trying to offer landscaping, hardscaping, roofing, lawn care, and snow removal all at once slowed the company down
He Thought He Needed More Equipment to Grow — Selling It Made His Business More Profitable
At 28 years old, Darren from Lent Excavating, Landscaping & Forestry has built a business doing roughly $300K–$350K a year after starting from scratch just four years ago.
But his path to becoming a successful excavation, landscaping, tree, and boulder contractor was anything but straightforward. Darren started working on a dairy farm at just 13 years old, spent years job hopping, learned to operate heavy equipment, and eventually discovered his ability to sell while door knocking for a tree company.
After years of working for other companies, Darren finally decided to bet on himself and start his own business. He quickly learned that owning equipment and knowing how to do the work doesn't automatically mean customers will show up.
His first year brought in roughly $90K in revenue, but he only took home around $15K. He bought equipment he didn't need, took whatever work he could find, and spent thousands of dollars on lead services that produced little in return.
Over the next few years, Darren figured out how to find better work, price jobs properly, generate his own leads, and build a more profitable business. Revenue grew from roughly $90K in year one, to $135K–$140K in year two, over $200K in year three, and more than $300K in year four.
You’ll discover:
How a 4-Day Work Week Helped Him Build a $1.4M Landscaping Company
At 16 years old, Rob from FYI Landscaping started mowing lawns and doing small landscaping jobs for neighbors. Today, at 30, he has 7–8 employees, a fleet of heavy equipment, has completed projects north of $200K, and is on track to do roughly $1.4M this year.
Rob's journey wasn't built overnight. After earning a construction management degree, an internship opportunity fell through, which led him to realize he could turn his landscaping business into a full-time career. What started as roughly $50K–$100K on the side eventually grew into a seven-figure operation.
One of the most interesting parts of Rob's business is his four-day work week. Rather than building a company around nonstop grinding, he created a culture focused on productivity, quality work, and giving his employees a life outside of work. The result? A team that keeps coming back, works efficiently, and helped the company grow from just over $1M last year toward $1.4M this year.
Rob also shares the mistakes that shaped the business, including a $30K project that went south because of poorly documented change orders, and how he learned to gradually move from $5K patios to $30K, $80K, $100K+ and eventually $200K+ projects.
You’ll discover:
How Rob went from mowing lawns at 16 to building a $1.4M landscaping company
How he grew the business organically while staying largely debt free
He Quit a $75K Engineering Job & Turned Landscape Lighting Into an $800K Business
At 28 years old, Ethan from Homebeam Outdoor Lighting is on pace to do roughly $800K this year with a niche landscape lighting business. Just last winter, he was nearly $70K in debt. Now, he's paid it off, paid himself, and is on track to finish the year with six figures in the bank.
But three years ago, Ethan was working a $70K–$75K engineering job.
After spending three years behind a desk, Ethan realized he didn't want to spend the rest of his career waiting for small raises and eventually becoming a supervisor. When his wife became pregnant, he decided it was time to bet on himself and build a business that could support his family.
He started Homebeam in 2023 while still working full-time. His first major project was around $10K, but he severely underpriced it because he didn't understand overhead or true job costs.
Then things got worse.
After quitting his job in 2024, Ethan generated roughly $125K in revenue while spending $45K–$55K on advertising. He lost money, burned through his savings, and was told to spend even more on ads.
Eventually, he realized the problem wasn't his market. It was how he was running the business.
From Recession Startup to Flourishing Cleaning & Sealing Business — His 18-Year Journey
Jeff from Clean and Seal started his business during the 2008 recession with little experience, no roadmap, and plenty of reasons to quit.
After getting into trouble as a teenager, working dead-end jobs, and working for his dad’s landscaping company, Jeff decided to build something of his own. He started Clean and Seal around 2008–2009, learning paver sealing through trial and error when almost nobody even knew what the service was.
The early years were brutal. Jeff worked constantly, made plenty of mistakes, and came close to quitting multiple times. Instead, he kept grinding, educated contractors, and eventually landed larger projects that changed the trajectory of the business.
From there, Clean and Seal expanded into abrasive blasting, coatings, masonry, industrial work, and multiple locations. Jeff also acquired competing companies, built a real estate portfolio, got into aviation, and created new business opportunities through networking.
In this episode, Jeff breaks down:
• Starting a business during a recession • Going from almost quitting to building a multi-location company • Why grinding matters more than choosing the “perfect” trade • How he found and acquired competing businesses • How to properly vet subcontractors• Why commercial work can destroy businesses without cash flow• The importance of hiring great people• How he transitioned out of the day-to-day• Building wealth through real estate and diversification• Why networking has created some of his biggest opportunities• How aviation became part of his business strategy• Why surrounding yourself with successful people changes everything
From Sod Side Jobs to Booked Out Seasons — How He Did It With One Crew and Zero Winter Work
At just 27 years old, Logan from Kittock Landscape Services is on pace for roughly $750K this year. But just a few years ago, he never planned on owning a business.
Logan started working at a sod farm at 16, became a foreman at 18, and eventually began taking small side jobs while his wife was in school. What started with selling leftover sod on Facebook quickly turned into sod installations, landscaping, patios, and hardscaping.
One $940 sale of leftover sod made him realize he could make more money on his own than at his job. Before long, he was taking Fridays off just to keep up with side work. His first year in business brought in roughly $100K, followed by around $360K–$370K the next year.
You’ll discover:
* How Logan went from laying sod at 16 to building Kittock Landscape Services toward $750K * How a $940 side-job paycheck convinced him to take his business seriously * Why he started taking Fridays off from his job because he had too much side work * How he grew from roughly $100K in his first year to $360K–$370K the following year * How buying his first skid steer and bringing his brother into the business changed everything * Why starting with smaller $2K–$5K projects helped him learn how to build a real business * How he hand-dug a roughly 900-square-foot patio without a skid steer * How moving to a new market forced him to rebuild his customer base from scratch * How social media, quality work, and stacking projects helped generate leads * How he built a team of five employees during the busiest part of the season * What it really costs to operate a landscaping company with nearly $15K in monthly fixed expenses * How he landed a massive project involving 102 pallets of wall block and 135 tons of river rock * The nightmare customer situation that cost him nearly $5K in extra work* Why Logan believes quality of work should always come before chasing moneyToday, Kittock Landscape Services has a shop, heavy equipment, a growing team, and roughly $727K on the books.From a $940 side-job paycheck to a landscaping business approaching $750K, this is a story about taking action, learning as you go, and building something bigger one project at a time.
Gary began realizing that doing LESS work could actually make him MORE money. Instead of chasing every job, he's focused on profitable projects, controlling overhead, and building a company that can make more money without constantly adding people and equipment.
You'll discover:
• How Gary went from mowing lawns at 16 to building a business approaching $1M • How he built A&E Outdoors while working a full-time job • Why he underpriced his early hardscape jobs • How he grew from $140K to $650K+ • Why chasing revenue led to more equipment, employees, and overhead • Why $1M in revenue means very little without profit • How focusing on profitable jobs changed his business • Why his typical landscape/hardscape ticket is $10K–$20K • Why some of his favorite jobs are only $6K–$9K • How he manages roughly $21K in fixed monthly overhead • How his snow operation generated roughly $450K last year • Why he's focused on efficiency instead of simply adding more accounts • Why mentorship became a turning point in his business
Gary's story is a lesson in the difference between growing a business and building a profitable business.
More revenue isn't always the answer.
Sometimes the fastest way to grow is to stop chasing growth—and start keeping more of the money you already make.
The results started to change.
In August, Four Seasons Junk did roughly $24,000 in revenue—a massive jump from the previous year's August numbers. He believes the company is now on pace for roughly $250K this season.
And he's doing it with one truck and around $3,500 in fixed monthly overhead.
You'll discover:
• How Scotty went from a $150K+ corporate career to owning a junk removal company
• How flipping couches led to the idea for Four Seasons Junk
• Why spending $65K on a truck before proving demand was a huge lesson
• How a $25K job was followed by one of the hardest periods of his life
• How he survived financially while working Amazon and building the business
• How the company went from roughly $14K in quarterly sales to a $24K month
• Why Scotty initially rejected BCBA—and what changed his mind
• How implementation and repetition helped him escape the "Valley of Despair"
• The costly lesson he learned from underbidding labor
• How he's building a business with one truck and minimal overhead
• Why he believes he could rebuild the company in six months if he had to start over
• His goal of making Four Seasons Junk the biggest junk removal company in the Twin Cities
This is a story about getting punched in the mouth, refusing to quit, and learning how to actually build a business.
Scotty didn't have perfect circumstances. He had to figure it out while his personal life was falling apart, his finances were tight, and the business was barely producing enough to survive.
Now, Four Seasons Junk is producing record months—and Scotty believes the best is still ahead.
Sometimes the biggest advantage you can have isn't money, experience, or the perfect market.
It's refusing to quit.
• How Brett went from 15 years in the pipeline industry to starting Yeti Earthworks
• How a $1,200 stump-removal job became his first project
• How he built roughly $75K in his first year
• Why more equipment, employees, and overhead nearly became a trap
• How Yeti grew to nearly $1.2M in annual revenue
• Why Brett intentionally reduced his crew to improve profitability
• How he learned that revenue growth doesn't always equal profit
• Why he stopped believing that Northern Minnesota couldn't support premium pricing
• How Yeti began landing $50K patios and $80K walls
• Why higher-end hardscape projects can create better margins
• How clean equipment, branding, and presentation helped Yeti stand out
• Why referrals, word of mouth, Facebook groups, and community connections became major lead sources
• How Brett learned to focus on higher-end customers instead of trying to serve everyone
• Why referring smaller jobs to other contractors can actually strengthen your network
• The biggest lessons Brett learned from over-leveraging his business
Brett's story is a great example of why contractors shouldn't chase revenue just for the sake of a bigger number. Growth only matters if the business is actually putting money in your pocket.
Instead of trying to have the biggest fleet, the biggest crew, or the most revenue, Brett is now focused on building a leaner company, taking on better customers, doing higher-value work, and creating a business that is profitable and sustainable.
• Why focusing almost exclusively on residential snow became one of the biggest turning points in the business
• What the $1M–$3M “swamp” actually looked like and why the next stage of growth required completely different systems
• How a disastrous season resulted in roughly a $700K loss and put the company in an extremely difficult financial position
• What happened when staffing problems, customer complaints, tax obligations, and operational issues all hit at once
• How Stefano survived 24–48 hour work stretches while trying to keep the business alive
• How he rebuilt the company through better systems, training, delegation, hiring, and accountability
• Why having the right people became more important than simply buying more equipment
• How raising prices and improving operational efficiency helped create more room for growth
• How organic content and social media became powerful marketing tools for Northern Snow
• Why Stefano believes failure, risk, and difficult seasons can become
some of the biggest catalysts for growth
Stefano’s story is a look at what really happens when a service business moves beyond the early stages of growth. The strategies that get you to $1M aren’t necessarily the strategies that get you to $3M, and what works at $3M can become a massive problem when you're trying to reach the next level.
This is a conversation about finding a valuable problem, building systems around it, making difficult decisions, surviving major mistakes, and constantly improving the way a business operates.
If you’re a contractor or service-business owner trying to build a company that can grow beyond the owner, this episode is packed with lessons you can apply to your own business.
How Darren went from working on a dairy farm at 13 to running a $300K+ home service business
How door knocking taught him the sales skills that helped build his company
Why his first year generated $90K but only put about $15K in his pocket
The expensive lessons he learned from buying equipment before having the work to justify it
How he got into the boulder business and turned rocks into a major source of opportunity
Why spending thousands on Angi and other lead services was one of his biggest mistakes
How door knocking helped him generate a consistent flow of tree work
Creative ways to find leads through township meetings, auctions, sales barns, and estate sales
How Darren grew from $90K to $300K+ while remaining a lean operation
Why getting rid of unnecessary equipment actually made the business MORE profitable
The importance of working ON the business instead of constantly working IN it
What happened when Darren tipped over a 65-size excavator on a job site
The crazy customer story that involved a backpack blower, a sheriff, and a wealthy family
How a customer dispute eventually turned into a lawsuit
Why treating customers with respect and simply picking up the phone can have a massive impact
Today, Darren runs a leaner, more profitable business focused on tree work, excavation, boulder walls, lot clearing, and agricultural work.
His story is a raw look at what building a home service business actually looks like: bad jobs, slow seasons, bad investments, lawsuits, expensive lessons, and plenty of mistakes.
But through all of it, Darren kept hustling, kept learning, and kept moving forward.
As he says: block out the haters, do your homework, treat people right, and keep going.
Why smaller $5K–$30K projects can be extremely profitable
How he built a four-day work week without sacrificing growth
The $30K mistake that taught him a massive lesson about change orders
How he gradually worked his way into $100K–$200K+ projects
Why over-communication is critical when managing large jobs
How he finds and keeps great employees
Why taking responsibility for employee mistakes can transform your company culture
How knowing your numbers helps you make smarter decisions
Why investing in people and equipment mattered more than buying flashy trucks
Today, Rob has built more than just a seven-figure landscaping company. He's built a business focused on efficiency, strong people, profitability, and work-life balance.
His story proves you don't have to grow overnight. You can start small, reinvest into the business, learn from your mistakes, and build something far bigger than you originally imagined.
After joining the Blue Collar Business Accelerator, Ethan drastically reduced his ad spend and focused on pricing, sales, branding, social proof, referrals, and better lead generation.
The result? His revenue jumped from roughly $125K to $450K.
Now in year three, he's on pace for $750K–$800K and believes he could eventually build a $1.5M business within his current 45-minute service area.
You’ll discover:
How Ethan went from a $70K engineering job to an $800K landscape lighting business
Why a niche trade doesn't mean your market is too small
How underpricing his first $10K project taught him the importance of understanding overhead
Why spending $45K–$55K on ads produced only $125K in revenue
How he nearly 4X'd revenue from $125K to $450K
Why raising his prices actually improved his profitability
How door hangers became one of his most reliable lead sources
Why referrals, Google, repeat customers, and organic marketing became more important than paid ads
How he paid off nearly $70K of debt while still paying himself
Why taking calculated risks and getting out of analysis paralysis changed his business
How he went from believing his market was too small to believing $1.5M is possible
Today, Ethan has a growing team, a profitable niche business, and a completely different perspective on what's possible.
The biggest lesson from his story?
Your market might not be the problem.
For years, Ethan believed his market was too limited and customers wouldn't pay higher prices. Once he improved his pricing, sales process, branding, and customer experience, he discovered that people were willing to pay far more than he thought.
Three years ago, he was behind a desk making $70K–$75K.
Today, he's building an $800K business.
Sometimes the biggest thing holding your business back isn't the market. It's what you believe is possible.
Jeff’s story is a reminder that success rarely happens overnight. It comes from years of hard work, learning from mistakes, taking risks, and refusing to quit.
If you’re building a blue-collar business, this episode is packed with lessons you can put to work immediately.
