#PROUDTOBEBLUECOLLAR® Show
#PROUDTOBEBLUECOLLAR® Show
#ProudToBeBlueCollar® Show is a podcast about the people who build careers in the blue collar trades. Hosted by Chris Crew and Jeremy Self of The Blue Collar Success Group®, each episode features a guest from the home service industry sharing how they got into the trades, what it took to succeed, and the tips and skills they use in their role every day. Who this podcast is for This show is for anyone working in or curious about the home service trades, including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. That means business owners and managers, but it also means salespeople, service technicians, installers, CSRs, and dispatchers. If you are considering a career in the trades and want to hear what the path actually looks like from people who walked it, start here. What you will hear in each episode Every episode centers on one guest and one story. We cover how they found the industry, most of them did not plan on it, what the early years demanded, the turning points that moved them forward, and the practical tips of the trade they use in their specific role. Guests come from every seat in the business, not just the corner office.

Recent Episodes

3
Oct. 6, 2026

No Silver Bullet: Corey Fore on Trust, Options, and HVAC Sales

Corey Fore did not grow up planning an HVAC career. As a teenager, he traveled with up-and-coming bands, then came home when he learned he was going to become a father. He moved into a family pawn business, helped open a shop, and learned how much business depends on reading people, understanding needs, and earning trust. When Corey eventually entered residential HVAC, he was intimidated by the technical side. Mentors helped him trust the process, learn installation and service, and combine t
2
Sept. 29, 2026

Recovering $5.5 Million in Lost Sales Revisited: Kristian Hall ICYMI

In this ICYMI cut, Kristian Hall shares the service-first sales-recovery process behind millions in recovered home-service revenue. Learn why the best follow-up starts with research, a Happy Call that gets the customer talking, intentional listening, and checking every box before trying to close. How much revenue is already sitting inside estimates your team did not close the first time? In this ICYMI highlight, Kristian Hall revisits the phone-based sales-recovery process that helped her rec
1
Sept. 22, 2026

Finding the Gold: How Kristian Hall Recovered $5.5 Million in Lost Sales

What would happen if your team stopped treating unclosed estimates as dead leads? Kristian Hall shares how she recovered about $5.5 million last year entirely by phone—and why she is on pace to clear $6 million this year—by slowing down, doing the research, and serving the customer before trying to sell. Kristian walks Chris Crew and Jeremy Self through her path from restaurant work and loan officer to 11 years in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. She breaks down her five-step approach: Find th
1
Sept. 15, 2026

#PROUDTOBEBLUECOLLAR® Show Trailer

The blue collar trades have created incredible careers for people who often never planned on working in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or home services at all. #ProudToBeBlueCollar® Show tells those stories. Hosted by Chris Crew and Jeremy Self of The Blue Collar Success Group®, each episode features someone from the home service industry sharing how they found the trades, what the early years demanded, the turning points that moved them forward, and the practical tips they use in their role
15
June 11, 2025

Mailbag Episode: Customer-Centric Secrets To Handle The Tough Clients

In the third mailbag episode of season two, Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew take on audience questions focusing on customers—how to handle them, serve them, and keep your sanity in the process. They break down what to say during a follow-up, how to deal with refund requests, and why the "customer is always right" mindset might be holding you back. Tune in to get practical tips, a fresh perspective, and the kind of straight talk that helps you show up better—for your team, your clients, and yoursel
14
June 4, 2025

Invest in Your People: How to Empower Employees and Boost Profitability with Kelton Balka

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew sit down with Kelton Balka, owner of Tennessee Standard and a fifth-generation plumber. Kelton shares how taking care of your team isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smartest business move you can make. From scaling his plumbing company to over $1 million in monthly revenue and building a culture where people don’t want to leave, he breaks down what it really means to invest in your people—and why profitability is just a byproduct. Kelton starts by sharing
13
May 28, 2025

Business Efficiency: How to Build a Lean, Profitable Business

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew discuss why efficiency is the key to running a profitable business—and how to actually build it into your daily operations. They break down the biggest mistakes contractors make when trying to run lean businesses, the overlooked habits that drain time and money, and how to train your team to think and act with efficiency in mind. Tune in to learn what to track, what to eliminate, and how to tighten up your systems without sacrificing quality—so your team wins,
12
May 21, 2025

How Your Pricing Model Might Be Holding Back Your Business

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew discuss why pricing is one of the most powerful—and misunderstood—drivers of profitability in home service businesses. They break down common pricing mistakes, the importance of price integrity, and why efficiency, experience, and knowing your true costs all play a role in sustainable success. Tune in to learn how to shift your pricing mindset, stop undercharging, and build a pricing model that actually works. Kenny starts the conversation by explaining why pr
11
May 14, 2025

Want to Increase Profitability? Fix These 5 Areas First

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew discuss profitability and why it should be the driving force behind every decision you make in business. They break down the hidden costs that sneak into your operation, why most contractors misunderstand their income statements, and how fixing—not cutting—expenses is the smarter play. By the end, you’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of what it really takes to run a profitable home service business. Kenny starts the conversation with a reminder most b
10
May 7, 2025

Mailbag Episode: Why Doing the Basics in Business Is the Most Underrated Growth Strategy

Kenny Chapman and Chris Crew answer some audience questions in the second mailbag episode of this season. They break down why the HVAC industry is one of the most reliable spaces to build in, what to watch out for when buying a business, and why doing...

About the Hosts

Chris Crew Profile Photo
Chris Crew

President, Blue Collar Success Group

Chris Crew is the President of The Blue Collar Success Group, where he leads the coaching and training work that helps residential home service contractors in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical build companies that don't fall apart the moment the owner steps away. His focus is the high-level problems owners actually lose sleep over being priced right, planning, budgeting, recruiting, and developing the people who carry the business. He works across the whole org chart: owners, managers, technicians, and office staff.

He's seen the business from both sides of the desk. Chris entered the electrical trade at 16 as an apprentice, spent a decade coaching and training franchise operators across all three trades, and then ran an electrical company from 10 trucks and one location to more than 60 trucks across five locations and a $30 million run rate before selling his stake in 2018.

He joined Blue Collar that year as a coach and trainer, and has served as President since February 2020.

Jeremy Self Profile Photo
Jeremy Self

Coaching And Training Manager, Blue Collar Success Group

Jeremy's career in the home service industry began in 2003, and he immediately became one of the youngest top-producing high-ticket salespeople in the country, earning Crown Champion honors every year he spent in sales. That early success moved him quickly into roles where his job was no longer producing results himself, but teaching others to produce them.

Over the following years he held virtually every senior seat in a home service company, including sales manager and general manager. During his tenure as general manager he led a multi-trade, multi-state operation through double-digit annual growth until its successful acquisition. Along the way he built a reputation for systems and processes that produce results immediately rather than eventually.

He joined The Blue Collar Success Group® in 2020 and is one of the creators of the call-by-call coaching approach the company teaches today. Since joining, he has personally visited dozens of businesses across the country, helping owners find the opportunity sitting in their numbers while protecting the culture holding the whole thing together.

Now serving as coaching and training manager, Jeremy will tell you he enjoys not only coaching and training blue collar businesses but helping to develop the coaches and trainers at The Blue Collar Success Group®. He has built a career helping others improve their businesses, their lives, and the lives of the teams who show up for them every day. He and his wife Amber currently live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.