Business Education for the Trades
Stop Working In Your Business. Start Working On It.
Business training built specifically for trade contractors — by someone who's actually run one. Pricing, sales, hiring, marketing, systems, and leadership: the business skills trade school never taught.
The Problem
You didn't start a business. You bought yourself a really stressful job.
Most trade businesses get started the same way: someone who is genuinely excellent at the work — the wiring, the pipe, the roof, the install — decides to go out on their own. That skill is real, and it's what got the business off the ground. But nobody taught that same person how to price a job for real profit, how to hire and keep good people, how to build a marketing system that doesn't rely entirely on referrals, or how to build a company that can run without them standing on every jobsite.
Bidding on Gut Feel
No real estimating system — just a number that feels roughly right, win or lose.
No Real Hiring Process
Every hire is a coin flip, and every bad one costs you months of headaches.
Referrals-Only Marketing
Business is great until referrals slow down, and then there's no plan B.
You're the Bottleneck
Nothing happens unless you're personally on the job, on the phone, or in the truck.
The Shift
Technician → Manager → Owner
Every course in this school ties back to one framework: the shift from being the person who does the work, to the person who manages the work, to the person who owns a company that runs on systems and people.
Technician
You're the best at the actual work. The business runs because you personally do everything.
Manager
You start building systems and a crew so the work doesn't only happen through you.
Owner
The business runs on systems and people, and you get paid to run the company — not the highest-paid technician on the crew.
Meet Josh
From the toolbelt to running a business
Josh Cotner started as a contractor before founding Contractors Choice Agency, a commercial insurance agency that now serves 50+ contractor trades nationwide. Running that agency gave him a rare vantage point: a close-up view into trade businesses, watching firsthand what separates the ones that scale into real companies from the ones that stay stuck as a stressful job with a truck attached.
Blue Collar Business School exists to teach the patterns he's seen work — pricing, hiring, marketing, systems, and leadership — in plain language, for people who are skilled tradespeople first, not business-school graduates.
Read Josh's full story →The Curriculum
Eight courses. One framework. Real business skills.
Sales & Estimating
The Close Rate Blueprint
Walk away with a repeatable estimating and sales process instead of guessing on every bid.
See the curriculum →Pricing & Cash Flow
The Profitable Pricing Blueprint
Know your real numbers — cost per job, true overhead, break-even, and target margin — and price every job to hit them.
See the curriculum →Hiring & Team Building
Crew Builder
A repeatable hiring, onboarding, and retention process so growth doesn't depend on you doing everything yourself.
See the curriculum →Marketing & Lead Gen
Lead Flow Machine
A marketing plan matched to your budget that brings in leads predictably, month over month.
See the curriculum →Operations & Systems
SystemizeIt
Written SOPs and a scheduling/project system so your business doesn't fall apart when you step away.
See the curriculum →Leadership & Scaling
The Owner's Exit Ramp
A leadership plan for stepping out of daily field work and into running the company, with revenue growth to match.
See the curriculum →Customer Service
5-Star Trade
A customer service standard and review-generation system your whole crew follows, so your reputation grows the business for you.
See the curriculum →Business Foundations
Contractor Business Foundations
A clear, practical understanding of the legal and structural basics your business needs to be protected and built to last.
See the curriculum →The Accelerator
You don't have to figure this out alone
For owners who want guidance instead of just material, the Accelerator bundles the full curriculum into a structured coaching path with direct support from Josh.
Learn About the AcceleratorWho This Is For
Let's be honest about who this helps
This is for you if:
- ✓Trade business owners roughly in the $150K-$5M revenue range
- ✓Owners ready to build real systems, not just work harder
- ✓Owners willing to change how they operate, not just add more hours
This isn't for you if you want:
- ✕Anyone looking for a get-rich-quick shortcut
- ✕Owners not willing to change how the business currently runs
- ✕Anyone looking for a passive, no-effort program
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions we hear
Who is Blue Collar Business School for?
Trade business owners — roughly $150K to $5M in revenue — who are excellent at the work itself but were never trained on the business side, and who are ready to build real systems rather than keep running on instinct.
What trades does this work for — is it just for contractors, or also electricians, plumbers, HVAC, roofers, remodelers?
The curriculum is built for any trade business: electricians, plumbers, HVAC, roofers, general contractors, remodelers, and similar trades. The business fundamentals — pricing, hiring, marketing, systems, leadership — apply across all of them.
What size business is this built for — solo operators, small crews, or established companies?
Both. Solo operators use the courses to build the foundation before they grow; small-to-mid-size crews use them to fix the systems and leadership gaps that are capping their growth.
I'm not a "business person" — I'm good at the trade, not the paperwork. Is this still for me?
Yes — that's exactly who this was built for. The courses are written in plain language for people who are skilled tradespeople first, not for people who already have a business degree.
What's the difference between the individual courses and the Accelerator coaching program?
The individual courses are self-contained curriculum you work through on your own. The Accelerator bundles the full curriculum with direct coaching and accountability for owners who want guidance, not just material.
Ready to talk about your business?
Call 844-967-5247, email josh@contractorschoiceagency.com, or fill out a short form and we'll follow up within 1 business day.