PE Teacher to Entrepreneur: Mike Colwell's Million Dollar Turn
Blue Collar Millionaire Podcast · Kevin Marron and Chris Garrison
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Show Notes
How does a former PE teacher go from zero trade experience to building a multi-location, eight-figure service business?
In this episode of the Blue Collar Millionaire Podcast, we sit down with Mike Colwell, founder of MC Fence & Deck, to break down the real story behind his million-dollar transformation from teaching gym class to scaling a business that now generates over $33M in annual revenue.
Mike didn't start as a tradesman. He didn't know installation. And he didn't grow up in the industry.
What he did have was sales ability, grit, and a mindset built for scale.
This conversation dives into the hard lessons, mistakes, and systems that allowed Mike to grow from a small operation into a dominant service business with multiple locations and private equity interest knocking at the door.
🔑 What you'll learn in this episode:
How a PE teacher became a successful entrepreneur
Building a service business without knowing the trade
Why sales and lead flow matter more than technical skill
The mindset required to survive early chaos and setbacks
Hiring mistakes that can cripple a growing company
When to stop working in the business and start scaling it
How margins change as companies grow—and why that's normal
What private equity really looks for in blue-collar businesses
How modern operators are using AI, systems, and metrics to scale
If you're a blue-collar business owner, service entrepreneur, or someone stuck trying to break past the $300K–$1M ceiling, this episode will change how you think about growth.
Follow the show for real conversations and strategies from operators in the trenches.
Check out BoardRoom Elite and get in the room with operators, investors, and owners who are actually doing this every day. 👉 https://bluecollarmillionaire.net/elite
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