Building Blue Collar Wealth with Chris Garrison - Ep 37

Episode 37: Building Blue Collar Wealth with Chris Garrison What does it take to turn a hands-on service business into an asset that creates opportunity beyond the owner’s daily labor? Chris Garrison, serial entrepreneur, real estate investor, and co-founder of Blue Collar Millionaire, shares lessons from building businesses, investing, and developing leaders. Mike and Zach talk with Chris about growing Absolute Cleaning and Restoration, acquiring companies, investing in real estate, and building an online community with more than 350,000 members. He explains why technical skill alone rarely produces growth without strong marketing and sales. Chris presents financial literacy as a series of deposits: knowledge, relationships, visibility, productive debt, and responsible execution. He explains why investing in yourself comes first and how a proven operator can move from trading time for money to owning assets. The conversation also explores how owners can step back by recruiting capable people, developing leaders, and building predictable systems. Clear communication, realistic expectations, and extreme ownership help protect the two bosses of every business: employees and customers. Chris closes with a long-term view: stay close to what you know, diversify through trusted operators, track the activities behind your results, shape an environment that supports better habits, and enjoy the journey while building something that can operate without you. ## You’ll Learn in This Episode: - Why technical excellence alone does not guarantee business growth - How marketing, sales, and personal visibility create opportunity - Why knowledge, relationships, and people are valuable assets - How productive debt can help build equity and cash flow - Why investing in yourself should come before other investments - How to move from trading time for money to owning assets - What owners must do to work on the business instead of in it - How communication and expectations protect employees and customers - Why proven operators matter when diversifying investments - How environment, activity tracking, and patience shape long-term results ## Quotes “You are your biggest asset.” “I don’t think there’s a shortage in capital. I think there’s a shortage in talent.” “You’re living in the results from yesterday’s decisions.” “It’s not the goal and the destination, because that constantly moves. It’s the journey.” ## About Chris Garrison Chris Garrison is a serial entrepreneur, real estate investor, business coach, and mentor. He owns multiple service-based businesses and a mix of residential and commercial real estate, and he co-founded Blue Collar Millionaire, an online community with more than 350,000 members. After a series of difficult business and personal experiences in his twenties, Chris committed to self-development and rebuilt his career around the skills he had developed in car sales, maintenance management, and cleaning. He grew Absolute Cleaning and Restoration into a brand centered on quality and integrity before expanding into restoration and roofing. Chris later invested in rental properties, acquired additional service businesses, and helped grow a national windshield company and a manufacturing coating business. Across these ventures, he focuses on assembling strong teams, creating predictable systems, and developing companies that can operate without depending entirely on their owner. Through Blue Collar Millionaire, Chris shares practical frameworks, community, events, and coaching for ambitious service-business owners. His mission is to help create as many blue-collar millionaires as possible by teaching repeatable systems for leadership, investing, business growth, and long-term wealth creation. Connect with Chris Garrison on Facebook, join the Blue Collar Millionaire Facebook group, or email [chrisg@absoluterestoration.com](mailto:chrisg@absoluterestoration.com). ## Find REI Capital Guys For Investors & the Fund – Learn how the Fund works and book a call For Borrowers & Deals – Get funding and support for your next investment