Ten years running a hardscape crew. A few more years helping contractors grow with marketing, SEO, systems, and AI. Blue Collar Techy is what I wish I had back when I was the guy trying to figure this stuff out.
My dad ran a plumbing company. I grew up working for him, and I was doing side jobs before I was old enough to drive. Raking leaves. Small jobs. Whatever put money in my pocket.
Out of high school I got into excavation. After that I spent a few years with the Forest Service as a wildland firefighter.
That kind of work shapes you. You learn to show up. You learn to work tired. You learn pretty quick that excuses do not move the job forward.
That was my world for a long time, and a big part of how I still see business now.
In my 20s I worked for a high-end landscape maintenance company. Every now and then we'd do a project. A flagstone walk. A paver patio. A set of stone steps. That was the work I cared about. So I bought my own equipment and started my own company.
It started as Nicholas Landscaping. Maintenance paid the bills. Projects were the goal. Over time it grew into Tekton Design Build, a custom outdoor living company doing big design-build projects in stone, wood, and steel.
The name Tekton mattered to me. It's a biblical word tied to craftsmen and builders. That fit. I wanted to build things well and build them with people who took pride in their work.
A lot of those years were good. A lot of them were brutal too.
One day we had seven yards of concrete coming for curbing and stairs. One guy was passed out. Another no-showed. So it was me and one other guy trying to get the whole thing done before it beat us. We pulled it off, mostly because the weather stayed cloudy and bought us time. Those are the days that burn into your memory.
A couple years later I had back surgery and was out for a few months. The team kept the company running without me. No drama. No panic. They just handled it. That was one of the first times I looked at what we'd built and thought, alright, this is real.
I bought a truck and a lawnmower. That turned into a real company.Nick Conley · Founder
I had three kids. A bad back. A company that depended on a lot from me. And I had to be honest with myself. The path I was on was not taking me where I wanted to go.
The truth is, the part of the business I loved most was marketing it.
I liked figuring out why the phone rang. I liked working on the website, the brand, the messaging, the sales process. I liked the systems side. I liked solving the problem.
I also paid a lot of tuition in mistakes.
I hired marketing agencies when I was a contractor. Most of them left a lot to be desired. Big promises. Weak follow-through. Fancy words around average work. So I started learning it myself.
SEO. Websites. CRMs. Automations. AI. I got in there because I had to. Then I got good at it because I cared. Then I started helping other contractors because I realized a lot of them were dealing with the same mess I had.
That's where Tekton Growth came from. Same builder mindset, different trade.
I saw a better future in the digital world than in the dirt world. But I chose to work with dirt-world people.
I saw a better future in the digital world than in the dirt world. But I chose to work with dirt-world people.On making the jump
Big promises. Weak follow-through. Fancy words around average work. That's what most contractors see when they hire a marketing agency. I know because I was that contractor once, writing those checks.
Your marketing agency is not the hero of your business. You are.
No agency can fix a weak reputation, slow follow-up, bad sales process, or a business that does not do what it says it does. The owners who understand that usually grow. The ones who think writing a check solves the whole problem usually get burned.
That's why Blue Collar Techy exists. It is the place where I explain the stuff contractors are being told they need, without making it sound more complicated than it is. Tekton Growth is there for the contractors who decide they want help building it.
Learn first. Build when you are ready. No pressure to turn every video into a sales call.
Blue Collar Techy is the open front door for contractors trying to understand tech, AI, marketing, and systems. Tekton is the optional build path when the work needs to get done for you.
Free content, tools, and breakdowns for contractors who want tech explained in plain English. Videos, newsletter, market scan, blog, and practical guides.
Subscribe to the newsletter →My marketing agency. Local SEO, websites, systems, and AI help for contractors who want the work handled by people who get the trade.
Work with Tekton Growth →If you are not ready to hire anyone and just need help understanding what is broken, start with the newsletter or send the question through the contact page.
Ask through BCT →My faith and my family shape how I work and why I made this shift.
After years of building in the field, I wanted a business that gave me more margin to be present at home, do meaningful work, and build something that lasts.
That matters to me more now than chasing bigger for the sake of bigger.
A lot of business content for contractors comes from people who have never been in the seat. They know funnels. They know software. They know how to talk. But they do not always know what it feels like when the phone is quiet, the crew is waiting, the truck needs work, and payroll is coming.
Then there's the other side. People talking tech, AI, SEO, and automation like every owner has time to become a full-time marketer.
That misses too.
Blue Collar Techy sits in the middle of those two worlds.
This brand exists because I know the blue-collar side, and I've spent the last several years deep in the tech side. I know how easy it is to get sold garbage. I know how easy it is to waste money on tools you do not need. I know how confusing this stuff gets when you are already busy running a company.
So this is where I put the straight answer.
What is worth paying attention to. What gets calls. What saves time. What can wait. What can help. What is a waste of money.
Videos. Emails. Breakdowns. Lessons from the field and from the digital side. Practical stuff for contractors who want to grow without getting buried in jargon and nonsense.