From The Ground Up Show - Entrepreneur and Leadership Success Stories from Blue Collar, and Unconventional Career Paths
From The Ground Up Show is where the next generation of free-thinking leaders come to be inspired. Host Erick Loden sits down with the men and women who’ve built success with their hands, their hustle, and their heart — from tradespeople and entrepreneurs to self-starters and service members we sit down with those who have rejected the traditional career path and chosen to blaze their own path. Through raw, honest conversations and real listener questions, we uncover the lessons, mindset, and grit it takes to build something that lasts - from the ground up.
Episodes
This might be the most raw and honest conversation we’ve ever had on From The Ground Up Show.
In this episode, Erick sits down with Adam Fink—entrepreneur, former Marine, search and rescue volunteer, husband, father, and the co-owner of Clear Creek Septic Service and Laird Sanitation.
What starts as a conversation about building a small service business quickly turns into something deeper. Adam opens up about the realities of entre...
What happens when two entrepreneurs with construction grit, electrical expertise, and a shared obsession with doing things the right way decide to bet on solar?
In this episode of From The Ground Up, Erick sits down with Alex and Brian, co-founders of Green Ridge Solar, to unpack how a chance connection (thanks to their wives), a background in real estate and electrical work, and a commitment to serving their neighbors turned into ...
In this episode of From the Ground Up Show, Erick sits down with serial entrepreneur Bob Zimmercheid for a powerful, down-to-earth conversation about grit, faith, integrity, and building a life that lasts.
From growing up on a ranch—breaking horses, running farm equipment as a kid, and learning responsibility early—to owning restaurants, hardware stores, and real estate holdings, Bob shares the lessons that shaped him into a resili...
What happens when a wildland firefighter walks away from the fireline… and decides to build something that lasts?
In this episode of From The Ground Up, we sit down with an entrepreneur who made the leap from public service to private enterprise — transforming small-town roots into an internationally recognized mead brand.
This is more than a business story.
It’s a conversation about identity, risk, and the courage to pivot when th...
In this episode of From The Ground Up Show, host Erick Loden sits down with entrepreneur, father of eight, and founder of Contractor SEO Academy, Dima Sabavoy.
Dima’s story is anything but typical.
From receiving welfare as a young man to building multiple businesses, leading faith-driven communities, and helping contractors across the country grow through SEO and digital strategy — his journey is rooted in hard work, conviction, a...
What does real leadership look like when growth, culture, and execution all matter at the same time?
In this episode of From the Ground Up, Erick sits down with Greg McAfee, a seasoned construction industry leader, to talk about what it truly takes to build and sustain a successful company over the long haul. Greg shares lessons learned from decades in the field—lessons shaped by hiring decisions, equipment investments, leadership ...
What does it really take to build something that lasts? In this episode of From the Ground Up, Erick sits down with construction leader Ken Dickson for an honest, inspiring conversation about resilience, leadership, and doing the hard work when no one is watching.
Ken shares hard-earned lessons from decades in the construction industry—why execution matters more than sales, how strong teams carry companies through uncertainty, and ...
What does it really take to earn your place—and keep it?
In this episode of From The Ground Up Show, we explore leadership, responsibility, and the kind of work ethic that’s built under pressure, not hype. This conversation digs into what it means to create real value, become indispensable, and carry the weight that comes with building something bigger than yourself.
We talk about leadership when there are no shortcuts: being respo...
What does it actually take to scale a business to $1,000,000,000 in sales in just 12 years—and sustain it?
In this episode of From the Ground Up, we sit down with Brian for a rare, behind-the-scenes conversation about rapid growth, disciplined leadership, and the systems required to operate at the highest levels of business. Brian shares how he built and lead a company that reached nine figures—and then ten—without chasing hype or ...
What does it look like to lead a legacy American firearms company with conviction, humility, and purpose?
In this episode of From The Ground Up Show, Erick Loden interviews Adam Weatherby, Owner and CEO of Weatherby Firearms, about leadership, stewardship, and the responsibility that comes with carrying a historic family name. Adam shares how his Christian faith and years spent working in ministry shaped his leadership philosophy, ...
In this episode of From the Ground Up Show, Erick Loden sits down with Brie Reese, COO of Elite Roofing, Denver Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, and a nationally respected coach in the roofing and construction industry.
Brie shares her powerful journey from addiction and personal struggle to executive leadership, detailing how recovery, discipline, and radical personal accountability shaped her approach to business and life. F...
In this episode of From The Ground Up, Mike Riddle shares the unfiltered story of giving up his teaching career to start and construction company only to watch his construction business unravel during a market crash, navigating bankruptcy, and making the difficult decision to start over from scratch. Mike walks through the hard lessons learned, the mental toll of rebuilding after failure, and what it really takes to regain momentum...
Don’t miss the story that started it all—the journey that inspired From The Ground Up. In this episode, Dave Loden shares how he launched a new business with zero prior experience in a failing market—and turned it into a respected regional force. Along the way, he reflects on the hard lessons, pivotal decisions, and mindset shifts that made it possible. Plus, hear unforgettable stories from his time serving as a Captain in Search a...
Grant Gilmore shares his journey building and growing a roofing business from 0 to $20 million in just a couple years. You won't want to miss the life lessons in health, leadership, and humility. Racecars, ego, and emotions, we cover it all.
#Entreprenuer #Roofing #FromTheGroundUpShow #Porsche #SelfEmployed
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https://fromthegroundupshow.com
Dan Godwin shares his story of becoming a partner at Mohatt Johnson and Godwin as well as some valuable tax advice for entrepreneurs and business owners. #FromTheGroundUpShow #Taxes #Entrepreneur #SelfEmployed
Connect with From The Ground Up Show: https://fromthegroundupshow.com https://www.youtube.com/@FromTheGroundUp-k9p https://www.facebook.com/fromthegroundupshow https://www.instagram.com/fromthegroundupshow/ tiktok.com/@...
Reggie Brock of Axis8 joins us for a fascinating conversation. He talks about missed opportunities, including not seizing an opportunity to partner with Mark Cuban on Broadcast.com, life lessons, mistakes and pains, and about optimizing your business by starting with people not processes and designing your business around the why that people bring with them. And, Reggie has a free give-away. You'll have to listen to find out what h...
Ryan Pierce shares his journey chasing his passions and dreams to become a champion long distance shooter and nationally renowned gun smith. Ryan builds custom long-range rifles as good as anyone on the planet and does so working for himself out of his one-man shop. Hear an awesome story of success, grinding it out, and chasing your dreams! Ryan shares his story, lessons learned along the way and from his grandfather, and some gre...
Randy Brothers Describes his journey from a broken home to early entrepreneurship. Then, things get interesting as he tells of bankruptcy and homelessness before building himself and his business back up to be a roofing magnate only to have that torn down and have to build back a second time. You won't want to miss this story of family, redemption, and hard leadership lessons. #Faith #SelfEmployed #LeadershipJourney #FromTheGround...
Dominick Fraser tells his story of growing up 1 of 7 children in an Scotch Irish family, working the cruise lines, contemplating suicide and eventually launching Frasier Roofing and growing it to $36mm in annual revenue and a top 100 roofing company. You won't want to miss this incredible story! #Faith #SelfEmployed #LeadershipJourney #FromTheGroundUp
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Erick Horsley describes his experiences growing up, joining the marines, becoming one of the US most elite and highly trained warriors and then transitioning back to civilian life. Hear an incredible story of a life dedicated to service: in his family, community, and nation! You won't want to miss this! Oh, and all the super cool SOCOM gear!!! #FromTheGroundUp #Podcast #Service #SOCOM #SpecialOperations Connect with From The Groun...
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