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Chris
Cale Forester launched his plumbing business in 2022, doing $500,000 his first year as a sole proprietor and doubling his revenue every year, hitting $3 million in 2025. And the craziest part of it all, just a few years earlier, he was homeless. Hear his story how he battled back from drug addiction and living under a bridge to taking the leadership lessons from rehab and applying them to lead his team of five.
Cale Forester
Pl.
Chris
So, Kale, not too long ago, you were freaking homeless in the streets, and today you're running a successful plumbing business. You're going to do what, 3 million this year?
Cale Forester
We'll do 3 million this year, dude.
Chris
First of all, congratulations. That's freaking rad. Right? It's not too often that I get guys on my show that. That have lived on the streets, been in the lowest of low, that have, like, just, ugh. So give me a little bit more of that. So, obviously, there was, like, a huge transition. Something that, like, sparked, like, changed you. If I remember right, you were, like, living underneath a bridge.
Cale Forester
I was living underneath the bridge in a. A place of tall. This town west or downtown Tulsa. And that's just kind of where I called home. It was the closest place from the hospital that I had just AMA'd myself out of.
Chris
What does AMA mean?
Cale Forester
Against medical advice.
Chris
Okay.
Cale Forester
All right, all right.
Chris
A little bit of a rebel.
Cale Forester
A little bit of a rebel. Okay.
Chris
I like it.
Dylan
Yeah.
Cale Forester
I was in a. I got a. I got found by some police officers in a part of Tulsa that was not friendly to be in. Just beaten.
Chris
Dude, how many times were you arrested over the years?
Cale Forester
So many times.
Chris
Like.
Cale Forester
Like, I was not a good addict.
Chris
I. I'm assuming so.
Cale Forester
Right.
Chris
Like, living under a bridge, you can't be a great one.
Cale Forester
No, no.
Chris
I mean, there's a lot of, you know, farmhouse wives that are addicted to drugs, and they're pretty good ones, right. Undercover. They don't know. So you were under a bridge? A little bit. So, dude, how many times? Like, is it 10, 20, 40? What was it?
Cale Forester
It's got to be at least 10. I. I would give at least 10 times. 10, 12 times. Yeah.
Chris
Okay. And how long was that for?
Cale Forester
As far as the.
Chris
Like, how long were you living homeless?
Cale Forester
Oh, gosh, I was at least a year.
Chris
Okay.
Cale Forester
I was a year on and off the streets. Because if you consider homelessness also living in trap houses.
Chris
What's a trap house?
Cale Forester
So this is the place that is. Has no gas, has no electric, has no water.
Chris
So we're talking cardboard.
Cale Forester
Yeah, yeah.
Chris
Whatever. Tents Something. Something on the side of the street.
Cale Forester
The flooded out basement in a. Oh, no, it's in.
Chris
It's a house.
Cale Forester
It is a house.
Chris
It's a house that you broke into. Yeah, got it. Got a boarded up house structure. Lots of them in Detroit. Got it.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
And few. And probably a Tulsa.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
All right, guys.
Cale Forester
Got it.
Chris
You know, so I. I think you know this, but I. I spent a couple years in Oklahoma.
Cale Forester
Yep.
Dylan
Yeah.
Chris
And Oklahoma's a fun, fun place. Interesting. Lots of drugs.
Cale Forester
Yes. Right.
Chris
Like, I. I remember sitting in this house of somebody's in. In Choctaw, Oklahoma, and she's like, these forests. You can smell the meth cooking. I was like, dude, what is going on here? Oh, man. There's always, like, just some funny jokes from. From Oklahoma that I remember. Like, did you know that the toothbrush was invented in Oklahoma?
Cale Forester
No, I didn't know that.
Chris
Yeah. Otherwise it would be the teeth brush.
Cale Forester
Fair enough.
Chris
Dad jokes. Dad jokes.
Cale Forester
I'll take it.
Dylan
All right.
Chris
Just joking. But no, Oklahoma's got a sweet place in my heart. So you're sitting homeless for a year underneath a bridge. Like, what does day to day life look like?
Cale Forester
Day to day life looks like going to a gas station, asking for dollars from strangers. Going to where my sister worked, which was a short ways away.
Chris
Because you're walking.
Cale Forester
Yeah, walking. Yeah. And she's a waitress there, so I.
Chris
Know you got like a backpack. Like, were you packing stuff around? You got stuff sitting underneath the bridge. Like, what, what is your personal possessions look like?
Cale Forester
Eyeglass case.
Chris
That's it.
Cale Forester
That's it. Because that's where you keep your tools for the lifestyle you're living.
Chris
I mean, and we're talking meth.
Cale Forester
We're talking, what a connoisseur of all flavors. It didn't matter, you know, I mean.
Chris
Anything to get the next high. Anything.
Cale Forester
Uppers, downers just got to escape reality, you know?
Chris
You know, it's crazy the fact that I even know, like, uppers and down. I've never had a drug in my life.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
But I had this. This college course I had to take where they educated me on, like, drugs. I'm like, what? Like, you want me to get into this? I don't understand what this is. Yeah, yeah. That's crazy. Okay, so you're. You got your toolkit, you're going, you're doing your thing. You go to the. You beg for a few dollars, you go to where your sister works. What's happening there?
Cale Forester
Just getting a free meal.
Chris
Okay.
Cale Forester
You know, getting a free meal and then ask to leave.
Chris
So you had some people that were like concerned about you for sure, which not all homeless people do.
Cale Forester
Yeah, you know, I still. There's still a connection to, to family that, that I had and tried to maintain, but it was in there. They just, they. They grew to where. Which they needed to. To get their distance because it was. It's painful for them too.
Chris
Hey guys, it's Chris. If you're finding value in what you're hearing, go ahead and like and subscribe. That way people just like you can find this content for free here on YouTube. Now let's dive back in the show. So let's back up. What got you there?
Cale Forester
Like got me to the streets. Yeah, just life choices. You know, there's a. It's followed me my whole life where I'm a quick starter but I couldn't. I couldn't finish, you know, so being directionless, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life and then being in a small town and small community to, to not to not have that. That answer. The only thing left to do. And you said it yourself, in Oklahoma, there's a lot of drugs. You know, so while all my friends went to college or to work the workforce and stuff, I. The party never kind of ended for me.
Chris
So how old are you when you tried first drug?
Cale Forester
Oddly enough, I was a late bloomer if you count alcohol. 14. But. But turn into the harder stuff. Was. Was 21.
Chris
Okay. And you served in the military? I did before then.
Cale Forester
No, that was my escape from my drug use. What I thought was going to be my escape from drug use was joining the service.
Chris
And what did you find more drugs in the service?
Cale Forester
No, I actually, I found a purpose. I found a purpose and I found a calling. I was a great soldier.
Chris
So no drug. No drug use while. While you're in the military?
Cale Forester
Yes, yes. But towards the end.
Chris
Okay.
Cale Forester
But towards the end. And that was kind of my exit.
Chris
And what branch of the military?
Cale Forester
I was in the army.
Chris
Okay. Thanks for your service. How long were you in?
Cale Forester
I was in for from 2011 to 2016. Not a super long stint and in.
Chris
Fact, what a five year stint?
Cale Forester
It's like four or six.
Chris
Okay.
Cale Forester
I think. Got it. Yeah.
Chris
Any deployments or anything?
Cale Forester
Yep, served in Afghanistan. I was a 240 Bravo gunner on a trail vehicle.
Chris
Okay. Sounds dope. I don't know what exactly what that means, but dope glorified.
Cale Forester
Cool way of saying that. I pulled security for some. For some convoy missions, you know.
Chris
So gunner sounds like you're just on a freaking 50 cal, like.
Cale Forester
Well, 240 Bravo is a large, you know, machine gun. It's not the. The 50 cal, but it is, you know, it's a. It's pretty sweet.
Chris
Okay. Sick belt. Fed.
Cale Forester
Oh, yeah.
Chris
Oh, yeah. I need me one of them.
Cale Forester
You gotta know. You gotta understand that. Yeah, yeah.
Chris
Okay. Dude, I. I have a few guns myself. Are you a gun guy?
Cale Forester
I'm a gun guy.
Chris
Got a handful of them, yeah. All right.
Cale Forester
Yeah, just, you know, a few things.
Chris
Nice. I got more than my fingers and toes, so we're chilling.
Cale Forester
Cool. Yeah.
Chris
Yeah. Washington state Open carry state. Yeah. You know, there's a lot of people on the west side that wouldn't want to agree, but, you know, here we are.
Cale Forester
I love that.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
Oklahoma Constitutional carry.
Chris
Oh, nice.
Cale Forester
Even need to have a license for it.
Chris
Yes, sir. Love me some Okies.
Cale Forester
Okay.
Chris
So you're in the military. You come home, you have a kid.
Cale Forester
So I. I actually met his mom while I was in the service. Okay. You know, she's from Kentucky, so. Yeah. So, you know, back brought her to Oklahoma. That relationship lasted all of 15 months. Just enough to get married, to have a kid. And then I again felt, when I came back home, just back to the.
Chris
The drugs for no reason, you know, just immediately.
Cale Forester
Just immediately. Yeah. So you.
Chris
You started, though, in Afghanistan. Was it opioids or what was it?
Cale Forester
Yeah, because that's.
Chris
That's a big home of the opioid, right?
Cale Forester
Oh, yeah. And hashish. Yeah.
Chris
Funny story. The home that I bought was about to be sold to the bank because they were on. Behind on their back taxes. The previous owner grew poppy flowers and was selling them as decorative poppy pods by the pound. And they were number one on Google, which, by the way, is legal to do, until you mash them up and give them to an undercover cup in a form of tea.
Cale Forester
So that becomes a little different.
Chris
That becomes a little bit different. But yeah, that's chemically altered, this plant. Yeah. Crazy. But, yeah, opioids, man, those things, they have. They have destroyed a lot and destroyed a lot of the society they have. So you got back into that game, come home how long before. And shortly thereafter.
Cale Forester
Shortly thereafter, you know, the wife's gone. You know, she's not. We're not in the same household anymore.
Chris
And it's because of the drugs.
Cale Forester
It's because of the drugs. It's because of the drugs. You know, you. You promise, being a man of your word and stuff, whenever you build yourself up in a woman's mind, you know, Like, I'm going to take care of you, we're going to have a family, all those things, and then you don't follow through.
Chris
And at this point you're in the trades or. No.
Dylan
No.
Chris
Okay. What were you doing for day to day work? You just. Just living on that. Nice. Like, did you have. What's it called where you were released medically or whatnot from? Not anything like that.
Cale Forester
I just stopped showing up.
Chris
Just stopped showing up.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
So how are you living?
Cale Forester
You know, I. It's kind of an ego check too, man. But like, realistically, I was living off my mom and dad and she was working and.
Chris
You were how old at this time?
Cale Forester
Yeah, I hate to say it, I think I was about 25. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 25, 26. Yeah.
Chris
Okay. So yeah, man, living. Living in mom's basement.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
Wife is making money, she's like, I'm out. Yeah, Peace.
Cale Forester
Peace.
Chris
You know, you got a kid, got.
Cale Forester
A kid, got a boy.
Chris
What, what. What made you say, hey, instead of living in mom's basement, I want to go live underneath the outside?
Cale Forester
So I guess realistically what happened is whenever you venture to town so often and eventually you can't get a ride back home, you're kind of just there because you're cooked. Yeah. You're just stuck. And then. And then the pursuit, the pursuit of the, of the drugs becomes the, the most pressing matter.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
You know, so not needing to go back home, I just got all night to figure out how I'm going to get the next one. Did you.
Chris
Do you ever feel like, man, I kind of like it out here on the streets Better than going home.
Cale Forester
Never. Not one day at all.
Chris
Yeah. You know, I had a friend that was homeless in Salt Lake for three years and sometimes he like by choice was like, no, I don't want to come home.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
Like, I want to be here. This is actually like my place. Yeah. And it's kind of, kind of interesting. I thought that was. He since. Has been clean for 10 years or whatnot. But yeah, he went through some, some pretty rough times getting there.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
Good.
Cale Forester
Congratulations. And good for him. I love hearing that.
Chris
Yeah, for sure.
Cale Forester
Success too.
Chris
But yeah, so you're, you're there, you're.
Dylan
You're.
Chris
Turn it. What changed?
Cale Forester
So again, I, I didn't live, you know, eventually stopped living at home. But there became that pivotal moment to where for me, because nobody gets to dictate what your bottom is. You know what I mean? It's not this physical place. The bottom. For me, I found that it's more of a spiritual thing, you know, the feelings of self degradation, whatever that is for you. And some of us have a higher tolerance for pain than others. And I finally found my moment in my spot whenever I wasn't allowed to come back home, you know, because there was always that time where I could. I could go back to my mom's house.
Chris
So you said mom and dad were always like, hey, we love you. We're good Christian folk. We're gonna take care of our son.
Cale Forester
Yep.
Chris
And then. And then something clicked and said it was done.
Cale Forester
Almost caused my parents divorce. Didn't know it. You know, those are the nighttime conversations.
Chris
Dad. Dad was pissed. Mom was what?
Cale Forester
Okay, yeah, dad was done. We're done here.
Chris
So your dad was like, we're not doing it. And your mom was like, no, let him home. Yeah, got it.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
Good for him.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
I mean, that's. That's exercising the good masculine energy.
Cale Forester
Yes.
Chris
That we need. You know, we lack in 20, 25. Good, rigid masculine energy. And the. The reality is you need the yin and yang. You need the balance between the masculine and the feminine. Too many masculine have gone towards the feminine. Too many feminine have gone towards the masculine. And we like, dude, good on your dad.
Cale Forester
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I give him a lot of. A lot of credit, my mom, too, for having, you know, like, again, like I say, you know, that distance that they needed to do to create safety for themselves. The biggest thing that ever. I stole from my parents, of course, but the most hurtful thing that I ever did to my mom that I took from her was her peace of mind, you know? Is your child. Is your child going to be okay?
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
You know, where is he at tonight?
Chris
Yep.
Cale Forester
That's got to be devastating.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
I couldn't even think. I have a kid now. You've got five.
Chris
Wow.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
So they cut you off and then you're like, so what clicked?
Cale Forester
I think it was that moment. I was. It's so crazy, too, how. How things kind of line up and not to get too involved in it or whatever, Dig too deep on it. But what I found for myself and my experience thus far in life is, is the more I fought against or I. The more I try to pursue that drug, the more roadblocks would be put in my path.
Dylan
Yeah.
Cale Forester
And the more. The more doors over here were opening up. Did not do it anymore.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
So I was actually on my way to my mom's house to. To just show up on her for her to pay me to leave. You know, I mean, like one of those things, like, just get, get out of here. 10, 20 bucks, whatever. Just leave. Yeah, yeah. Kind of thing. But I got. We got pulled over and there were. And I had it in my mind too, because we're in a field. We're in Oklahoma. So they're like, I could. And this is big cop. I could outrun this guy. You know, I could just open the door and run because I know whenever you run me, my, my name and stuff, I'm gonna go spend a few nights somewhere. But I didn't do it. Just again, there was like, there's just a voice that happens. It's not up in the mind. It's kind of in the chest. It was like, don't do that. And I found myself in jail and I made one phone call. It was to my mom. And it wasn't for her to bail me out. It was just for her. Again, that peace of mind that I spoke about, for her to know that I was okay. I was probably going to go to prison, but not to. Not to worry anymore. And I don't need you to come get me.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
Because I was done. Yeah. It's just done.
Chris
You had hit the bottom.
Cale Forester
Yeah, I was there, you know, and.
Chris
It'S so interesting about like the swing, right. You gotta, like, when you finally hit the bottom, it allows you to bounce.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
You know, allows you to bounce back up in the other direction where it's just, you're always like flirting with that bottom and so good on your parents for like creating that hard bottom for you and allowing you to. To fail, essentially.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
And so you go from there. And how long do you spend in jail?
Cale Forester
Oh, gosh, it was eight months between two counties.
Dylan
Oh, wow.
Cale Forester
I had, I had racked up a whole lot of grant. It's. I'm not a. I'm not a cool addict. You know, I didn't have. I'm not a hard right hitting guy. It's granted, you can look me up. It's grand and petty larceny, petty, petty theft, you know, stealing stuff from Walmarts and trying to pawn it at the.
Chris
Pawn shops and D. Portland, they would encourage you. They'd be like, dude, 900, please take it. Yeah.
Cale Forester
But, you know, hey, entrepreneurial spirit. You know, I always managed to get the next one off me, you know, so. But yeah, no, it was. And there was that moment, you know, made the typical jailhouse prayer, like, I'm, I'm done. I'm done with this life. I'm done with doing this. I need your I need your help and guidance. You know, what does that look like? And it just. I started, you know, falling in line with some.
Chris
And then shortly thereafter, you met your person.
Dylan
Yeah.
Chris
Yeah. That's cool. How did you guys meet?
Cale Forester
So we're the typical. Don't do this rehab romance. You know, I was pursuing her. She was acting like.
Chris
So when you talk about rehab, was it true? Rehab, because you went to prison for nine months. That's got to be some level of rehab, right?
Cale Forester
Correct the language a little bit.
Chris
Okay.
Cale Forester
Again, I've never been to prison. Okay.
Chris
Jail. I've been to county jail. I get it, I get it. I know there's a thing. There's.
Cale Forester
It's a thing. I want to take anything away from anybody that's been. Yeah, I did a long haul in county, which is pretty hard time, you know, get wreck. Yep.
Chris
So at least you weren't out in Arizona, where County jail. They put you. They dress you in pink and you live in the desert. Kind of fun, but sounds like a good time.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
But yeah.
Dylan
So.
Chris
So you go and you do that time. I gotta assume that's some level of rehab for you from a standpoint of like, for sure you're cut cold, and then you went to rehab shortly thereafter, or.
Cale Forester
Yeah, I gotta. So this is the way for me is, you know, again, like I said, I was in the army and I just kind of stopped going. I was a good soldier, though. I was a good soldier. All my command always said the same, you know, I could follow an order, follow direct charge. So they gave me. When they discharged me, it wasn't in a negative light.
Chris
Yep.
Cale Forester
So I got. I got blessed and got to go into what's. What's called veterans treatment court. And this. It was so crazy too, because I'd never thought about rehab. I was going to prison. I was like, I was good. I was just gonna sign my time, do my thing, and get out. And I told that judge that too. And she looked at me and she said, son, don't throw your life away.
Chris
You got this available.
Cale Forester
What about treatment?
Chris
I was like, oh, I didn't know the option.
Cale Forester
Yeah, okay.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
So I did a 90 day stay in. In a treatment center.
Chris
And that's where you. That's where you met your lady?
Cale Forester
That's where I met Brittany.
Chris
Awesome. That's so cool. So what was it about this experience that you've been able to draw on and apply to what you're doing now with. With your plumbing company? Because you launched this company about four years ago. Initially, Chucking a truck, doing it your thing. Doing your thing. Do a 500, 000 year one as a one man show. Selling it, installing it, doing the work, right?
Cale Forester
Oh, yeah.
Chris
And you've almost doubled in revenue every single year for the last four years. Phenomenal. What was it about being homeless, going through rehab and everything else that has been able to influence what you're doing now? Because obviously you're doing something right.
Cale Forester
Yeah, I truly believe that. It's, it's first and foremost getting clean was the, was the first step in that process of getting clean. Like, you can stop using drugs, but you got to replace that with something. You got to figure out what that thing is. And I found that in a fellowship, you know, a group of men, and it was, you know, walking the same road as me, but had found their way out.
Chris
And I.
Cale Forester
And it was really simple, which. That's the secret. It's so simple. Just do whatever they're doing and then that'll work because they've been cleaner longer than me.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
So like in business, it's kind of the same strategy is, is follow the people that have found success where you want to have success.
Chris
So get addicted right? To business. Right, Right.
Cale Forester
Don't do business.
Chris
Right.
Cale Forester
Yeah. Business 100.
Chris
Go full in. All in. Addicted. Personality. Come on, baby.
Cale Forester
There's a level of that that I carried with me though, from the addiction is like whenever I get bought into something, I'm all in.
Chris
Yeah, you go all in, dude. There is something to be said about addictive personalities.
Cale Forester
Yeah, right.
Chris
Like. Like for every strength, there is a weak part.
Cale Forester
Right.
Chris
And vice versa. You can, you can create with a hammer, you can also destroy. Yeah, right. And so like, like understanding that these things that have led to terrible things are actually the things that can make us be incredible. And so being an addict, going and finding your people, seeing these mentors or whatnot, that will walk the same path, right?
Cale Forester
Yep.
Chris
Pretty phenomenal.
Cale Forester
Oh yeah.
Chris
And so like, give it, like, give us a little bit of the journey. So you, you go and you work for somebody else. You're in the trades or whatnot. And, and I know you and Dylan met along the way. This was what, five years ago?
Dylan
Five years ago.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
So tell me about that. Like, how do. Where did you guys come across each other? Was it any event or like, what, what was happening?
Cale Forester
You want to fill that?
Dylan
Yeah, we. I was speaking. It was during COVID There's. There's a trainer that I trained with that had a speaking, like a trades event. It was in Vegas. I think it was right when. When everybody. The casinos started opening back up. Everybody was bundled up in the houses.
Chris
For 18 months, and everybody wanted to get together. Like, dude, I hate my computer screen. I hate looking at myself in the mirror. It's time to shower. Let's go.
Dylan
Trying to. Trying to grow a company, but you're trying to do it by yourself because.
Chris
Right.
Dylan
Nobody else. So it was like the first event post, like Covid.
Chris
Yep.
Dylan
Everything's open again. I had an offer to speak at one of these events, and that's where I met Kale, where I was a plumbing salesman kind of talking my. I guess my claim to fame for him was that I was doing $3 million a year. $3 million a year. And I guess it was. For me, it's just normal.
Cale Forester
God, my eyes.
Dylan
But it wasn't common around the rest of the country.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
And so you guys immediately connected and, like, what was it about each other's like, man, we. Let's. Let's keep working together, keep mentoring together and. And, you know, building something together.
Cale Forester
Man. I've said it a hundred times. I'll say it again. It's. I'm about building relationships in life and in business.
Chris
And if.
Cale Forester
If you. If you carry yourself with. With. With being genuine, like who you are, your true value always lies in being yourself. And you could read that from Dylan across the room.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
And. And that. And being a plumber. You know, I'm a plumber. That's respectful.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
You know, I mean, we're the best trade around.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
Yeah. You heard me. Electricians. So. So getting to hear Dylan from the stage and the success that he found and. And you could see the room. He says his claim to fame in my eyes is 3 million plumber or whatever. But that was. The whole room was H Vac owners that had just acquired a license, and they hear Dylan talk from the stage about that, and none of them can figure out how to get their plumbing department into a gear. All right. To drive revenue and be. Perform and be profitable. So they didn't even give him a chance to kind of do his thing. They're just throwing questions at him and stuff.
Chris
They want to know all about it. How's this guy? How's generating 3 million in plumbing? Man, we can only do that in H Vac. Yeah.
Cale Forester
You got to be a liar. Yeah. But. But. So I approached him after he finally got off stage, got his number. And I've never been. I mean, heck, you know that now I'm not afraid to. To text or talk or shoot a message and stuff. You know, I don't care who you are.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
If I meet you and I get access to you, I'm going to talk you.
Chris
Yeah, yeah. It's, It's. It's so interesting to, like, look at, like, you're both your failures and your successes. Obviously, there's, there's some, like, core aspects that are leading to your success. One, the fact that, like, you. You want help, you ask for help, you. You're looking to other people to mentor you or whatnot. And. And two, like, when you see something that works, you do it.
Cale Forester
Yep.
Chris
Right. And. And that, I think, is probably the hardest thing for most business owners that are kind of capped out. It's because they want to figure it out themselves. There's a little bit of ego that's like, dude, you know, I'm the man. I can do this. I'm already doing enough greatness here. And so then they fail to, you know, implement. Like, I mean, looking at your story like, you. You did like a huge rebrand. Tell me about, like, how that rebrand. Really? When did you rebrand?
Cale Forester
I was. Been over 18 months ago now.
Chris
Okay, tell me, like, what you did from a rebrand standpoint. Like, did you change your trucks, your logo, everything? And, like, and what impact. Because this is a really key thing for anybody that's watching from the trades is just like, really understanding and owning a brand is so imperative to building a good local company. And so, yeah, walk us through that a little bit.
Cale Forester
So I think the, the whole thing too, about the, the branding process is that it's.
Chris
It.
Cale Forester
It is absolutely more than just a logo.
Chris
It should be.
Cale Forester
It should evoke for me that I found that it's so true because you can listen to the people talk about it, but it is a real thing. And I always knew that I wanted to carry my story, my beliefs and my values from life into what I'm doing today. And so that rebrand process was. It was like 18 months long. It was not. It was an investment for sure, but I wish I would have done it sooner, you know, and the whole, the whole transition to that was how to. How to. How to speak by just being seen. What it is that I do, what it is that we're capable of and the value that we can put into your home.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
And I think we nailed it. I think who we chose and the direction that we went, we. We absolutely nailed it. We changed vans, we got more vans because we were able to buy more vans.
Chris
Stationary, business cards, shirts, what it all.
Cale Forester
The things, I mean, envelopes, you know, yard signs, door hangers. I just got some stickers done for some because we're going into the winter. So I had thought I had a great idea and I was like, man, we ought to get those insulated outdoor spigot covers. They have some at Home Depot so that are like, that are burgundy, like our, like our, our brand colors. And I was like, we got a sticker kind of custom made slapped on there. And I said, every home that you guys go to, from now on, I don't care if they buy anything, go.
Chris
Give them a free.
Cale Forester
You put them on.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
You don't even ask them if they want to put them on.
Chris
Love it. Yeah, Love it. It's like owning the magnet on the fridge. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. So, I mean, clearly you're an implementer. Like you learn something and. And you go and you implement. You've been able, like I said, double revenue. What do. What have like been some of like the key decisions and changes that you've made over the last four years that have, that have driven those numbers.
Cale Forester
Sales process, understanding your numbers. For anybody starting. I'm the world's worst at KPI trackers. You know, I didn't. I just. I'm a good communicator. I'm a great communicator, actually. That's why, you know, I think the first step that you have to do in doing any kind of a business is you. You. You need to be able to sell it. You got to be able to in sale. Shouldn't have a negative connotation. How can you communicate the value you're giving somebody?
Chris
Absolutely.
Cale Forester
And I was able to do that. So that getting that as a process, a well rehearsed thing that you can give to the next guy down from you needs to be. We got binders. We have three ring binders.
Chris
Love it.
Cale Forester
That is the sales flow process. Step by step, how to dispatch your st. I mean, simple, stupid, you can't mess this up kind of thing. Parts list, all kinds of stuff in these binders that are assigned to the vehicle, not the guy. I love it. So it doesn't matter what vehicle you go into.
Chris
Right.
Cale Forester
You have this binder. It is the Mastin's manifold. Perfect. So doing things like that will help your team become successful. And you got you. For me, what I'm finding is letting go of the control pieces and actually trusting somebody. You got to verify too. Trust but verify.
Chris
Yep.
Cale Forester
To take that on.
Chris
So I know you're. You're really big into to health and tracking things like that. You wear the aura ring. Like we're not even sponsored. But I'm happy to like, shout it out because freaking rad.
Cale Forester
And mine's beat up because I refuse to take it off when I work out. Yeah.
Chris
Same dude I want to track. Dude, I've been wearing this thing three and a half years.
Cale Forester
Okay.
Chris
And it's, it's been phenomenal. I look at that thing every single day.
Cale Forester
Every day.
Chris
Oh, yeah.
Cale Forester
I'm resilient af.
Chris
Yeah. And I think that's just a good indication of like, how you got to run business. Right. Like, you need to know all your key key indicators across the board. We call them impact metrics. Right. Just the things that move the needle. How was my sleep? How was my health? How was my sales? Was my closing rate? How many leads did we generate today? Yeah, you know, what was the revenue? Gross profit margin, net profit? What does our monthly nut look like? What. How do we get to. How do we get to break even? What product should we potentially be expand into? What would that look like to our bottom line, so on, so forth. What's our next 3, 4, 5 key hires to be able to go and grow.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
Like, and, and you know, too often guys in your revenue range, because you guys are going to close, what about 3 million this year?
Cale Forester
We'll do three.
Chris
That's sick. Too often in that range, we call that a level two business. And in the level two and level three, I see this all the time, is just entrepreneurs trying to make decisions by gut feeling, gut feel matched with what I call bank account accounting. And essentially what bank account account is, Is there enough in. Yeah, can I afford it?
Cale Forester
Right.
Chris
And that is the most. That is the most terrible decision you can make because, man, how often are a lot of these guys sitting on deposits from another customer? It's not even cash that can actually be recognized or they're not tracking the accounts receivable correctly. And I mean, dude, I've, I've seen guys that have completely wiped out and distributed out their bank account and they still have $300,000 in work in progress. And it's like, dude, how are you going to, how are you going to fund that? Like, oh, you're going to do that with the next deal. That's called a Ponzi scheme.
Cale Forester
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Chris
It's. It's interesting. Dylan, always interested to know, like, so you've been in the trades how long?
Dylan
15 years now.
Chris
15 years. And mainly in the sales side.
Dylan
Start off as an apprentice plumber, then worked my way up and then probably 10 years of that, it's been selling.
Chris
Awesome. Awesome. So tell us man, hitting 3 million in a year, like what, what are, what have you seen to be like a few. Like if you could share with the world one or two principles that change your life, got you to 3 million a year, what would it be?
Dylan
It. So what we, what we build here and everywhere that I help with is basically having a game plan, right? We're not going to into houses, just hoping to sell something, hoping to provide solutions. Like we have a set process or I have a set process that we built out to where we have a game plan of how the conversation is going to roll, what questions that we're going to go into, answers that we already are aware of. So we're not going in, just blindsided. Like we have a plan every single call and, and I don't even think we do it. I don't even do it 100 of the time. I do just can stay inconsistent doing 70 of the time to allow us to be successful. Like I don't have to think, I don't have to think about rebuttals, I don't think about questions, I don't have to think about how we're gonna do things. I already have it written down and had a plan of how we're gonna do it every single time, every single call. So it's just mindless, right? So it's rinse, wash, repeat method of how we're doing it.
Chris
Yeah, there's absolutely nothing beats a process. Right. And you know, of course you're going to have those different unicorns that can be able to like, hey, don't follow the process and it closed this much or whatnot. But the reality is you can't recruit all unicorns.
Cale Forester
Right?
Chris
Like you gotta, you gotta build unicorns and you build them by getting CMB players and training them up to be A's. And, and frankly at the end of the day it's, it's all about having that nice quality process.
Dylan
Well, I think going back to the branding that it's yeah, we're considerably in the trades or $3 million now, but we're branded with the sales process that's the same as 100 or 20 million dollar company. So we, we are small now but we're doing the exact same things that they're doing at least in the sales process and we look like a bigger company. So I think when the brand changed and there was a confidence aspect of it, like we have the matching polo with the matching hats with the matching wrap. Right. That instinctively just changed. The revenue just jumped, doubled when that happened. Right. Because like the technician is now confident that they have the matching logo, the shirts, the hats, the truck. So now they're, they even see it that they were even more confident to provide those premium solutions. Not just the chuck in a truck on a, coming in a white truck anymore.
Chris
Oh yeah.
Dylan
Like it was, it was, it was a night and day difference.
Chris
I love it. I love it. Now Kale, along the line, have you always been a higher price product? 55, 60 gross margins or did you change that along the line?
Cale Forester
It's always stayed pretty consistent.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
For myself. But I'm a, I'm a big personal budgeter.
Chris
Yeah.
Cale Forester
So being mindful of where I spend money at and with and who I spend it with. Yep. Has always been very cautious and I've never used my company like it's a piggy bank.
Chris
Yeah. You know, so amen, man. That is like one of the most key principles that I hit home with entrepreneurs all the time is like quit robbing the growth capital from the business to fulfill your personal ego. Yeah. You know, and like the, the watch man. Wait for the exit, you know, go wait until you go and sell this thing. Don't you, you ain't that cool because you made 200 grand. Like you, like you. That's a, that's a good job somewhere else. Like what? So dude, good on you for, for reinvesting. Like you've obviously done a lot of the big moves, spent the money on the branding. You're hitting 25% net margins. Like what's, what's the goal from here?
Cale Forester
So the goal from here is to keep pushing it. Like I want to back engineer 6 million because I can do it safely, you know, or securely without, without blowing out my team that I currently have. Without blowing out any capital that we currently have put back. We can grow into six over a 12 month period and back engineered that of like how many we have to hire.
Chris
Why not 10?
Cale Forester
I mean, you know, if we want to talk about getting a little bit more out of personal safety zones, you know, it could be done.
Chris
We're not 15, dude.
Cale Forester
Now you're just flirting with danger.
Chris
So I am a firm believer that any startup company can get to 15 to 20 million year one. I am a firm believer and do that without outside investment. Yeah, I like, I, I believe that you can cash flow that. I've seen it, I've done it, I've done it. And I, and I just for anybody that's watching this, like, our goals are too small. Our goals are too small. And I know all the excuses that come in, like, well, I don't need that much money. I, like, I, you know, I'd be good with 5 million a year. I'd be good with 10. No, that's bull crap. Yeah, that's literally just you trying to self sabotage so you don't hit your full potential. And the reality is, is like, if you have a great product, you have a great service, then why wouldn't you want to be able to go and do it unlimited and impact the most lives possible, the most employees, the most customers and whatnot? Like, dude, we owe it to the world to bring our product and service. Like, imagine if Jeff Bezos did not follow his dream.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
Like, dude, how much worse would our lives be if we didn't have Amazon available at our fingertips? I'd be miserable, dude. Right? Like, like, dude, Amazon, I live, I live 15 miles out of country, right? And outside of the city. And like, dude, I can have Walmart delivered to my drawer. I can have Amazon delivered the next day. Like, my life is better because of Jeff Bezos.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
And a lot of people hate on him because a billionaire. I'm praising that man's name, dude. He, he has created so much value. And had he like stopped, like, I just want to deliver books, right?
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
Like, how much we're. And like, I honestly believe that as great business owners, we have a moral obligation to grow and deliver as much as humanly possible. Because why wouldn't we want to bless the world, right? And, and I, and that's why I, dude, as a, as a believer in Christ, like, I believe that the ultimate calling in this world is to be an entrepreneur. I think it's the closest Christlike thing that you can ever do. It's a value creator.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
And, and like the, to create is such a wonderful blessing. And so like, I love to challenge guys of like, why not more?
Cale Forester
Why not more?
Chris
Why not more? And I'm not talking about for the cash. Like, cash is like the ultimate magnifier. If you're a good dude, you're going to do great things with more cash.
Cale Forester
That's true.
Chris
And if you're a bad dude, you're going to do terrible things with more cash. And so, like, we need more good people with cash.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
And, and you know, when I see and hear your story and it just like inspires me. Like I, I shared with you, you know, before this Is like, you know, dude, I had a. I had a. I had a friend this last week that I got a Facebook message from, from his sister, tell me that he's gone. And I was heartbroken. And just the fact, like, he worked with me back in 2013, saw the capability that this guy had in drugs just ruined his life. And I see guys like you that have overcome it, like, dude, what a message, what an influence. So why not more?
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
You know, and. And so that. That would just be my challenge to you today, man, is like, think bigger. Yeah, think bigger. Not. Not do more. It's think bigger. Because, you know, Kale, if I asked you right now, I said, dude, I need you across the street tomorrow. How you getting there?
Cale Forester
However I need to.
Chris
How would you get across the street? If I just.
Dylan
There.
Chris
What's that?
Dylan
I walk there.
Chris
You'd walk there, right? Why not the jet?
Cale Forester
Why not the jet?
Chris
Why wouldn't you take the jet across the street?
Cale Forester
Just across the street.
Chris
Just across the street. And if I said, I need you in New York tomorrow, how are you getting there?
Cale Forester
I'm taking your jet.
Chris
Why aren't you walking?
Cale Forester
Because it's so far away.
Chris
The key thing when we set big goals is we think of different tools to get there.
Cale Forester
Yeah.
Chris
And when we think small, we only ever think about the small tools. So my challenge to you today is, like, let's say something big, dude. Get. Get after it. Set a New York goal, a London goal, something that only will allow your mind to use the jet.
Dylan
Yeah.
Chris
And so that. That's. That's just my encouragement to you today, brother. I appreciate you making the trip out from Oklahoma, Both of you coming from Dallas.
Dylan
Yeah.
Cale Forester
That.
Chris
That. That's huge. I want to give you the opportunity to share with the world. Like, if. If there was one message that you could share with the world from a spiritual side, a business side, whatever it is, I want to give both you guys this opportunity to share it. What would it be?
Cale Forester
I think the highest aspiration of the human heart is to reach out and change the life of someone else. So if you're gonna like to. Your entrepreneurial spirit and like you speak of, I. I believe wholeheartedly in that the growth of my company will affect the lives of the people that work for me and the affect the lives of the people that choose to do business with me.
Chris
I appreciate that. Thank you, Dylan.
Dylan
Mine is not only do it for you, but do it for everybody else. Like, if you have that entrepreneur spirit and you can push, there's other people that need to be pushed, right? Change other people's lives, change. We talk about changing the three, four guys that we have lives. Like, change their lives. If you don't want to do it just for yourself, do it for them. Like, they. They need it, too. They need to be pushed. And. And if you have the driving force to do it and the energy to do it like you can, you can change not only yours, but everybody else's lives around you.
Chris
Amen, brother. Yeah. I can say there is nothing more fulfilling knowing that you are helping in assisting and putting the food on the table for thousands of employees or customers or providing an incredible service or product. Like. Like, that is the ultimate aspiration and one of the reasons why after retirement, I decided, I said, I got to launch next level because I believe that the way that I can change the world is through entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs hold the golden ticket. Think people come in thinking, hey, I need a paycheck. Got an opportunity. And if we can show them how to be better human beings physically, economically, with their associations and their spirituality, yeah, like, we will change the world way faster than any president or governor or local PTA council member, whatever it is. We hold that ticket. And I would just encourage that. To anybody that is watching this show, take full advantage. Guys, I appreciate you. We're going to have their contact information in the notes. Until next time.
Host: Chris Lee
Guests: Cale Forester & Dylan
Release Date: November 11, 2025
This powerful episode of Next Level Pros features Cale Forester, owner of a thriving plumbing company in Tulsa, OK that scaled from $500k to $3 million in just three years. Host Chris Lee, himself a serial entrepreneur, draws out Cale’s incredible transformation story—one that spans homelessness, addiction, jail time, recovery, and purposeful entrepreneurship. Joined by sales expert Dylan, they break down actionable lessons on leadership, growth, resilience, and the deeper meaning of building a business that serves both people and community.
Life at “Rock Bottom”
Family Dynamics & the Turning Point
One Phone Call from Jail
Rehab, Community & Finding Purpose
Lessons from Recovery Applied to Leadership
Launching & Scaling the Plumbing Business
The Role of Mentorship
Why a Rebrand Mattered (~24:13)
Driving Growth with Systems
Operating with Integrity
Growth Mindset: Thinking Bigger
On Hitting Bottom:
On Recovery & Purpose:
On Branding:
On Leadership:
On Value Creation & Ambition:
On the Purpose of Business:
Contact info for guests is available in the episode notes.