20 years installing doors and windows, and Mike Bullock has never had to bid a job or sell one. On this episode of The Reasonable Contractor, Mike tells the whole story: hauling garbage at his church, turning down a retail store in South Dakota, and learning windows from one of the best in the business at the Minneapolis Airport Commission.

We get into the craft (flashing is the whole game), the grit (a table saw, a 17-foot fall, and going back to finish the floor the same day he got stitches), and why a guy who works with his hands isn't worried about AI. If you're wondering whether the trades are worth it, this one's for you. There's no ceiling.

Mike runs Bullock's Home Remodeling, specializing in doors and windows across the Twin Cities.

SOUND BITES:

"You can talk yourself out of just about anything you don't want to do. But you can also talk yourself into just about anything you need to do."

"I didn't have to bid jobs. I didn't have to sell jobs. I didn't have to lose out on jobs to other contractors."

"My job's not going anywhere anytime soon. The future of trades is a really promising future."

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Meet Mike Bullock, 20 years in doors and windows

00:31 From hauling garbage at church to falling in love with remodeling

01:05 Slinging jeans at the Buckle, and the South Dakota store he turned down

02:29 Getting hired as a helper: humble, quiet, show up

04:36 Why windows and doors are not as simple as they look

05:11 Learning from one of the best at the Minneapolis Airport Commission

06:38 Flashing, insulating, trimming: how a window really goes in

07:16 The specialization payoff: no bidding, no selling, steady work

08:44 The challenge: working through rain, ten below, and 100 degrees

09:49 The mental game: talk yourself into what you need to do

10:18 Andersen crews, big glass, and the danger of the job

12:04 The table saw story: stitches, then back to finish the floor

13:46 Never trust another man's ladder setup: a 17-foot fall

14:20 Shattered wrist, crew trainer, never missed a bill

16:00 Talking to the next generation about the trades

17:05 No ceiling, and why AI is not coming for the work

18:14 A pulse and a hammer versus applying yourself

19:11 Six-figure trades and killing the blue-collar stigma

21:11 Pick your level: freedom, flexibility, no annual review

23:33 Show up on time and you are in the top 10%

24:18 Wrap up

KEYWORDS: trades, skilled trades, window installation, doors and windows, contractor, remodeling, trades career, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, apprenticeship, blue collar

CONNECT WITH THE REASONABLE CONTRACTOR:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reasonabletechdad/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584817796278

Website: http://reasonabletechdad.com/