Dropping Bombs Highest Paying Blue Collar Job Making Millionaires in 2026
Feb 13, 2026
Colton Erskine, founder of Erskine Paving who built an asphalt company from rig work to a multi-crew operation. He recounts starting sealcoating in COVID, buying his first rig, scaling crews and equipment, and building sales systems. They cover marketing and door-to-door tactics, plant and materials economics, and plans for commercial growth.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
From Roughneck To Paving Founder
- Colton left oil rigs and roughneck work after long stretches away to be present for his daughter and family.
- He later returned to rigs briefly, struggled, and used that drive to start his paving business.
Sales Has No Hard Cap
- Sales offers uncapped income potential compared with fixed hourly labor.
- A good salesperson can out-earn management and even sometimes the owner with less operational risk.
35K Phone Call That Started It
- Colton bought commercial equipment after a long phone call and invested roughly $35K to start sealcoating.
- That initial purchase launched the company from buckets to a professional spray rig operation.
