Ken Rusk is a blue-collar construction entrepreneur and founder of Rusk Industries, Inc. who has launched multiple successful endeavors over the last 30 plus years. He has made it his mission to hire, train, and coach first-time job seekers, particularly those like himself who don’t have college degrees.
His training programs help young people to set achievable goals through visualization and sound financial planning. He believes that anyone can realize their dreams and live a comfortable life regardless of their educational background or past. Rusk lives in Sylvania, Ohio with his wife and daughter.
Listen to this informative Publish. Promote. Profit. episode with Ken Rusk about helping people make blue collar cash.
Here are some of the beneficial topics covered on this week’s show:
- How learning a trade is a great foundation to have before starting a business.
- Why going to college might not be the best option for some people.
- Why a business owner might want to hire entrepreneurial minded employees.
- How many people don’t know how to visualize what they want.
- Why people should be pursuing multiple goals at once.
Connect with Ken:
Links Mentioned:
kenrusk.com
kenrusk.com/path
Guest Contact Info:
Twitter
@KenRuskOfficial
Instagram
@kenruskofficial
Facebook
facebook.com/KenRuskOfficial
Rob Kosberg:
All right. Hey. Welcome, everybody. It’s Rob here back with another episode of the Publish. Promote. Profit. Podcast. I’m excited to have a great guest for you today, Mr. Ken Rusk. He’s a blue collar construction entrepreneur. He’s the bestselling author of Blue Collar Cash. Love that book. Tons of amazing reviews on it. Ken is the founder of Rusk Industries and has launched many successful endeavors over his last 30 years. He’s made it his mission to hire, train, and coach first-time job seekers, particularly those like himself without college degrees, which I love, and I want to talk a little bit about that. His training programs help you to set achievable goals through visualization and sound financial planning. He believes that anyone can realize their dreams and live a great life regardless of their educational background or their past. Ken, thank you so much for being on the Published. Promote. Profit. Podcast.
Ken Rusk:
Yeah, thanks a lot. Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.
Rob Kosberg:
Awesome. So tell me, why and how did this become a passion for you? You are a business owner and an entrepreneur. A lot of times, entrepreneurs like myself, we just want the best people for the job, but you’ve seemed to turn that into, “I want to focus on these people that maybe don’t have a college degree or are first-time employees.” Where’d that come from for you?
Ken Rusk:
Well, we run a pretty tough business. We’re actually ditch diggers at our core. I mean, we’re going out and we’re digging up bold foundations to buildings and replacing those and fixing them up and rehabbing. We have a pretty strong, demanding physical job. For me, in order to attract people to our organization, I had to really work a lot on culture and what might attract some of these people. Again, we’re talking first, second, or third jobs. I had to help them find their first cars in a lot of cases and first checking accounts. It became like a real coaching thing very quickly, almost involuntarily. I have no letters after my name. I have no training in that, but I was thrown into it, and I love it because you get to see the evolution of some of these people, and it’s just such a rewarding thing. That was the impetus for what we’re doing today.
Rob Kosberg:
I love it. I hear you. So not a lot of glory in being a ditch digger. You had to find some other things to attract talent and great people. What did you find as you started to develop your culture, start being a second dad to some of these folks? What have you found? I imagine you have people that are longstanding employees. What are these relationships, and what’s the culture brought about?
Ken Rusk:
That’s a great question because we started with six people. I have 200 now. We have many, many, many people that have been here 10, 20, 30, 35 years. I think for me, what was really interesting was, most people just don’t know how to think beyond Friday, when they’re first starting out. They live check to check, and they live for the fun that they can have and the things that they can do. I guess a lot of them tend to be nomads, if you don’t show them what the future could look like, and that’s the biggest thing. I would ask somebody, “Why are you here?” “Well, I need a job.” “Okay, a job for what?” “Because I need to make some money.” “Okay, money for what?” “To pay my bills.” The same old stuff. Let’s get beyond the bills and start looking at what you want your life to look like, and then they start lighting up and you can see there’s this huge personal growth. It’s this movement in them that they become these goal-oriented machines, almost self-managing individuals, and it’s just so awesome to see them take control of their lives that way.
Rob Kosberg:
I love that. That spurs several things in me. I know you’re a family man. I know you have a daughter. I have three boys. I told my kids I’d pay for their college. Caveat, I’d pay for their college if they were going to do something and get a degree that a college degree is really necessary for a job, meaning whatever that means, a doctor, lawyer, something where there were some requirements, and maybe that’s part of my Jewish background. I don’t know. One of my kids went to college, and got a degree in math, and physics, and computer science, and he works for NASA. I couldn’t be prouder of him. Two of my kids didn’t, and they both work in their industry, and they’re doing fantastic. My youngest son works for me. I say all that to ask you, how has this applied in your own life with your daughter and in your family and that kind of thing, and even friends that you have and other relationships of their children and looking to their future?
Ken Rusk:
Well, first off, it’s always surprising to me. I was at a party a while back, and there was five or six moms standing in this conversation, and I overheard them saying, “Well, my son is going to this college and my daughter is going to that college, and my daughter or son’s going to do or that,” and it came to a conversation where they said, “Well, what’s going to happen to so-and-so’s son?” She said, “Well, he’s just going to be a plumber.” I was like, “Okay. Well, I know who that is,” and that “just going to be a plumber,” he now has 12 employees, he has six vans, and he’s making an absolute killing being a plumber. So, I think that the wake-up call for most parents now is, “Oh my God, I’ve just been pre-programmed almost to have a default mechanism that I have to raise my kid to go to college.” Between taking shop class out of high school and having parents almost have a stigmatization of some of these jobs, and college is doing a really good job of marketing themselves, you have this perfect storm for, “It’s college or else,” and quite frankly, I’m not anti-college. I mean, I’m just like you. If you’re going to operate on my shoulder to get me back out on the golf course, I want you to know everything there is to know about that before you put a knife in your hand. The same thing goes with teaching people or managing money, or maybe even engineering a building. If you’re just going to go because someone said you had to, man, there are so many other options that you need to think about before you go into debt and come out with a degree that maybe you can’t even use.
Rob Kosberg:
Yeah, I have not always seen eye to eye with a lot of people in my generation about this because I do think, for a lot of people my age, at least what I saw and maybe what I extrapolated from it, getting their kid into a great college was a badge of honor for them. A lot goes into getting your kid into a great college. They have to have great grades and great SAT scores, and so they put in the work, but too many of them, once that was done and that badge was received, they never thought about what their kid was actually going to take at UCLA, and so they end up getting these liberal arts degrees. Nothing wrong with the liberal arts except if you want to make any money to pay off that 200,000 student debt, you’re going to have a hard time. I just always looked at that. I paid my way through college myself because I figured I was going to go to law school. I got accepted to law school, and then I was like, “Why am I doing that? I’m making all this money with my own business,” and I thought “I don’t love the law. I just wanted to make some money.” I never worked a day in my degree, and I just started looking at it and I’m like, “40% of all people with a college degree never work a single day in it,” and it just seemed like the math didn’t add up, if you know what I mean, and I imagine that you being on the side of it, of actually employing these people and seeing them be successful, must give you this great sense of achievement and warm feeling and helping these young people along.
Ken Rusk:
Yeah. It’s funny because when you talk about college, and again, I’m totally aligned with you. If you have a good reason to go, then go. My daughter decided she really had a passion for designing buildings. In fact, she’s designing our next office building. She became an architect. So, that’s cool. If she said, “I wanted to own a bakery,” fine. I mean, whatever she wants to do, whatever she sees for her future, that would’ve been fine by me. When I look at college, I think of it as an inefficient system, if you think about it. They say 40% of kids go into college without having any idea why they’re there, and then 25% of them change their major either a third or a half a way through. To your point, 40% of them never used the degree that they changed to. You are spending all this money and doing these things. For me, I would much rather ask that person, “What exactly do you want your life to look like? Let’s draw that out. Let’s visualize that down to the most finite detail, in color, in vivid clarity. Let’s get that map looking exactly how you see your perfect Nirvana, and then let’s find one of the many paths that we can take to get there.” That’s what we do here at our office.
Rob Kosberg:
I love it. Okay, walk me through some of your secret sauce, if you wouldn’t mind. You shared some things about a first job interview when you were first doing this and some questions that you would ask to dig deeper, and lights were going off for me. I was like, “These are really, really good questions as an employer to ask an employee to help them to achieve what it is they want.” Do you have a series of questions that you ask, or do you have a process that you take people through? Can you talk about that a little?
Ken Rusk:
Yeah. We focus totally on what they want and why they’re here, and I think that makes a lot of interviewers unique because some people are still stuck in the old world of, “I am boss. You are employee. Why should I hire you?” Well, that’s turned out his head lately, and I think people have more choices than they’ve ever had in the past. I don’t mind it if someone comes to me and says, “Hey, Ken, what’s in it for me to work for you?” I’m okay with that. That means they’re at least looking towards what they want for themselves, and I think entrepreneurial employees are the best ones you can have. Those are the ones that have an ownership of what they want, and they match what they want towards what you’re offering. I think that’s just a really healthy way to look at it. If you put someone in a position where they say to themselves, “Hey, wait a minute. So what you’re telling me is with and through this vehicle called your company, Ken, I can control my input, I can control my output, the quality of all of that, and my financial rewards and gains, and then you’re going to support me in pushing me towards living an anticipatory life of what I want for myself? I am all in.” Employers have to really start thinking about that when they look at trying to build cultures with people that are going to be loyal in long term.
Rob Kosberg:
It looks like your book struck a chord with people. It’s done really well. You just published it last year. It’s got hundreds of five star, four star reviews. Talk me through, number one, why you wrote it, and number two, what are you hearing from people that have read it and what kind of response are you getting from it?
Ken Rusk:
The reason that I wrote it was because I had enjoyed so much being this involuntary coach. For me, I thought, “Maybe this message,” and my wife pushed me a little bit here as well, “Maybe this message needs to get beyond the four walls of your company. Just start writing some ideas down, take a shot at that and see where that goes.” At the same time, I was writing a letter to my daughter, who was suffering from cancer at the time. That was a challenging time. I wrote a letter to her about what I thought was important in life, what constitutes that Nirvana that you should be chasing or anticipating as you work your way through life, and those two things merged to become this book. I’ll tell you, the best feedback I get is from business owners that say, “Wow, I’m using your book as a book club with my people in the office, and we’re really coming together as a cohesive force or a unit to drive this company forward.” I love that feedback, but I think the best feedback I get is from parents who say, “I read it. I gave it to my son or daughter to read, and now we are having these unbelievable and mostly unexpected conversations about their futures that we might not have ever had if we just went through the default mechanism of cattle you away to college, and that’s the only plan you’ve got.”
Rob Kosberg:
I love that. I mentioned my youngest son is 20. He works for me, and he went to college for a couple of semesters. He was like, “Dad, this isn’t for me. I know what I want to do, and I think I can learn some things from you.” Hopefully, he can, and then get him on his path. But even in a situation like that, even a kid that’s in college, it sounds like the book would be really, really beneficial for him because it seems like it’s more than about blue collar cash. It’s really about building the life as you call anticipatory life of what it is they’re looking for. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Ken Rusk:
Yeah. I’m so glad you asked that question because we actually struggled with the title a little bit. One of my other titles was, The Path: A Ditch Digger’s Guide to Comfort, Peace, and Freedom. The reason I struggled with it was because we wanted to call attention to the blue-collar crisis that we have in this country, but at the same time, I agree with you. I think just about anybody can use the advice of, “Okay, today is whatever it is. It’s Wednesday and what’s the rest of my life going to look like, and am I even actually in control of that?” So many people have no idea how to visualize what they want. Their hopes and dreams and wishes stay in that place. They never get to reality. They never get on the path to actually completing or accomplishing those things. So what I try to do is switch gears into saying, “Quit living a someday life. Quit living an if-then life. Let’s start with today. Let’s start with the then and work backwards towards what you want today and then how you can get those things that you want.” So yeah, for me, it’s been pretty satisfying to see even people in their mid 50s say, “You know what? I got off my couch after reading your book, and I said, ‘Family, we’re going to plan this vacation and we’re going to do it, and we did it, and we had a great time.'” It’s just a really good, rewarding feeling to get that kind of movement from something like that.
Rob Kosberg:
I love it. Congratulations. I could totally see the struggle with the title because it does pigeonhole it a little bit, but it’s attention-getting at the same time. On the other hand, it does sound like and feel like, like you said, you’ve got 50-year-olds that are reading it and seeing holes and filling those holes and moving forward. So congratulations on that.
Ken Rusk:
Thank you. I really appreciate it.
Rob Kosberg:
Tell me, Ken, is there like … I mean, you run a big company, you’ve got a lot going on. Is there a coaching program that you’re building out that you run? Tell me a little bit about what does your future look like? Because you obviously love doing this. You love meeting these needs, et cetera. So where are you going with all this?
Ken Rusk:
Well, first off I had to put my money where my mouth is. I set a lot of personal goals myself, and we publicize those around the office. We have this giant board. It’s made of black glass, and we have these neon-colored markers that you write your answers to what you want to do, what your next step is, what your next goal is and how you’re going to get there. I have to lead by example there. I do a lot of goal setting myself so that people can see that you can chase, several goals at one time. I never run out of things that I’m anticipating, and that’s what I love about life. I think for me, we just designed a course. So many times, you have a book and you read it, and then it goes up on your shelf as one of those little trophies, and you forget what even was in it three months later. I wanted to make sure I drove home the impact of the book, and for the last year we’ve been working on a course. It takes about eight different sessions that each last about a half an hour, but it really transforms your thinking. You can’t go through this course and not change into a different type of person. You can’t go through it and not say, “Wow, I used to think that way. Now I think this way.” I’m so excited about the control I have over my future. We just launched that two weeks ago, and we’re going to see how that goes and just build upon that for a while.
Rob Kosberg:
Congratulations. I can see lots of ways to use that to better the people that are going through it and obviously build an entire program around it. I think it’s why guys like Mike Rowe have such an audience. You are literally the poster person of that, are you not? Ditch digging, I mean, dirty jobs, right? I mean, there’s just a message there. Those employment opportunities are there, and those people are making excellent money and building wonderful businesses and doing it. It’s a shame that it’s not held up on the pedestal. It should be held up on for people.
Ken Rusk:
Well, it’s funny because it’s simple supply and demand. I mean, if you decide that you’re going to remove shop class from high schools, you just eliminated millions of kids discovering, even accidentally, plumbing, electricians, welding, carpentry, mechanics, baking, whatever it might be. If you couple that with this mentality of, “It’s college or else,” you’re creating the very supply problem that you seek to eliminate, and there’s the demand side. It only goes to reason that if supply is low and demand is high, which it is for all blue-collar trades right now, that’s where the money goes. I mean, we’ve got carpenters in our town making as much as family doctors. I’ve got plumbers making more than attorneys. It’s crazy that this isn’t out front and center a little more than it is because nothing could be further from the truth than, “Oh man, that’s a dead-end way to work, I mean, dead-end way to go.” People are creating these amazing, lucrative lives this way, and it’s just getting passed over. I’m trying every day to put the word out there to see if we can’t change that.
Rob Kosberg:
I love it. All you have to do is have an HVAC person over your house to work on something, and you realize how much money those guys make. Let’s change gears a little bit. Blue Collar Cash has done really well. It’s been out a year or so, tons of great reviews, as I mentioned. One of the things that I like to talk about on this podcast is how has the book furthered your message? How has it built your authority? A lot of my clients at Bestseller Publishing or people that we talk to, they want to use their book to get speaking engagements or consulting opportunities or those kinds of things. I don’t know exactly how that might fit with you, or if it does, but whether it does or doesn’t, your book has led to some things. Maybe you could tell me a little bit about what has happened because of it.
Ken Rusk:
Well, first off, I was very fortunate. My publisher took a look at this book, and they only go after or engage with one percent of the books that they look at. So I was pretty fortunate there. There was a lot of effort on our side to get this out there, and again, we hit the Wall Street Best Seller List a couple weeks back in two different categories. I’m pretty psyched about that. I think what happens is, it does open up your world. I’m giving some speeches now. I have to speak in front of a bunch of guidance counselors next week, as a matter of fact, in Columbus, Ohio. I’ve done quite a bit of that. I really enjoy it. I love talking to folks like you as well because it’s just fun to get the message out and to talk to people who understand what you’re saying and why you’re saying it. So for me, I really like making an impact. For example, junior achievement is considering putting this program in all of their schools nationwide. We’re starting with, in Ohio, we’ve got one, we’ve got some in Pennsylvania, in New York, and we’re spreading that message around. I’m really excited about what happens there because you could have a million kids see that they have other options besides coming out of college and having 80,000 in debt and working at a car rental place and now even wondering how they’re going to pay all that off. Not that there’s anything wrong with car rentals, but you know what I’m saying. It’s really rewarding to see everybody wants to know that what they do, their body of work has some impact, and I know that sounds altruistic, but I really want to know that I can change some people’s directions. So far, that’s happened a lot. I’m pretty blessed.
Rob Kosberg:
If you enjoy speaking, then speaking engagements, your book hitting Wall Street Journal is no small thing. That’s a big deal. Congratulations on that. I know what it takes to do that, and so being able to have a book that’s a Wall Street Journal Bestseller will get you on some good stages, and that will be a great opportunity for you to further get your message out there. So, Ken, congrats. I love what you’re doing. I’m a believer in it. Before we met, lived it myself. I got it, which not just words because you’re on the podcast, but I see it lived with my own children. So thanks for what you’re doing. I love it, and I’m getting the book. Already ordered it, and I’m more excited now about reading it because of what you shared about working with your employees to set them on a path. So before we go, any links? Where do we want to send people? How do people learn more and connect with you?
Ken Rusk:
So you can go to Kenrusk.com, and you can also go Kenrusk.com/path if you want to see what the course is like. We have a little mini version of it there. I’m also on Ken Rusk Official on Facebook and Instagram and all those. I think the one thing I always like to mention is the fact that to whom much is given much is expected. I’ve been very blessed with the career that I’ve had and other opportunities that I’ve been able to get myself into. It’s worked out very well. I don’t do this book to make money. I give all the proceeds from my book to charity. If you are getting the book, just know that you’re not only going to help yourself, but you’re going to definitely help somebody else along the way.
Rob Kosberg:
Love it. Love it. All right. Kenrusk.com, and that’s R-U-S-K. So thanks so much for being on today. Love your message, and hope we can get it out there to a lot of folks.
Ken Rusk:
Thanks you. I appreciate you having me.
