LEARN FROM INDUSTRY PROS TODAY!

Listen and Watch Episodes Below and subscribe on Youtube and Spotify

Captain's Quarters First Class Podcast

The Patio Bros Built a 7 Figure Empire from Zero

From pushing mowers and dodging debt to building a 7-figure hardscape brand, Chris and Rich Vazzana, aka The Patio Bros, did what most won’t.

The Dipshit Millionaire Shane Duffy’s Journey from Broke to Multiple 7-Figure Businesses

Today we kick off the first-ever guest interview on Captain’s Quarters First Class, and I couldn’t think of a better person to launch this with than my friend and fellow lighting savage Shane “Glow Daddy” Duffy.

Shane’s not just another entrepreneur.

Captains Quarters First Class - How You Speak is Costing You Thousands

Captain Matt is coming in hot with one simple truth: the words you use shape your client's perception and your paycheck.

If you're still saying "pots" instead of "urns," "pergola" instead of "pool cabana," or calling it "landscape lighting" instead of an "illumination portrait"... you're leaving money—and authority—on the table.

Captains Quarters First Class - Stop Comparing Fixture Prices—Start Counting Profits

Captain Matt sold lights at $240 a fixture...and still walked away with over $1,000 in profit on a single job. This episode isn't about bragging—it's about breaking the industry's worst habit: pricing by fixture and comparing your rates like you're swinging for ego points.

Captains Quarters First Class - Why Your Proposals Suck (How to Close Without Ever Showing Up)

Still sending line-item quotes in Jobber or Joist? You’re losing deals you should be closing—because you’re not building value.

In this episode of Captain’s Quarters First Class, Captain Matt breaks down his evolved proposal process that closes more jobs, faster, often without stepping foot on the property.

Captains Quarters First Class - The $100,000 You’re Ignoring: How to Turn Past No’s Into Cash

Most lighting guys are addicted to the chase—new leads, new clients, new installs. But what if the real money is sitting untouched in your own CRM?

In this episode of Captain’s Quarters First Class, Captain Matt breaks down one of the most overlooked strategies in any outdoor lighting business: re-engaging the people who told you "no."

Learn how he uses the “No for Now” mindset to pull in five- and six-figures from clients who once ghosted him…and why your ignored leads list might be your most valuable asset.

Captains Quarters First Class - The Hidden Time Bomb Inside Most Lighting Companies

If you're calling your crew ‘1099’ but treating them like employees… you're playing with fire.

In this episode, Captain Matt tackles one of the most misunderstood (and most dangerous) topics in the lighting industry: the difference between true 1099 subcontractors and W-2 employees.

Captains Quarters First Class The Power of Being Wrong and Doing It Anyway

Captain Matt is back with a raw, unfiltered look at what it really takes to start, and restart, in this business. This episode dives deep into what it looked like when he launched The Christmas Guys in 2009 with nothing but printer paper, mailbox flags, and relentless grit. No ad budget. No training programs. Just hustle.

Listen Now!

Captains Quarters First Class How a Broke Dad Built a Lighting Empire

Every legacy has a beginning.
This is mine.

Long before The Lighting Trade School.
Before the podcast.
Before the coaching.
Before the mentoring.
Before the installs that made millionaires and billionaires say “damn.”
There was a broke dad in upstate New York hanging lights to buy his kid Christmas presents.