The Kitchen Table

From Robbing Safes to Master Electrician: Justin Anderson’s Wild Path to Business Owner

Episode Summary

Ken Baden welcomes his local friend Justin Anderson, host of the If This Doesn’t Work Podcast, to the Kitchen Table. Justin rejects the label “entrepreneur,” but his résumé says otherwise. After a rough start in his teens, he learned the electrical trade, finished a four-year apprenticeship, passed his journeyman test, and later earned his master’s license. He took a job at a defense contractor on a Friday-to-Sunday shift, which frees up Monday through Thursday to run his own electrical company, Just in Time Electric. The two talk about the value of the trades in an AI-driven economy, why Justin wants to move into HVAC controls and building automation, and why he’d rather run a small, high-skill team than a fleet of vans. As two people in recovery, Ken and Justin discuss how honesty and transparency became a competitive advantage, and why people who have “fixed their cracks” are often the most trustworthy. They also cover juggling multiple ventures, auditing your time, energy, and attention, and why a diversified “appetizer platter” life can work. Justin shares how his podcast grew from a basic iPhone setup into a network-building machine, why 80% of business is being a good hang, and how to handle haters. The episode closes with advice for anyone who wants to start a podcast, and a reminder that sharing your story may be an obligation.

Episode Notes

Guest: Justin Anderson, electrician, defense contractor employee, owner of Just in Time Electric, host of If This Doesn’t Work Podcast

Key takeaways:

• “Entrepreneur” is a broad term. Most of the journey is failure until a success shows up, and then the goalposts move.
• Trades are a strong path. Get the schooling, take the journeyman test, and get your credentials. A master’s license matters if you want to pull permits or start a company.
• Union or non-union doesn’t matter much. Get your money however you see fit, and you can switch between them.
• If you work for someone else, loyalty alone rarely pays off. Think like an employer.
• Breaking into niche fields like HVAC controls is mostly about networking and who you know. Be honest about what you don’t know.
• You can do more than one thing. Audit your time, energy, and attention to see what you truly value, and expect priorities to change.
• Consistency builds a podcast catalogue. Never burn bridges, and being a good hang drives most opportunities.
• You don’t rise to your level of competence. You rise to the level of what you believe you deserve.
• Self-help sayings and rooms-of-recovery slogans can be “corny and they work.”
• Meditation tip: when your mind wanders and you bring it back to the breath, that is the practice, not failure.
• Sharing your story can help others and carries a kind of responsibility.

Mentioned in the episode: Just in Time Electric, If This Doesn’t Work Podcast, Mission BBQ (commercial clients), Johnson Controls, Siemens, Alerton, Alex Hormozi, Tony Robbins, NLP and timeline therapy, Vipassana silent retreat, Charleston White, Manny’s Mania, Sean Michael Kelly, producer Mike

Content note: This episode contains strong language and discussion of addiction recovery.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome and meet Justin Anderson
01:08 – Why Justin hates the word “entrepreneur”
01:41 – Fail, fail, succeed: chasing the next goalpost
02:14 – A non-linear path: from a rough youth to learning the electrical trade
03:10 – Landing a defense contractor job and the 3x12 weekend shift
04:28 – Starting an LLC and running the business Monday through Thursday
05:19 – Commercial vs. residential work
06:08 – The HVAC controls niche and building automation
06:35 – Why trades are in demand and blue collar is the future
07:34 – Think like an employer, not a fleet-of-vans owner
08:30 – Breaking into controls: networking and subcontracting
09:55 – Honesty in business and being upfront on bids
10:24 – Recovery, transparency, and why it isn’t a cheat code
11:54 – The gold-repaired pottery idea and why healed people are trustworthy
12:50 – Big dreams, real life, and wearing many hats
14:00 – The “appetizer platter” philosophy: don’t pick just one
14:50 – Auditing your time, energy, and attention to find your priorities
17:24 – Starting a podcast with just an iPhone
17:50 – Advice on trades: union vs. non-union, school, test, credentials
18:56 – Data centers, the labor force, and what’s next for the trades
21:45 – What do you tell younger people about college, AI, and the future?
22:41 – How Justin’s podcast started: 2 Broke Boys to a weekly show
23:40 – Finding a producer and learning audio and video on the fly
25:00 – Stand-up comedy, guest booking, and unusual stories
26:20 – “Are you a good hang?” Why 80% of business is relationships
27:00 – Paid guests, YouTube monetization, and breakout episodes
28:00 – Local guests and owning your mental health story publicly
29:50 – The freedom of no longer caring what people think
31:00 – Pushback on guests and handling haters
33:00 – Why people close to you may root for you to fail
33:50 – “You rise to the level of what you believe you deserve”
34:50 – Positive thinking and recovery slogans: corny and it works
35:38 – How to start a podcast for free
36:15 – The story behind the podcast name
37:00 – Tony Robbins, NLP, and meditation
38:16 – Vipassana silent retreat story
38:50 – Where to find Justin’s podcast and YouTube channel
39:20 – Sponsors, using AI for pitches, and booking big-name guests
40:55 – Authenticity, owning your past, and sharing your story
42:57 – Final thanks and wrap-up