What does it take to lose everything, hit rock bottom, and build back a thriving business? In today’s episode, we welcome Lonnie Smith III of Crosstrades LLC and Run Welding.
Lonnie takes us through his incredible journey: starting out in custom car audio, contracting in Iraq during the war, working as a pipeline welder, surviving a SWAT raid on his home, and overcoming severe addiction. Today, Lonnie restores and customizes welding machines for clients across all 50 states, runs a custom parts e-commerce shop, and hires recovering addicts to give them a second chance.
Key Takeaways:
The real trade-offs between pipeline travel income and local business equity.
Technical breakdowns of Lincoln vs. Miller engine drives.
How to structure business workflow around ADHD and neurodivergent processing.
Creating scalable second-chance training initiatives within trade shops.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:08 – High-End Custom Cars & Military Contracting in Iraq
07:25 – Entering Union 798 & Pipelining
10:45 – Finding a Niche in Welder Machine Repair
15:00 – Addiction, SWAT Raid, Rehab & Fresh Start
20:45 – Building Crosstrades LLC from Scratch
31:20 – Mentorship & ADHD Management Systems
38:30 – Viral Videos & E-Commerce Growth
1:10:25 – Machine Honest Reviews: Lincoln SA-200 Breakdown
1:26:50 – Implementing AI & Systems in Fabrication
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Kevin Johnson. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Kevin Johnson och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
