The Lighting Trade School Podcast

Stop Destroying Yards to Install Landscape Lighting | 39

If your landscape lighting install leaves the client’s yard looking like a construction site, you are doing it wrong. In Episode 39 of The Lighting Trade School Podcast, Captain Matt, Glo Show Shane, and Nate “The Illuminator” Mullen get into one of the most practical and overlooked parts of professional landscape lighting installation: how to run and bury wire without destroying the customer’s property. This conversation started after Shane got a call from a client who was nervous because other contractors told him they would need to trench through the yard, mess up the grass, and dig under concrete to get wires where they needed to go. That opened up a real conversation about what separates professional outdoor lighting installers from contractors who are still doing things the hard, messy, old-school way. The guys talk about why deep trenching is often unnecessary, why burying wire too deep can actually create more problems later, and how shallow, clean, surgical wire runs make future fixture relocation and service much easier. Nate shares how his early electrical habits carried over into landscape lighting, why he changed his approach, and even tells a few hilarious horror stories about bad wire-burying experiments involving Sawzalls, chainsaws, and busted irrigation lines. They also break down how to cross sidewalks, driveways, concrete, asphalt, and paver areas without turning the job into a nightmare. Instead of water jetting, undermining driveways, or leaving a mess for the homeowner, they explain cleaner methods like using expansion joints, cutting concrete, hiding the wire properly, and protecting it from weed whackers and edgers. The episode also gets into the advantage of 24-volt varivolt landscape lighting systems, smaller gauge wire, fewer home runs, reduced trenching, and why Lifetime Lighting Systems allows installers to run cleaner, smarter, more efficient jobs compared to traditional 12-volt systems. If you install landscape lighting, train crews, sell outdoor lighting, or want your projects to look professional before, during, and after the install, this episode is a must-listen. Topics include: * Why landscape lighting contractors should not destroy the client’s yard * The wrong way to trench and bury low-voltage lighting wire * How to make clean, surgical wire runs through grass and beds * Why deeper wire is not always better * The problem with trenching shovels, Sawzalls, chainsaws, and water jetting * How to avoid cutting irrigation, sprinkler lines, and future landscaping areas * Why pros follow borders instead of randomly cutting across lawns * How to cross concrete, sidewalks, driveways, asphalt, and pavers cleaner * Using expansion joints and concrete cuts for wire runs * Why 24-volt varivolt lighting systems reduce wire and trenching headaches * How Lifetime Lighting Systems helps installers use smaller wire and fewer home runs * Why professional installation technique builds trust with clients * What lighting contractors can learn inside The Illuminati Lounge Club This is the kind of field-level training most guys only learn after tearing up a few yards, cutting a few pipes, and making expensive mistakes. Learn it the smarter way. Ready to Start or Grow Your Landscape Lighting Business? 🔹 Learn design, sales, and installation at: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/ [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/] 🔹 Buy elite fixtures from: https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/ [https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/] 🔹 Join The Illuminati Lounge Club — $47/mo weekly group calls with the 3 Lighting Amigos: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club] 🔹 Apply for 1-on-1 mentoring with Captain Matt: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew [https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew] 🔹 Start your own lighting biz as a GloGeek: https://glogeeksgang.com/ [https://glogeeksgang.com/] 🔥 50 lighting assassins. That’s it. The elite rise, everyone else is background noise. You can chase jobs…or become the one others chase. Which are you?

3 Money-Making Ideas We Stole From Transworld | 38

What did Captain Matt and Glo Show Shane actually take away from the Transworld Christmas and Halloween Show? In Episode 38 of The Lighting Trade School Podcast, Captain Matt and Glo Show Shane Duffy recap their trip to Transworld and break down the ideas, products, conversations, and business strategies that could actually make Christmas lighting installers and outdoor lighting business owners more money. This is not just a “trade show was fun” recap. This episode gets into the real stuff: new Christmas lighting products, permanent roofline lighting options, magnetic lighting systems, supplier conversations, networking with industry leaders, and the kind of hallway conversations that never happen unless you actually show up. Captain Matt and Shane talk about why it was disappointing to see fewer installers at the show, especially when the guys who did show up walked away with ideas that could change their season. From quoting every customer for Christmas lights year-round, to exploring magnetic permanent roofline lighting lease models, to debating whether detailed Christmas light takedown schematics are actually worth the time, this episode is packed with practical ideas lighting contractors can test in their own business. They also discuss the growing clash between Christmas lighting, permanent lighting, sign companies, line-voltage lighting manufacturers, and outdoor lighting companies as more products enter the market. If you install Christmas lights, landscape lighting, soffit lighting, permanent lighting, or run a home service company, this episode will help you think bigger about what is coming next. Topics include: * Captain Matt and Glo Show Shane’s Transworld recap * Why Christmas lighting installers should attend industry trade shows * New Christmas lighting and permanent lighting product ideas * Quoting every customer for Christmas lights year-round * Using Christmas light renderings to create more opportunities * Magnetic permanent roofline lights and lease-style sales models * Tough Clips, magnetic clips, and install efficiency ideas * The debate over Christmas light takedown schematics * Why totes, labels, roofline maps, and storage systems can slow crews down * How larger Christmas lighting companies think about scale * Permanent lighting competition and where the industry is going * Why networking with suppliers and other installers creates unfair advantages * The conversations that only happen when you show up in person If you are a Christmas lighting contractor, landscape lighting designer, outdoor lighting installer, or home service entrepreneur trying to grow beyond the same old seasonal grind, this episode is a reminder that the money is often hiding in the conversations most people skip. Ready to Start or Grow Your Landscape Lighting Business? 🔹 Learn design, sales, and installation at: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/ [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/] 🔹 Buy elite fixtures from: https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/ [https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/] 🔹 Join The Illuminati Lounge Club — $47/mo weekly group calls with the 3 Lighting Amigos: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club] 🔹 Apply for 1-on-1 mentoring with Captain Matt: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew [https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew] 🔹 Start your own lighting biz as a GloGeek: https://glogeeksgang.com/ [https://glogeeksgang.com/] 🔥 50 lighting assassins. That’s it. The elite rise, everyone else is background noise. You can chase jobs…or become the one others chase. Which are you?

hy Christmas Lighting Pros Should Be at Transworld | 37

What happens when Christmas lighting, Halloween attractions, landscape lighting, permanent lighting, live training, new products, networking, and business opportunities all collide in one place? In Episode 37 of The Lighting Trade School Podcast, Captain Matt and Glo Show Shane Duffy talk about why Transworld is one of the most important trade shows for Christmas lighting professionals, outdoor lighting business owners, and home service entrepreneurs who want to grow beyond just one season. This episode breaks down why Transworld is more than just a fun show floor with massive Christmas trees, Halloween props, animated displays, fiberglass pieces, pixels, cutouts, and new products. It is a place where lighting pros can see what vendors are pushing, understand what is going to be hot for the upcoming season, meet the right people, build relationships, discover new ideas, and get a serious advantage before the market catches up. Captain Matt and Shane also talk about the bigger opportunity most Christmas lighting installers miss: turning seasonal Christmas work into a year-round outdoor lighting business through landscape lighting, permanent lighting, soffit lighting, demos, glow shows, and creative lighting design. They share real examples of how unique demo ideas, fire flicker lanterns, creative fixtures, custom lighting concepts, and outside-the-box presentations can separate you from the guy who just “puts lights in the ground.” This episode is about passion, creativity, authority, and showing clients that you are not just an installer. You are a lighting professional. Shane also explains why GloGeeks is exhibiting at Transworld, how the licensing model helps people launch or grow a permanent lighting business, and why branding, CRM systems, email sequences, social content, websites, SEO, GEO, and mentorship can save lighting business owners hundreds or even thousands of hours. Captain Matt also talks about Captain’s Crew mentoring, helping lighting contractors build confidence, close jobs, improve their systems, and stop trying to figure everything out alone. If you install Christmas lights, sell outdoor lighting, want to add permanent lighting, or are trying to grow a real lighting business instead of chasing one season at a time, this episode is for you. Topics include: * Why Christmas lighting contractors should attend Transworld * What makes the Halloween and Christmas sides of Transworld so valuable * How trade shows give installers an unfair product and trend advantage * Why networking at events can change your business * How Christmas lighting companies can become year-round lighting companies * Using glow shows and demos to close higher-ticket landscape lighting jobs * Creative lighting ideas like fire flicker lanterns and custom fixtures * Why passion separates true lighting pros from basic installers * How GloGeeks helps people launch permanent lighting locations * The value of CRM systems, email sequences, websites, social media, SEO, and GEO * Captain Matt’s mentoring through Captain’s Crew * How lighting contractors can stop guessing and start building real systems Ready to Start or Grow Your Landscape Lighting Business? 🔹 Learn design, sales, and installation at: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/ [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/] 🔹 Buy elite fixtures from: https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/ [https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/] 🔹 Join The Illuminati Lounge Club — $47/mo weekly group calls with the 3 Lighting Amigos: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club] 🔹 Apply for 1-on-1 mentoring with Captain Matt: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew [https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew] 🔹 Start your own lighting biz as a GloGeek: https://glogeeksgang.com/ [https://glogeeksgang.com/] 🔥 50 lighting assassins. That’s it. The elite rise, everyone else is background noise. You can chase jobs…or become the one others chase. Which are you?

Nobody Believed in Us…Then We Built Million-Dollar Lighting Businesses | 36

What does it really take to go from broke, doubted, laughed at, and written off…to building a real business, making real money, and becoming the person everyone said you would never become? In Episode 36 of The Lighting Trade School Podcast, Captain Matt and Glo Show Shane Duffy have a raw rags-to-riches conversation about entrepreneurship, failure, resilience, money, mentors, payroll pressure, and the mental discipline it takes to keep going when everyone around you thinks you should quit. This episode is for the lighting contractor, Christmas light installer, outdoor living entrepreneur, home service business owner, or side hustler who feels the weight of the business and wonders if they are crazy for still believing. Shane shares stories about being doubted by teachers, family, and people who thought he would never amount to anything. Captain Matt talks about failed businesses, failed partnerships, people laughing at The Christmas Guys, and the strange reality that the same people who mocked the idea later came asking for advice. They also talk about one of the loneliest parts of entrepreneurship: carrying payroll, keeping jobs on the board, building when money is tight, and feeling like nobody in your normal circle understands the pressure. This is not a polished motivational speech. It is two lighting entrepreneurs talking from the trenches about what it takes to survive the ugly seasons, surround yourself with better people, learn from mentors, stop being the “king of the shitheads,” and eventually build something that gives you freedom, income, and options. If you are building a landscape lighting business, Christmas lighting business, permanent lighting business, or any home service company, this episode is a reminder that the breakthrough often comes right when you are ready to quit. Topics include: The rags-to-riches reality of building a business from nothing Why most people will not believe in you until after you win How Captain Matt and Shane handled failure, doubt, and criticism The emotional weight of payroll and team responsibility Why entrepreneurs need better rooms, mentors, and peer groups How to stop being the richest or smartest person in the room Why taking care of yourself financially matters Building savings, diversifying income, and not betting everything on one business Why the king needs to eat first before burnout destroys the mission What lighting contractors and home service owners need to hear when business gets heavy Ready to Start or Grow Your Landscape Lighting Business? 🔹 Learn design, sales, and installation at: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/ [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/] 🔹 Buy elite fixtures from: https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/ [https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/] 🔹 Join The Illuminati Lounge Club — $47/mo weekly group calls with the 3 Lighting Amigos: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club] 🔹 Apply for 1-on-1 mentoring with Captain Matt: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew [https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew] 🔹 Start your own lighting biz as a GloGeek: https://glogeeksgang.com/ [https://glogeeksgang.com/] 🔥 50 lighting assassins. That’s it. The elite rise, everyone else is background noise. You can chase jobs…or become the one others chase. Which are you?

The Hidden Mental Traps Crushing Lighting Entrepreneurs | 35

You ever lose an hour…or a week…because of a $200 problem? In Episode 35 of The Lighting Trade School Podcast, Captain Matt and Glo Show Shane Duffy unpack something every lighting business owner faces;  a messy mind. From riding UTVs in the desert with elite lighting pros to dealing with aggressive clients, pride battles, comparison traps, and “Facebook fake book” illusions…this episode dives into the mental clutter that quietly sabotages growth. We talk about: * The comparison trap in the lighting industry (revenue vs. profit vs. peace) * Why the $2M company might be struggling more than the $700K minimalist operator * How pride and ego cost you more than refunds ever will * When to swallow it, refund it, and move on * The real cost of letting a client live rent-free in your head * Shiny object syndrome and how it derails entrepreneurs * The power of 12-week focus cycles * Why wealthy mindsets are different, and what that actually means This isn’t just about lighting systems. It’s about mental systems. Because when your mind is messy, your decisions are messy. When your decisions are messy, your business follows. Clear head. Clear focus. Clear growth. If you’ve ever compared yourself to another contractor…If you’ve ever lost sleep over a small client issue…If you’ve ever chased every “new marketing strategy” instead of finishing one… Ready to Start or Grow Your Landscape Lighting Business? 🔹 Learn design, sales, and installation at: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/ [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/] 🔹 Buy elite fixtures from: https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/ [https://lifetimelightingsystems.com/] 🔹 Join The Illuminati Lounge Club — $47/mo weekly group calls with the 3 Lighting Amigos: https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club [https://www.lightingtradeschool.com/illuminati-lounge-club] 🔹 Apply for 1-on-1 mentoring with Captain Matt: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew [https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/captains-crew] 🔹 Start your own lighting biz as a GloGeek: https://glogeeksgang.com/ [https://glogeeksgang.com/] 🔥 50 lighting assassins. That’s it. The elite rise, everyone else is background noise. You can chase jobs…or become the one others chase. Which are you?