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Who I Am

I didn’t start Blue Collar Digital because I wanted to run a marketing agency.

I started it because I’ve spent most of my working life on both sides of the fence — blue collar and white collar — and I kept seeing the same problem over and over again.

I’ve worked a lot of different jobs over the years from farming to systems administrator and for the past 10 years I've run multiple of my own businesses.

What all of that taught me is this: most business owners don’t care about marketing. They care about whether their phone rings and whether the work coming in is worth their time.

That’s always been my mindset too.

I built my own businesses from zero to seven figure income spending upwards of $30,000 a month on advertising. None of that happened because of clever buzzwords or fancy reports. It happened because things were built to work.

When I see how "Agencies" are marketing to small businesses everything felt overpriced, overcomplicated, and disconnected from reality. A lot of agencies seemed more focused on selling services than helping the business owner make money.

Blue Collar Digital is my attempt to do it differently.

I work with trades and service businesses because I understand how they think. You fix problems. You take pride in your work. You want systems that make your life easier, not more complicated. You don’t want to be sold — you want straight answers.

That’s how I approach this business.

I don’t believe in form over function. A website that looks great but doesn’t bring in work is broken. Marketing that can’t be explained in plain English usually isn’t doing much. If something isn’t going to help your business, I’ll tell you that upfront — even if it means I don’t get the sale.

I also know I’m not the right fit for everyone. I’m not trying to work with large companies or enterprises. I enjoy working with newer businesses and smaller service companies that need a solid foundation and a clear path forward. I like working with people who care about their craft and want to build something that lasts.

At the end of the day my goal is simple: get your business online properly without the overpriced agencies, the long contracts, or the complicated nonsense. Just a website that works, built by someone who actually gives a damn.

If that sounds like how you think too, we’ll probably work well together.

Bobby Cates

Founder
I was born and raised in Arkansas, and I’ve always been the kind of person who figures things out by building them myself. I’ve been an entrepreneur for the past 12 years, with a background in IT as a systems administrator before that, which mostly means I’m self-taught, curious, and not afraid to break things to learn how they work. When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me off-roading, at the lake, or spending time with friends—basically anywhere that doesn’t involve sitting still for too long. I value freedom, helping people, and keeping life simple, and I try not to take myself too seriously while doing all of the above.