A lot of lighting companies think they’re being “scrappy.”

In reality, they’re sitting on a ticking bomb.

In this episode of Captain’s Quarters First Class, Captain Matt breaks down one of the most dangerous blind spots in the lighting industry, misclassifying workers and pretending 1099 means “no responsibility.”

If your “subcontractor”:

• Shows up when you tell them to
  

• Uses your truck, your tools, your systems
  

• Works set hours and answers to you
  

That’s not a 1099. And calling it one won’t save you when the hammer drops.

This episode dives into:

• The real-world difference between subcontractors and employees (no legal jargon)
  

• Why skipping payroll, workers’ comp, or insurance always catches up
  

• How audits actually start and how fast they spiral
  

• The hard lesson Matt learned going through it himself
  

• How to price jobs correctly so compliance doesn’t kill your margins
  

• What “running a real company” actually looks like when crews grow
  

This isn’t legal advice.It's an experience-earned perspective from someone who’s built and managed crews across Christmas lighting, landscape lighting, and permanent installations and watched good companies implode because they ignored this.

If you’re still telling yourself “I’ll clean it up later”…Later is usually too late.

Lights. Legacy. Living. Captain’s Crew. Sink or Swim.Ready to join Captain’s Crew?

🔹 Apply to work with Captain Matt or hire him for elite outdoor lighting design: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/

🔹 Explore design + install services at Barefoot Lighting: https://barefootlighting.com/

🔹 Join the movement at The Lighting Trade School: https://lightingtradeschool.com/

Starting over isn’t a weakness, it’s the way forward.

In this episode, I crack open the real story of how I launched The Christmas Guys back in 2009 with nothing but grit, printer paper, and borrowed hustle. No ad spend. No courses. Just raw determination.

But this isn’t about polished “success” stories. It’s about the ugly truth, that being wrong is part of the process. Pivoting doesn’t make you a failure. It makes you free.

Here’s what I get into:

• Why chasing nursing homes as my first clients backfired completely

• How I scrapped my way from 3 installs to 9 with nothing but flyers

• The painful lessons from Groupon discounts and TV ads gone sideways

• Why ego keeps guys trapped in businesses they secretly hate

• And the brutal fact: if no one knows what you do, no one can hire you

This one’s for the underdogs; the guys staring down a pivot, scared of looking like they screwed up. If you’ve ever felt stuck, burned out, or like the first chapter of your story wasn’t the right one… this episode is your permission slip to start again.

Hit play, and let’s talk about the power of being wrong and why it’s the best thing that can happen to your business.

Lights. Legacy. Living. Captain’s Crew. Sink or Swim.

Ready to join Captain’s Crew?
🔹 Apply to work with Captain Matt or hire him for elite outdoor lighting design: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/
🔹 Explore design + install services at Barefoot Lighting: https://barefootlighting.com/
🔹 Join the movement at The Lighting Trade School: https://lightingtradeschool.com/

Follow me:
https://www.instagram.com/captainmatt_official/

Listen to More Outdoor Lighting Podcasts:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3zP6CmWQAAenGC5eWrnIuM
https://youtu.be/rN9lUNhdasw?si=fvnmkBMd4nnUL6dB

Every story has a first chapter.Here’s mine.Before The Lighting Trade School…Before the coaching calls, the mentoring, the podcast…Before the designs that made millionaires stop in their tracks…I was just a broke dad in upstate New York, stringing lights to make sure my kid had Christmas gifts.In this debut episode of Captain’s Quarters First Class, I rewind the clock—back to the clients who handed me hot cocoa, the frozen ladders, and the lessons that forced me to level up from part-time holiday hustle to full-time lighting artist.Inside this episode you’ll hear:Why I couldn’t survive on Christmas lights alone.What it really felt like to dive into landscape lighting with zero roadmap.How crossing paths with Nate Mullen changed my trajectory.The single mindset shift that flipped everything for me.This show isn’t about dabbling—it’s about domination.It’s about building something real, raising the standard, and proving you’re the one who won’t quit when everyone else folds.Press play and step into First Class.If you’re ready to stop playing small and start building a legacy…Welcome aboard Captain’s Quarters First Class.Lights. Legacy. Living.

Captain’s Crew. Sink or Swim.

Ready to join Captain’s Crew?

🔹 Apply to work with Captain Matt or hire him for elite outdoor lighting design: https://www.captainmattoutdoors.com/

🔹 Explore design + install services at Barefoot Lighting: https://barefootlighting.com/

🔹 Join the movement at The Lighting Trade School: https://lightingtradeschool.com/

Captain Matt here this 2-minute teaser kicks off Captain’s Quarters First Class. From Christmas lights in 2009 to landscape lighting today, here’s my backstory. I share how I started The Christmas Guys, grew a side hustle into real money, and eventually built Barefoot Lighting and Captain Matt Outdoors. You’ll hear how I met Nate Mullen, what I learned along the way, and why this podcast exists.

Full episodes dropping soon. Sink or Swim.