From Dirt Bikes to Excavation Business Success

Welcome to another episode of the Excavation Profits Podcast, where we bring you real-world insights from the most successful excavation and septic business owners across the country. I’m your host, Scott Andreessen from Excavation Marketing Pros, and today we’re diving deep into the remarkable story of John Seaman—owner of JC Property Professionals and founder of Dirt To Dollars Coaching.

John’s journey from racing dirt bikes as a kid to running a multimillion-dollar excavation company and coaching other contractors is not just inspiring—it’s packed with actionable insights every contractor can learn from.

Humble Beginnings and Big Dreams

Like many contractors, John Seaman didn’t start with a clear blueprint for success. His early years were defined by hustle—doing side jobs with his dad to fund his dirt bike racing. Those small projects slowly evolved into something bigger. After college and a stint working in energy management, John made the bold decision to move back to North Carolina and start his own construction company.

“We started with odd jobs—decks, siding, roofs—and eventually got my GC license,” John explains. “We even did custom homes for several years before diving full-time into dirt work.”

How JC Property Professionals Grew to $4 Million a Year

Today, John leads a team of around 20 and runs two divisions: one focused on real estate (flips, spec homes, development), and one focused on excavation and site prep. JC Property Professionals handles everything from land clearing to demolition and foundation prep. They’re currently tracking to hit $4 million in revenue this year.

“We’ve done a lot more and a lot less in past years,” he says. “But this year, we’re focused on fine-tuning what works and building smart.”

From Personal Brand to Coaching Business

One of the most unique parts of John’s story is how his coaching business, Dirt To Dollars Coaching, came to life—not through a big plan, but through building his personal brand online.

“We started sharing real content about our day-to-day work—just showing the reality of the dirt world,” says John. “And we got flooded with questions: ‘How do you bill for this?’ ‘How do you get leads?’ ‘What should overhead look like?’”

That flood of questions turned into live Q&A sessions, YouTube videos, and eventually a full-fledged coaching platform.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

John admits he made plenty of mistakes early on, especially when it came to understanding his numbers.

“We were just hustling. I knew money was coming in and going out, but I didn’t know what we got to keep,” he recalls. “Then we’d go to the CPA and wonder where the money went.”

A wake-up call came when he returned from a trip to an empty bank account and no jobs moving forward.

“That was the moment I had to stop working in the business and start working on it. We needed real systems.”

Mistakes Most Contractors Make

John sees many excavation business owners fall into the same traps he did—especially growing too fast.

“Uncontrolled growth is dangerous. It looks exciting from the outside, but if you don’t have systems in place, it will break you.”

He also sees contractors who are amazing at their trade but lost when it comes to running a business.

“There’s a huge difference between being great at excavation and being a great business owner. They’re not the same skill set.”

How John Gets Consistent Excavation Leads

Despite spending time testing everything from Facebook ads to Google Ads and even hiring a full marketing team, John says the best lead sources remain simple:

1. Calling past customers – “If the phone stops ringing, I just pick it up.”
   
   

2. Yard signs – “They work better than any paid ads we’ve ever tried.”
   
   

3. Diversification – JC Property Professionals works with homeowners, general contractors, municipalities, and the state—ensuring a steady flow of leads year-round.
   
   

That diversity in lead sources is no accident. It’s part of John’s intentional strategy to avoid the feast-or-famine cycles many contractors face.

Why Branding Beats Being the Cheapest

John’s secret weapon for winning bids? His brand.

“We focus on being known for quality. Clean trucks, clean job sites, real videos, real photos—people know what we stand for.”

That attention to detail in branding not only attracts clients but also draws in high-quality employees. In fact, John says every employee on his team found him online—many moving from out of state just to work with him.

Hiring and Culture in a Tough Labor Market

In an industry plagued by labor shortages, how does John build such a strong team?

“The brand gets them in the door. Culture and pay keep them here,” he says. “We pay well, we challenge the guys, and our expectations are clear.”

Accountability is also built into the team dynamic.

“Guys hold each other to the standard now. If a customer’s happy but the job isn’t right, we fix it. We’re the experts.”

SOPs and Systems That Keep the Business Running

John uses checklists, SOPs, and a culture of precision to ensure every job is done right.

“A job has to work, and it has to look good. You can’t do just one or the other here.”

From truck inspections to compaction checks, every step of the process is dialed in.

Coaching Different Types of Contractors

Through Dirt To Dollars Coaching, John has worked with contractors in every stage of business. He breaks them into three avatars:

1. The Pre-Launcher – Business-minded but afraid to start. Needs help with systems.
   
   

2. The New Operator – Skilled at the trade but needs help getting leads and building structure.
   
   

3. The Stuck Owner – Has been in business for years but struggles with profitability.
   
   

“The first step is understanding the avatar so we know where to start. Usually, the guys stuck at $500k–$1M are still out in the field. They’ve got to delegate and build a crew.”

From Operator to Owner: Making the Mindset Shift

One of the hardest transitions for any contractor is going from operator to business owner.

“You’ve got to take off the boots, get out of the seat, and put on the business hat,” John says. “If something goes wrong in the field, don’t jump in—figure out why the system broke.”

That shift, he says, is what separates businesses that survive from those that scale.

The Most Important Financial Lesson

John is adamant about this: You must know your overhead.

“So many guys underestimate their true expenses. We’ve built spreadsheets just to help coaching clients track it all—taxes, tags, software, you name it. If you don’t know what it costs to run your business every month, you can’t grow safely.”

Scaling Smart (Not Just Scaling Fast)

When asked how to scale without the chaos, John emphasized sequencing:

1. Get the field running independently
   
   

2. Dial in the office systems
   
   

3. Track every dollar
   
   

4. Only then, delegate and scale
   
   

“Too many guys try to grow before they’ve locked in their systems. That’s what leads to burnout and blowups.”

The Bigger Vision and the Legacy

John’s long-term vision includes a self-sustaining business, more real estate development, and eventually creating a business his twin boys could take over—or sell.

But more than anything, he wants to change the stigma around blue-collar work.

“There are a lot of great men in this industry who just need a few small tweaks to thrive. If I can help them avoid the pain I went through, that’s a legacy worth building.”

Final Thoughts and Resources

If there’s one lesson from John’s journey, it’s this: grit gets you started, but systems get you scaled.

To learn more from John Seaman:

• Excavation & Site Work: jcpropertyprofessionals.com
  
  

• Coaching: Dirt To Dollars Coaching
  
  

• YouTube: Official John Seaman
  
  

And if you’re an excavation or septic contractor looking to grow your business online, visit ExcavationMarketingPros.com for free tools, expert guidance, and our mastermind group.

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