The Blue-Collar Trade Making Millionaires Nobody Is Talking About
Dropping Bombs
Brad Lea
4.9 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 26 June 2026
⏱️ 52 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode was sponsored by Cardiff & Northeast Woodworks LLC
LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/
Today's Dropping Bombs episode features Josh Norko — a former heroin addict who detoxed in Navy boot camp, hit rock bottom at 26, and walked out of a faith-based rehab program with nothing but a plan. That plan became Northeast Woodworks, a high-end custom cabinet shop he built from a two-car garage in Connecticut, packed up, and rebuilt from scratch in Central Oregon.
Josh and his business partner Alex Reid break down how a solo cabinet maker can clear half a million a year, why blue-collar trades are becoming the new white collar, and how they've built a growing community teaching anyone — skilled or starting from zero — to launch and grow a cabinet business through Cabinet Mastery.
Whether you're deep in addiction, stuck in a dead-end job, or just looking for a business you can build with your hands — Josh built his way out of all three. Now he's showing everyone else how.Â
đź”— Connect with Josh & Northeast WoodworksÂ
IG: https://www.instagram.com/northeastwoodworksÂ
Cabinet Mastery IG: https://www.instagram.com/cabinetmastery
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NE_woodworks
Websites: https://www.northeastww.com | https://www.cabinetmastery.pro
âś… Additional ResourcesÂ
New Beginnings Recovery Program (Pennsylvania): https://www.newbeginningsdrugrehab.org
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs/dp/1250183863
Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink: https://www.amazon.com/Discipline-Equals-Freedom-Field-Manual/dp/1250156947
Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.
Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.
LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:
https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/
This isn't just a video. It's a wake-up call. Watch it. Share it. Act on it.
Closer School: https://www.closerschool.com/cs
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | What were you addicted to? |
| 0:01.1 | Heroin. |
| 0:02.0 | God damn. |
| 0:02.7 | Yeah. |
| 0:03.1 | Eventually, I finally got to a point where I was burning bridges, |
| 0:06.4 | had no money, I was a mess. |
| 0:08.2 | And so I finally decided to go. |
| 0:09.7 | And that program changed my life. |
| 0:11.2 | And when I got home from that rehab, I got a job. |
| 0:14.4 | I remember saying to my wife, |
| 0:15.8 | I'm going to work here for four or five years and learn as much as I can and start my own business. |
| 0:20.0 | And that's what I did. |
| 0:21.0 | You got more business than you can handle. |
| 0:23.3 | Yeah. |
| 0:23.8 | Can I make a half a million a year? |
| 0:25.5 | Easily. |
| 0:26.1 | I did that working by myself, only me in the first three years. |
| 0:34.7 | What it is, Brad Lee, back again with another episode of drop and bombs today in the studio folks |
| 0:39.8 | i got two treats for you mr josh norko and alex reed in the house what's up jens what's |
| 0:46.3 | up man on folks if you guys ain't heard of these guys you can find them at northeast woodworks on |
| 0:52.7 | instagram or at cabinet mastery. |
| 0:56.6 | And you're about to hear a story from basically a tarnished past, I would say. |
... |
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