Faith-Based Leadership
Queen of the Trades
What if leadership wasn’t just about systems and results? What if it was about being a spiritually minded leader and managing with soul? In an industry as tough and gritty as the trades, that idea might seem out of place. But I’ve learned firsthand that being spiritually grounded can completely shift how you show up for your team, your business, and yourself. I didn’t always see our business as a calling, but over time, it became clear. The path was never perfectly mapped out if anything, it was full of unknowns. But there was a purpose behind it, something bigger than just making a...
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Replay: Bringing Passion Back To The Trades With Alexis Aranda
Queen of the Trades
Please enjoy this replay of my very first episode! I'm your host Alexis Aranda. Today, I'm sharing my story with all of you, listeners. I was born in a suburb outside of Chicago and had a fantastic childhood. My parents were supportive. We had a lot of love and a lot of great memories, but we didn't have a lot of money. At a very young age, I strongly desired to create wealth for my family. I knew this was what I was called to do. I also had a passion for working. From babysitting to working at a local grocery store, I was always earning money. My best friend's dad was a tradesman....
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Avoid Burn Out
Queen of the Trades
Spring’s hectic pace hits hard in the trades and lately I’ve felt the pressure myself. Long hours, tight deadlines, and family commitments can drain every bit of energy if we let them. In today’s episode I open up about the moment I realized I was saying yes to everything except rest, and how that wake up call pushed me to build habits that protect both mind and body. You’ll hear why real burnout statistics in our industry matter, especially for men who still feel they have to tough it out. I’ll walk you through five practices that keep me grounded, from carving out a true day...
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Extreme Ownership Part 2
Queen of the Trades
A few weeks ago I shared some thoughts on extreme ownership and the response was overwhelming. It’s clear that a lot of us are ready to stop pointing fingers and start stepping into real leadership. So today, I want to go even deeper. Specifically, we're talking about how to take ownership without getting defensive. If you've ever felt your ego kick in during a tough conversation or found yourself making excuses instead of taking the hit, this is for you. We’ll break down what it actually looks like to let go of ego, build self-awareness, listen with intention, and communicate with...
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6 Functions of a Professional Manager
Queen of the Trades
Do you ever feel like you're juggling a million things as a manager and still wondering if you’re doing it right? I get it because I’ve been there. In this episode, I’m sharing the six core functions every professional manager needs to master in order to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose, especially in the fast-paced world of the trades. These aren’t just generic leadership tips. This is the real, practical framework that changed how I run teams, build people up, and keep our business on track. Whether you’re brand new to management or you’ve been in the game for a while...
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Emotional Intelligence
Queen of the Trades
It’s easy to underestimate just how powerful emotional intelligence can be, especially when you're managing a business, leading a team, or simply trying to keep it all together. But what if mastering your emotions was the key to transforming frustration into growth, and conflict into clarity? In this episode, we talk about what emotional intelligence really means and why it's one of the most underrated leadership tools in the trades. You’ll hear a real story of what happens when emotions start to take over, and how a moment of self-awareness changed the course of an entire...
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Extreme Ownership
Queen of the Trades
There’s a moment in business where everything feels like it’s falling apart—a job goes sideways, a customer’s upset, and your first instinct is to say, “This isn’t my fault.” Been there? Me too. But what if I told you that the most powerful thing you can do as a leader is to say, “This is on me—let’s fix it.” That mindset? It’s called extreme ownership, and it has completely changed the way I lead my team, run our business, and show up every day in the trades. In this episode, I’m breaking down what extreme ownership really means, how Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL...
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Navigating Conflict Keeping the Peace
Queen of the Trades
Properly navigating conflict builds trust, strengthens relationships, and turns challenges into opportunities for growth.Whether it’s with a customer, an employee, or even a competitor, conflict is bound to happen. And let’s be real, when you’re pushing for growth and making big moves, you’re going to ruffle some feathers. But here’s the thing, conflict doesn’t have to be a disaster. In fact, if you handle it right, it can actually help you build trust and strengthen relationships. In this episode, I’m sharing a real-life situation where I had to step in and de-escalate a tough...
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The Power of EOS: Breaking Through Business Plateaus
Queen of the Trades
When I first started implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System, or EOS, in my business, I had no idea just how much it would change the way we operated. At the time, our leadership team was all over the place—juggling too many projects, struggling to finish what we started, and feeling like we were just maintaining instead of truly growing. Something had to change. That’s when I came across the book Traction by Gino Wickman, and it felt like it was written just for us. Today, I want to take you inside our EOS journey, share how we’ve used this system to create more clarity and...
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My Biggest Leadership Mistakes
Queen of the Trades
Leadership is not about avoiding mistakes; it is about learning from them and growing stronger. In this episode, I want to share with you the three biggest mistakes I've made as a leader in the trades. I'm sharing these with you because I want you, as fellow leaders in the trades, to learn from my mistakes and avoid these pitfalls. As leaders, growth comes from learning, evolving, and improving ourselves, our teams, and our companies. Remember, leadership is not about being perfect. I'll explain how I wrongly assumed that all trade operations functioned identically, undervalued the...
info_outlineI’m excited about today’s guest, my brother-in-law, Chris Aranda! Chris is incredibly hardworking and hilarious. He has a servant's heart and is an amazing dad and a wonderful brother. He’s an all-around phenomenal person. He’s really the brother I've always wanted.
He was the first person I met from Andy’s family, and that really impacted me. It helped me understand Andy better, his values, and the family he came from. From the moment we met, we connected and had so much fun, and I’m so grateful for all that you bring into my life.
But there’s more to Chris than his incredible personality. He's also an outstanding tradesman—our HVAC qualifier, to be exact—and he’s recently made the big move from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Las Vegas to join the Pure Plumbing and Air team. Today, we’re diving into his journey, from being an entrepreneur to transitioning into an intrapreneur.
Just in case you're wondering—yes, I said intrapreneur. While there's plenty of content out there for entrepreneurs, not much focuses on intrapreneurs—those innovative minds who work within companies to drive change, increase efficiency, and improve themselves and their workplace. So today, Chris is here to share his story and insights on making this transition.
Episode Highlights:
[02:19] Chris is an amazing tradesman and our HVAC qualifier. He recently made the move from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Las Vegas to be part of our team.
[03:02] We'll be talking about Chris's journey from being an entrepreneur to becoming an intrapreneur.
[04:11] Chris has always wanted to be like Andy, so the move made perfect sense.
[05:06] Pros of being an intrapreneur within Pure Plumbing & Air. The best part has been learning with and from the team.
[06:01] Being an entrepreneur can be very artistic. Being an intrapreneur you can see what's out there, and you get to put your own within and the outcome can be greater.
[07:00] Having a skilled trade is a gift. It's phenomenal to have talented people on the team.
[08:01] One of the biggest challenges for Chris is doing what he does only better while he takes his next step.
[09:05] Interacting with customers in their homes can be very rewarding.
[10:57] Giving back to the community is very important to us.
[11:18] Chris shares advice for getting into the trades. Drive is one of the most important tools.
[13:53] Andy is an artist at heart and brings a unique talent to everything he does.
[14:16] Advice for overwhelmed entrepreneurs. Don't be afraid to become an intrapreneur. Value the lessons you've learned.
[16:14] Working for yourself can be very hard, because you have to wear many hats. When you're an intrapreneur, the company can staff around your talent.
[18:42] Chris knew he was going to get into plumbing and HVAC after observing what a wonderful provider his father was.
[22:07] One of the reasons we built Pure Plumbing & Air is to give tradesmen and women a place where they can be proud of the work they do.
[24:33] Chris shares an awesome Henry Ford quote.
[26:50] Our team is about doing the best we can do under any situation.
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