Today we’d like to introduce you to Elise Sharpless.
Hi Elise, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The Woman Redefining the Trades – Without Ever Picking Up a Tool
In a male-dominated industry built on grit, sweat, and hands-on skill, one Southwest Florida woman is reshaping what it means to work in the trades not with a hammer, but through digital strategy and the power of modern marketing.
Elise Sharpless, founder of Digital Blue Collar Marketing and widely known as The Blue Collar Marketing Chick, has become a driving force behind the home-service businesses that keep local communities running. From HVAC and plumbing companies to mold remediation, barbershops, realtors, inspectors, cleaners, and restaurants, she helps everyday service providers get found, trusted, and booked using the tools of the future.
She may not climb roofs or install AC units, but her work fuels the heartbeat of the trades: keeping the phone ringing.
A New Kind of Tradeswoman
Women make up less than 4% of frontline skilled labor but behind the scenes, they’re transforming the way the trades operate. Elise is leading that evolution.
Her toolbox isn’t filled with wrenches; it’s built with:
Google Business optimization
SEO strategies
AI-powered marketing systems
Social media storytelling
Local ranking tactics that drive real customers
“As a fourth-generation entrepreneur,” Elise says, “I understand the values loyalty, honesty, work ethic. I just help people bring that same grit into the digital world. I build brands like they build homes: with structure, intention, and pride.”
Helping Trades Businesses Compete in a Digital World
More than 35 million people in the U.S. work in the trades and the industry is growing fast. As older generations retire, the demand for skilled workers is exploding. Labor shortages are hitting every corner of the industry, and reputable contractors have never been in higher demand.
But one challenge remains:
If customers can’t find you online, you don’t exist.
That’s where Elise steps in.
Her clients generate over 1.2 million online impressions every month, outperforming agencies with bigger budgets and bloated software. She is proving that small, local businesses can dominate online when given the right strategy — and the right guide.
Her signature networking lunches, AI workshops, and FL Pro Connection meetups unite tradespeople, realtors, medspas, shop owners, and service pros who are ready to take control of their visibility and growth.
Where Grit Meets Innovation
Elise’s brand sits at the perfect intersection of old-school craftsmanship and modern technology.
She believes the trades are the backbone of America and they deserve marketing that reflects their pride, quality, and hard work.
Her mission is simple:
Give blue-collar businesses the digital advantages they’ve been missing.
Help them show up.
Help them compete.
Help them grow.
And she’s doing it as a woman bringing a fresh, fearless voice to a field rarely shaped by female leadership.
The Future She’s Building
As AI transforms how local customers search, choose, and trust businesses, Elise is preparing tradespeople for a new era — one where word-of-mouth alone is no longer enough.
Through her podcast, her trainings, and her community events, she is creating a movement that empowers service businesses to take ownership of their online presence and future-proof their growth.
For Elise, everything comes back to one belief:
“The trades built America. Now I help them get seen.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This has not been a smooth road. I’m very much like the businesses I help. I struggle to get in front of the right clients and to price myself competitively in an industry filled with noise. For the contractors I serve, it can be easier to showcase their skills because their work is tangible. They can take before-and-after photos.
My work is digital, and much of what I do happens behind the scenes the systems, the strategies, the tools, the long hours no one sees. That’s exactly why I’m committed to full transparency with my reports, audits, and ongoing communication. I meet with each of my clients monthly or bi-weekly so they always know what’s happening and what results are coming in.
Like many entrepreneurs, one of my biggest struggles has been believing in myself trusting that I can deliver the results my clients expect. But every challenge has made me better, sharper, and more committed to serving the businesses that trust me.
As you know, we’re big fans of Hey You Social Marketing Agency. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a full-service marketing agency built specifically for the trades and home-service industries. We specialize in helping contractors, inspectors, cleaners, and other local businesses get found, trusted, and booked through proven digital strategies.
While many agencies focus on flashy content or vanity metrics, my brand focuses on what actually matters:
visibility, credibility, and marketing that drives traffic.
I’m known for simplifying the digital world for blue-collar and service-based businesses who don’t have time to figure out SEO or algorithms. My core services include:
Google Business Profile optimization
SEO & website visibility strategies
AI-powered systems and automations
Social Media Management
If you’re a small business owner who feels overwhelmed, overlooked, or lost in the digital space, there is a solution and it doesn’t require complicated software, huge budgets, or spending your nights trying to figure out Google.
Our Marketing Agency exists to help you:
get seen online, attract the right customers and stand out in your market
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Digitalbluecollarmarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hey_elise_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeyUSocial
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heyelise
- Youtube: @HeyYouSocialMarketing
Image Credits
Photgraph by: Ella Sharpless Creative
