From 2 Days a Week to Full-Time in 3 Weeks (And $50K in Estimates)
How a 20-Year-Old Went From Side Hustle to Full-Time Career in 21 Days
I hope you enjoy reading this blog post.
Author: Brady Carlson | Co-Founder of Dirt2Dollars
Published Date: 8 January, 2026
Results at a Glance
$50K in Estimates in 3 Weeks
From maybe $50K in estimates given out in first 21 days
0-4 Days/Week → 5-6 Days/Week
From sporadic work to consistent full-time schedule
10 Estimates Per Week
Some days doing 6-7 estimates in a single day
30% Close Rate
Closing nearly 1 in 3 estimates on cold traffic
From Scared to “Zero Regrets”
“It boomed my business. My return’s amazing.”
The Company
Ashton is 20 years old and runs Grade A Excavation in the Kansas City area. He’s been doing excavation work for a couple of years, but it was private—working for his dad at their farm, working for the Amish, working for farmers. It was all word of mouth, a side hustle, helping friends and family out.
He didn’t choose the college route. He needed a full-time career. So he decided to “go public”—to turn his side hustle into a real business.
Like many young contractors, Ashton was cautious about spending money on marketing each month. He was scared. But he also knew that working 0-4 days a week wouldn’t cut it if he wanted to make this a full-time career.
The Challenge: The Side Hustle Dilemma
Ashton’s calendar before working with Dirt2Dollars was unpredictable at best.
“My calendar before I started with you guys, I might be working zero days a week some weeks. I might be working two to four if it’s a good week, honestly. But I really had a lot of dead space in my calendar.”
He was looking to fill his calendar to make this a full-time career. But without a predictable system for generating leads, he was stuck in the referral trap—waiting for someone to call, hoping someone would need work done.
For a 20-year-old trying to build a business without the college backup plan, that inconsistency wasn’t sustainable.
Problem vs. Solution
Before Dirt2Dollars | After 3 Weeks |
0-4 days of work per week | 5-6 days per week consistently |
Dead space in calendar | Calendar packed with estimates |
Word of mouth only | 10 estimates per week from paid ads |
No predictable lead flow | Consistent flow of qualified leads |
Side hustle mindset | Full-time career mindset |
Scared to spend on marketing | “My return’s amazing, zero regrets” |
Working for the business | Planning to work on the business |
The Results: Week Three Performance
In just three weeks working with Dirt2Dollars, Ashton gave out roughly $50,000 in estimates. He’s getting about 10 estimates per week. Some days, he’s done 6-7 estimates in a single day.
And he’s closing about 30% of them.
That’s a 30% close rate on cold traffic—people who didn’t know who he was before they saw his ad. For a 20-year-old who was working 0-4 days a week just three weeks ago, that’s a dramatic shift.
More importantly, his calendar went from dead space to packed. He’s now working 5-6 days a week consistently. As Eli pointed out in the interview, “It’s been hard to get a hold of you. You’ve been out on the field all day long.”
That’s a good problem to have.
From Scared to "Zero Regrets"
When asked what he’d tell other contractors who are skeptical, Ashton was direct:
“I was scared of spending money every month. And all I got to say is you got to spend money to make money. I’m spending money and my return’s amazing. I have zero regrets and it boomed my business. I mean that’s the best thing that could have happened.”
The transformation from scared to confident happened in three weeks. When you go from wondering if you’ll have work this week to turning down estimates because you’re fully booked, the ROI becomes obvious.
What Comes Next: Building a Crew
Ashton’s vision isn’t to stay as a one-man operation forever. His goal is to get his own crew running so he can go out and estimate jobs while having people he trusts do the work.
“Hopefully I can get my own crew running and I can just go out and do the jobs and I can have people that I can trust to actually do the work so we can stay consistent and full-time where I don’t have to spend my days not actually working and maybe losing money.”
The goal is to work on the business, not for the business. That’s when you really become an owner.
And with a consistent lead flow generating 10 estimates per week, that transition becomes possible. You can’t hire people and grow if you don’t have the work to support them. Ashton now has the job.
Common Misconceptions (And Why Ashton's Experience Disproves Them)
Misconception 1: “You Need to Be Established to Make Paid Advertising Work”
Most contractors think you need years of experience, a big operation, and an established reputation before paid advertising will work for you. Ashton is 20 years old, just turned his side hustle into a real business, and generated $50K in estimates in his first three weeks. When the targeting and systems are set up correctly, paid advertising works regardless of how long you’ve been in business.
Misconception 2: “It Takes Months to See Results”
Contractors often think it takes 3-6 months to start seeing results from paid advertising. Ashton went from 0-4 days of work per week to 5-6 days consistently in 21 days. He’s doing 10 estimates per week and has already given out $50K in estimates. When campaigns are executed correctly, results can come immediately.
Misconception 3: “Young Contractors Can’t Afford Paid Marketing”
At 20 years old without a college degree, Ashton was naturally cautious about spending money on marketing every month. But his perspective flipped when he saw the return. “My return’s amazing. I have zero regrets.” When the ROI is clear, paid advertising becomes the most affordable way to grow, not the riskiest.
Misconception 4: “You Can Build a Full-Time Business on Word of Mouth Alone”
Ashton worked for his dad, the Amish, and farmers through word of mouth for a couple of years. It gave him experience and some income, but it left him with 0-4 days of work per week and a calendar full of dead space. Word of mouth can supplement a business, but it can’t scale one. Paid advertising fills the gaps that referrals can’t.
What This Means for Other Contractors
Speed to Full-Time Changes Everything
For contractors who are treating their business like a side hustle because they don’t have consistent work, the path to full-time isn’t about waiting years to build a reputation. Ashton went from side hustle to full-time career in three weeks because he had a system generating qualified leads every single day.
You Don’t Need a Big Operation to Start
Ashton isn’t running a multi-crew operation with a fleet of equipment. He’s a 20-year-old running a one-man excavation company. That was enough to generate $50K in estimates in three weeks. You don’t need to be big to start. You need to be consistent.
The ROI Removes the Fear
When Ashton started, he was scared about spending money every month on marketing. Three weeks later, his perspective is “my return’s amazing, zero regrets.” The fear goes away when the return is clear. You stop seeing marketing as an expense and start seeing it as the engine that funds everything else.
Closing 30% of Cold Traffic Is Achievable
A lot of contractors think they can close 80-90% of referrals but struggle with cold leads. Ashton is closing 30% of estimates from people who didn’t know who he was before they saw his ad. That’s not because he’s a master salesman. It’s because the leads are qualified and he’s showing up to every estimate ready to close.
The Bottom Line
Ashton’s story demonstrates what happens when a young contractor decides to stop waiting for referrals and starts building a predictable lead generation system.
He went from 0-4 days of work per week to 5-6 days consistently in three weeks. He gave out $50,000 in estimates in his first 21 days. He’s getting 10 estimates per week, sometimes doing 6-7 in a single day, and closing 30% of them.
This isn’t a story about waiting years to build a reputation. Ashton had proof within three weeks that the system was working. His calendar went from dead space to fully booked. His mindset went from scared to confident. His return went from uncertain to “amazing.”
As he puts it: “You got to spend money to make money. I’m spending money and my return’s amazing. I have zero regrets and it boomed my business.”
When the ROI is clear within the first month, you know the partnership is working. Ashton isn’t hoping this works out over time. He already knows it’s working. And we’re only scratching the surface.
Ready to See What Three Weeks Looks Like for Your Business?
If you’re stuck in the referral trap with an unpredictable calendar and wondering if paid advertising can actually work for your excavation or land clearing business, Ashton’s story shows you don’t need years to find out.
Book a call with our team to see if we’re a good fit to help you go from side hustle to full-time career.
