Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast - podcast cover

Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast

The Owned and Operated Podcast is the go-to show for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical business owners who want to grow faster, increase profits, and scale smarter.

Hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr, real home service operators in the trenches. This podcast delivers 2x weekly, no-BS conversations on what’s actually working in the trades today. From lead generation and marketing to hiring top-tier talent and building scalable systems, every episode is packed with actionable strategies you can implement immediately.

If you're an HVAC contractor, plumber, or electrician looking to grow your business, improve operations, and stay ahead in a competitive market, this podcast is for you.

New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday.

Learn more at www.ownedandoperated.com

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Episodes

Double Your Profit Day #18 How I Destroy Monthly Bills and Save Big!

Welcome to Day 18 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked but powerful levers in your business: Reviewing and ruthlessly cutting recurring costs. I call this the “F** It Up List”* (we’ll bleep it for YouTube 😉). Every month, I go through all recurring expenses in the business and ask one simple question: Do we really need this — and can we negotiate it down? 🧠...

Aug 18, 20254 minSeason 2Ep. 18

Double Your Profit Day #17 The SMART Way to Say Goodbye to Stressful Clients!

Welcome to Day 17 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s topic is a little spicy but absolutely essential: Firing Bad Clients . 🧠 Not every customer is worth keeping — even if they fit your target market. Some drain resources, destroy morale, and create constant headaches. Protecting your team (and your profits) means knowing when to let go. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The warning signs of a c...

Aug 17, 20252 min

Double Your Profit Day #16 How to Build a Culture of Accountability (That Actually Works)

Welcome to Day 16 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re diving into one of the most powerful performance drivers in your business: Creating a Culture of Accountability . 🧠 Accountability means doing what you say you’re going to do — and it starts with setting crystal-clear expectations, assigning measurable goals, and holding regular check-ins to make sure you’re on track. 💡 What You’ll Learn in ...

Aug 16, 20253 minSeason 1Ep. 16

Double Your Profit Day #15 How to Raise Standards & Boost Performance

Welcome to Day 15 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re talking about one of the most important — and most overlooked — levers in your business: Tightening Your Standards . 🧠 If you’ve ever wondered why performance slips or why “good enough” starts to spread… it’s probably because your standards aren’t as clear (or enforced) as you think. You get what you allow. And if you allow low standar...

Aug 16, 20253 minSeason 2Ep. 15

Double Your Profit Day #14 Why Waiting For Monthly Reports Is Hurting Your Business

Welcome to Day 14 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re diving into one of the simplest, most powerful habits you can build: Making Your P&L a Daily Tool. 🧠 If you’re waiting until the end of the month (or worse, months later) to see your numbers, you’re already too late. Real profit decisions happen in real time — not after the fact. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why monthly fi...

Aug 14, 20252 minSeason 2Ep. 14

#233 How They Make $7M+ a Year From Their Plumbing Company

If you’re building a home service business in a rural market, the playbook looks a little different — and this episode shows exactly why. In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Plumbing in Ohio, sits down with Laura and Brian Beltz, founders of Beltz, to unpack how they’ve grown from a one-truck startup in 2001 to a 49-person team — all while staying true to their community roots. If you’re thinking about expanding into multiple markets, growing in a rural area, or tak...

Aug 14, 20251 hr 19 minSeason 1Ep. 233

Double Your Profit Day #13 How To Get More Done With Fewer Meetings!

Welcome to Day 13 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s lesson is short on purpose—because that’s the point: Cut Your Meetings in Half. 🕒 Meetings can be one of the biggest hidden drains on your profit. They pull people out of productive work, rack up payroll costs, and often could have just been an email. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: – Why most businesses have more meetings than they a...

Aug 13, 20251 minSeason 2Ep. 13

Double Your Profit Day #12 The How to Raise Your Prices Without Losing Customers

Welcome to Day 12 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s topic is one of the fastest, easiest, and most effective ways to increase your bottom line: Using Scarcity to Raise Prices. 📈 Raising your prices isn’t about being greedy—it’s about charging what the market will bear, especially when demand is high and capacity is limited. If you’re fully booked and still discounting… you’re just giving mon...

Aug 12, 20253 minSeason 2Ep. 12

#232 Buying $200,000 in Leads - Is It Worth It?

If you’re trying to grow a home service business, your marketing budget is one of your biggest bets — and biggest risks. In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson and Sam Preston host a no-fluff Q&A tackling real contractor questions on lead generation, paid ads, and when to actually bring in an agency. They break down how to allocate marketing spend at every stage — from $1K/month up to $200K — and what it really takes to get traction with LSA, GMB, and PPC. You’ll learn how to pl...

Aug 12, 202550 minSeason 1Ep. 231

Double Your Profit Day #11 The Secret to Maximizing Profit (and Minimizing Stress)

Welcome to Day 11 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today we’re unlocking one of the most powerful, overlooked profit drivers in your business: Optimizing Your Schedule for Profit. 🧠 Every day your team is dispatched inefficiently is a day you’re leaving thousands on the table. The key? Prioritize urgency and opportunity—not just availability. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: – Why a $100 fauce...

Aug 11, 20253 minSeason 2Ep. 11

Double Your Profit Day #10 Want Explosive Growth? Link Pay to Performance

Welcome to Day 10 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re tackling something that’s as obvious as it is underused: Tying Compensation to What Actually Matters. 🧠 If you’ve ever said “I wish we had more sales” — but your sales team is on base salary with no commission — this one’s for you. No incentives? No results. It’s that simple. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why lack of commission...

Aug 10, 20252 minSeason 2Ep. 10

Double Your Profit Day #9 Maximize Your Earnings: The Secret to Efficient Work

Welcome to Day 9 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re diving into one of the most overlooked drivers of bottom-line success: Training for Profit Awareness. 🔍 If your team doesn’t know the score, how can they help win the game? This episode is about building a culture where everyone—from the field to the office—understands what profit is, how it works, and how they can impact it daily. 💡 W...

Aug 09, 20253 minSeason 2Ep. 9

Double Your Profit Day #8 Fire Your WORST Customers (and make more money)

Welcome to Day 8 of the Double Your Profit Series —the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s topic might feel uncomfortable, but it’s a game changer: Fire Your Worst Customers. We’re talking about freeing your team, protecting your profit, and finally saying goodbye to the clients who drain your time, energy, and resources. 🧨 If you’ve ever had a customer who constantly calls, complains, escalates, and sucks the life out of your oper...

Aug 08, 20253 minSeason 2Ep. 8

Double Your Profit Day #7 The Profit First Pricing Mindset EVERY 7-Figure Owner Uses

Welcome to Day 7 of the Double Your Profit Series —the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today we break down the Profit First Pricing method, a mindset shift that guarantees you pay yourself first by building profit directly into your prices. 💰 Instead of calculating your price based on cost, we flip the script. This strategy ensures you never underbid, stop discounting, and always protect your margins. If you’ve ever felt stuck selling ...

Aug 07, 20252 minSeason 2Ep. 7

#231 How AI Will Change Home Service Marketing Forever

AI isn’t coming — it’s here. And the way people find your business is already changing. In this episode of Owned and Operated , John sits down with Sam Preston, CEO of Service Scalers, for a deep-dive on how AI is reshaping local search and why HVAC, plumbing, and home service operators need to evolve fast — or risk being left behind. They explore what it means to “rank” in a world of LLMs, how showing up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overview actually works, and why your SEO and Googl...

Aug 07, 202534 minSeason 1Ep. 231

Double Your Profit Day #6 80/20 Rule: The Secret to Explosive Business Growth

📈 Double Your Profit Day 6: 80/20 Rule for Small Business Growth Welcome to Day 6 of the Double Your Profit 30-Day Challenge—the ultimate profit-boosting series for contractors, home service business owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we expose a game-changing insight: 80% of your profit comes from 20% of your effort. That’s the Pareto Principle, and mastering it could 2X your bottom line. 🎯 Are you spending time on low-margin services, needy customers, or bloated departments? If...

Aug 06, 20253 minSeason 2Ep. 6

Double Your Profit Day #5 Can Zero-Based Budgeting Save Your Business Money?

Double Your Profit Day 5: Zero-Based Budgeting for Home Service Businesses, Contractors, and Small Business Owners Welcome to Day 5 of the "Double Your Profit" 30-Day Challenge — your go-to business growth series for home service business owners, contractors, and small business entrepreneurs looking to boost profit margins fast. Today’s strategy? Zero-based budgeting — one of the most powerful financial tools for HVAC companies, plumbing businesses, electrical contractors, cleaning service opera...

Aug 05, 20254 minSeason 2Ep. 5

#230 Is Buying Businesses Overhyped? Why You Should Build Instead

Boomers aren’t your best bet anymore. While everyone’s still chasing the so-called Silver Tsunami , the truth is most aging-out home service businesses won’t sell — and the ones that do often aren’t worth buying. In this episode of Owned and Operated , John and Jack explain why smart operators are ditching the outdated playbook and going all-in on modern growth strategies. They unpack why 2026 is their multi-market year and how they’re expanding beyond Ohio through greenfield launches, tuck-in a...

Aug 05, 202548 minSeason 1Ep. 230

Double Your Profit Day #4 Non-Negotiable Budgets = Real Results

Welcome to Day 4 of the "Double Your Profit" 30-Day Series! If you’re running a home service business, small business, or a contractor company, this series is here to help you double your profit in 30 days—one smart move at a time. Today, we’re talking about strict, non-negotiable budgets—the kind that bounce credit cards if someone goes over. Sound intense? It is—and it works. This approach fosters real accountability, forces smarter decisions, and helps smaller businesses stay lean and agile. ...

Aug 04, 20253 minSeason 2Ep. 4

Double Your Profit Day #3 Slash Costs and Maximize Profit with a Lean Business Culture

Welcome to Day 3 of the "Double Your Profit" 30-Day Series! If you’re running a home service business, small business, or a contractor company, this series is designed to help you double your profit in just 30 days. Today’s episode dives into how to cut costs fast—without hurting your operations—and how to foster a lean, profit-minded culture in your company. We'll walk through how to trim unnecessary expenses, empower managers to make smarter budget decisions, and align your entire team around ...

Aug 03, 20255 minSeason 2Ep. 3

Double Your Profit Day #2 Cut Costs Like a CFO

Welcome back to Day 2 of the "Double Your Profit" 30-Day Series! In today’s episode, we’re breaking down how to cut business costs like a CFO—without compromising growth. If you want to double your profit, mastering the art of cost control is essential. These strategies will help you streamline spending, boost margins, and create a more efficient, profitable operation. This episode is packed with real-world examples and practical cost-cutting techniques you can implement immediately in your home...

Aug 02, 20254 minSeason 2Ep. 2

Double Your Profit Day #1 Choose Profit Over Revenue

Welcome to Day 1 of the "Double Your Profit" 30-Day Series! If you’re running a home service business, small business, or a contractor company, this series is built to help you increase profit in 30 days—starting today. In this video, we kick things off by shifting your mindset from revenue-focused to profit-first strategy. Understanding the difference between profit vs revenue is crucial for any business owner aiming to maximize business value and scale sustainably. 🔑 What You'll Learn Today: ...

Aug 01, 20255 minSeason 2Ep. 1

#229 Plumber Closes +$10M/Year (With Just One Trade)

📈 How Focus and Smart Marketing Took a Family Plumbing Business to $11M+ In this episode of Owned and Operated , John sits down with Kelson Carter, a plumbing business owner who scaled a single-trade company into an $11 million powerhouse. From rebranding and marketing to building out a sales team, Kelson shares the moves that transformed a family-run operation into a dominant force in home services. 💡 What You’ll Learn: Why focusing on just one trade helped streamline operations and scale fas...

Jul 31, 202550 minSeason 1Ep. 229

#228 How this NEW Service Owner is doing $80k/month

In this episode of Owned and Operated , John sits down with Ethan from New York to explore his rapid journey into the world of home services and franchising. From cold calls to private equity to launching a local newsletter — Ethan shares the real story behind building momentum as a new business owner. 🔑 What You’ll Learn: How Ethan used cold calling and emailing to win early leads Why franchising became the right fit for his growth goals How local newsletters create real business opportunities...

Jul 29, 20251 hr 1 minSeason 1Ep. 228

#227 How Small HVAC Businesses Are Disrupting the Industry

How HVAC Leaders Stay Ahead: Overcoming Growth Challenges and Innovation Fatigue In this episode, we unpack key growth and leadership lessons from the HVAC industry. From innovation fatigue and stalled marketing efforts to navigating leadership challenges and sustainable scaling — this one's for owners serious about building a high-performance business. 🔑 What You’ll Learn: Why summer slowdowns kill momentum (and how to avoid it) How innovation fatigue creeps in — even with the best tools What ...

Jul 24, 202554 minSeason 1Ep. 227

#226 HVAC Owner Makes $4M/Month (Here’s How)

In this episode of Owned and Operated , John sits down with Brian from TR Miller to unpack how they’ve built an HVAC powerhouse generating over $4 million in monthly revenue—and the operational systems that keep it humming. From tackling seasonality and streamlining dispatch, to building out plumbing, sewer, and electrical services—this isn’t just a story of growth. It’s a playbook. Brian shares the lessons learned from scaling, the hiring and retention strategies that keep their field team stro...

Jul 22, 202534 minSeason 1Ep. 226

BONUS EPISODE - Where is JackQuisitions??

🎉 Bonus drop! Jack’s got something new cooking— JackQuisitions is live. If you’re into business buying, deep dives, and Jack’s take on the acquisition world, head over to the new channel now to listen and watch. 👉 JackQuisitions Youtube 👉 JackQuisitions Spotify 👉 JackQuisitions Apple Music Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: S...

Jul 18, 202525 secSeason 1Ep. 225

#224 Top Cash Flow Mistakes in Home Services and How to Fix Them

In this episode of Owned and Operated , John and Jack break down the most underrated—and often misunderstood—pillar of business success: cash flow. They dive deep into what cash flow actually means (hint: it’s not EBITDA or net profit) and why failing to understand it almost tanked their companies. From sharing near-miss horror stories to the practical systems they've built—like automatic savings transfers and cash forecasting—this episode is a must-watch for any operator who wants to build a su...

Jul 17, 202544 minSeason 1Ep. 224

#223 Can These WEIRD Ideas Turn Into Million-Dollar Businesses?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John and Jack explore the wild and unconventional world of lifestyle businesses—where personal passion meets profit. From running an online Magic: The Gathering store to launching a ski wax brand, buying a marina, or even farming ants and mushrooms, the duo dives into how niche interests can evolve into sustainable, revenue-generating ventures. They discuss the lifestyle advantages of owning passion-driven businesses, the economics of niche markets, and how...

Jul 15, 202536 minSeason 1Ep. 223

#222 Leaving Finance to Build a Legacy in HVAC

Buying a service business with the idea of passive income? In this episode of Jack Acquisitions, host Jack interviews Thomas Beebe, a financial advisor who stepped into ownership of his family’s HVAC company. What started as a hands-off investment quickly turned into a hands-on leadership journey. From remote team management to turning around a messy acquisition, Thomas shares the tactical decisions, operational missteps, and growth strategies that shaped his perspective on what it really takes ...

Jul 11, 202542 minSeason 1Ep. 222
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