John sits down with Tyler Griffin (Swift Pro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing) to unpack how he launched a fast-growing HVAC + Plumbing startup in one of the most competitive markets in America: Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia. From selling his previous exterior business to private equity, taking a six-month reset, and then sprinting from zero to multi-million in year one, Tyler shares the gritty playbook—reviews over revenue early, Angie Ads to jumpstart demand, vendor partnerships (hello, Tr...
Oct 14, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 250
John sits down with Micah Findley (HomeField) to talk about building a national brand in one of the most overlooked trades: The Septic Pumping Business. From pricing thousand-gallon pumps to dump fees, grease traps, and service agreements, this is the real playbook for scaling a modern Septic Pumping operation. They unpack the entire stack—how a Septic Truck Business goes beyond “just pumping” into repairs, installs, commercial work, and recurring maintenance—plus route density, transfer (frac) ...
Oct 09, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 249
Welcome to Entry & Exit — the new Owned and Operated series for builders in the security & life-safety world. Hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share how they grew Alarm Masters from under $2M to ~3× revenue, including +50% RMR growth in Year 1. From recurring revenue (RMR) to acquisitions and organic growth, this episode breaks down what it really takes to scale a security business — and eventually position it for a successful exit. ✨ What You’ll Learn -The 3 revenue pillars (Insta...
Oct 08, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 249
Live from Pantheon, John sits down with RJ Magee (Sierra) and Tyson Chen (Avoca AI) to talk about the future of technology in home service — from AI call centers to multi-location growth and ServiceTitan integration. RJ shares how Sierra grew to 6 companies across 5 states through strategic acquisitions, while Tyson explains how Avoca’s AI agents are transforming call centers — booking jobs, handling overflow, and integrating directly with CRMs. They unpack what it really takes to expand across ...
Oct 07, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 248
Over the last five years, Steve Carroll scaled Kelso Industries from zero to $1.1–$1.2B top line with 3,500+ employees across mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) — powered by 29 acquisitions and an “empowered, decentralized” operating model. In this wide-ranging conversation, Steve and John unpack the Kelso flywheel (construction ➜ retrofit ➜ maintenance ➜ service), how to choose what to centralize vs. decentralize, why leadership pipelines matter more than playbooks, and the realities of...
Oct 02, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 247
In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson sits down with his good friend and fellow operator, Rich Jordan, to unpack how he scaled from $700K to over $30M in just five years — across three branches and two states. Rich shares the unfiltered lessons from going multi-location, from the chaos of centralizing call centers too early, to re-decentralizing and finally recentralizing with the right infrastructure. He and John dive into the cultural challenges of acquisitions, how to win buy-in...
Sep 30, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 246
In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson is joined by Jack Carr (Jackquisitions) to break down the 4 steps to train your sales team and raise revenue fast. From building a repeatable process to setting metrics, John and Jack share how to treat sales like an order of operations—diagnosing problems step by step so your team can fix weaknesses and improve call over call. They discuss why consistency beats ad-hoc training, how to gamify scoreboards so techs know exactly where they stand, ...
Sep 25, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 245
In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson is joined by Jack Carr from Jackquisitions to break down how to hire the perfect employee—the true A-player who moves your business forward. From defining success to matching personality to role, John and Jack share a 4-step playbook to build an offer A-players want, market the job like a product, scope roles tightly with clear KPIs, and screen for the right behavioral fit. They dive into why you should treat hiring like marketing & sales, ...
Sep 23, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 244
In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson is joined by Jen Laughlin from WeSupplyTrades to break down how contractors can cut material costs without sacrificing quality. From OEM parts to exclusive brands, John and Jen dig into real-world ways to protect margin, get parts fast (even if you’re rural), and build supplier partnerships that actually help you scale. They dive into shipping realities (UPS vs. LTL), why exclusives like Stream33/Breeze33/Bright33 can be margin game-changers, h...
Sep 18, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 243
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Jack Carr from Jackquisitions to break down the four steps every business owner must take to truly become a CEO. From leaving the tools behind to managing senior leaders, John and Jack share the exact progression operators go through—and the pitfalls at each stage. They dive into the messy middle stages (what Jack calls “owner’s hell” ), where infrastructure costs skyrocket and leaders struggle to let go. John opens up about his own...
Sep 16, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 242
In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson is joined once again by Ethan Wright from Service Scalers to answer a big question: what would you do with a million-dollar marketing budget? Together, they unpack how $1M breaks down between demand capture (LSAs, PPC, SEO, lead partners) and demand generation (TV, radio, social, branding) — and why the first priority is always the lead. John and Ethan talk about beating proven channels until they’re maxed, why operators get in trouble by sprea...
Sep 11, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 241
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Ethan Wright from Service Scalers to tackle the three biggest marketing mistakes that keep service companies from scaling. Together, they break down why most owners get lost chasing leads, how spreading budgets too thin kills ROI, and why neglecting your Google Business Profile can cost you serious growth. John and Ethan dig into the numbers that actually matter—booking rates, cost per lead, demo rates, and ROI—and explain how knowi...
Sep 09, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 240
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Jack Carr from Jack Acquisitions, who also runs Rapid Response Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in Nashville, TN. Together, they break down the four most important pillars to scaling a home service company past $10 million a year: leads, people, sales, and infrastructure. John and Jack dig into what separates $1M businesses from $10M+ operators, from locked-in marketing strategies to strong recruiting pipelines and dedicated sales ...
Sep 04, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 239
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Tony from Wanamaker to break down one of the biggest challenges contractors are facing in 2025: leads are tougher for everyone. John and Tony dig into why this year has been so unusual for home service businesses, from cooler summers and unpredictable weather to rising digital costs and shifting media consumption. They unpack how operators can protect market share in a down year, why consistency beats quick creative changes, and t...
Sep 02, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 238
Welcome to Day 30 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s topic is one of the biggest levers you have in scaling your company: Cut Overhead Like a Maniac. 🧠 Why This Matters Overhead is the silent profit stopper. Left unchecked, it can balloon quickly and quietly, eating into your margins without driving real growth. Every dollar tied up in overhead is a dollar not fueling revenue, marketing, or growth. To...
Aug 30, 2025•3 min•Season 2Ep. 30
Welcome to Day 29 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s lesson might surprise you because it runs counter to the current industry hype: Don’t Overinvest in Technology. 🧠 Why This Matters In the trades, there’s a new app or software tool launching seemingly every hour. Each one promises to grow your business, improve efficiency, or magically solve problems. The truth? Technology can help — but too much te...
Aug 29, 2025•2 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Welcome to Day 28 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s lesson is simple, bold, and direct: Outspend Your Competitors in Sales & Marketing. 🧠 Why Outspending Works Marketing isn’t a cost — it’s an asset. It’s the lever that drives growth, creates demand, and keeps your pipeline full. While many competitors cut back when times get tough, the businesses that double down on marketing are the ones that w...
Aug 28, 2025•2 min•Season 2Ep. 28
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Tony Castellucci from Wanamaker to break down how home service companies should think about marketing spend at three different levels: $100K, $500K, and $1M. Tony and John dig into what works (and what doesn’t) as your budget scales. From avoiding white noise and wasted spend, to maximizing digital safety nets like SEO, PPC, LSAs, and Google My Business, the conversation highlights how to build consistent lead flow and a strong br...
Aug 28, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 237
Welcome to Day 27 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today we’re diving into a powerful framework for spending money wisely: Strategic vs. Non-Strategic Costs. 🧠 Why This Matters Not all expenses are created equal. Some costs fuel growth and strengthen your competitive advantage. Others just bloat the business, add headcount, or waste capital without moving you forward. The challenge? Everyone — even smart ow...
Aug 27, 2025•3 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Welcome to Day 26 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s lesson is the natural follow-up to yesterday’s topic of Cut Complexity. Once you trim what doesn’t work, the next step is simple: Multiply Your Winners. Why Multiplying Winners Matters Too often, owners keep dragging along departments or services that look big on top-line revenue but secretly ruin margins. The real growth hack is cutting what’s unpro...
Aug 26, 2025•2 min•Season 2Ep. 26
#236 — AI Sales Engines for Home Services: Tal Shub on Craft & Closing More Deals In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Tal Shub, CEO of Craft, to dive into how AI is transforming sales in the home service industry. Tal shares how Craft built an AI-powered sales engine that listens to customer conversations, provides real-time coaching, and helps service teams recover lost revenue. From boosting average tickets with better financing conversations to coaching techn...
Aug 26, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 236
Welcome to Day 25 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.Today’s topic is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in scaling a business: Cut Complexity. Or, as I like to say: Simple is Scalable. 🧠 Why Simplicity Wins Complexity creeps in quietly — through overbuilt processes, too many services, or redundant systems. It feels like “good business” at the time, but in reality it slows growth, increases mistake...
Aug 25, 2025•3 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Welcome to Day 24 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 important — and often most confusing — financial topics in business: Cash Flow. It’s the reason so many owners scratch their heads at year-end when their accountant says, “Congrats, you made a profit,” but the checking account feels empty. That gap? That’s cash flow. 🧠 Why Cash Flow Matters There’s a huge difference b...
Aug 24, 2025•4 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Welcome to Day 23 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.Today, we’re talking about a trap that many business owners fall into as they grow: Over-Delegation. Yes, you should delegate. Yes, you should make yourself replaceable in the day-to-day. But there’s a critical line you cannot cross: abdication. 🧠 Why Over-Delegation Is Dangerous Delegation is a superpower — it frees you up to work on the business, not in th...
Aug 23, 2025•3 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Welcome to Day 22 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 fastest ways to improve margins without cutting jobs, service quality, or growth: Vendor Negotiations. If you had to find 10% savings in your business today, where would you look first? That’s right — your vendors. 🧠 Why Vendor Negotiations Matter Your vendors are some of your biggest partners… but also one of your bigges...
Aug 22, 2025•5 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Welcome to Day 21 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re tackling a silent bottleneck of growth: Over-qualifying what you already know. The truth is simple: speed wins. Most businesses don’t fail because they made a wrong call — they fail because they got stuck waiting for the perfect call. Analysis paralysis keeps you stuck while competitors take action. 🧠 Why This Matters If more information was al...
Aug 21, 2025•3 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Chad Peterman, president of Peterman Brothers, to dive deep into what it takes to scale a home service company to nine figures. Chad shares how he and his team grew Peterman Brothers from $20M to $100M, expanding across multiple Midwest markets while navigating the challenges of recruitment, infrastructure, and market entry. From pooling install labor to centralizing processes and managing service lines, Chad breaks down the syste...
Aug 21, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 235
Welcome to Day 20 of the Double Your Profit Series The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re digging into one of the toughest — and most important — topics in business: Improving Employee Productivity. It’s tempting to think the secret is cloning your best performer. But here’s the reality: if you average your top performer with your lowest performer, their combined output often falls below the team average. That’s why low performers do...
Aug 20, 2025•3 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Welcome to Day 19 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 profitable levers in your business: Raising Your Conversion Rate. Conversion rate is simply how many potential customers you turn into paying customers. And here’s the beautiful part: you don’t need more leads to grow your business — you just need to get better at handling the ones you already have. 🧠 Why Conversion ...
Aug 19, 2025•3 min
In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson sits down with Ismael Valdez, founder of NextGen and Nuva Thermostats, to unpack how he built one of the fastest-growing home service businesses in the country. Valdez shares how he scaled NextGen from his garage to a $100M+ powerhouse with multiple locations, breaking down the exact strategies that fueled his growth. From high-ROI marketing plays to perfecting tech turnover processes and managing gross profit like a hawk, you’ll learn the play...
Aug 19, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 234
