What do you have to do to improve your business? Learn from others! Attend industry events like... The Boston Summit. It's going to be a great event. Jim Hinshaw and Jazmine Colson tell us WHY successful contractors attend Service Nation events, and what you'll miss out on if you fail to come. BONUS: Jim's got some deals for you!

Four years later I get another chance to interview the amazing Lori Stickling! Lori and her husband Delayne own Covenant Plumbing in Bloomington, Illinois. Four years ago I interviewed Lori shortly after they joined Service Nation Alliance and were in the early stages of changing their business. So, what happened? I'm happy to report they've grown substantially. How did they do it? Listen and learn! Please note: the first interview with Lori is episode 70. It has a lot of the background information about Lori, Delayne, and Covenant Plumbing. In this episode you'll hear:

• How much Covenant grew
• Their significant changes to marketing
• How Covenant Plumbing finds great employees
• Business books that Lori recommends
• Rebranding
• The influential people in her life
• The advantage of being in great networks like Service Nation Alliance and The Rotary
• Advice
• The future for Covenant Plumbing

Brian Carpenter is the Vice President of Mark Carpenter Plumbing, Heating, and Air in Clovis, New Mexico. The combined statistical area they serve is less than 70,000 - and yet they're thriving and enjoying strong growth. How do they do it? Brian is a very smart guy with great experience. In this episode Brian talks about:

• How Brian Carpenter joined our industry as an adult, without trade experience
• About Mark Carpenter Plumbing, Heating, and Air
• Adding new vertical markets
• Changing the service mix
• Finding and keeping good people
• Considerations of geographical expansion
• The challenges of a small market
• The benefits of trade shows
• Advice

Bailey McCormick is the General Manager of Air Bros in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Her career has been one of tremendous personal and professional growth. She's taking her experience and knowledge to a new company and doing great things there. How did she do it? What are her secrets for success? What career advice does she have? In this episode you'll hear:

• The accidental way Bailey McCormick joined our industry
• Initial responsibilities and a decision to grow
• Selling the business and moving forward
• Rejuvenation and a new opportunity
• Joining Air Bros
• Goals for the new company
• Why Bailey McCormick attends tradeshows
• How to get the most from industry tradeshows and conferences
• Advice for a great career in residential service

The great Dave Rothacker makes his 10th appearance on our podcast to tell us about his picks for the top business books for 2024. Dave reads more business books in a year than anyone I know. He has tremendous insight into our industry and so his recommendations are perfect for all of us. Plus, Dave provides a useful technique for getting creative ideas and resolving issues.

Here's something different. Normally we talk with HVAC and Plumbing companies and their supporting vendor-partners, but today we're talking with Nathan Nelson of Empire Fence. Empire Fence is a large, successful company serving the Residential, Residential New Construction, and Commercial markets. It's interesting and instructive to talk to people in similar but different industries; it's a wonderful learning and idea-generating opportunity. In this episode you'll find:

• How Empire Fence started in 1955, founded by Nathan Nelson's Grandfather
• How the need for a baseball glove started Nathan's career in the Fence Industry
• The amazing Grandfather / Grandson relationship that fueled Empire's growth
• Empire Fence's unique online quoting tool, and what that does for them
• Launching service contracts
• Finding good people
• Using Compensation Analysis to keep good people and operate in an atmosphere of transparency
• Marketing
• Future growth and expansion

Lou Hobaica more than just a successful contractor. He is an original thinker, a superb coach, a marketing genius, a master motivator, and a kind community philanthropist. If you're in the industry, it's possible you've heard the phrase “You'll lika Hobaica.” That's the tagline for Phoenix-based Hobaica Services, which has been in business since 1952. Lou Hobaica, is an industry icon, a Service Nation mentor and coach, and one of the smartest and best business leaders in our industry. In this episode, Lou Hobaica talks about the inception of Hobaica Services, growing the business with the 2nd generation, and the successful recent sale. You'll learn why Lou got into the Wine Cellar business, and how to manage a business with family. Lou also gives us 3 amazing ideas for contractors. Listen and learn from Lou Hobaica and you'll "lika Hobaica" too!

The old saying about advertising is that you know you're overspending by 50%, you just don't know which 50% to cut.

Measures of opens and clicks are interesting, but they only give you limited information. What you need is a way to accurately measure which ads are working and be able to tie those ads directly to revenue. Enter Kevin LeSage and Searchlight. Kevin grew up in our industry helping his Plumber Father as a kid. After college Kevin worked in digital marketing and analytics. Then he returned to our industry to help his Dad and other Residential Service companies. Would you like to know which of your ad campaigns works best for you, and which ones are ineffective? Of course you would! Would you like to know how Searchlight does this? This is information you need to know!

Doug Jackson is the 31 year old General Manager of Jackson Services, a large, recently acquired residential services company. Doug was recently named to the elite 40 Under 40 group. He started in HVAC at a young age and by his mid 20's had done every job in the company. After becoming GM, he led the company to spectacular growth in just a few years. How did he do it? In this episode Doug talks with us about:

• Doug's career at Jackson Services
• Solving puzzles
• Growing from $4 to $23 million
• Growing techs
• Changing the hiring paradigm
• Developing a recruiting program
• The benefits of Service Nation Alliance
• His role post-acquisition
• Getting advice from Lou Hobaica and his Service Nation Advisory Board
• Why it's a disservice to yourself, your company, and your family to not be properly profitable.

David Heimer interviews Brandon Jacob and Matt Michel on stage at Service World Expo. Brandon and Matt are in the middle of a unique research project about the fears and emotions of selling your business; information people typically don't discuss, but you need to know. They've interviewed many business owners who sold businesses in a variety of industries. They discuss some of their findings and the upcoming book.

• The fear of selling
• The highs and lows of selling your business
• DIY versus professional support
• Who should be on your business sale team
• Worrying about employees
• Keeping the sale a secret and what to do if discovered
• What does the acquiring entity want?
• Post sale emotions
• Advice for business owners

Katy Higgins knows the pain of a failed partnership. After tremendous growth in a new HVAC company, she walked away from her partnership. She floundered for a while and then restarted powerfully, created a new company, and is experiencing a reaffirming growth. In this episode, Katy tells us about:

• Her start in the HVAC industry
• Winning the Western Regional Comfort Advisor contest 3 years in a row while being the only woman comfort advisor
• Rejecting a “roaming” sales rep job
• “Sometimes the only ship that doesn't sail is a partnership”
• Advice for women entrepreneurs
• The power of community
• Her website, and what makes it different
• Creating trust
• Team meetings