Toolbox for the Trades

Sustainability is a cornerstone of running a business. Lowering your carbon footprint is cheaper than you might think. Not only does a sustainable business model promote goodwill in your community, but it is also profitable and efficient. Dale Jackson , Owner of Jackson Services , tells us how his commercial HVAC business has generated positive buzz by embracing sustainable money-saving technology...

Employment expectations are not a one-way street in any industry. Managers must understand their employees’ needs, be it work-life balance or commute time. As trade businesses struggle to find and retain technicians, they must be willing to meet recruits where they are. Phillip Mize , CFO of Happy Hiller Plumbing, HVAC, & Electrical Services , told us how their training school, Total Tech , ha...

We want your feedback! Share your thoughts on today’s episode by taking this 10-second survey . In this episode, we’re taking to the phones and answering questions from you - our dear listeners! Tom Howard , VP of Customer Experience at ServiceTitan , and Eddie McFarlane , President of Haller Enterprises , join us for a roundtable discussion on training, inventory management, and business growth....

John Akhoian , CEO of Rooter Hero Plumbing , jumped into the trades as a teenager after his father passed away. But what started as a means of supporting his family has evolved into a multimillion-dollar plumbing and HVAC business atop the California market. John returns to the show to update us on his company’s progress post-COVID and talk about his new book, Temporarily Broken: The John Akhoian...

A lot of things in life come full circle, and today as we celebrate Toolbox for the Trades’ 100th episode, we’re bringing back one of our most impactful and well known guests. Ken Goodrich, CEO of Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing, was our first guest way back in April of 2020 and today he makes a triumphant return for the show’s 100th episode. 100 episodes is a lot of ground to cover, but th...

With a global recession looming, businesses and their customers are tightening their belt buckles. Heaters and toilets will always need fixing, but what does a shrinking economy mean for the bottom line in the trades? Collin Hathaway , Owner of Guardian Roofing and Founder and CEO of Flint Group , joins us to recount his experience with investing in the trades during the 2008 recession. He believe...

With a dire need for technicians, trade businesses nationwide are scrambling to find help. Many companies are willing to teach raw recruits from scratch, but what does a culture of quality training look like? Al Levi , CEO of The 7-Power Contractor , has been consulting with small businesses on training and growth since the 80s. In 2017, he collaborated with Jason Kim , Owner and Service Manager o...

We’ve heard many stories of men and women in the trades who take a leap of faith to start their own businesses. Typically, those people are hardened veterans of their respective craft. So, you might say that Rick Vazza , the owner of John Padilla Plumbing Inc. in San Diego, is something of an anomaly. With zero experience in the trades, Rick bought his plumbing company in 2021. But with his extens...

Everyone is searching for the secret sauce for hit social media content. For Armando Ramos , owner of Plomero en Phoenix , one catchy jingle was just the right ingredient for his business. Jingle Stuck in your head? Spotify has you covered. In this episode, Armando shares how business at his dream plumbing company exploded after a 60-second TikTok went viral with over 50 million views. He also ela...

Most men and women in the trades prefer taking care of business in the field over burying their heads in a computer. My guest, Mike Marcil , Software Coach at Nexstar Network , is on a mission to help businesses maximize their software proficiencies so they can focus on what’s important - servicing their customers. As a veteran of the ServiceTitan OS since 2014, he knows a thing or two about getti...

Some of the leading pioneers in the trades are people who want to be part of the solution to a problem that needs fixing. That’s why my guest, Lina Kurucz , Managing Partner at Plumbing Troopers, Inc. , dove head-first into the plumbing business in 2015. She used her marketing background to kickstart a Florida plumbing firm that puts customer needs first. By leaning on her employees’ expertise, sh...

How often are service techs confronted with customer leads that they don’t know how to handle? Kelcey Summers , President at Service Business Evolution (SBE), and Will Smith , VP of Coaching & Training at SBE, contend that the issue isn’t lack of know-how but the absence of training. By coaching technicians to work with customers to solve problems rather than push sales, Kelcey and Will believ...

For decades, the American trades have had a regrettable stigma of dirty jobs meant for the uneducated. My guest, Joshua Page , President of JP Electric and Son, Inc. in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is on a mission to break down that barrier. Joshua wants to educate our youth and open their eyes to the real potential that awaits them in the trades. Join us as we discuss: - Joshua’s journey through the...

It’s a hard combination to both take advice and learn from experience, but that’s what these father and daughter owners have really taken to heart.   Hear our conversation with Chloe Davis and Ben Davis at Express Plumbing Heating & Air : Mentorship and deciding to work with your dad Why personal growth and people management are intertwined Best practices for designing process for people and s...

What’s it like to manage a family of companies with your sisters? Tune in for their amazing story of company growth from one to 217 employees and their plans to double again this decade.  Hear our conversation with sisters Jessica (Howe) Groat, CFO; Jaime Howe, Plumbing Operations Manager; and Haley Howe, GM, Restoration and Flood — all at the Bill Howe Family of Companies: How the company began a...

If you want superhero technicians, you have to provide them with superhero tools like taking a picture of a data plate and immediately knowing the history of that unit.   Emerging technologies have enabled efficiencies and safety measures that technicians have never known before. But the best part: The tech eliminates the physical toll.  Hear our conversation with Aaron Salow , CEO of XOi Technolo...

Think about data as levers you can pull to optimize outcomes for your company. Put that way, it doesn’t sound quite so overwhelming to get started in data.  Hear our conversation with Tyson Freeman, Head of Contractor Advisory Services at ServiceTitan: Why contractors should care about data Company-wide data goals need employee buy-in How to get started in data reporting    More information about...

Want to build an undeniable brand that speaks to the consumer? Well, have a seat on the couch because the brand therapist is in.   Hear our conversation with Dan Antonelli, President and Chief Creative Officer at KickCharge Creative: Why disruption matters in branding How a weak brand slows your business down How to build the foundation for a premium brand    More information about Dan and today’s...

David Noseworthy, Vice President of Corporate Development at Friendly Home Services Group, has worked on both Bay Street and Wall Street but now his focus has turned back to the trades with a very specific goal in mind: unlocking latent potential in employees. Why, you ask? Because David and the Friendly Group believe by unlocking the latent potential of each employee, you unlock the potential of...

In this episode, I interview Sean McGuire, Director of Innovative Technologies at Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) about what it’s like to work beside contractors working with advancements in technology.  A true tech detective for the trades, Sean encourages listeners to plan for the future, consider augmented reality, and much more. Join us as we discuss: - Top technology tips...

Today’s guest joined ServiceTitan after running marketing for one of the biggest brands in the trades. If you want to learn how to take your marketing to the next level (and why it’s so important to do your math), you won’t want to miss this episode.  In this episode, I interview ServiceTitan’s own Sarah Ghirardo , Sr. Marketing Operations Manager, about her best wisdom for marketing in the trades...

Business leaders make all kinds of mistakes, but here’s a huge one: You look at your top line and think that makes you successful. In this episode, I speak with Mike Disney , CEO at CEO Warrior , and Mary Anglen , Senior Advisor at CEO Warrior , about the nine pillars needed to build a true foundation for success — and other common errors of leaders in the trades. Join us as we discuss: Why you ne...

When you’re focused on creating five-star experiences for customers, you have to create five-star experiences for employees, too. Serving people as a core value extends to customers and employees both. Cassie Pound , Co Owner and Vice President at Quality Heating, Cooling & Plumbing , grew her HVAC company from 10 to nearly 50 employees by focusing equally on customer experience and employee e...

The mindset and outlook has changed in the water treatment industry in the past couple of years. It’s more future-minded and community-oriented than it has ever been before.  In this episode, I speak with Water Quality Association ’s Kathleen Burbidge , External Affairs Associate Director, and Eric Yeggy, Technical Affairs Director, about harnessing the opportunity to have a voice together and bol...

When you create an ad for your services, do you lead by asking potential clients where they went to college, whether they can juggle or how much they owe the IRS? That would be insane, right? Well, in today’s hiring market, leading with a litany of requirements is just as crazy. That’s one of the many insights Jody Underhill , Senior Partner at Rapid Hire, brings in today’s episode that will help...