Born For The Trades: A Home Service Podcast

Artificial intelligence is no longer coming. It is already here, and the gap between businesses that understand it and businesses that don't is widening faster than most people realize. Manuj Aggarwal has spent years at the center of that conversation, and today he brings it straight to the trades. As the founder and Chief Innovation Officer of TetraNoodle Technologies, Manuj has touched over...

What if the business you've been building is worth far more than you think? Chad Peterson has spent 25 years answering that question for business owners across the country, and the answer might surprise you. As the founder of Peterson Acquisitions and the creator of Quantum Stack Investing, Chad has been involved in more than $100 billion in completed transactions and has built a nationwide m...

Keith Flores didn't climb a corporate ladder. He built his own from the ground up, starting with real tools in his hands and turning decades of blue-collar experience into a blueprint for business success that most people only dream about. With 30+ years in the trades and a track record of building, scaling, and exiting HVAC businesses at a high level, Keith brings the kind of insight you can...

Most contractors believe growth is a numbers game. More leads, more trucks, more techs. But Danny Zatarain, Director of Learning and Development at Can’t Stop The Growth, has worked inside companies ranging from $10M to over $100M and he sees a different truth. Growth does not usually fail because of effort. It fails in the gaps between teams. In this episode, Danny breaks down why the call center...

Most contractors think growth is built in the field. More trucks, more techs, more leads. But Chad Peterman, CEO of Peterman Brothers, has built a 500+ person organization across HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, and he sees it differently. The real growth engine does not start in the truck. It starts at the first ring of the phone. In this episode, Chad break...

Most people in the trades are focused on getting through the week. Making payroll. Landing the next job. But every once in a while, someone comes along who plays a completely different game. On this episode of Born For The Trades, host Mandeep sits down with Lance Bachmann, a self-made entrepreneur who turned grit into over $100M in exits across multiple industries. And what’s surprising isn’t jus...

On this episode of Born For The Trades, Mandeep sits down with Kevin and Gabe, two Stanford-trained computer scientists who took an unexpected path. Instead of chasing flashy startups or big tech exits, they chose the home service industry, with a sharp focus on commercial contractors. It was not the obvious move. That is exactly why it matters. Kevin grew up around the trades, watching his uncle...

Live from EPIC 2026, Mandeep sits down with AJ Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Broccoli AI, for a conversation that every contractor needs to hear. What starts as a discussion about artificial intelligence quickly turns into a wake-up call about missed calls, lost revenue, and the hidden gaps in most home service businesses. Contractors spend thousands generating leads through SEO and Google Ads. The...

On this episode of Born For The Trades, Mandeep sits down with Strick Tudor, a leader who has spent more than 25 years serving the trades and learning what truly drives a contractor’s success. From two decades at Enterprise Fleet Management helping contractors optimize their vehicles to leading revenue and partnerships in the world of trade technology, Strick has seen the industry from every angle...

In this episode of Born For The Trades, host Mandeep sits down with Ryan Fenn, founder and CEO of CHIIRP, for a real, operator-first conversation about what actually drives growth in home service businesses, and why most owners are leaving money on the table without realizing it. Ryan didn’t build CHIIRP to chase shiny tech trends. He built it to solve a painfully common problem he saw over and ov...

In this episode of Born For The Trades , host Mandeep sits down with Ashlynn Rainaldi, Director of Client Success at Grow Nearby, for a conversation that goes far beyond surface-level marketing tactics. With nearly five years of hands-on experience helping home service businesses scale, Ashlynn brings a rare perspective, one rooted in real client relationships, operational clarity, and what actual...

The world of home services is changing fast, and today on Born For The Trades , host Mandeep sits down with someone who’s been shaping that change for years. Brigham Dickinson, President of Power Selling Pros and founder of the Power Certification Program, returns to the show to dive deep into one of the hottest topics transforming every industry right now: artificial intelligence. Since 2009, Bri...

In this episode of Born For The Trades , Mandeep sits down with one of the most disruptive voices in sales today: Sam Wakefield. An international best-selling author, coach, and host of the Close It Now Podcast , Sam’s mission is to help contractors break out of the price-cutting spiral and start selling with confidence, authority, and real results.  Right out of the gate, Sam tackles a hot take t...

From the back office of a plumbing shop to the frontline of AI innovation, AJ Jain’s journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode, Mandeep sits down with the mind behind Broccoli AI, a platform that was literally built shoulder-to-shoulder with contractors, not in a Silicon Valley boardroom. AJ shares how a 4-hour daily commute, a hands-on plumber named Marcel, and a relentless obsession with...

Alright, trade pros, today’s episode of Born For The Trades flips the script on how you think about growing your home service business. We’re not talking about tools, trucks, or technicians. We’re diving into something most contractors don’t even realize they need: artificial intelligence. Mandeep sits down with Jonathan Mast, founder of White Beard Strategies and creator of the Perfect Prompting...

Alright trade pros, buckle up for a no-fluff episode packed with gold. Today on Born For The Trades, your host Mandeep sits down with one of the most respected voices in garage door marketing, Robb Leishman. Robb is the Founder and Co-Owner of Legit5 Garage Door Marketing, the brains behind some of the most recognizable garage door brands out there. He’s a sales expert with a deep understanding of...

In this episode of Born For The Trades, host Mandeep sits down with a true force in the home service industry: Aaron Gaynor, CEO and Founder of The Eco Plumbers, Electricians, and HVAC Technicians, which is a $94 million and growing business empire rooted in Ohio. But don’t let the success fool you…Aaron’s journey is built on failure, grit, and an unstoppable mindset. Aaron’s story is one of total...

In this latest episode of Born for the Trades , I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with my good friend and fellow marketing powerhouse, April Edwards — founder of Deck Builder Marketers. April is a digital marketing expert with over 15 years of experience, and she’s made a name for herself by helping deck builders grow with clarity, strategy, and serious results. We’re both part of an inc...

What if the secret to scaling your home service business isn't more trucks or more tools—but showing up online with purpose? In this episode of Born For The Trades , host Mandeep sits down with Jen McKee, the sharp and savvy founder of Kee Hart Marketing, to explore why social media isn't just marketing—it's a business growth engine. Jen is no stranger to the spotlight. She’s a 5x a...

In this episode of Born For The Trades , Mandeep sits down with Brent Swift, the founder of SwiftCo, a company that has become a cornerstone of Norman, Oklahoma's roofing, construction, and real estate industries. With over 25 years of experience, Brent’s journey is a testament to dedication and craftsmanship. His story began with a simple but ambitious venture: Deckworks. From there, his pas...

In this episode of Born For The Trades, host Shreya dives deep with Sandy Papavero, a Master and Growth Advisor at CEO Warrior. With a career spanning sales consulting for industry giants like Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes, and expertise in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), Sandy has made it her mission to help home service professionals shatter limiting beliefs and reach new heights in business...

Sales isn’t just about the words you say—it’s about how you say them, how you move, and what your customers unconsciously pick up from you. In this episode of Born For The Trades , host Shreya sits down with sales expert Allan Langer to uncover the game-changing secrets that most sales reps overlook. Allan, the author of The 7 Secrets to Selling More by Selling Less , shares why traditional high-p...

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Welcome back to another exciting episode of Born for the Trades! Today, we’re diving into the world of HVAC with a special guest, Axel Romero. Since stepping into the HVAC industry in 2017, Axel’s journey has been nothing short of remarkable. What began as a focus on installations quickly evolved into a deeper passion for the inner workings of HVAC systems, and by 2019, Axel found his calling at C...

On this episode of Born for the Trades, Mandeep chats with Lynn Wise, co-founder of Contractor In Charge, a revolutionary service designed to help home service businesses—plumbers, electricians, HVAC professionals, and more—streamline their operations. With a background in both the trades and tech, Lynn’s journey is a fascinating blend of hands-on experience and cutting-edge solutions. Lynn’s path...