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

Most home service businesses aren't sold for what they're capable of being worth. In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson and Will Schryver  reveal what separates a business that sells for a premium from one that gets discounted. From leadership and systems to pricing, technology, and operational maturity, they explain what buyers actually look for and why preparing for an ex...

What does it really take to build a home service business from the ground up? In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson sits down with Ryan and Aaron Osterkamp of Quality Comfort Home Services to unpack the journey from one technician working out of a house to a company targeting more than $9 million in annual revenue. They discuss the early years of wearing every hat, the decision to br...

Managing the leadership challenges that come with being a CEO can be surprisingly lonely. In this solo episode, John Wilson reflects on the last decade of leading Wilson Companies from a team of seven employees to more than 220. He shares the lessons that only come with experience, including imposter syndrome, difficult decisions, the weight of responsibility, and why leadership often feels differ...

Google search is changing. AI is changing how homeowners find contractors. And the marketing strategies that worked just two years ago aren't enough anymore. In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson sits down with Service Scalers CEO Sam Preston to break down what's actually working in HVAC marketing in 2026. From AI search and Google Business Profile optimization to Meta, Red...

If We Had to Start Over, We'd Do This Instead If John Wilson and Jack Carr lost everything tomorrow, how would they rebuild? In this episode of Owned and Operated , they tackle one of the biggest questions every entrepreneur eventually asks: would you buy a business, build one from scratch, or take a completely different path? John argues that acquiring a small home service business is still...

Stop relying on quality work alone to grow your home service business. Learn why prioritizing marketing and sales is the real key to small business growth. Many tradespeople and contractors believe that doing good work will naturally bring in more clients. That strategy often fails. Why? Because your business needs a steady flow of leads to survive. We break down why the phone needs to ring before...

When should you rebrand an acquisition, and when should you leave it alone? In this episode, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down how they think about branding after acquisitions. They discuss the operational tradeoffs, marketing benefits, cultural impact, and why many of the largest home service companies take completely different approaches. The conversation covers lessons learned from dozens of...

If We Started Over Today, These Are the Businesses We'd Buy What’s the best home service business to start in 2026? In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson and Jack Carr break down the industries they'd bet on if they had to start over from scratch today. From HVAC, plumbing, and electrical to restoration, landscaping, roofing, septic, and even trash collection, they debate w...

Many small business owners struggle with identifying core issues, often guessing at problems instead of relying on concrete data. This video emphasizes the importance of focusing on measurable key metrics within a home services business. By tracking performance metrics like leads, booking rates, and closing rates, owners can significantly improve their business management and gain clear insights i...

How do you go from Tesla to owning a plumbing company? In this episode of Owned and Operated , John Wilson sits down with Jared Worthen to discuss buying a plumbing business, transitioning from tech into the trades, and what it's really like to acquire and operate a home service company. After building his career at Tesla and ServiceTitan, Jared spent years searching for the right acquisition...

Most contractors are using AI to save time. John Wilson and Service Scalers CEO Sam Preston argue the real opportunity is much bigger: using AI to replace software, automate workflows, and build custom tools that drive growth. In this episode, John and Sam break down how home service companies are using "vibe coding" to build websites, internal software, dashboards, and automation system...

How Speed to Lead Unlocks More Revenue From Every Lead Source Most contractors think they need more leads. According to Tyson Chen, co-founder of Avoca, most home service companies actually need a better system for capturing, contacting, and converting the leads they already have. In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Tyson Chen to break down the speed-to-lead systems that are helping home s...

Most people think pet waste removal is a side hustle. Erica Krupin built a real business around it. In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Erica Krupin, founder of Kroopin's Poopin' Scoopin', to break down the surprisingly scalable world of pet waste removal. From starting with a bucket, rake, and a 2007 Chevy Cobalt to building a recurring-revenue service business with hundred...

This week, I’m sharing the books that shaped the way I think about business and helped me scale my family’s company from $1 million to $44 million in revenue. These are more than popular business books sitting on a shelf. Each one solved a specific problem at a critical stage of growth, from leadership and operations to hiring, sales, and scaling. In this episode, I break down the lessons that had...

Most contractors wrote off Yelp years ago. But the platform has quietly become one of the most powerful lead-generation engines in the home service space,  powered by AI partnerships with OpenAI and Perplexity that are funneling search traffic directly to Yelp listings.  John Wilson sits down with Katy Lightsey, Head of Services at Yelp, to break down exactly how  61 home service leads  are flowin...

Most contractors think offshoring is about saving money. It's actually about creating leverage. John Wilson and Jack Carr break down how offshore teams helped them scale faster, build better systems, and free up key leaders to focus on growth. They share exactly which roles to offshore, what to keep in-house, and the leadership lessons they've learned after managing dozens of remote team...

We swapped 40 Ford Mavericks into our home service fleet — and the results changed the way we think about fleet management. Most home service companies are overspending on vehicles without realizing it. A new service van can cost $50,000–$60,000 today. A Ford Maverick? Around $27,000. We now run 40 Mavericks inside a 120+ vehicle fleet — and we’ve lowered overhead, reduced accidents, improved fuel...

Most contractors who can't scale their home service business aren't failing — they're solving the wrong problems at the wrong time. John Wilson sits down with FieldPulse Chief Growth Officer Daniel Eigner to break down the operational chaos that kills growth between $1M and $10M. From contractor CRM setup and price books to job costing, KPIs, and AI tools — they cover what actually...

Most home service companies don’t fail because they scale too slowly — they fail because they scale too early. In this episode, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down the biggest scaling mistakes contractors make between $2M–$5M, including second locations, new trades, over-hiring, and broken systems. They share hard-earned lessons on leadership, KPIs, operational bottlenecks, and what actually make...

Having acquired 15 businesses in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services, John Wilson breaks down what really happens after the acquisition closes. Learn practical strategies for how to buy a business, including sourcing off-market deals, business valuation, negotiating with sellers, due diligence, and building a strong post-acquisition integration plan. If you're interested in business acqui...

What separates the fastest-growing home service companies from everyone else? In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Julie from Big Reputation to break down what’s actually working in local SEO, Google Business Profiles (GBP), and online reviews in 2026. From review velocity and AI-driven search to multi-location GBP strategies and ranking in competitive markets, this conversation dives deep...

What actually drives growth in home services? In this compilation episode, John Wilson shares the systems and strategies behind scaling a $40M home service company — including how his team doubled a plumbing business in 90 days, improved cash flow, increased average tickets, and expanded through acquisitions. From pricing strategy and speed-to-lead automation to technician training and buying busi...

Most entrepreneurs think starting a business from scratch is the best way to grow. John Wilson disagrees. In this episode, John breaks down why buying an existing business can dramatically accelerate growth, reduce startup friction, and create opportunities that organic expansion often can’t match. Drawing from experience acquiring 14 companies and scaling a $40M plumbing, HVAC, and electrical bus...

Home service companies are leaving serious money on the table when it comes to referrals.  In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Murphy Nadauld from ReferPro to break down how top HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing companies are building scalable referral engines through lifecycle marketing, automation, and AI. In this episode, you’ll learn: • Why referrals are underutilized in home ser...

High ticket sales in home services aren’t about being pushy — they’re about giving customers the right options. In this episode, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down the systems behind bigger tickets, better close rates, and stronger sales cultures in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses. They unpack why many technicians struggle with sales, how to shift the mindset around presenting options,...