The Home Service Expert Podcast

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Chuck Thokey built sales teams that generated $220 million in 
revenue — and his first coaching client went from under $1 million 
to a $6 million net profit before being acquired by private equity. 
In this episode, Tommy sits down with the co-founder of Top Rep 
Sales Training to break down exactly why most sales teams are either 
your biggest asset or your most expensive liability — and why most 
owners can't tell the difference.

Chuck covers the four buyer personality types (the Platinum Rule), 
why best-bette...

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Your brand is either quietly growing your business or quietly killing it. In this episode, KickCharge Creative President Terri Briggs reveals why the most expensive decision home service contractors make is waiting — and how the right brand transforms average tickets, conversion rates, employee retention, and company value from day one.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 - Episode Introduction
03:49 - Brand Creation Process
07:00 - Revenue Impact Data
11:13 - Color Ownership Strategy
15:00 - Long-Term Brand Value
18:40 - Cost of Waiting
22:10 - Brand ROI Measurement
26:38 - Branded N...

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Jim Leslie is the CEO of Home Service Freedom and former CMO/CTO at A1 Garage Door — where he helped build the company to over $400 million. Today he breaks down exactly what's killing revenue inside most home service companies (hint: it's not your marketing), walks through real HSF member success stories with real numbers, and explains how the right systems, community, and coaching can take any home service company further, faster.

In this episode:
▸ The #1 reason home service marketing doesn't work (it's your booking rate)
▸ How a $22...

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Senja Spellman is a fractional CMO who has spent over a decade inside the marketing departments of companies like Tundra Land ($100M), Leaf Home, Bath Works, and Home Genius Exteriors. She took Bath Works from $12M to $25M in one year — now pacing $52M. Today she shares exactly how home service companies can build brand trust, track TV attribution, grow with zero ad spend, and disrupt in a market where everyone looks the same.

In this episode:
▸ Why 66% of customers pick by trust — and only 7% by price

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Tony Hoty filed bankruptcy at 29. Spent 10 years on the road training companies 
across the country because he had no choice. Then rebuilt to $10M+ in retail 
remodeling with Window Expo and Bath Expo.

His message is simple: stop throwing money at digital ads and start building a 
system that creates demand. Tommy and Tony break down door-to-door canvassing, 
home shows, events, call center follow-up, and the lead handling mistakes costing 
most remodelers thousands every month.

-- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 --
00:00 Intro & Origin Story

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Justin Feichter started Providence Roofing just over a year ago — after getting pushed out of his last company as a minority partner. In his first eight months he realized his pricing was completely wrong, rebuilt his systems on the fly, and crossed $1.2M in revenue.

He's still in the field every day. This is a real-time look at what it actually takes to build a blue-collar business from the ground up — the pricing mistakes, the social media strategy that's working without a budget, and what happens when you refuse t...

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Peter Thomas built $8 billion in real estate — then lost $70 million when his silent partner went bankrupt. At 87 years old, he's sharp, happy, and still building.

Tommy gets the real story: how Peter faced 18 creditors with nothing, negotiated every single one, and rebuilt from zero. The lesson? Your skill set and your network are the two things no collapse can ever take from you.

-- 🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕐 --

00:00 Peter Thomas introduction

01:15 Century 21 Canada 1974

01:34 Built $8 billion

02:13 Biggest failures discussed

03:39 Liv...

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Joe Crisara has trained thousands of home service technicians — and the number one thing he hears is that they don't want to be called salespeople.

In this episode, Joe breaks down why that resistance is costing your team money, your customers their options, and your business its potential. The fix isn't motivation. It's finishing the sentence. Joe's system, built over decades working with plumbers, HVAC techs, electricians, and garage door companies, is simple: make a friend, diagnose the whole system, build premium, mid-range, and economy options, personalize them, and c...

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John Block didn't build Unity Partners by being the smartest guy in the room. He built it by making sure he never was. As the founder of one of the fastest-growing private equity firms in home services, John has a framework that most operators never hear — and it has nothing to do with hustle, willpower, or grinding harder than everyone else.

In this episode, John breaks down why chasing revenue is the wrong game, what private equity actually looks for before acquiring a home service company, and the o...

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https://homeservicefreedom.com/

Dr. Benjamin Hardy is one of the world's leading organizational psychologists

— PhD, bestselling author of 10X Is Easier Than 2X, and Dan Sullivan's writing partner. In this episode, Tommy sits down with Dr. Hardy to break down why you don't need to be ready to start, how your future self is already waiting for you to decide, and the one mindset shift that separates the operators who scale from the ones who stay stuck.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Start Before You're Ready
02:54 Welcome and Introductions 
04...

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The biggest myth in home service technology? That software solves problems. It doesn't. People do.

Tommy sits down with Richard Kohberger — the go-to ServiceTitan expert and founder of Blue Collar Nerd — for one of the most honest conversations about technology, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a great home service company in the AI era.In this episode you'll learn:

— Why most companies use ServiceTitan wrong

— and what it actually looks like when you use it right

— The truth about AI repl...

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Most home service companies don't fail from a lack of opportunity — they fail because they lose focus.

Tommy sits down with Yarin Gaon, a growth advisor who has mentored over 397 businesses through Chicago and SCORE and helped company after company break through the $1M–$10M plateau. 

Yarin's framework is built on one core idea: the path of least resistance always wins. In this episode you'll learn:

— Why your current business model might not be the version worth scaling

— How to find the 20...

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https://homeservicefreedom.com/

💎 Top 5 Takes for this Episode!

1. People overestimate what they can do in one or two years — and massively underestimate what they can do in five to ten. Stick with the boring work.
2. Blue collar is the new rich. AI won't replace the trades. Private equity loves scalable home service. Most people couldn't name three flooring companies. That's the opportunity.
3. The real game isn't revenue — it's enterprise value. Lifestyle businesses extract cash. Legacy businesses build an asset worth selling.
4. Master the mundane. Discipline over dopamine...

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💎 Top 5 Takes for this Episode! There are two types of business owners — those who build for cash flow, and those who build enterprise value to sell. 

Know which one you are before you start. More marketing never fixes a broken operation. Fix your booking rate, cancellation rate, and conversion rate first. Then scale spend. A players today can become C players in two years.

The business grows, the people don't always grow with it. Watch for it. Never take on work outside your lane just because it's a b...

Learn more about Lace.ai here: https://lace.ai

Boris Valkov is a seasoned software engineer and entrepreneur with a track record of building and scaling products at some of the world's most influential tech companies. He previously worked at Facebook and Slack, where he contributed to high-impact systems used by millions of users globally.

He is the co-founder of Lace.ai, an AI-driven platform focused on helping businesses unlock insights from their data and improve performance through automation and smarter decision-making.

With deep expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and scalable systems, Boris...

David Peterson is Senior Vice President of Sales at Annuity, a powerhouse in the home improvement industry. With over 15 years of experience, David has scaled multi-brand platforms to nearly 1,000 sales representatives and helped grow Mad City Windows from a regional player to a $300 million+ powerhouse before its acquisition.

David is a proven expert in in-home selling, KPI-driven management, and building repeatable sales systems that deliver consistent results. From overcoming early career challenges to leading a billion-dollar company's sales strategy, David shares insights on leadership, sales culture, financing in home improvement, and the power of humility in success.<...

Josey Parks is a CEO, venture entrepreneur, and one of the most forward-thinking voices at the intersection of blue-collar industry and technology. As the founder of multiple companies spanning roofing, construction, and AI—including Total Home Roofing, RFX, Roofix, Think Unlimited, and Cognitive Contractor—Josey has built a reputation as a true category creator in the trades.

A former Inc. 5000 honoree and one of the youngest leaders to make a major impact in roofing, Josey has been featured on CNBC's Blue-Collar Millionaires and This Old House and was named "Roofing's Fearless Visionary" by industry leaders. Today, through Outl...

Shawn and Kaitlin Feurer are the founders of Shawn Feurer Consulting, a mindset and performance coaching company based in Draper, Utah, helping business owners across the U.S. and Canada unlock higher levels of execution, leadership, and growth. Together, they've built a reputation for blending mindset mastery with real-world business strategy—helping entrepreneurs break through internal limitations and scale companies that actually last.

Shawn, known as The Universal Mindset Disruptor, is the creator of The Inner Blueprint™ and brings over two decades of entrepreneurial experience, including building, losing, and rebuilding success multiple times. His journey—from rags to ric...

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Tim Hilcove is the founder of SmartWrap, a Phoenix-based vehicle wrap and branding company he launched in 2009 alongside his father. Over the past 15+ years, Tim has helped businesses across the country transform their vehicles into high-performing marketing assets: combining design, messaging, and strategy to generate real, measurable growth. With a background in design, production, and marketing, Tim has built SmartWrap into a full-service operation, producing and installing thousands of wraps annually through an in-house model that prioritizes speed, quality, and consistency. His work focuses on helping small...

David Royce is the founder and chairman of Aptive Environmental, one of the fastest-growing residential pest control companies in North America. Under his leadership, the company scaled to a $500M+ business operating across 30+ states and thousands of cities, with a team of over 6,000 employees.

Recognized by Forbes, Fortune, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The Wall Street Journal, David is a recipient of the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Beyond business, he brings a unique perspective by combining operational excellence with psychology, leadership development, and human behavior, helping founders scale not just their companies—but their...

Brian Franco is a visionary entrepreneur, dealmaker, and private equity investor widely known as "The M&A Guy." He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Meritage Partners, where he has spent over two decades guiding founders, private equity groups, and strategic acquirers through transformative mergers and acquisitions—helping generate billions in successful exits.

Brian is the author of Inevitable Exit, a definitive guide to business succession, strategy, and legacy, and the creator of Empire Builder Studio, a platform focused on scaling companies and preparing them for liquidity events. He also hosts The M&A Guy Podcast, wh...

Learn more about LJW Advertising here: https://www.larryjohnwright.com/

Larry John Wright Advertising (LJW) is a full-service creative and media strategy firm based in Mesa, Arizona, helping growth-focused companies turn marketing into measurable revenue.

Founded in 1982, LJW specializes in combining strategic media buying with strong creative execution—placing campaigns across television, radio, billboards, streaming, digital, and social platforms. With in-house production studios creating thousands of ads each year, LJW helps clients move faster, control costs, and maintain consistent messaging.

With decades of experience and a proven track record across industries like home se...

Nate Fischer is a technologist and the CTO of Local Optics, a digital marketing and SEO company focused on helping home service businesses dominate their local markets. With a background in software development and search engine optimization, Fischer has built his career at the intersection of data, automation, and performance-driven marketing.

Throughout his work, Fischer has helped contractors and service companies rethink how they approach online growth—moving beyond traditional SEO tactics and toward systems that leverage real-world job data, customer interactions, and proof-based content to drive results. His approach emphasizes turning everyday field activity into scalable di...

Ryan Fenn is an entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Chiirp, a software company focused on helping home service businesses convert more leads into booked jobs. A lifelong entrepreneur, Fenn built his career from the ground up—starting with a windshield repair business he launched with just a few hundred dollars and scaling it into a multi-location operation.

Through his early experience in sales and home services, Fenn identified a major gap in the industry: most companies weren't losing revenue because of poor marketing, but because of inconsistent and slow follow-up with leads. This insight ultimately led...

Interested in a complimentary market scan or ads workshop from Valpak? Click here: http://asktommypodcast.com/Valpak

In this episode of The Home Service Expert, Tommy sits down with Dan Harlacher from Valpak, a marketing expert with over 30 years of experience helping local businesses generate leads and grow through targeted direct mail and data-driven marketing strategies. While many marketers focus only on digital advertising, direct mail continues to be one of the most powerful and underutilized lead generation tools, especially for home service businesses. Valpak has evolved from the iconic blue envelope into a sophisticated omnichannel marketing...

In this episode, we sit down with Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of ServiceTitan, the software platform that revolutionized how home service businesses operate. Born out of the frustrations of running his family's plumbing business, Ara set out to build technology specifically designed for contractors. What started as a solution for small service companies has grown into a billion-dollar software and one of the most powerful platforms in the home services industry. This episode dives into the story behind ServiceTitan, the challenges of building SaaS for trades businesses, and how technology is reshaping the future of home services.

W...

Brigham Dickinson is the co-founder and president of Power Selling Pros, a company that helps home service businesses turn more incoming calls into booked jobs through world-class customer service and call-handling training. After years of studying top-performing service companies, Brigham developed proven systems that help CSRs and office teams deliver exceptional customer experiences that drive revenue and loyalty.

Today, Power Selling Pros works with contractors across the country to improve call conversion, increase bookings, and build cultures centered on the "Pattern for Excellence." Brigham is also the host of the Service MVP Podcast, where he interviews leaders acr...

In this conversation, Rob Anderson shares his insights on the importance of company culture, customer service, and effective recruitment strategies in the home services industry. He emphasizes the need for businesses to focus on making customers happy and creating a positive work environment for employees. Rob discusses the significance of data-driven decisions, the impact of partnerships, and the challenges posed by private equity. He also highlights the importance of leadership development, emotional intelligence, and the art of storytelling in building relationships with clients and partners. Ultimately, Rob encourages a forward-looking mindset and the continuous pursuit of personal and professional...

Tommy Mello hosts a Super Bowl day episode of The Home Service Expert with Ismael Valdez, founder of VE and NextGen (Anaheim), discussing how to scale home service businesses through disciplined marketing, sales process mastery, and operational execution. Ishmael explains how he would evaluate investing in a $20M company by first assessing the energy and leadership of the C-suite/upper management, then reviewing data systems like CRM/ServiceTitan and financials, contrasting this with smaller $4 - $5M owner-driven businesses. They discuss the importance of competitiveness, infrastructure, and recruiting, and Tommy's focus on lead generation and funnel math (booking rate, cancellations...

In this conversation, Tommy Mello and Brian Sooy discuss the critical aspects of branding, marketing, and leadership in the home services industry. They explore the importance of clarity in branding, the need for differentiation in a competitive market, and the balance between branding and direct response marketing. Brian shares insights on creating memorable customer experiences, the role of storytelling in branding, and the significance of data-driven decision-making. They also touch on building a strong company culture and the mindset of ownership that can drive success in business.

In this conversation, Tommy Mello interviews Benjy, a data analytics expert, discussing the critical role of data in AI and marketing. They explore how businesses can leverage customer data for targeted marketing strategies, the importance of consistent marketing efforts, and the future implications of AI on the workforce. Benjy shares insights on understanding customer personas and the necessity of viewing marketing as an investment rather than a cost. The discussion also touches on the evolving landscape of AI and its potential impact on human roles in various industries.   00:00 The Importance of Data in AI 01:30 Benjy's Journey into Data Analytics 02:43 The E...

In this episode, Tommy Mello interviews Zach Deering, co-founder of Mantle, an AI-powered sales platform for home services. They discuss the evolving landscape of home services, the importance of creating a shopping experience for homeowners, and how technology can enhance sales processes. Zach shares insights from his background at Amazon and McKinsey, emphasizing customer obsession and the need for simplicity in business. The conversation also touches on generational differences in shopping behavior, the role of financing in home services, and the future of AI integration in the industry.

Learn more about Mantel: www.usemantel.com

...

In this conversation, Vince Nardo shares his extensive experience in the home services industry, discussing the challenges and strategies involved in breaking into new markets, the complexities of private equity, and the importance of grassroots marketing. He emphasizes the need for a strong company culture, effective marketing strategies, and team alignment to drive growth. Vince also reflects on the significance of recognizing and retaining talent, as well as the importance of having a plan for life after selling a business.

00:00 Breaking into New Markets

02:04 Vince Nardo's Journey in Home Services

05:36 The Challenges of...

Grant Winstead is an expert in home service, renovations, leadership, coaching, and sales based in the Washington DC-Baltimore area. He is the CEO of Renovation Experts and operates as a transformational coach. With over 40 years of experience, Grant has built his multi-million dollar company from the ground up, starting as a door-to-door canvasser. Throughout the interview, Grant shares his personal journey from a challenging upbringing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to becoming a successful home service operator. He emphasizes the importance of mindset over tactics in achieving growth and success. Grant discusses overcoming obstacles, the impact of mentorship, and the critical...

In this conversation, Tommy Mello interviews Justin Hatcher, an expert in sales and financing within the home improvement industry. They discuss the significant impact of financing on sales success, the importance of integrating financing into the sales process, and the challenges faced by private equity firms in the home improvement sector. Justin shares his journey from working in home improvement to creating a multi-lender financing platform, emphasizing the need for a strong business culture and effective marketing strategies. The discussion also touches on the future of financing in the industry and offers valuable advice for young entrepreneurs.   00:00:00 Cold Open 00:00:06 Title S...

In this conversation, Dillon Georgian shares his journey in the turf industry, emphasizing the importance of leadership, operational efficiency, and the balance between family and business. He discusses his transition from retail to distribution, the significance of equity incentives, and the need for a resilient mindset in entrepreneurship. Dylan also highlights the role of technology and systems in modern business, the importance of purpose, and the desire to give back to the community. His insights provide valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and established business leaders alike.

In this conversation, Tommy Mello interviews Johnny Conklin, founder and managing partner of 16 South Capital Partners. They discuss the importance of partnerships in business, the evolving landscape of private equity, and the role of founders in driving success. Johnny shares insights from his journey in private equity, emphasizing the need for authenticity, transparency, and a focus on non-economic goals. He explains the unique approach of 16 South Capital, which prioritizes legacy preservation and team culture over traditional leverage strategies. The conversation also touches on the misconceptions surrounding private equity and the importance of preparing for life after a sale.

In this conversation, Richard Lewis and Adam Hanover, founders of Redwood Services, discuss their unique approach to private equity in the home services industry. They emphasize the importance of partnerships, culture, and a long-term investment strategy that prioritizes the growth and success of local businesses. The discussion covers their backgrounds, the philosophy behind their 'build to hold' strategy, and the significance of operational excellence and leadership in achieving sustainable growth. They also address the perception of private equity and the role of technology in enhancing business operations.

In this conversation, Megan Beattie, a seasoned marketing consultant, shares her insights on the importance of execution in consulting, the role of leadership in empowering young professionals, and the necessity of effective sales techniques. She emphasizes the value of scripts, training, and ethical canvassing in sales, while also discussing the challenges of delegation and the impact of personal experiences on leadership. The discussion touches on the future of AI in business and the importance of investing in training and leadership for sustainable growth.

Kevin O'Leary is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and television personality best known as "Mr. Wonderful" on Shark Tank. Before he became "Mr. Wonderful," he was building software companies and collaborating with innovators like Steve Jobs — experiences that sharpened his belief that clarity, product focus, and disciplined execution separate real businesses from the noise.

After selling his first company in one of the biggest tech acquisitions of its era, O'Leary launched O'Leary Ventures, a diversified investment firm that backs founders who value data over ego and performance over posturing. His portfolio now stretches across consumer goods, technology, manufacturing, an...