Plumbing & HVAC Hustle Podcast

Guest:
Jenna Toon – Founding Customer Success Manager, Reins

Guest Links:
Website: https://myreins.com

This episode breaks down when, why, and how HVAC and plumbing companies should use phantom equity to retain top talent without giving up real ownership. It explains why equity-based incentives are gaining momentum in home services, how rising competition and private equity have changed retention expectations, and why traditional bonuses often fail to create true ownership behavior. The episode walks through what phantom equity actually is, how it differs from traditional equity, and why it removes the biggest risks th...

Guest:
Jen McKee – Founder, Key Heart Marketing

Guest Links:
Website: https://keyheartmarketing.com
Conference: https://thegrowth-experience.com
Email: jen@keyheartmarketing.com

This episode breaks down why consistency—not virality—is what actually makes money in marketing, business growth, and personal development, and why most entrepreneurs quit right before momentum compounds. The episode explores how identity shifts drive long-term success, using parallels between fitness discipline and business discipline to explain why showing up when results are invisible is the real growth lever. It dives into why consistency builds trust in the marketplace, how re...

Guest:
Vincenzo Colosimo – Marketing Strategist, Hook Agency

Guest Links:
Website: https://hookagency.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vincenzo_colosimo/?hl=en

This episode breaks down what an ideal HVAC marketing budget looks like heading into 2026, and how growing companies should think about spend, percentages, and channel mix instead of guessing or reacting emotionally to short-term results. It explains why most growth-focused HVAC companies should be planning to invest roughly 6–8% of revenue into marketing, why that number feels uncomfortable for many owners, and why discomfort often signals deeper operational or profitability issues rath...

Guest:
Peter Roth – Founder, Scalify (Call Centers for Home Services)

Guest Links:
Website: https://scalifyco.com

This episode breaks down how call centers can become one of the most scalable and cost-effective growth channels for HVAC, plumbing, and roofing companies—when built correctly. It explains what call centers actually are (and what they are not), why forcing VAs into cold calling fails, and why professional, career call-center agents dramatically outperform improvised in-house setups. The episode walks through the real economics behind nearshore call centers, including labor arbitrage, agent quality, predictive dialers, and why mana...

Guest:
Mike Venidis – Co-Owner, Good Golly Garage Doors & Former Partner at Rhino Digital Marketing

Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mvenidis/

Good Golly Garage Doors: https://goodgollygaragedoors.com

MikeVenidis.com: https://mikevenidis.com

This episode explores how Mike Venidis, after 15 years building one of the most respected digital marketing agencies in the home service space, is now applying that expertise to launch Good Golly Garage Doors with a level of strategic precision rarely seen in this industry. The episode dives into his data-driven market planning, Census Bureau re...

Guest:
Andrew Dobbins – Founder & CEO, Intelligent Design Air Conditioning & Heating (Tucson, AZ)

Guest Links:
Company Website: https://www.idesignac.com
Podcast & Content: Sales Wars with Andrew Dobbins (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook)

This episode explores the real inflection point many home service owners face: when stepping out of sales and sales leadership becomes necessary for scale rather than a liability. Using Andrew Dobbins’ journey building Intelligent Design into a multi-trade operation across HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and electrical, the episode breaks down why top closers often become bottlenecks, how sales performance can mask deeper operational issu...

Guest:
Bob Beall – Founder, Bob Is The Plumber / Master Plumber licensed in 5 states

Guest Links:
Website & Training Programs: https://bobistheplumber.com

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Bobistheplumber

 This episode explores how Bob Beall built one of the fastest-scaling plumbing companies in his region, growing from a single truck to more than 40 by implementing systems, disciplined hiring processes, strong field management, and a training-first culture. The episode covers his early breakthrough after plateauing at five trucks, the moment he realized he had to release control to grow, and how he built lea...

Guests:
Dustin Mitchell – Co-Owner, Half Moon Plumbing
Tiffany Mitchell – Co-Owner, Half Moon Plumbing

Guest Links:
Dustin Mitchell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-mitchell-364310250/
Half Moon Plumbing Website: https://HalfMoonPlumbing.com

In this episode of The HVAC & Plumbing Hustle, Tim talks with Dustin & Tiffany Mitchell from Half Moon Plumbing in the Tulsa Metro. After years of steady but stagnant growth, they recently hit $10M+ in plumbing-only revenue, placing them in rare company. They break down the mindset shift, business acumen, leadership development, and operational changes that made it possible.

What...

19-year-old phenom Jason Melendez Jr. (Legend Air, Dallas) breaks down the five-step sales system that drove $2M in his first year—and how he’s gunning for $5M next year. He talks service-first selling, the “pullback/takeaway,” momentum resets, and making HVAC fixes understandable with kid-level analogies. Guest links: Legend Air (legendairtx.com) and Jason’s LinkedIn (see profile below). 

Guest: Jason Melendez Jr., Legend Air — LinkedIn profile (search “Jason Melendez – Aubrey, TX”) and company site: legendairtx.com. (Company pages corroborate Legend Air ownership/family business.)
LinkedIn+1

What you’ll learn

From $0 to a market leader in an ~80k city: Brandon Brown (Brown’s Heating, Air, Plumbing & Electrical) breaks down winning in tight markets, getting out of the truck after 12 years, retaining techs with culture (paid birthday off, real appreciation days), and building community ties that compound referrals. We dig into pricing discipline, adding trades the right way, and recruiting from trade schools & farm kids for grit.
 Guest: Brandon Brown — Brown’s Heating, Air, Plumbing & Electrical (Lynchburg, VA): brownsheatingair.com
Brown's Heating Air Plumbing Electrical | Book: Cool Success: Navigating the Highs and Lows of HVAC & Life (Amazon) 

If yo...

Homeowners push on price. Pros protect position. In this Plumbing Hustle episode, Jeff Cronin who sold $8.8M in one year breaks down how to neutralize price objections without discounting, anchor with commitments, and close with financing like a pro.
We cover: qualifying for trust, future pacing timelines, dismantling “3 bids,” and the Duck-Duck-Goose mindset for breaking a slump. 

Guest: Jeff Cronin — Prime Time Consulting → https://primetimeconsulting.net

Why watch: Protect your price, present with commitments + financing, and stop selling from your own wallet.

From gutter company exit to building a high-performance plumbing team, Mike Braun (Plumbing Director at Randy’s Electric & Plumbing) breaks down the mindset, routines, and processes that turn techs into top producers and salespeople into effective managers. We cover confidence on the call, re-engagement tactics, feedback loops, and leading with consistency.

Want to take your plumbing/HVAC startup from $300k–$500k to $1M+? Tim Brown sits down with Mitch Smedley (Smedley Plumbing) to break down the playbook: three-option pricing, frictionless payments, 10,000-hour tech guarantee, community “Family First” days, and YouTube + SEO tactics that compound growth. You’ll hear why to use AI for production—but never replace the customer intake—and how to turn every job into five-star review flywheels. Watch for concrete scripts, pages to build, and where to invest first to dominate local search and social. Subscribe for more home-service growth ops.

Home service leaders: want higher retention, stronger leadership, and a culture that actually wins? Laura Kelly (Clover Growth Partners) joins Tim Brown to break down transparent systems, solution-oriented surveys, daily EOD check-ins, the DP (Daily Progress) report, and SOPs via Loom. We also cover mental fitness (walks, priming, loving-kindness), scaling psychology vs. strategy, and the “3 Promises” that keep A-players for years. Watch for tactical frameworks you can deploy this week to boost revenue, profit, and quality of life—without losing control. Call to action: Comment your next culture move and grab the survey prompt template in the description.

Laur...

Plumbing owner Nick Sambrick (Revelation Plumbing – Pittsburgh, PA) shares the exact priorities that helped him double year after year: learn faster than the business grows, define (and fire) the wrong customer, align tech incentives without nuking margin, make service wildly profitable, and price with gross profit first. We also hit CAC:LTV, option pricing, and why you should market harder when you’re busy.

Guest – Nick Sambrick
Facebook & YouTube:  ⁨@RevelationPlumbing⁩  
Company: Revelation Plumbing (Pittsburgh, PA)

What you’ll learn:
- The 5 priorities to go from $1M → $2M
- Avatar shift: landlords → homeowner service<...

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Most home service owners plateau because they try to scale chaos instead of systems. In this episode, Chuck Staszkiewicz breaks down the mindsets, cadence, and leadership frameworks that actually move an HVAC/plumbing company from $5–$7M moguls to a clean path to $10M—without burning out your team. We cover letting go vs. micromanaging, the 1-3-1 decision method, running a monthly Shareholder Day, and how to avoid chasing shiny playbooks. If you’re stuck in fie...

HVAC owner Derek Cormier (Climate Experts) breaks down how entertainment-first short-form content drives real business: recruiting, sales, and brand trust. We cover AI workflows (Zapier → OpenAI), TikTok hooks, personal vs. company pages, TBO (Total Brand Optimization), and why “fun + thorough” beats cookie-cutter posts. If you market plumbing/HVAC/electrical, this playbook will help you grow faster and hire better.

What you’ll learn:
- Entertainment → education → conversion content ladder
- Personal branding that recruits A-players (60%+ of applicants from social)
- Local list building for AEO/AI search wins
- AI tools to buy back time an...

Selling HVAC Online vs. In Person: Pros & Cons with Marko Sipila
Should HVAC companies put pricing online—or stick to in-home sales? In this episode, Tim Brown sits down with Marko Sipila, founder of QuoteDaddy, to break down the future of HVAC sales.

You’ll learn:

Whether you’re running an HVAC or plumbing business...

How to Kill Your HVAC Company in 16 Weeks (and How to Save It) | Tim Cotten
What are the fastest ways to destroy your home service business—and how do you avoid them? In this eye-opening episode, Tim Brown talks with Tim Cotten, business coach and former HVAC owner, about the three most common mistakes that crush companies and how to flip them into growth strategies.

You’ll learn:

Can’t Find Plumbers or Techs? Here’s How to Fix It | Go Green Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical
Struggling to find skilled plumbers or HVAC techs? You’re not alone. In this episode, Tim Brown sits down with Alicia and Peter Green, owners of Go Green Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, to talk about the skilled labor shortage—and the creative strategies that are actually working.

You’ll learn:

Why Scaling DOWN Made This Plumbing Company More Profitable | Robbie Abruscati
Everyone talks about scaling up—but what if the real money is in scaling down? In this episode, Tim Brown sits down with Robbie Abruscati, owner of Paramount Plumbing Solutions, to talk about why he intentionally made his company smaller… and way more profitable.

You’ll learn:

Why chasing size can destroy margins

How to identify your most profitable work (and drop the rest)

The dangers of growing too fast in plumbing & HVAC

How Robbie doubled profits by sim...

7 Costly Mistakes Adding HVAC to a Plumbing Company | Go Green’s Hard Lessons
Thinking about adding HVAC to your plumbing business? Stop and watch this first. In this episode, Tim Brown sits down with Alicia and Peter Green, owners of Go Green Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, to reveal the biggest mistakes they made expanding into HVAC—and what you need to do differently.

What you’ll learn:

$8M Plumber Shares His Exact Plumbing Sales Process (No Fluff)
How does one plumber sell $8 MILLION in plumbing services in a single year? In this episode, Tim Brown sits down with Jeff Cronin, founder of Prime Time Consulting, to break down the mindset, process, and tactics behind his record-breaking success.

You’ll learn:

The plumbing sales process that generated $8M

Why financing is the real hack (and how to sell it)

How to handle objections without sounding “salesy”

Why homeowners pay for peace of mind, not parts

The...

Tim Brown sits down with Landon Brewer, CEO of Platform Partners, a national home services company doing hundreds of millions in revenue, to unpack:

✅ The difference between influencers and real industry leaders
✅ How to spot scams and bad actors in the HVAC and plumbing space
✅ What KPIs and margins actually matter when scaling
✅ How to build a business with real enterprise value — whether or not you ever sell
✅ Why most companies don’t get to $20M in 40 years — and what to do differently

Landon also gives insight into platform companies, private equity d...

Tim sits down with Landon Brewer, CEO of Platform Partners — a national home services company doing hundreds of millions in revenue — to unpack:

✅ The difference between influencers and real industry leaders
✅ How to spot scams and bad actors in the HVAC and plumbing space
✅ What KPIs and margins actually matter when scaling
✅ How to build a business with real enterprise value — whether or not you ever sell
✅ Why most companies don’t get to $20M in 40 years — and what to do differently

Landon also gives insight into platform companies, private equity deals, and th...

In this episode of the HVAC Growth Engine Podcast, we sit down with Mary Beldon-McGrath, co-founder of Driven Leadership, to unpack how executive presence, authentic leadership, and employee engagement can radically shift your HVAC business culture and bottom line.

Mary shares:

🔥 Whether you’re a home service business owner, team leader, o...

Struggling to grow your HVAC company? Jason Walker of HVAC Masters of the Hustle reveals how pushing your team outside their comfort zones can create a culture of consistency, leadership, and white-glove service that sets you apart. In this episode, we talk hiring, culture, customer experience, video marketing, and how doing the uncomfortable things is the key to massive HVAC growth.

Learn the power of showcasing your team, getting on camera, and creating world-class customer service that drives referrals and reviews. Plus, hear Jason’s strategy behind building a brand technicians want to work fo...

In this no-fluff HVAC growth masterclass, legendary sales trainer and entrepreneur Weldon Long drops 🔥 truth bombs for HVAC business owners addicted to leads — and stuck in the cycle of low margins and high chaos.

You’ll learn:

Want to dominate Google for your local home service business in 2025? In this episode of the Plumbing & HVAC Hustle Podcast, Sydnee Olsen of Hook Agency breaks down the unfair advantages contractors can tap into with local Google marketing.

We talk:

Whether you’re an HVAC...

From family legacy to explosive HVAC growth, Jay and Amanda Mahaffey of Tuck & Howell reveal how they grew from $4M to $14M+ at 15% net profit—without losing their minds (or marriage). In this raw, real, and refreshingly honest conversation, we unpack:
 • Why their “Fab Five” method fuels focus
 • The massive risks they took to save a legacy business
 • Rebuilding operations, marketing, and culture—fast
 • Key hires, painful lessons, and big wins
 • How they’re using data to fix conversion leaks
 • Their favorite reports and strategies inside ServiceTitan

Perfect for any HVAC or home service business own...

In this power-packed episode of the Home Service Marketing Podcast, Tommy Mello (founder of A1 Garage Door Service) joins host Tim Brown to talk about what actually drives the most sales in HVAC and other home services.

From TV, radio, GMB, and PPC to community involvement and lead attribution, Tommy shares high-level insights on:
 • Scaling lead gen to 30,000+ per month
 • Attribution strategies using 8,000 call tracking numbers
 • Why social proof and branding are key to multi-channel success
 • Community-based marketing that builds backlinks and trust
 • When to cut bait and when to double down

If you’re...

Welcome to another episode of the HVAC Hustle Podcast, hosted by Tim Brown of Hook Agency, featuring special guest Eric Thomas from Rival Digital!

In this candid, high-value conversation, Tim and Eric unpack a “crazy mindset”—why home service businesses should refer their competitors. They cover how adopting an abundance mentality can drive more business, build strategic alliances, and even increase close rates.

We dive deep into:
 • Why most owners fear referring competition
 • Tactical referral wins that actually brought in more deals
 • How to position your HVAC or plumbing business to get more referrals<...

What happens when contractors mix too many guru strategies? In this powerful episode of the HVAC Hustle Podcast, host Tim Brown sits down with Julian Scadden, President of Nexstar Network, to expose the real dangers of fragmented growth strategies in the home services industry.

Julian shares his raw story—from cleaning dive bars to owning a successful HVAC company, to now leading a billion-dollar contractor network. He unpacks:

In this episode of HVAC Hustle, Tim Brown sits down with Dan Antonelli, founder of KickCharge Creative and the brains behind some of the most iconic brands in the home service industry. They dive deep into the branding moves that separate $1M companies from $10M+ powerhouses.

Discover:
 • Why most HVAC company names suck—and how to fix yours
 • The biggest branding mistakes home service owners still make
 • How to own your market with color psychology, naming, and truck wraps
 • The true ROI of great branding (including recruiting and exit value)

If you’re serious...

Are you a tradesperson or contractor looking to generate leads with YouTube? In this episode of the HVAC Hustle Podcast, Tim Brown sits down with plumbing YouTube legend Roger Wakefield to break down exactly how he used YouTube to grow the largest plumbing channel in the world—bringing in high-quality leads, closing $100K+ jobs, and building a brand that’s taken him all the way to Dr. Phil and NewsNation.

Roger shares the real story behind going all-in on YouTube at age 54, how being authentic on camera built trust, and what contractors need to include in every lead...

Are you a home service business owner looking to break through your revenue ceiling and actually boost profitability? In this episode of The HVAC Hustle Podcast, host Tim Brown is joined by Josh Nelson — founder of the Seven Figure Agency and a leader in the home service mastermind space.

We dive deep into why masterminds are the secret weapon of fast-growing HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies. Josh shares hard-earned lessons, real client examples, and why peer groups can shortcut years of trial and error. Discover how proximity to high performers, accountability, and strategic focus ca...

In this episode of The HVAC Hustle Podcast, we sit down with Mike Prencavage of The Family Plumber, a second-generation plumbing business that’s turning community influence into business growth.

Mike reveals how relationships with city officials, local salons, and even competitors have helped him build a referral powerhouse. He breaks down the underrated power of hyperlocal influencers, how to network without selling, and why humility and helpfulness win long-term.

Whether you’re an HVAC tech, roofer, plumber, or electrician, this episode will show you how to turn relationships into revenue.

✅ Learn the secret...

In this episode, Tim Brown sits down with Stephanie Postell of Anchor Heating & Air to talk next-level community marketing for home service businesses. Stephanie shares how authentic involvement, not just sponsorship, drives real local brand recognition. From setting up tents at local festivals to giving back with heartfelt initiatives like teacher appreciation cakes and Make-A-Wish fundraisers — this conversation reveals how to build brand loyalty that converts.

If you're in the trades and want to grow your local influence, drive more leads, and build a purpose-driven brand, this one’s for you.