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

• How to Scale Beyond Yourself and Build a Real Company

  In this episode, John Wilson and co-host Jack Carr unpack one of the biggest transitions in home service — going from owner to operator. What does it really take to scale beyond yourself? We dive deep into building layers of leadership, knowing when to delegate, hiring vs. promoting internally, and what the first real leadership hire should look like. From service managers and field supers to accountability systems and EOS, this one’s for owners ready to break through bottlenecks and build real organizational depth.You’ll hear real playbooks from $1M to $40M+ companies—how John and Jack each handled growth bottlenecks, where they stumbled, and what they’d do differently.What You’ll LearnBottlenecks by Design: How to identify when you’ve outgrown your org chart. First Leaders: The real tipping point for adding service managers, CSRs, and field supers. Hiring vs. Promoting: When internal leadership makes sense—and when it doesn’t. Accountability That Sticks: How to keep KPIs and culture aligned as you scale. Delegation Done Right: The tasks owners should’ve offloaded yesterday. Revenue-Focused Management: Why your first manager should drive numbers, not just tech skill.🎙️ Hosts John Wilson Jack Carr Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer!📅 Book your demo HERE🔨Sponsored by WeSupplyTrades — Thousands of Plumbing, HVAC, and Hydronics parts shipped fast. Sign up free, save big, and get 20% off your first order with code OWNED20 HERE💼 Big Reputation — Stop chasing reviews and watching competitors outrank you. Big Reputation is the AI-powered review + SEO platform built for home service pros. Automate review generation, respond with AI, track local SEO, and integrate with your CRM. Setup is free, and your first month’s on the house.👉 Book your demoSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

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• How to Future-Proof Your Home Service Business in 2025

  In this episode, John Wilson and co-host Jack Carr break down how home-service companies can actually future-proof in 2025: flattening org charts, using AI to nuke overhead, building adaptable teams, and keeping a balance sheet that can take a 30% punch. We get into real numbers (gross margin, overhead targets, EBITDA), how to think about “risk on” vs. “risk off,” and why the middle of the market gets squeezed when big operators cut costs with automation.You’ll hear play-by-plays on automating call centers, choosing what to systematize vs. keep human, when to de-lever, and how to bob-and-weave against giants who pass cost savings straight into marketing.What You’ll LearnPeople vs. Systems: The two ways to future-proof—and how to train for adaptability.Automation That Moves the P&L: Where AI actually drops overhead (call center, dispatch, admin).Healthy by Design: Gross margin, overhead, and cash targets that create real nimbleness.Debt & “Risk Off”: How interest rates change the game and when to prioritize de-levering.Competing with Giants: What to do when national players cut cost structures by ~8–10 pts.Numbers First: Why you can’t future-proof if you don’t know your break-even.🎙️ HostsJohn Wilson Jack Carr 🔨Sponsored by WeSupplyTrades — Thousands of Plumbing, HVAC, and Hydronics parts shipped fast. Sign up free, save big, and get 20% off your first order with code OWNED20 HERE💼 Modernize is how smart contractors scale.With inbound calls, live transfers, and branded programs, Modernize connects you to ready-to-buy homeowners. Over 9M leads delivered and $4B+ in revenue generated.👉 Start growing    Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer!📅 Book your demoSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

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• How This Operator Turned a Viral Laundromat Video into a $20M Roofing Company

  In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Brandon Schlicter—better known as Investment Joy—to unpack how a viral laundromat video turned into a portfolio of laundromats, car washes, rentals, and now a fast-scaling commercial roofing company. Brandon shares the mindset shift from small plays to bigger bets, why he assumes success (and plans for failure), and how social media distribution can attract capital, deal flow, and talent.You’ll hear the real numbers on union commercial roofing (margins, ticket sizes, pay cycles), how to decide between lots of small jobs vs. fewer big ones, and why “every business either sells or shuts down.” We also dig into storm-driven market entry, travel crews, and what it actually takes to scale estimation capacity and cash flow when receivables hit seven figures.💡 What You’ll LearnMedia → Deal Flow: How one laundromat video sparked investor interest, partnerships, and bigger acquisitionsThink Bigger (On Purpose): Moving from $25k houses to $20M+/yr roofing—building the steps between vision and executionUnion Commercial Roofing 101: Typical gross margins, role of prevailing wage, crew structure, and why residential often doesn’t pencil🎧 Featured Guest🧠 Brandon Schlicter — Investment Joy YouTube: @InvestmentJoy🎙️ Hosted by John Wilson — x.com/@WilsonCompanies🚀 Huge Shoutout to SupplyHouse!When it comes to fast turnaround times, SupplyHouse has our back! With 250,000+ SKUs covering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical, they make sure we get the right materials—fast and hassle-free.💡Their Trademaster program offers free shipping, returns, and discounts, all with no membership fee. Use promo code SH5 for five percent off your first order— Code is valid through 9/30/2025.🔗 Check them out & level up your supply game here 💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?🔗Check Them Out HereSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

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• The Consumer Always Wins: Building the Business They Actually Want

   In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Jamie from Modernize to unpack how a consumer-obsessed mindset is reshaping home services—from the first inquiry to the final install. They dig into why “experience always wins,” how answer engine optimization (AE/O) is changing search, and what a true platform approach looks like when lead gen, reputation, financing, and programmatic all work together. You’ll hear how Modernize is building for the full funnel, why smaller, fast-moving operators can out-execute well-funded incumbents, and how to prioritize innovation without getting whiplash from weekly tech shifts.💡 What You’ll LearnConsumer > Everything: Practical ways to map (and measure) the end-to-end experience so customers call you back—again and againAE/O, Not Just SEO: How answer engine optimization is rewriting local discovery and the quick-start tactics that move the needle nowInquiry to Install: The modern funnel—leads, calls, reputation, email, and conversion flows that actually close jobs🎧 Featured Guest 🧠 Jamie — Modernize   🎙️ Hosted by John Wilson  💼 Modernize is how smart contractors scale.With inbound calls, live transfers, and branded programs, Modernize connects you to ready-to-buy homeowners. Over 9M leads delivered and $4B+ in revenue generated.👉 Start growing💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here Send Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

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• $170M in 2 Years: Premier Home Pros’ Playbook for Scaling Without Debt

  In this follow-up to our Premier Home Pros deep dive, John Wilson sits back down with AJ and Noah to unpack how they turned six greenfield locations into a nationwide engine doing $170 M+ run-rate—without outside debt. They break down the playbook for market launches, recruiting, and leadership restructuring that turned chaos into scale.Hear how they rebuilt their org for hypergrowth—cutting the VP layer, adding regional pods, promoting from within, and launching Zoom-based sales training that doubled new-rep output. You’ll also hear the real numbers behind marketing mix, payback windows, and bonus-driven sales comp that pushed them to record volume.If you’re trying to scale a home-service brand fast—but profitably—this is your blueprint for people, process, and playbook.💡 What You’ll LearnThe Greenfield System: Launching six locations in a year and hitting payback in under two monthsRebuilding for Scale: Why they removed the VP layer and replaced it with high-performance regional leadersZoom Sales Training: How virtual onboarding produced 22 new reps in one month and raised the floor company-wideContinuous Recruiting: The “never stop bringing in talent” model to replace the bottom 10% and push the middle upComp & Culture: How a double-bonus structure and variable P&L (≈ 70%) fuel performance and retentionPath to Nine Figures: The assistant-manager farm system creating internal promotions and next-market leaders🎧 Featured Guests🧠 AJ & Noah — Founders, Premier Home Pros 🎙️ Hosted by John Wilson — @WilsonCompanies💼 Shoutout to PayPerCall.ioStop paying for leads that don’t convert. With PayPerCall.io, you only pay when your phone rings with a qualified customer. Real calls. Real results.👉 Book your free call💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here 💼 Big Reputation — Stop chasing reviews and watching competitors outrank you. Big Reputation is the AI-powered review + SEO platform built for home service pros. Automate review generation, respond with AI, track local SEO, and integrate with your CRM. Setup is free, and your first month’s on the house.👉 Book your demo:Send Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

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