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

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Double Your Profit Day #29 Are You Wasting Money on Tech You Don’t Need? Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Day 29 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.
Today’s lesson might surprise you because it runs counter to the current industry hype: Don’t Overinvest in Technology.
🧠 Why This Matters
In the trades, there’s a new app or software tool launching seemingly every hour. Each one promises to grow your business, improve efficiency, or magically solve problems. The truth? Technology can help — but too much tech, or adopting it too early, can actually hurt profit instead of fueling it.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why early adopters risk blowing money before tools prove their ROI
The reality of the trades “gold rush”: more tech being built than most companies can possibly use
How SaaS fees quietly stack up and eat into margins when tools aren’t fully implemented
Why distraction during implementation is often more expensive than the software itself
🧰 Sponsored By Contractor Commerce
Contractors: Ready to sell online without the tech headaches?
Contractor Commerce lets you turn your existing website into a real online store — no coding, no inventory, no hassle. From filters to full system installs, your customers can shop 24/7, right from your site.
🚨 Special Offer: Get your first 60 days FREE
👉 Start here
📌 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.
🔥 Think of this episode as your reminder to scale smart: better processes first, better tools second.
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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack 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.

Double Your Profit Day #28 Beat Big Competitors with SMART Marketing Strategies Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Day 28 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.
Today’s lesson is simple, bold, and direct: Outspend Your Competitors in Sales & Marketing.
🧠 Why Outspending Works
Marketing isn’t a cost — it’s an asset. It’s the lever that drives growth, creates demand, and keeps your pipeline full. While many competitors cut back when times get tough, the businesses that double down on marketing are the ones that win market share.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why competitor pullbacks (like PE firms cutting marketing budgets) create massive opportunity
Real-world example: how a competitor’s cut from 10% → 5% marketing spend allowed us to dominate our market
🧰 Sponsored By Contractor Commerce
Contractors: Ready to sell online without the tech headaches?
Contractor Commerce lets you turn your existing website into a real online store — no coding, no inventory, no hassle. From filters to full system installs, your customers can shop 24/7, right from your site.
🚨 Special Offer: Get your first 60 days FREE
👉 Start here
📌 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.
⚙️ The Big Picture
Every dollar you invest in sales and marketing is fuel for growth. When competitors pull back, they hand you market share on a silver platter. Outspend them, outwork them, and watch your business compound its advantage.
🔥 Think of this episode as your permission slip to go on offense when others go on defense.
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#237 How to Spend Your Marketing Budget: $100K vs $500K vs $1M Aug 28, 2025

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In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson breaks down how home service companies should think about marketing spend at three different levels: $100K, $500K, and $1M.

Tony and John dig into what works (and what doesn’t) as your budget scales. From avoiding white noise and wasted spend, to maximizing digital safety nets like SEO, PPC, LSAs, and Google My Business, the conversation highlights how to build consistent lead flow and a strong brand presence without diluting your dollars.

They cover why seasonality matters for small budgets, when to shift toward year-round brand building, and how traditional media like TV, streaming, and selective billboards can play a role as you grow. Tony also shares agency-side lessons on attribution, cost per lead, and why marketing dilution is one of the most common pitfalls for home service owners.

If you’re looking to understand how to strategically allocate your marketing dollars — whether you’re running a $5M shop or pushing past $15M — this is a must-listen episode.
💼 Shoutout to Quick Staffers LLC

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💼 Sponsored by Volca

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📅 Book a time with the team
💼 Special Thanks to First Internet Bank!

Looking to buy or expand a business? First Internet Bank is a National Preferred SBA lender specializing in acquisitions for the skilled trades. Their SBA loan program offers up to 90% financing for business acquisitions, partner buyouts, and commercial real estate—plus optional lines of credit to fuel future growth. Unlike traditional lenders, they take a “how can we” approach, making deals happen for both first-time buyers and experienced operators.

👉 Special Offer: Mention Owned and Operated for a reduced good faith deposit and a complimentary deal review + buyside prequalification.

Connect with Alan Peterson from First Internet Bank here to get started

🎙️ Host:
John Wilson

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Double Your Profit Day #27 Are You Wasting Money On The Wrong Things? Aug 27, 2025

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Welcome to Day 27 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today we’re diving into a powerful framework for spending money wisely: Strategic vs. Non-Strategic Costs.
🧠 Why This Matters
Not all expenses are created equal. Some costs fuel growth and strengthen your competitive advantage. Others just bloat the business, add headcount, or waste capital without moving you forward. The challenge? Everyone — even smart owners — overspends on non-strategic costs without realizing it.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to identify strategic costs that drive growth (marketing, technology, automation, strong locations, top talent in key roles)
What qualifies as non-strategic costs (bloated HR or admin teams, unnecessary overhead, prestige office space beyond what’s needed)
💸This Episode is Brought to You by CFO Made Easy
Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions.
📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers.
📌 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.
⚙️ The Big Picture
Strategic costs propel your company forward. Non-strategic costs hold it back. The difference between the two isn’t always obvious — which is why you must evaluate them carefully, often, and ruthlessly. The businesses that thrive are the ones that invest heavily in what grows profit and cut aggressively from what doesn’t.
🔥 Think of this episode as your filter for deciding where every dollar should go.
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Double Your Profit Day #26 You Won't Believe How EASY it is to Multiply Your Winners Aug 26, 2025

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Welcome to Day 26 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s lesson is the natural follow-up to yesterday’s topic of Cut Complexity. Once you trim what doesn’t work, the next step is simple: Multiply Your Winners. Why Multiplying Winners Matters
Too often, owners keep dragging along departments or services that look big on top-line revenue but secretly ruin margins. The real growth hack is cutting what’s unproductive and doubling down on what’s already winning.
In other words: do less, but do way more of the less.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to identify the “dogs” in your business that drain profit and energy
Why reallocating resources from losers to winners accelerates growth
The Pareto Principle in action: focus on the 20% that drives 80% of results
Real-world example: cutting an unprofitable new construction arm to scale a thriving plumbing service department
🧰 Sponsored By Contractor Commerce
Contractors: Ready to sell online without the tech headaches?
Contractor Commerce lets you turn your existing website into a real online store — no coding, no inventory, no hassle. From filters to full system installs, your customers can shop 24/7, right from your site.
🚨 Special Offer: Get your first 60 days FREE
👉 Start here
📌 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.
⚙️ The Big Picture
The fastest way to scale isn’t always adding more — it’s multiplying what already works. Winners compound when you fuel them with focus, resources, and intentional growth. But you won’t know your true winners without accurate data to guide the decisions.
🔥 Think of this episode as your playbook for cloning success and letting go of the rest.
📚 Keep Learning

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#236 How Our Team Sells MORE With AI Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

#236 — AI Sales Engines for Home Services: Tal Shub on Craft & Closing More Deals
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Tal Shub, CEO of Craft, to dive into how AI is transforming sales in the home service industry.
Tal shares how Craft built an AI-powered sales engine that listens to customer conversations, provides real-time coaching, and helps service teams recover lost revenue. From boosting average tickets with better financing conversations to coaching technicians on open-ended questions and process-driven sales, Craft is creating a playbook for the next era of home service growth.
The conversation goes deep into why team adoption matters more than features, how to overcome technician resistance to recording calls, and what separates top performers from the rest. John also shares firsthand results from rolling out Craft across his $30M company — including higher tickets, improved training, and stronger close rates.
This episode isn’t just about AI tools. It’s about how technology, leadership, and process come together to drive real performance in the field. If you’re serious about building a stronger sales culture in your HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, this conversation is a must-listen.
📞Sponsored by OpenPhone — the AI-powered business phone built for growing teams. Never miss a call, never miss a customer.
Get 20% off your first 6 months when you start your free trial today
💼 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
🔨Sponsored by WeSupplyTrades

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🎙️ Host:
John Wilson
🎙️ Guest:
Tal Shub (Craft)

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Double Your Profit Day #25 How Keeping It Simple Makes You Rich! Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Day 25 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.Today’s topic is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in scaling a business: Cut Complexity. Or, as I like to say: Simple is Scalable.
🧠 Why Simplicity Wins
Complexity creeps in quietly — through overbuilt processes, too many services, or redundant systems. It feels like “good business” at the time, but in reality it slows growth, increases mistakes, and burns headspace on things that don’t move the needle.
The truth: simplicity scales, complexity breaks. The businesses that grow the fastest and run the smoothest are almost always the simplest.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why “friction points” in your business are usually a sign of unnecessary complexity
The danger of over-engineering processes (25-step checklists vs. 3–4 clear actions)
How simplifying your service offering makes training, marketing, and expansion easier
🧰 Sponsored By Contractor Commerce
Contractors: Ready to sell online without the tech headaches?
Contractor Commerce lets you turn your existing website into a real online store — no coding, no inventory, no hassle. From filters to full system installs, your customers can shop 24/7, right from your site.
🚨 Special Offer: Get your first 60 days FREE
👉 Start here
📌 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.
⚙️ The Big Picture
Every unnecessary layer, every extra system, every added service creates drag. By simplifying your offerings, processes, and systems, you unlock scalability. Simplicity gives you back focus, speed, and profitability.
🔥 Think of this episode as your blueprint for cutting complexity so your business can grow faster and cleaner.

📚 Keep Learning

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Double Your Profit Day #24 Cash Flow Secrets Every Business Owner Should Know! Aug 24, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Day 24 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.
Today we’re diving into one of the most important — and often most confusing — financial topics in business: Cash Flow.
It’s the reason so many owners scratch their heads at year-end when their accountant says, “Congrats, you made a profit,” but the checking account feels empty. That gap? That’s cash flow.
🧠 Why Cash Flow Matters
There’s a huge difference between net profit on paper and the cash in your bank account. Cash flow explains what happened in between. Without understanding and managing it, you risk being “profitable” on paper but broke in reality.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
The three key financial reports every owner must know: Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flows
How to read the Statement of Cash Flows to see where your money actually went
💸This Episode is Brought to You by CFO Made Easy
Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions.
📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers.

⚙️ The Big Picture
Profit is theory. Cash is survival. If you don’t track it, optimize it, and protect it, you’ll always wonder where your money went. By forecasting ahead, negotiating terms, and stacking reserves, you give your business stability — and the freedom to grow without fear of running dry.
🔥 Think of this episode as your playbook for turning paper profit into real cash in the bank.
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Double Your Profit Day #23 Why Over Delegating Can Hurt Your Business! Aug 23, 2025

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Welcome to Day 23 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.Today, we’re talking about a trap that many business owners fall into as they grow: Over-Delegation.
Yes, you should delegate. Yes, you should make yourself replaceable in the day-to-day. But there’s a critical line you cannot cross: abdication.
🧠 Why Over-Delegation Is Dangerous
Delegation is a superpower — it frees you up to work on the business, not in the business. But when you start delegating away the strategic, profit-driving decisions (cash flow, margin, vendor relationships, growth strategy)… you’re no longer leading. You’re just avoiding. Too many owners hit $3–5M in revenue, check themselves out of the day-to-day, and lose sight of the steering wheel. That’s not leadership. That’s abdication.
💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
The difference between delegation vs. abdication — and why one fuels growth while the other kills it
Why owners must stay close to cash, margin, and vendor negotiations no matter how big they get
The common trap at the $3–5M mark where owners “retire” too early (boats, lake houses… sound familiar?)
🧰 Sponsored By Contractor Commerce
Contractors: Ready to sell online without the tech headaches?
Contractor Commerce lets you turn your existing website into a real online store — no coding, no inventory, no hassle. From filters to full system installs, your customers can shop 24/7, right from your site.
🚨 Special Offer: Get your first 60 days FREE
👉 Start here
📌 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.
⚙️ The Big Picture
Your business doesn’t just need a manager. It needs a leader. Delegation removes the tactical from your plate — but you still own the strategy, vision, and profit-driving calls.
🔥 Think of this episode as your reminder: don’t check out too early. Stay in the driver’s seat for the critical decisions that shape your company’s future.
📚 Keep Learning

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Double Your Profit Day #22 Stop Overpaying Vendors Today With This Trick! Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Day 22 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re diving into one of the fastest ways to improve margins without cutting jobs, service quality, or growth: Vendor Negotiations. If you had to find 10% savings in your business today, where would you look first?
That’s right — your vendors.
🧠 Why Vendor Negotiations Matter
Your vendors are some of your biggest partners… but also one of your biggest cost drivers. From equipment and uniforms to fittings and materials, what you pay (and the terms you agree to) has a direct impact on your bottom line.
The good news? Vendors expect negotiations.
The bad news? Most businesses don’t do it nearly enough.
💸This Episode is Brought to You by CFO Made Easy
Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions.
📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers.
📌 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.
⚙️ The Big Picture
Vendor negotiations are one of the easiest ways to unlock hidden profit. You’re already buying — now it’s about buying smarter. With better prices, stronger terms, and tighter partnerships, you’ll save thousands (or even millions) without sacrificing quality or growth.
🔥 Think of this episode as your step-by-step playbook for negotiating with confidence — and winning.
📚 Keep Learning

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