Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast
John Wilson
The Owned and Operated Podcast is the go-to show for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical business owners who want to grow faster, increase profits, and scale smarter.Hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr, real home service operators in the trenches. This podcast delivers 2x weekly, no-BS conversations on what’s actually working in the trades today. From lead generation and marketing to hiring top-tier talent and building scalable systems, every episode is packed with actionable strategies you can implement immediately.If you're an HVAC contractor, plumber, or electrician looking to grow your business, improve operations, and stay ahead in a competitive market, this podcast is for you.New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday.Learn more at www.ownedandoperated.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 7, 2026 • 35min
Weird Marketing That Actually Works ($1M from Home Shows, Newspaper Leads, & Toilet Ads)
Sam Preston, CEO of Service Scalers and home services marketing practitioner, shares unconventional local marketing tactics. He covers stadium toilet ads, church bulletins, pizza-box placements, newspapers, and home shows. Multiple short examples show how overlooked channels drive brand recall and cheaper impressions. Expect surprising, offbeat ways small businesses can stand out.
7 snips
Apr 3, 2026 • 13min
If I Had to Start a Home Service Business From $0, Here’s Exactly What I'd Do
Practical playbook for launching a home service business on a shoestring. Focus on picking underserved markets and services with high demand and low competition. Learn scrappy, zero-dollar customer-getting tactics like canvassing and cold calling. Emphasis on hiring operators early and treating the business as marketing and sales first, not branding or fancy gear.
18 snips
Apr 2, 2026 • 48min
AI Is Creating a MASSIVE Gap Between Contractors
Tyson Chen, founder of Avoca and AI/automation entrepreneur for home services, builds agentic AI tools for call centers, dispatch, marketing, and capacity planning. He discusses contractors rapidly deploying AI, builders using cloud code to automate workflows, agent-driven capacity management, SKU and RFP automation, and why AI-native operators scale faster.
Mar 31, 2026 • 37min
The REAL Future of Home Services: Chick-fil-A, Handyman Businesses, and Industry Consolidation
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC in Nashville, shares his perspective as a trades operator. They explore Chick-fil-A’s move into handyman services and what that signals about VC and retail players entering the trades. Short takes on why handyman work is deceptively hard to scale, how scope creep and pricing pain emerge, and why distribution and consolidation will reshape the industry.
6 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 12min
The HVAC Marketing System That Will Dominate 2026
A tactical breakdown of the marketing system reshaping HVAC growth in 2026. Topics include controllable versus uncontrollable demand, the exact channels driving consistent leads, and reallocating ad spend to double revenue. Learn rapid response systems, multi-touch follow-up, and which Google tools work on different timelines.
Mar 26, 2026 • 53min
You're Tracking Your Ad Spend Wrong (Here’s What to Do Instead)
Tony Castelucci, founder of Wanamaker Advertising who blends traditional and video-driven marketing for home service companies. He explains why last-click and cost-per-lead mislead operators. Short takes on attributing TV, radio, and digital; demand capture versus demand creation; and practical tracking tactics like timestamps, tracking numbers, and CRM tie-ins.
Mar 24, 2026 • 42min
AI Isn’t Killing SEO—It’s Killing Bad Traffic (What Actually Works in 2026)
Lisa Appleby, an SEO consultant at Service Scalers with a decade helping home service companies, explains how AI reshapes search without killing it. They discuss why low-intent traffic falls away. They highlight the rising importance of Google Business Profiles, brand search, and authority signals. Practical tactics include expert quotes, geo-tagged photos, and improving user experience for high-intent local queries.
8 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 20min
The 3 Stages of Building a Home Service Business From $1M to $20M and Beyond
A candid roadmap for scaling a trades company through three growth stages. Stories about buying broken businesses and funding expansion from internal cash. Practical moves on pricing, digital leads, and rapid hiring. The shift from chaotic growth to building HR, accounting, and leadership systems. Finally, focusing on EBITDA and measuring expansion by return rather than top-line revenue.
Mar 19, 2026 • 1h 30min
Building a Billion-Dollar Septic Business
Chad Riddersen, a former Marine who runs operations and sales at Epic Septic, and Kyle Voss, an entrepreneur building a branded septic business, share big-picture growth moves. They dig into why septic is low-competition, the power of answering the phone and speed-to-lead, rapid revenue ramps, franchising plans, and lifestyle branding like merch and an energy drink.
Mar 17, 2026 • 36min
The $50K Truck Wrap Mistake Home Service Companies Make
Sam Preston, a ServiceScalers leader who advises home service companies on marketing and growth, tackles branding and truck wraps. He dissects why wraps no longer differentiate, how branding signals trust more than generates leads, and why simple, memorable designs beat busy ones. Hear practical tactics to spend smarter and stand out without copying every competitor.
