Blue collar grit meets boardroom-level execution in this powerful conversation on what it really takes to build a home services business that lasts. Chris and Chad sit down with Chris Crew, President of Blue Collar Success Group, to unpack his journey from dropping out of school and becoming an electrician at 16 to helping grow an electrical service company from $3 million to a $30 million run rate.

Chris shares the operational truths contractors cannot afford to ignore: pricing correctly, building a real sales system, protecting gross margin, training year-round, and resisting the temptation to chase shiny tools before mastering the basics. From weekly skill practice to implementing AI with purpose, this episode is a masterclass in disciplined growth for home service leaders who want profit, performance, and people moving in the same direction.

If you're ready to stop guessing, tighten your operations, and build a business that can grow without losing its soul, this one gets straight to the point.

Additional Resources:

Listen to To the Point, wherever you get your podcasts!

Learn more about To the Point

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

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Key Takeaways:

• Price correctly before chasing growth.
• Sales systems start with company culture.
• Gross margin problems hide in operations.
• Train year-round, not just slow seasons.
• Technology fails without proper implementation.

Influence is not a title, a tactic, or a talent reserved for a select few. It is the daily choice to lead yourself well, care deeply, and create the kind of trust people actually want to follow.

Chad breaks down the five foundations of influence every leader can start practicing today: integrity, empowerment, ownership, listening, and a positive attitude. With his signature directness and practical wisdom, Chad reminds us that leadership is a long game, and the real work starts with what we can control.

From writing thank-you notes to preventing fires instead of fighting them, this episode challenges people-first leaders to stop chasing results alone and start building the influence that makes sustainable growth possible.

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

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Key Takeaways:

• Influence starts with leading yourself first.
• Integrity builds the trust people follow.
• Empowerment prevents fires before they start.
• Ownership removes blame and creates progress.
• Positive attitude multiplies leadership influence.

The grind gets real long before the goal gets close.

Chad gets honest about what it actually takes to love the process when the process feels frustrating, uncomfortable, and anything but fun.

He shares five practical ways leaders can stay grounded in the work: protecting their attitude, pairing commitment with urgency, taking focused action, learning from every result, and paying attention to the details. Through personal stories, leadership lessons, and a real-time reminder to practice what he teaches, Chad challenges people-first leaders to stop waiting for conditions to change and start bringing the energy their goals deserve.

If you're leading a team, chasing a big goal, or feeling stuck in the messy middle, this episode is a reminder that growth doesn't happen when everything gets easy. It happens when you choose to show up with ownership, urgency, and a willingness to keep getting better.

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

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Key Takeaways:

• Attitude shapes how you experience the process.
• Commitment needs urgency to create real momentum.
• Focused action beats being busy every time.
• Great leaders remove roadblocks for their people.
• Details compound into meaningful long-term growth.

Your email list is full of past customers ready to book again — you're just not showing up for them. Zac Garside from Send It breaks down why email is the lowest cost, highest ROI lead source in home services, how to stay out of spam, what makes people actually open and read your emails, and the simple three-line campaign that fills your calendar every single time.

Connect with Zac:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacgarside/

Learn more about Send It: https://www.sendit.com

20 Free Email Templates: https://www.sendit.com

Connect with Chad:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-m-peterman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chadmpeterman

Learn more about: Chad Peterman - https://chadmpeterman.com/

Peterman Brothers - https://www.petermancareers.com/

The People Forward Network - https://peopleforwardnetwork.com/

#EmailMarketing #HVACMarketing #ContractorGrowth #HomeServices #ServiceBusiness #EmailList #MarketingStrategy #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #LeadGeneration

Key Takeaways:

• Don't project your own email habits onto your customers.
• 10-20% open rates means your emails are going to spam.
• The from name matters more than the subject line.
• Commodity content kills engagement.
• Email creates demand — it's not demand capture like Google.
• Rebate offers crush it on email.
• Don't overthink segmentation.
• Value and promotional content aren't separate things.
• Real urgency converts.

HVAC equipment costs have skyrocketed — systems that used to cost $7k now cost double. AJ Eder (Regional VP at Johnstone Supply) breaks down why financing isn't optional anymore, what separates successful contractors from struggling ones, and how distributor partnerships should actually work.

#HVAC #HVACBusiness #ContractorGrowth #HVACFinancing #HomeServices #ServiceBusiness #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship

Additional Resources:

Connect with AJ on LinkedIn

Learn more about Johnstone Supply

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key points:
• Why financing on every job is critical

• The #1 trait of successful contractors
• The most important person in the supply chain

• Technology that drives contractor profitability

Some operators try to outspend the competition. Steve Holland built his business by outworking them, out-branding them, and most of all, out-caring them.

Chris and Chad sit down with Steve Holland, founder of Mr. Holland's Heating, Air & Electric, to unpack his journey from a chaotic upbringing to building and exiting a successful home services company. Steve shares hard-earned lessons on scaling, acquisitions, branding, radio marketing, and why you cannot sell your way out of operational problems.

But the real heart of this conversation is leadership. Steve makes a powerful case that your employees are your most expensive customer, and the businesses that genuinely know, support, and invest in their people will always have the edge. For leaders who want to win with culture, not just spreadsheets, this one hits home.

Additional Resources:

Listen to To the Point, wherever you get your podcasts!

Learn more about To the Point

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Employees are your most important and expensive customer.
• You cannot sell your way out of dysfunction.
• Fix operations before trying to scale fast.
• Branding compounds every other marketing channel.
• Outwork and out-culture bigger competitors every time.

Michael Aft is building a $1 billion commercial garage door empire — and his playbook for scaling skilled labor businesses is unlike anything you've heard.

Whether you're in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or any skilled trade, this episode reveals how to unlock the growth you've wanted for 15+ years.

#BusinessGrowth #HomeServices #Entrepreneurship #SkillLabor #Leadership

Additional Resources:

Connect with Michael Aft Learn more about Galaxy Service Partners

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Why commercial garage doors are "mission-critical" (and countercyclical)
• The "Genie Wish" question every business owner needs to answer
• How to execute violently on fewer priorities (not more)
• The operating rhythm that prevents shiny object syndrome

One simple tweak took an HVAC company from a 37% close rate to 68%. And it wasn't about working harder — it was about slowing down.

In this episode, Danny Zatarain (Head of Training at Can't Stop the Growth) breaks down the exact process he used to transform Ireland HVAC's sales performance in just 6 months.

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Why your techs are only showing 1-2 options (and how to get them to 6)
• The one metric that predicts success: Options Average
• How to make MORE money with FEWER calls per day
• The customer feedback loop that changed everything
• Why slowing down during busy season is your competitive advantage