How to Hire a GM or Operator for Your Home Service Business (and Avoid a $100K Hiring Mistake)

Scaling past $10M can expose a brutal truth: the leadership team that got you here might not be the team that gets you to $25M+. In this episode, John Wilson talks with Brendan Aronson (Founder of The Military Veteran, TMV), a recruiting firm that places military veterans into executive and operator roles at home service companies.

They break down what an “operator” actually does in a growing HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business—how to know when you need one, and how to avoid the expensive hiring mistakes that come from unclear expectations and a sloppy process. Brendan shares why veterans often excel under pressure, what to look for in reference checks, and the biggest red flag after a senior hire: changing everything on Day 1.

You’ll learn:

• What a true GM/operator looks like in a $10M–$40M+ home service company
• How to test for performance under pressure (behavioral questions + reference checks)
• The #1 red flag: leaders who “rip up the carpet” immediately
• Why the best operators listen first—and when fast change is required (safety/acute risk)
• How to build a real hiring pipeline (dozens screened → ~7 serious interviews)

Host: John Wilson — https://x.com/WilsonCompanies

Guest: Brendan Aronson (TMV) — https://themilvet.typeform.com/to/BDwkmCU0?typeform-source=www.themilvet.org

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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

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