Are Billboards Worth It for Home Service Businesses? (Or Just an Expensive Ego Boost?)

Billboards can feel like a milestone for a growing home service company—your name on the highway, customers saying they saw your brand, friends texting photos of your sign. But for most HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies, billboard advertising starts too early and becomes an expensive distraction from what actually drives growth: leads.

In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Sam Preston (CEO of Service Scalers) for another installment of the Clicks to Calls series. They break down when billboards actually work, when they don’t, and why most contractors under $20M are usually better off buying more leads instead of investing heavily in brand campaigns.

They also unpack what makes a billboard memorable, why density matters more than just “having one,” and how brand channels like billboards show up in your data through branded search rather than traditional attribution.

You’ll learn:

• When billboards actually make sense for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies
• The biggest mistake contractors make: running one or two billboards instead of building density
• Why most companies under ~$20M should prioritize buying leads over brand marketing

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

Guest: Sam Preston — https://x.com/HeySamPreston


Break through the $5M ceiling.

Join John Wilson and Jack Carr May 5–7, 2026 in Akron, Ohio for the Breaking $5 Million Workshop—a 3-day, in-person event for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical owners ready to scale. You’ll see the Wilson operation live, sit in on a real sales huddle, tour the shop, and build your roadmap to $5M+.

🎟 Get $500 off with code BREAKINGEARLYBIRD 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


💼 Shoutout to Quick Staffers LLC

Need trained HVAC & plumbing CSRs at a fraction of the cost? Quick Staffers LLC specializes in placing top-tier global talent with the best SOPs and scripts.

🔥 Get $500 off your first placement 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 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.

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

💼Shoutout to Avoca AI!

Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.
🔗 Schedule a demo

💳 Extra Special Thanks to Coast!

Coast is the smart fuel card built for home service businesses. Set custom spend controls, stop fuel fraud in real time, earn rebates, and use it anywhere Visa is accepted — no more station restrictions or admin headaches.

Want to see how much you could save? Check them out HERE

🔗 coastpay.com/ownedandoperated The Coast Visa® Commercial Card is issued by Celtic Bank. All card accounts subject to credit approval.

🛒 Extra Special Thanks to Contractor Commerce!

Contractor Commerce turns your website into a 24/7 sales engine for service contractors. With guided pricing, online service and membership sales, and deep system integrations, your site pre-qualifies customers before the phone ever rings.

One contractor generated a $15,000 service sale after hours — straight from their website.

Visit HERE to Book a demo to see how Contract

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 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.

If you’ve ever felt stuck because your business outgrew your leadership team — or rushed a key hire just to relieve the pressure — this episode is for you.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Brendan Aronson, Founder of The Military Veteran (TMV), a recruiting firm that places military veterans into executive and operator roles.

They break down what it really takes to hire a GM or operator who can scale a $10M–$25M home service business — and why most hiring failures aren’t talent problems, but clarity and process problems.

The core theme:
Great companies believe people drive value creation. If you get the leadership hire wrong, the cost compounds. If you get it right, everything unlocks.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What “operator” actually means in a scaling home service business
• Why hiring becomes the bottleneck as companies grow
• How military leadership experience translates (and where it doesn’t)
• Enlisted vs. officer backgrounds — and what each typically brings

They also cover the difference between hiring for:

• A private equity–backed platform (timeline-driven, playbook-oriented)
• A family-owned business (culture, long-term alignment, succession planning)

🎙️ Hosts
Host: John Wilson — https://x.com/WilsonCompanies
Guest: Brendan Aronson, Founder of The Military Veteran (TMV)

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

💼Shoutout to Avoca AI!

Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.
🔗 Schedule a demo

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

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 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.

Every home service operator has a failure story.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Jack Carr (CEO of Rapid Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric in Nashville) to break down the biggest business mistakes they’ve made — and what those mistakes actually cost.

From a $13,000 ad spend weekend that only generated $7,000 in revenue… to overpaying vendors for an entire year… to discovering $80,000 per month in unnecessary purchasing — this is a candid conversation about the operational blind spots that quietly drain profit.

The surprising takeaway?
Most major failures weren’t dramatic. They were data problems. Process problems. Cash flow misunderstandings. And hiring financial leadership too late.

If you’re scaling a home service business — or planning to — this episode could save you years of expensive lessons.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The $13K marketing mistake and how capacity planning changes everything
• How tightening purchasing controls instantly improved margins
• Why most contractors overpay vendors (and don’t even know it)
• The hidden cost of software bloat and subscription creep
• Construction vs. service cash flow — and why mixing the two can hurt
• Why hiring a controller earlier would have changed everything

💳 Extra Special Thanks to Coast!

Coast is the smart fuel card built for home service businesses. Set custom spend controls, stop fuel fraud in real time, earn rebates, and use it anywhere Visa is accepted — no more station restrictions or admin headaches.

Want to see how much you could save?

🔗 coastpay.com/ownedandoperated The Coast Visa® Commercial Card is issued by Celtic Bank. All card accounts subject to credit approval.

🛒 Extra Special Thanks to Contractor Commerce!

Contractor Commerce turns your website into a 24/7 sales engine for service contractors. With guided pricing, online service and membership sales, and deep system integrations, your site pre-qualifies customers before the phone ever rings.

Visit contractorcommerce.com Book a demo to see how Contractor Commerce turns your website into a 24/7 sales and qualification engine.

💼 Shoutout to Quick Staffers LLC

Need trained HVAC & plumbing CSRs at a fraction of the cost? Quick Staffers LLC specializes in placing top-tier global talent with the best SOPs and scripts.

🔥 Get $500 off your first placement here

Connect:

John Wilson - https://x.com/WilsonCompanies
Jack Carr - https://x.com/thehvacjack

#HVAC #P

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 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.

If someone handed you $5 million… would you buy an HVAC business or a security/alarm business?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Stephen and Collin from the Entry Exit Podcast to debate where they’d place the bet.

HVAC has massive buyers, big platforms, and strong exit demand — but it’s also weather-driven, cyclical, and much less “truly recurring” than most operators think. Security (especially commercial security) can offer real monthly RMR, faster tech upgrade cycles, and sticky accounts — but it comes with licensing complexity, scope creep, and higher-stakes failure points.

If you’re thinking about acquisitions, roll-ups, or just want a clearer lens on what $5M can actually buy in different trades, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• The $5M question: Why the “best” business depends on your goal (sleep-at-night vs. build-to-sell)
• Recurring vs. sticky revenue: Security RMR vs. HVAC memberships (and why they aren’t the same)
• Commercial vs. residential: Where security wins, where HVAC wins, and how each segment behaves
• Roll-ups and multiples: What’s getting bought right now and why commercial fire/security is heating up
• Geography matters: Why Texas (and other growth markets) changes the math

💼 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

💼Shoutout to Avoca AI!

Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.

🔗 Schedule a demo

📞 Sponsored by Quo — The Modern Business Phone for Service Pros

Missed calls mean missed business. Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is the AI-powered phone system that logs calls, creates summaries, and automates follow-ups — keeping your team connected and customers happy.?

🎁 Start your 7-day free trial and get 20% off your first six months

🎙️ Hosts
Host: John Wilson — https://x.com/WilsonCompanies
Guests: Stephen + Collin — https://www.entryandexit.co/

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 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.

Firing employees is one of the worst parts of owning a home service business — and the bigger you get, the more often it happens.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Jack Carr (Jack Acquisitions / TriR) to break down a practical framework for terminations that’s fair to the employee and protects the team.

They walk through how to diagnose whether performance problems are caused by the employee or your systems, how to use clear expectations + coaching + PIPs to create a clean decision path, and why keeping a toxic “top performer” can quietly cost you your best people.

What you’ll learn:

• The first question to ask before any termination: “How did we get here?”
• GWC: Do they Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to do it?
• How to run a Performance Improvement Plan that’s real (not vibes)
• When to make a fast decision vs. when to coach longer
• Why the “people who got you to $1M” usually aren’t the people who get you to $10M
• The hidden cost of avoiding the hard conversation: culture + trust + retention

If you’re struggling with when to coach, when to cut, and how to do it without guilt — this episode is the playbook.

💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!

If you’re spending $10K–$30K/month on marketing but still don’t know what’s actually driving booked jobs… you need to check out Booked Solid.

It’s a small, in-person workshop March 3rd–5th in Akron, Ohio, where operators build a real 90-day marketing plan covering Google Ads, LSAs, SEO, Facebook, and follow-up systems.

🎟 $2,500 — save $500 with code BOOKEDEARLYBIRD (limited seats).

🔗 Learn more here:

💼Shoutout to Avoca AI!

Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.
🔗 Schedule a demo

💸Sponsored 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.

Host: John Wilson — https://x.com/WilsonCompanies
Guest: Jack Carr https://x.com/thehvacjack

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 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.

Is direct mail actually back in 2026 — or is it a dinosaur channel that should stay extinct?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Sam Preston (CEO of Service Scalers) to break down how the best home service companies are using direct mail as direct response, why some operators get 14x ROI while others lose money mailing the same market, and the exact levers you can pull to make mailers perform (audience, offer, format, frequency, and iteration).

They also get into why “legacy media” still works when executed well, how to think about underserved markets, and why your offer + ticket size determines whether direct mail prints money… or burns it.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why “someone in your market is winning” with direct mail (even if you think it’s dead)
• The 4 audiences to mail (members → active customers → inactive customers → net-new)
• What formats work: postcards, letters, Valpak, door hangers, even “weird” creative mail

💼 Shoutout to the ACCA Financial Platform!

Want your cash to work harder between jobs? ACCA helps contractors earn 2.1% cash back on supplier spend and up to 3% APY on idle cash — so every dollar pulls its weight.

One contractor made a simple switch and earned over $53,000 back.

🔗 Learn more or schedule a demo:

💼 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


📞 Sponsored by Quo — The Modern Business Phone for Service Pros

Missed calls mean missed business. Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is the AI-powered phone system that logs calls, creates summaries, and automates follow-ups — keeping your team connected and customers happy.?

🎁 Start your 7-day free trial and get 20% off your first six months HERE

🎙️ Hosts
Host: John Wilson — https://x.com/WilsonCompanies
Guest: Sam Preston (Service Scalers) https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston/

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 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.

Should Home Service Companies Stop Buying Vans?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Nashville operator Jack Carr to break down one of the most overlooked expenses in home services:

Fleet decisions.

With service vans now costing $60,000+ and fuel and repair costs climbing, John and Jack make the case for a radical shift:

Ford Mavericks for service… and trailers for installs.

They unpack why the Maverick may be the most capital-efficient vehicle for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses, how truck stock changes operational discipline, and whether modular install trailers could replace box trucks altogether.

If you’re scaling a trades business and trying to protect cash flow, this episode offers a practical framework for building a leaner, smarter fleet.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why service vans have become a drag on the balance sheet
• The real economics of Maverick vs high-roof Transit vans
• Fuel savings, lower capital costs, and fleet scalability
• Truck stock limits in HVAC compared to plumbing and electrical
• The “install trailer” system: modular packouts for equipment installs
  
  

💼 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

💼Shoutout to Avoca AI!

Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.

🔗 Schedule a demo

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

Connect:

John Wilson - https://x.com/WilsonCompanies
Jack Carr - https://x.com/thehvacjack

#HVAC #Plumbing #Electrical #HomeServices #FleetManagement #ServiceBusinessGrowth

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 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.