Next Level Pros

Chris Lee

Welcome to Next Level Pros, where we explore the journeys of some of the most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs from around the world. I'm your host, Chris Lee. Throughout my career, I've founded multiple nine-figure companies and learned a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in the world of business. Now, I want to share those lessons with you by bringing on guests who have their own incredible stories to tell. I'm on a mission to find the most unique and entertaining individuals that have done it the right way.

  1. 05/12/2025

    The First 5 People Every Trades Business Must Hire

    Join our Facebook Group:   / 1bmudi9htk   Most business owners hire because they’re exhausted. The ones who scale hire because the math says it’s time. In this video, you’ll learn the five critical hires every growing business needs — and the exact order to make them so you can scale without blowing your budget.Chris Lee breaks down the same hiring sequence he uses with hundreds of home-service and trades owners to help them buy back their time, build real teams, and remove themselves from day-to-day chaos. These five seats exist in every company from $0 to $100M, and once you understand them, you’ll know exactly where to start — and what’s been holding you back. You’ll also learn the math behind smart hiring: how to calculate your fixed costs, your gross margin per job, your true break-even point, and how to know with certainty whether you can afford a new hire. No emotion. No guessing. Just clarity. If you’ve completed the Impact Audit or watched our Impact Quadrant breakdown, this video is the natural next step. By the end, you’ll know how to move from “I need help” to building a team that runs the business with you — not because of you. CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA!TEXT ME: 509-905-4109 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/chrisleeqb/... FACEBOOK:   / chrisleeqb   TIKTOK:   / chrisleeqb   SPONSORSPartner Spotlight: 1SEO Digital Agency: At Next Level Pros, we teach you the best ways HOW to market your business. If you want additional hands-on help executing, we trust 1SEO, our marketing partner. They implement SEO, PPC, Google Local Services Ads, and high-performance websites that turn stronger operations into booked jobs. Learn more or book a consult: https://1seo.com/next-level-pros/

    6 min
  2. 04/12/2025

    The ONE Audit That Scales Your Business Fast

    JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Bmudi9HTK/Most business owners think they’re burned out because they’re doing too much. The truth is you’re burned out because you don’t actually know where your time is going — and that’s the reason your business isn’t scaling.In this video, Chris walks you through the Impact Time Audit: the one-week process we use with trades and home-service owners to reveal exactly where their hours are disappearing. Once you see the truth on paper, everything changes. You’ll know what tasks drain your energy, which ones are below your pay grade, and what your next hire should actually be doing.You’ll also learn how to track every 30 minutes for seven days, assign Energy and Value levels, place each task into the four Quadrants, and diagnose where your time leaks are. Most owners discover 20+ hours a week trapped in low-value, low-energy work — the busywork that keeps you stuck.This audit gives you clarity. It shows you the exact tasks your next hire should take off your plate and gives you the path to scale without adding chaos.Start your Impact Audit today, and next week Chris will walk you through the five hires every real business needs — and how to know exactly when you can afford them.CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA!TEXT ME: 509-905-4109INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/chrisleeqb/?hl=enFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/chrisleeqb/TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisleeqbSPONSORSPartner Spotlight: 1SEO Digital Agency: At Next Level Pros, we teach you the best ways HOW to market your business. If you want additional hands-on help executing, we trust 1SEO, our marketing partner. They implement SEO, PPC, Google Local Services Ads, and high-performance websites that turn stronger operations into booked jobs. Learn more or book a consult: https://1seo.com/next-level-pros/

    5 min
  3. 21/11/2025

    The REAL Reason You're Burned Out In Your Business

    If you feel burned out in your business, it’s probably not because you’re doing too much — it’s because you’re doing the wrong work. In this video, Chris Lee breaks down The Impact Quadrant, the simple framework that shows every home-service and trades business owner exactly where their time is going… and why most of it is keeping them stuck.You’ll learn:- Why burnout has nothing to do with hours worked- How to calculate the real value of your time- The 4 quadrants every task falls into (and the one most owners get trapped in)- How to shift out of low-value work and into the high-value, high-energy work that actually scales your businessIf you want to buy back your time, get out of the day-to-day chaos, and finally step into the role of owner instead of operator — this is where it starts. COMING UP: HOW TO TRACK YOUR TIMECONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIATEXT ME: 509-905-4109INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/chrisleeqb/?hl=enFACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/chrisleeqb/TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisleeqbPartner Spotlight: 1SEO Digital Agency: Join Our Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Bmudi9HTK/ At Next Level Pros, we teach you the best ways HOW to market your business. If you want additional hands-on help executing, we trust 1SEO, our marketing partner. They implement SEO, PPC, Google Local Services Ads, and high-performance websites that turn stronger operations into booked jobs. Learn more or book a consult: https://1seo.com/next-level-pros/

    5 min
  4. 14/10/2025

    From Stuck to Sold: The $18M Turnaround Story Every Business Owner Should Hear

    In this episode of Next Level Pros, hosts dive into an eye-opening conversation with Elaine and Todd, co-founders of Mainstream Electric, Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. After spending over 15 years stuck at $3 million in annual revenue, they made a powerful decision—to get out of their own way. By confronting ego, redefining success, and seeking mentorship through Nexstar Network, Elaine and Todd transformed both their mindset and their company. The result? A thriving $20 million business that attracted private equity buyers—and a journey that redefined what “winning” truly means. This is a story of humility, discipline, and the courage to evolve. 🔑 Key Takeaways The Ceiling Is Internal: Why your business only grows as much as your mindset allows. Revenue Feeds Ego—Profit Builds Freedom: How they shifted from chasing sales to building wealth. The Power of Mentorship: How Nexstar Network and a trusted community sparked real growth. Scaling Through Humility: Why letting go of control was the best business decision they ever made. The Private Equity Exit: What it really takes to prepare, sell, and stay true to your values. 💡 Episode Highlights [00:00] – Hitting the wall: $3M for 15 years and the realization that something had to change. [04:00] – Killing the ego: redefining leadership and embracing coaching. [08:00] – Lessons from failure: expanding too fast and learning to stay focused. [12:00] – Building systems that serve both people and profit. [18:00] – Joining Nexstar Network and discovering the power of shared experience. [22:00] – Preparing for the private equity sale and what the process really looks like. [28:00] – Life after the exit: freedom, impact, and Elaine’s next chapter. 💬 Memorable Quotes “The business only grows as fast as the owner does.” “Revenue is for ego. Profit is for sanity.” “Ego is the silent killer of growth.” “We stopped chasing more trucks and started building a better company.” 📘 Mentioned in This Episode Nexstar Network – Contractor success and leadership community Elaine’s Book: Made in Vietnam – A powerful memoir on identity, forgiveness, and resilience Lessons in leadership, mindset, and sustainable growth for service-based companies 🎧 Listen If You’re A business owner stuck at a plateau and ready for a breakthrough. A contractor or service professional looking to scale profitably, not painfully. A leader who wants to trade ego for excellence and growth for freedom. Partner Spotlight: 1SEO Digital Agency: At Next Level Pros, we teach you the best ways HOW to market your business. If you want additional hands-on help executing, we trust 1SEO, our marketing partner. They implement SEO, PPC, Google Local Services Ads, and high-performance websites that turn stronger operations into booked jobs. Learn more or book a consult: https://1seo.com/next-level-pros/ 📍Connect Want to be a guest on our show? Apply here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YlkVBSluEKMTg4gehyUOHYvBratcxHV5rt3kiWTXNC4/viewform?edit_requested=true Watch my latest Podcast Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-level-pros/id1687030281  Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/1e0cL2vI1JAtQrojSOA7D2?si=95980cd4e55a437a  YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@NextLevelPros

    37 min

About

Welcome to Next Level Pros, where we explore the journeys of some of the most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs from around the world. I'm your host, Chris Lee. Throughout my career, I've founded multiple nine-figure companies and learned a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in the world of business. Now, I want to share those lessons with you by bringing on guests who have their own incredible stories to tell. I'm on a mission to find the most unique and entertaining individuals that have done it the right way.

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