Freedom Blueprint for Home Services | HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Leadership, Business Growth

Justin Deese | Home Service Industries
  • 5.0 (16)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast! Host Justin Deese delivers practical advice from his decades in the home service industry. Each week, discover strategies for success, avoid pitfalls, and hear real-life stories. Join our community to learn and grow together. Featuring guests like Tommy Mello from Home Service Experts, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch from Service Business Mastery, Jerod Williams from Wealthy Plumbers and Ara Mahdessian CEO of Service Titan. Visit www.FreedomBlueprintPodcast.com for more. Empowering leaders, fostering growth and a positive mindset. Your journey to success in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical starts here!

  1. 1d ago

    172 | Tugboat vs. Lighthouse: Why Dragging Your Team Isn't Leading

    It's 4:30 on a Thursday, and you're standing in the truck bay having the same callback conversation with Jimmy for the third time this month. He nods. Monday comes. Another callback. And you're right back in the truck fixing it yourself. In this Freedom Fuel episode, Justin borrows a line from Dan Martell — stop being a tugboat, start being a lighthouse — and admits he spent years proud of how much he "delegated" when really he was just towing: handing out the what and keeping the why to himself. He walks through the math on why silent, unhappy customers are the real problem hiding behind low review numbers, and why a team member who only ever hears the what will always need somebody to drag them along. Justin shows exactly how he reframed a callback conversation with Jimmy — not by asking him to try harder, but by finally explaining what a callback actually costs him, the team, and the business. The result: a guy who can see the shore doesn't need a tugboat anymore. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — The Truck Bay Conversation You've Had Three Times This Month 0:45 — Today's Topic: Tugboat vs. Lighthouse 1:44 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 2:15 — Dan Martell's Line That Changed How I Lead 2:53 — My Confession: I Called It Delegating, It Was Towing 3:18 — Back to Jimmy: Two Sides of the Same Conversation 3:38 — The Math on Your 950 Silent Customers 3:55 — Why Silence Isn't Satisfaction 4:17 — Why We Keep Towing: Speed, Assumption, and Ego 5:05 — Handing Jimmy a Picture Instead of a Task 5:29 — Widening It Out: What Silent Customers Cost the Team 5:47 — Landing It on the Business: The Cost of Replacing Customers 6:01 — What Changes When Jimmy Can See the Shore 6:47 — The Challenge: Explain the Why, Just Once 7:18 — Your Assignment for Today 7:23 — Share, Subscribe, and Leave a Review 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ The tugboat vs. lighthouse metaphor that reframes what real delegation looks like ✅ Why "explaining the why" isn't soft — it's the fastest way to stop dragging your team ✅ The math behind your silent, unhappy customers, and why a bad review is actually a gift ✅ How to hand someone a "why" instead of just a task, with a real script ✅ The one-conversation challenge to try with the person you've been pulling hardest Average leaders hand out the what and keep pulling. Great leaders hand out the why and let people find their own way. If you're tired of dragging your team through the same conversation every month, this episode is for you. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with an owner who's still towing instead of shining #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #LeadershipDevelopment #Delegation #ContractorTips #CustomerExperience

    172 | Tugboat vs. Lighthouse: Why Dragging Your Team Isn't Leading

  2. Sep 7

    171 | Clearing the Path: Why Your Best People Aren't the Problem

    Justin was one ride-along away from handing his best technician to the competition — until a single day in the passenger seat blew up everything he thought he knew about leadership. In this Freedom Fuel episode, Justin tells the story of "Jimmy," a technician everyone liked but whose numbers were rough — low close rate, high callbacks. Justin had already made the call to let him go, but before pulling the trigger, he spent one full day riding along. What he found wasn't a guy who couldn't do the job — it was a guy fighting a clunky CRM, missing tools, and too afraid to ask for help. The real problem was never Jimmy. It was everything the company had stacked in his way. Justin breaks down the four questions every leader should ask before writing someone off — time, tools, training, and confidence to speak up — and shows what happened when he cleared the path for Jimmy instead of clearing him out. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — The Technician I Almost Handed to My Competitor 0:50 — Before I Pulled the Trigger, I Did a Ride-Along 1:45 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 2:21 — Redefining the Most Important Job of a Leader 3:10 — The Gut Punch: It Wasn't His Fault, It Was Mine 3:36 — Why It's Cheaper to Invest Than to Replace 4:09 — What I Actually Saw: Jimmy Fighting the CRM 4:33 — Missing Tools and a Guy Who Never Complained 5:10 — Why We Write Off Good People Before We Look 5:43 — Blame, Ego, and Looking in the Mirror 6:48 — Four Questions to Ask About Your Own Jimmy 7:40 — Your Job: Find the Gaps Before You Write Anyone Off 8:15 — What Happened After We Cleared the Path 8:43 — Jimmy Stayed — and Became One of the Best on the Team 9:05 — The Challenge: Go Ride Along With Your Jimmy 9:40 — Share, Subscribe, and Leave a Review 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why the technician you're ready to write off might be a leadership problem, not a performance problem ✅ The four questions to ask before deciding someone isn't "cutting it" — time, tools, training, confidence ✅ Why it's cheaper to invest in the person you already have than to replace them ✅ How one ride-along can reveal what a performance review never will ✅ The exact challenge to clear one roadblock for your team today Average leaders replace the person. Great leaders clear the path first. If you've got a good person on your team who isn't getting the results you need, this episode is for you. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with an owner who's about to write off a good person #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamDevelopment #ContractorTips #Retention

    171 | Clearing the Path: Why Your Best People Aren't the Problem

  3. Aug 31

    170 | The Leadership Gap That Stops Companies From Scaling

    It's 7:40 on a Thursday night, and you're still sitting in your truck in the shop parking lot — answering a text about a $400 refund your operations manager should be able to handle on his own. In this Freedom Fuel episode, Justin gets honest about being someone else's ceiling for two years without knowing it, and lays out why your business will never outgrow the size of your leadership. He walks through the real cost of staying the go-to decision-maker (it's not just your hours), the three hidden reasons owners hold onto control, and a five-move playbook — starting with a 7-day decision audit — for handing authority back to your team before your best people quietly stop offering it. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — The Parking Lot Text That Reveals Your Ceiling 1:20 — Why $4.2 Million Is the Size of Your Leadership 2:25 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 3:07 — My Confession: I Was Somebody Else's Ceiling 4:10 — What 14 Months of Silence Cost Ray 5:34 — Running Smooth vs. Running Small 6:18 — Reason 1: It's Faster If I Just Do It Myself 7:05 — Reason 2: Being "The Guy" Is the Identity Trap 7:45 — Reason 3: If I Teach Them, They'll Leave 8:22 — The Playbook: Run a 7-Day Decision Audit 9:04 — Sort Every Decision Into Three Buckets 9:36 — Give One Column Away — In Writing 10:15 — Let the First Mistake Happen 11:16 — The 4-Second Move: Ask, Then Shut Up 12:05 — What Changes When You Actually Do This 13:10 — The 7-Day Challenge: Question First, Every Time 13:51 — Your One Assignment for Tonight 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why your business only grows as far as your leadership does — and how to spot your own ceiling ✅ The real cost of being the "go-to" decision-maker (hint: it's not just your time) ✅ The three hidden reasons owners hold onto control, and why "if I teach them, they'll leave" backfires ✅ A 5-move playbook for handing off decisions, starting with a 7-day decision audit ✅ The 4-second question that turns employees back into leaders Average leaders keep every decision flowing through them. Great leaders build a business that runs without needing to ask permission first. If you're tired of being the bottleneck in your own company, this episode is for you. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with an owner who's still answering texts from the truck #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #LeadershipDevelopment #ContractorTips #BusinessGrowth #Delegation

    170 | The Leadership Gap That Stops Companies From Scaling

  4. Aug 24

    169 | The Cost of Indecision: Why Waiting Is the Most Expensive Call You'll Ever Make

    There's a decision sitting on your desk right now — and you already know which one. Maybe it's the tech who isn't going to make it. Maybe it's the price increase you've written four times and never sent. In this Freedom Fuel episode, Justin Deese makes the case that not deciding is still a decision — and usually the most expensive one you'll ever make. He shares the story of a tech he waited 11 months too long to let go, and breaks down exactly what indecision quietly costs you: momentum, culture, and your team's trust in your leadership. Then he gets practical. Indecision isn't a logic problem, it's a fear problem — fear of the wrong call, fear of never having enough certainty, and delays that feel like kindness but really aren't. Justin walks through the four moves that break the loop: put a date on it, sort reversible decisions from permanent ones, say it out loud even without an answer, and make the call you've already made in your head. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:34 — The Decision Sitting on Your Desk Right Now 2:23 — Welcome Back: Why Indecision Holds Leaders Back 3:00 — You Think You're Being Careful (You're Being Expensive) 3:19 — The Jimmy Story: Eleven Months of Avoiding a Hard Conversation 4:21 — The Real Cost: Why Your Team Stops Bringing Their Best 6:20 — Why We Keep Doing It: The Fear Problem 6:30 — Fear #1: The Wrong Call 6:55 — Fear #2: Waiting for Certainty 7:20 — Fear #3: When Delay Feels Like Kindness 7:53 — Move #1: Put a Date on It 8:15 — Move #2: Sort Reversible vs. Permanent Decisions 8:52 — Move #3: Say It Out Loud 9:20 — Move #4: Make the Call You've Already Made 9:56 — The Double Win: Business Momentum and Team Trust 10:45 — Final Challenge: Make the Call Before You Leave Today 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why indecision — not a bad decision — is the real threat to your business ✅ The hidden cost behind "being patient" with a problem employee (and why it isn't kindness) ✅ How to tell which decisions deserve two minutes vs. two weeks of deliberation ✅ The one sentence that gives your team clarity even when you don't have the answer yet ✅ Four practical moves to break the indecision loop before you leave the shop today Average leaders wait for certainty that never comes. Great leaders put a date on it and move. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with a leader who's been sitting on a decision too long #HomeServiceBusiness #Leadership #ContractorLife #BusinessGrowth #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #DecisionMaking #HomeServiceLeadership #TeamCulture #Entrepreneurship

    169 | The Cost of Indecision: Why Waiting Is the Most Expensive Call You'll Ever Make

  5. Aug 17

    168 | Working Hard vs. Being Trapped: What Nobody Tells You About the Grind

    Justin got called a fraud. Not in so many words, but the message was clear: how can you preach "freedom" in business while you're grinding harder than ever on a brand-new venture? It stung more than he expected, so instead of brushing it off, he sat with it, and realized the person asking had missed something huge: the difference between a phase and a trap. In this episode, Justin breaks down why every business goes through an infancy stage that demands hands-on grinding, and how to tell if your own hustle is building toward something or just keeping you stuck. He walks through the real test he uses to separate healthy hard work from being trapped: tactical work vs. strategic work. It's the same gut-check he used to answer that "fraud" accusation once and for all. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — Getting Called a Fraud for "Preaching Freedom" 1:33 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 1:58 — Working Hard vs. Being a Slave to Your Business 2:44 — The Four Phases Every Business Goes Through 3:07 — Why the Infancy Phase Demands the Grind 3:45 — Why Working Hard Still Feels Like Guilt 4:30 — The Highlight Reel Trap of Social Media 6:07 — Tactical Work vs. Strategic Work 6:50 — The Two Wins of Intentional Grinding 7:16 — Answering the "Fraud" Accusation 7:42 — This Week's Challenge: Circle Your Strategic Work 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why the early phase of any business demands hands-on grinding — and why that's normal ✅ The real difference between being "trapped" and being in a temporary, chosen phase ✅ How to separate tactical work (today's fires) from strategic work (tomorrow's systems) ✅ Why comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel is setting you up to feel guilty for nothing ✅ The one gut-check to run this week to find out if your grind is building something or just burning you out Average business owners feel guilty every time they're back in the grind. Great business owners know exactly which phase they're in — and keep building anyway. If you've ever wondered whether working hard makes you a hypocrite for talking about freedom, this episode is for you. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with an owner who's grinding right now and feeling guilty about it #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #ServiceBusinessOwner #BusinessMindset Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    168 | Working Hard vs. Being Trapped: What Nobody Tells You About the Grind

  6. Aug 10

    167 | Bend Without Breaking: The Leadership Test Every Business Owner Faces

    There's a week every business owner knows all too well — the one where every day hands you a new problem before you've even finished your coffee, where you're pulling every lever you know how to pull just to keep things standing, and a little voice creeps in asking, "Am I actually good at this, or did I just get lucky?" In this episode, Justin gets real about the rocky opening of his newest business location — long hours, problems he didn't see coming, and jobs he thought he'd left behind years ago. He breaks down why knowing the right move is only half the battle, and why the real key to surviving the hard weeks is staying flexible and humble enough to do whatever it takes — and building a team that can bend right alongside you. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — The Week That Tests Everything You've Got 1:43 — Welcome Back (Recording From a New Location) 2:40 — The Confession: Our Rocky Grand Opening 4:02 — The Real Weight of Building Something New 5:10 — Why We Let It Get So Hard (Ego, Comfort, and Grinding) 6:40 — The Trap That Doesn't Care What Industry You're In 6:58 — The Three Things That Actually Get You Through It 8:52 — The Double Win of Staying Flexible 9:35 — Your Challenge This Week 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why knowing the right move is only half of what gets you through a hard stretch ✅ The real reasons owners get stuck — ego, comfort, and the belief that grinding harder is always the answer ✅ Why "knowing your levers" only works if you're also willing to stay flexible when reality doesn't match the plan ✅ How building a team that flexes with you is what lets your business grow without breaking ✅ The one honest question to ask yourself about where you're still staying rigid Average business owners stay rigid when things get hard, hoping the plan they walked in with will hold. Great business owners flex, adapt, and lead their team through it — coming out the other side stronger, together. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next Freedom Fuel episode 👉 Share this with another owner who needs to hear it #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessLeadership #TeamBuilding #Resilience #BusinessGrowth Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    167 | Bend Without Breaking: The Leadership Test Every Business Owner Faces

  7. Aug 3

    166 | Choose Your Hard: What Buying a Broken Restaurant Taught Me About Building a Business

    You can choose two hard things in business: the pain of pushing through, or the regret of backing off. Justin's been living that choice lately — not just in his home service business, but in a brand-new restaurant he bought and is rebuilding from the ground up. In this episode, he pulls back the curtain on why he took it on, what the remodel has actually cost him in sleep and sanity, and why he'd choose the hard path again every time. Justin breaks down why owners fall in love with the finish line and forget the middle is going to hurt, and the three traps that keep pulling business owners into the same wall. Then he flips it: choosing your hard on purpose, protecting your people by hiring slow and training hard, and reconnecting with your why the moment things get painful. It's a real look at what rebuilding something broken actually takes — and why it's worth it. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — The Choice Every Owner Faces: Push Through or Regret Backing Off 0:43 — Behind the Scenes: Justin's New Business Walkthrough 1:12 — Buying and Rebuilding a Restaurant While Running a Home Service Business 2:10 — Why Good People and Systems Make or Break a Business 3:17 — The Remodel Reality: Equipment Breakdowns and Late Nights 4:21 — The Real Why Behind Choosing the Hard Path: Family and Legacy 5:13 — The True Cost of Rebuilding: Time, Energy, and Team Development 5:58 — Growth, Taxes, and Staying Resilient Through It All 7:06 — Three Reasons Owners Get Stuck (and Lose Sight of Their Why) 7:36 — Choosing Your Hard on Purpose 8:04 — Protecting Your Team: Hire Slow, Train Hard 8:43 — The Double Win: Resilient Businesses and Teams That Last 9:19 — The Call to Action: Confront the Hard Thing Today 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ✅ Why every business owner has to choose between the pain of pushing through and the regret of backing off ✅ What buying and rebuilding a broken restaurant taught Justin about resilience and systems ✅ Why hiring slow and training hard is non-negotiable if you want your team to carry the business ✅ The real "why" behind choosing your hard on purpose — and how it changes everything ✅ The three reasons owners get stuck chasing the finish line, and how to avoid it Average owners look for the easy path and burn out searching for one that doesn't exist. Great owners choose their hard on purpose and build something that lasts — a business and a team that can outlive the founder. If you're in the middle of a hard season right now, this episode is for you. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast — short, powerful episodes to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode 👉 Share this with an owner who needs to hear it today #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #ElectricalBusiness #ContractorMarketing #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship #Resilience Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    166 | Choose Your Hard: What Buying a Broken Restaurant Taught Me About Building a Business

  8. Jul 27

    165 | What Your Pricing Is Really Saying About You

    Ever wonder why your most loyal customer skips you when it's time for the big job? You showed up fast, fixed the small stuff, even worked for free, and when the $20,000 system replacement came up, they didn't even call. That's not bad luck. That's pricing. In this solo episode, Justin Deese breaks down the real story of "Jimmy", a contractor who did everything right for years and still lost a big replacement job to "one of those big companies in town." Justin unpacks why pricing isn't just about the bottom line: it's a confidence signal. It shapes whether customers trust you with their smallest problems, or with their biggest decisions. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 0:00 — Cold Open: The Customer Who Skipped You for the Big Job 0:45 — Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast 1:15 — The Jimmy Story: Years of Free Work, Zero Chance to Bid 2:30 — The Owner Mindset Gap: Effort vs. Confidence 3:15 — Point 1: Cheap Pricing Builds the Wrong Kind of Trust 4:15 — What the Customer Was Really Thinking 5:00 — Point 2: How Free Work Lowers Perceived Value 5:45 — Reflection: Would Your Best Customer Call You First? 6:15 — Point 3: Pricing Is a Confidence Signal 7:15 — What Jimmy Should Have Done Differently 8:00 — Action Steps: Audit, Reframe, Lead the Conversation 🎯 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: ✅ Why customers reward confidence, not effort, even from the contractor they trust most ✅ How cheap or free pricing quietly signals "this work isn't worth much" ✅ Why big companies win the big jobs by looking safer, not by being better ✅ How to start the replacement conversation years before the system fails ✅ The exact audit to run this week on your free work and your replacement pricing Average contractors wear "I did it for free" like a badge of honor and wonder why the big jobs go elsewhere. Great contractors know pricing isn't just a number, it's proof they're worth trusting with the decision that matters most. 🎧 Welcome to The Freedom Blueprint Podcast, real conversations to help home service business owners lead better, grow faster, and keep crushing it. 👉 Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode 👉 Share this with a fellow leader who needs to hear it #HomeServiceBusiness #HVACBusiness #PlumbingBusiness #PricingStrategy #ContractorTips #CustomerTrust #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #BusinessGrowth Mentioned in this episode: HomeServiceHoorah.com/ Get your tickets before they SELLOUT!

    165 | What Your Pricing Is Really Saying About You
See All (173)

Trailer

5
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Freedom Blueprint Podcast! Host Justin Deese delivers practical advice from his decades in the home service industry. Each week, discover strategies for success, avoid pitfalls, and hear real-life stories. Join our community to learn and grow together. Featuring guests like Tommy Mello from Home Service Experts, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch from Service Business Mastery, Jerod Williams from Wealthy Plumbers and Ara Mahdessian CEO of Service Titan. Visit www.FreedomBlueprintPodcast.com for more. Empowering leaders, fostering growth and a positive mindset. Your journey to success in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical starts here!

Information

You Might Also Like