Profit & Grit with Tyler

Tyler Martin

Profit and Grit is the no-BS weekly podcast for home service business owners and blue collar entrepreneurs. Each episode features real strategies from successful contractors and industry experts in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and other trades. Hosted by Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home service businesses and the trades, Profit & Grit dives into growth, cash flow, hiring, pricing, and leadership. If you own or want to grow a business in the trades, this home service podcast will help you build a stronger, more profitable company.

  1. The $3M to $6M Growth Trap for Home Service Businesses - Janeen Norquist

    3D AGO

    The $3M to $6M Growth Trap for Home Service Businesses - Janeen Norquist

    Growth in a home service business doesn’t break because of a lack of leads. It breaks when communication, structure, and leadership can’t keep up. Janeen Norquist joins me, president and co-owner of Just In Time Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing, a growing HVAC and plumbing company based in Illinois. After spending 16 years at 3M, she stepped into the trades and helped build a business alongside her husband from the ground up. In this episode, we get into what it actually looks like to grow a home service company beyond the early stages. Janeen shares the reality of leaving a stable career, the financial pressure in the early years, and how learning the numbers and building the right processes changed their trajectory. We also break down how they use DISC personality profiles across their entire team to improve communication, reduce internal friction, and make better hiring decisions. Janeen explains how understanding how people are wired has led to stronger retention, better leadership, and a more aligned company culture. We also cover role-playing, leadership development, and what it takes to move from around 3 million to over 5 million in revenue without losing control of the business. If you want to scale with better systems, stronger people, and clearer direction, this episode will give you practical strategies you can apply right away. What You Will Learn in This Episode Why home service companies stall in the 3M to 6M growth stageHow communication issues impact team performance and retentionHow DISC profiles help improve hiring and leadership decisionsWhy understanding personality types leads to better customer interactionsHow to build a culture that supports long term growthThe importance of role playing in training technicians and office staffHow to develop leaders instead of just promoting top performersKey financial metrics every HVAC and plumbing business owner should trackHow to improve efficiency and accountability as your business growsWhat it takes to scale a home service business without burning out your team Connect with Janeen Norquist Website: justintimeheroes.com LinkedIn: Janeen Norquist More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, a 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    47 min
  2. Why You’re Losing Jobs After the Call Is Booked - Brigham Dickinson

    MAR 31

    Why You’re Losing Jobs After the Call Is Booked - Brigham Dickinson

    You’re booking the job… and still losing it. A lot of home service companies think they need more leads. In reality, the leak is what happens after the phone call. The appointment gets set, but the customer keeps shopping, cancels, or never fully commits. Brigham Dickinson joins me, founder of Power Selling Pros, a company that helps contractors improve how they handle calls, coach their teams, and convert more opportunities into revenue. Brigham has spent over 17 years reviewing real customer calls and working with hundreds of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies. His focus is simple: get more out of the leads you already have. In this episode, we break down why booked calls still fall apart, where CSRs lose control of the conversation, and how AI is changing call handling... for better and worse. Brigham explains why booking the appointment isn’t enough, and how the best companies create trust early so customers stop shopping. We also talk through technician performance, dispatch decisions, and why matching the right tech to the right job plays a bigger role in revenue than most owners realize. What You Will Learn in This Episode • Why most contractors don’t have a lead problem, they have a conversion problem • What leads to cancellations after a job is scheduled • How CSR performance impacts booking rates and revenue • Where AI fits into call handling and where it falls short • Why the customer experience starts on the first call • How better conversations reduce price shopping • The role of technician matching in job success • Why follow-up after booking matters more than you think • How small gains in conversion can drive significant growth • What top-performing companies do differently to win more jobs More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group. Connect with Brigham Dickinson Website: https://powersellingpros.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigham-dickinson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/power.sellingpros/ 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    45 min
  3. The Hidden Revenue in Your Pipeline You’re Not Capturing - Ryan Fenn

    MAR 24

    The Hidden Revenue in Your Pipeline You’re Not Capturing - Ryan Fenn

    The biggest missed opportunity in most home service businesses isn’t leads, it’s what happens after the lead comes in. Ryan Fenn joins me, founder of Chirp, a platform built to help contractors improve follow-up, communication, and conversion without increasing ad spend. Ryan comes from a sales background and built Chirp out of his own frustration with inconsistent follow-up. Today, his team has analyzed hundreds of millions of text messages to understand what actually drives responses and closes deals. In this episode, we break down why most follow-up fails before it even starts, and how small changes in wording can dramatically impact results. Ryan explains why sounding like a marketer kills conversion, how to communicate in a way that feels natural, and why timing plays a bigger role than most people realize. We also get into AI, automation, and how to use both to improve consistency while still keeping the human connection that builds trust and wins jobs. What You Will Learn in This Episode • Why most contractors don’t have a lead problem, they have a follow-up problem • How small changes in language can significantly increase response rates • The difference between marketing messages and real conversations • Why timing and cadence matter more than most people think • How to structure follow-up beyond just one or two touchpoints • The role of automation in creating consistency • How AI can support communication without replacing the human element • Why long-term follow-up can turn lost leads into closed jobs • How better follow-up improves ROI without more marketing spend • What separates average conversion from top-performing companies More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group. 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    55 min
  4. Why Most HVAC Sales Calls Fail Before They Start - Drew Cameron

    MAR 17

    Why Most HVAC Sales Calls Fail Before They Start - Drew Cameron

    Most contractors think they have a sales problem. In reality, it’s usually a process problem. Drew Cameron joins me, a longtime trainer and consultant who has spent more than 25 years helping home service companies build better sales teams and stronger customer experiences. Drew grew up in the trades, helped run and sell a family HVAC business, and now works with contractors across the country on how to improve performance through better structure, coaching, and accountability. In this episode, we break down why sales calls fail before they even start, and how the best companies approach the in-home process differently. Drew explains why connection matters more than closing, how to guide homeowners through decisions, and what most contractors get wrong when they rush to quote. We also get into hiring, training, and compensation, including how to structure pay around connection ratios and performance instead of just revenue. What You Will Learn in This Episode • Why most HVAC sales calls break down early • The difference between closing and connecting with customers • How to run a stronger in-home consultation • Why rushing to quote hurts your results • The role of process in improving sales performance • How to coach and lead a sales team effectively • Why connection ratio matters more than close rate • How to structure compensation to drive better behavior • The KPIs that actually measure sales success • How better sales execution leads to higher tickets and stronger margins More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group. 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    52 min
  5. How a Family HVAC Company Grew to $20M Without Selling to PE - Cody Martinez

    MAR 10

    How a Family HVAC Company Grew to $20M Without Selling to PE - Cody Martinez

    Building a $20M HVAC company didn’t start with investors or private equity. It started with a family taking a chance. Cody Martinez joins me from Cowboys Air Conditioning and Heating in San Antonio, a family-owned business that has grown to more than $20 million in revenue.  The company began after Cody’s father was laid off on Thanksgiving. Cody’s mom and uncle started the business with his mom cold-calling from the kitchen table while his uncle ran installs. Cody’s father later joined and became the leader who shaped the company’s culture and direction. In this episode, we unpack the decisions that helped Cowboys break through the $4M–$10M ceiling. Cody explains how “call-by-call management” transformed the way they dispatch service calls and why matching the right technician to the right customer can dramatically improve results. We also discuss recruiting competitors’ top technicians and the tough leadership decision to let go of the company’s top four producers in order to protect the culture. Cody credits his father with setting the mission of the company: change people’s lives, create opportunities for employees and their families, and build something that lasts for generations. What You Will Learn in This Episode • How Cowboys Air Conditioning and Heating started from a kitchen-table operation  • The role Cody’s father played in shaping the company’s leadership and mission  • How the company scaled past $20M while staying family owned  • Why call-by-call management can dramatically increase revenue  • How dispatching the right technician to the right customer improves outcomes  • The leadership decision to let go of the company’s top producers  • Why protecting culture can unlock faster long-term growth  • How proactive recruiting attracts stronger technicians  • Why margins matter more than simply chasing top-line revenue  • How family-owned companies can compete against private equity-backed firms  • The leadership habits that reinforce culture every day  • Why building a legacy can be more powerful than chasing an exit More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group. 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    52 min
  6. The Revenue Levers Most Owners Ignore - Justin Judd

    MAR 3

    The Revenue Levers Most Owners Ignore - Justin Judd

    Going from rock bottom to revenue growth isn’t a marketing tactic. It’s a mindset shift. Justin Judd is the VP of Partnerships at Chirp and one of the most respected voices in lead conversion inside the home services space. But before sitting in rooms with industry leaders and speaking on big stages, Justin was a recovered heroin addict who hit absolute rock bottom, including a stroke that left half his face paralyzed. In this episode, we unpack the revenue levers most owners ignore. Why more leads isn’t usually the real answer. How speed to lead can increase conversion by 391%. Why open estimates are a hidden bank account. How automation can enhance human connection instead of replace it. And what recruiting A-players actually looks like in the real world. Justin shares tactical strategies around follow-up, missed calls, AI implementation, and scorecards, but he also makes a deeper point: everything starts with mindset. The shops that win aren’t always the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones that execute faster, measure better, and take ownership. This conversation is for home service owners who feel stuck at $2M–$10M, frustrated with lead quality, or wondering why revenue isn’t translating into profit. What You Will Learn in This Episode • Why “we need more leads” is often the wrong diagnosis • How contacting a lead within one minute can increase conversion by 391% • The power of automating speed to lead across every channel • Why open estimates should be tracked like cash in the bank • How a 9% lift in conversion produced $752,000 in two months • The right way to use automation without losing the human touch • Why personalized video follow-up creates long-term stickiness • How AI is reshaping follow-up, booking, and messaging strategy • Why A-players rarely come from the unemployment line • How scorecards remove emotion and create accountability • Why mindset is the ultimate revenue lever If you’re serious about scaling, this episode reinforces a simple truth: growth doesn’t just come from more marketing. It comes from better execution, stronger leadership, and knowing exactly where your revenue is leaking. More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group. 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    49 min
  7. Thinking Too Small Is Costing You Millions - Alyssa Rogers

    FEB 24

    Thinking Too Small Is Costing You Millions - Alyssa Rogers

    Going from $600K to $10M didn’t require moving cities. It required changing how they led. Alyssa Rogers is the Vice President of Rogers Heating and Cooling in South Boston, Virginia, a town of under 10,000 people. When she and her husband took over the family business in 2018, it was doing about $600,000 in revenue. Today, it’s an eight-figure company with multiple locations and a clear path toward a $100 million vision. In this episode, we unpack what really happens between $1M and $10M in a home service business. The messy early years. Hiring without structure. Learning leadership in real time. Bringing in coaching. Installing a true GM layer. And turning down a life-changing private equity offer because it didn’t fit their long-term plan. Alyssa shares what scaling in a small market actually looks like, why technician retention is always a leadership issue, how aligning team goals changes culture, and why financial discipline matters as growth accelerates. This conversation is for home service owners who feel capped by geography, stuck between $2M and $5M, or unsure what the next phase requires. What You Will Learn in This Episode • What it looks like to take over a $600K HVAC company • Why the first $1M to $2M is grit and figuring it out • The leadership shift required to move beyond “truck and a shop” • How the right peer group changed their trajectory • What happens at the $3M–$5M bottleneck • How reverse-engineering a 10-year vision clarifies decisions • Why hiring for character beats industry experience • What changes when you bring in a true GM • Why they turned down a private equity offer • The importance of clean financials, margin targets, and forecasting If you’re pushing toward eight figures or building something durable enough to sell one day, this episode reinforces a simple truth: growth only works when leadership, structure, and financial clarity grow with it. More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group. 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    49 min
  8. Why EBITDA Disappears After You Buy a Trade Business - Ryan Williams

    FEB 17

    Why EBITDA Disappears After You Buy a Trade Business - Ryan Williams

    Revenue looks stable when you’re buying a trade business. What’s unstable is everything underneath it. Ryan Williams is a longtime operator and co-founder of DivvyShares. After reviewing more than 100 deals, he acquired a residential plumbing company and stepped straight into what most buyers only discover after closing: year one exposes everything. In this episode, we talk about why most home service acquisitions don’t fail because of the market. They fail because of overpaying, owner dependency, rushed decisions, culture problems, and cash flow strain that shows up fast once the deal closes. Ryan shares what it actually looks like to buy a $5M trade business, miss projections, fire a top producer, slow growth intentionally, test AI answering, and overhaul fleet safety, all in the first year. This conversation is for trade business owners thinking about buying, selling, or trying to push past that $3–$5M ceiling without breaking their business. What You Will Learn in This Episode • Why many home service acquisitions quietly underperform in year one  • How overpaying for SDE or EBITDA puts buyers behind from day one  • The hidden risk of “hands-off owner” deals in the trades  • Why so many owners stall out around $5M in revenue  • How personal income dependency keeps owners from hiring leadership  • What really happens when you fire a top-producing salesperson for culture  • Why moving a billable tech into supervision immediately impacts revenue  • How to think about durability versus aggressive growth projections  • Why cash flow discipline matters more than headline revenue  • How booking rate data exposed a six-figure mistake  • What went wrong with AI answering in a 50+ Southern demographic  • Why speed-to-lead still wins in aggregator-driven markets  • How truck cameras exposed serious safety and liability risk  • The mindset required to survive the first 12 months after buying a trade business If you’re considering buying a plumbing, HVAC, or electrical company, or you’re building one with the goal of selling someday, this episode gives you a realistic look at what happens after the ink dries. More From Profit & Grit Book your complimentary Financial Insight Session with Tyler Martin, fractional CFO for home services and the trades, here: http://cfointrocall.com Learn more at http://cfomadeeasy.com Follow the show for weekly interviews with HVAC, plumbing, and home service owners and experts who share what it really takes to grow, scale, and profit in the trades. If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group. 🎙️ Profit & Grit by Tyler Martin Real stories. Real strategy. Real results for service-based business owners. 🔗 Website: ProfitAndGrit.com 📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thinktyler 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @profitandgrit Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home services and the trades 📅 Want to grow your business with smarter financial strategy? Book a free intro meeting

    49 min
4.8
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Profit and Grit is the no-BS weekly podcast for home service business owners and blue collar entrepreneurs. Each episode features real strategies from successful contractors and industry experts in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and other trades. Hosted by Tyler Martin, a fractional CFO for home service businesses and the trades, Profit & Grit dives into growth, cash flow, hiring, pricing, and leadership. If you own or want to grow a business in the trades, this home service podcast will help you build a stronger, more profitable company.

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