Real American Grit Podcast

Tom Howard
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Real American Grit, hosted by Tom Howard, goes beyond business theory to uncover what it really takes to build, operate, scale, and sell successful contracting companies. Through candid conversations with proven owners, operators, leaders, and industry standouts, the show explores the hard lessons, strategies, risks, and relentless work behind real-world success. No fluff. Just experience earned in the trenches.

Episodes

  1. Aug 8

    Mr. Poppy | How They Reached a $10M Run Rate in Five Months

    Tenzin Soepa and Andrei Smith, co-owners of Mr. Poppy Electric, went from top Audi salespeople to launching a greenfield electrical and HVAC company that reached roughly $890,000 in revenue in its fifth month, a run rate above $10 million. They did it without acquiring an existing operation, and the path exposed a problem many contractors mistake for success: selling more work than the team can install. Tom Howard breaks down how they shifted from closing every job themselves to building capacity. They unpack the capital and hiring decisions behind the growth, why a bright-orange-van brand and owner-led social ads created trust, how they responded to new leads in under 30 seconds, and what changed when they finally hired dedicated salespeople. Key Takeaways Why being booked out can signal a capacity problem How capital and faster hiring unlocked installation capacity Why branding and owner-led ads built trust with a new company How a sub-30-second response turned social leads into appointments What changed when the founders handed sales to dedicated hiresConnect with Soepa and Andrei Mr. Poppy Electric: https://callmrpoppy.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callmrpoppy/Andrei on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreismith/ Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddealsWebsite: https://howarddeals.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddealsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhowardTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhowardX: https://x.com/dealshoward ### Chapter Markers00:00 - Meet Soepa and Andrei04:14 - From Audi Sales to Home Services08:23 - Stop Selling and Build Capacity13:22 - Using Capital to Grow Faster17:00 - Revenue Jumps in Months Four and Five21:03 - Building the Brand and Lead Flow26:42 - Marketing Costs Behind $890K33:04 - Responding to Leads in 30 Seconds40:16 - Letting Go of Founder-Led Sales48:02 - Revenue, Payroll, and Profit

  2. Aug 1

    Steve Michaelson | The HVAC Bin System That Cut Morning Prep to 15 Minutes

    Tom Howard sits down with Steve Michaelson, director of operations at Lee's Air, Plumbing and Heating, to break down the install-bin system that reduced morning prep from as much as two hours to about 15 minutes. Steve explains how vendor-managed inventory, 5S organization, transparent SOPs, and frontline feedback can cut waste without slowing technicians down. They also revisit how Steve adapted the system while overseeing supply chain at Google, where the work earned a Feat of Engineering award. In this episode: Build repeatable install systems around the technician Track parts without making installers manage inventory Find and reward employee-led cost savings Remove bottlenecks from everyday workflows Create a forgiving culture for calculated risksConnect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals Website: https://howarddeals.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward X: https://x.com/dealshoward

  3. Jul 25

    Phil Filaski | The Sales Process Behind a 19.6M Year

    Tom Howard sits down with Phil Filaski, the residential HVAC sales leader behind a 19.6M sales year at Lee's Air, to break down what actually happens inside a high-performing home service sales process. Phil explains why elite sales cannot depend on one superstar, how Lee's pulled him out of the field to train the team, and why the real win is building multiple people who can consistently produce. The conversation gets tactical: going back to the basics, creating space for homeowners to process bad news, avoiding rushed objection handling, handling one-decision-maker calls without being awkward, presenting price without getting defensive, and turning a personal system into company-wide training. For contractors, operators, and sales leaders, this is a practical look at how mindset, process, coaching, and discipline can change the numbers without relying on gimmicks. Connect with Tom Howard Linktree: https://linktr.ee/howarddeals Website: https://howarddeals.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howarddeals Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtomhoward TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtomhoward X: https://x.com/dealshoward

  • 3 Episodes

About

Real American Grit, hosted by Tom Howard, goes beyond business theory to uncover what it really takes to build, operate, scale, and sell successful contracting companies. Through candid conversations with proven owners, operators, leaders, and industry standouts, the show explores the hard lessons, strategies, risks, and relentless work behind real-world success. No fluff. Just experience earned in the trenches.

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