Blue Billions

Zach Williams
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Real conversations with home service business owners who built million-dollar companies in HVAC, roofing, solar & flooring. Hosted by Zach Williams.

Episodes

  1. Aug 12

    He Got Fired. Then He Built a $12M Trades Company.

    Steve Akian is the founder and owner of Akian HVAC & Electrical, a 50-person home services company outside Boston that finished 2025 at just under $12M — with a goal of $13.5M in 2026. He got fired from his last job in his 20s and sold his first job the very next day. The truck that started the company was hand-lettered in his backyard by a buddy over a few beers on a weekend; that lettering hangs in his office now. Inside: why Tesla paying electricians $300K a year is reshaping what every trades shop has to charge, why Steve thinks private equity — not a competitor — is the biggest headwind in the trades right now, what he saw when prefabrication cut 40% of labor costs overnight at his old company, why he's telling his team the window to get very good at what they do is right now, and a real conversation on anxiety, meditation, and what it costs to run a company where 50 families depend on the payroll. Chapters 00:00 - Intro06:10 - He Got Fired — Then Sold His First Job the Next Day07:35 - Why He Pulled Back From TV Ads and Moved to Programmatic14:39 - The AI Rule His Office Staff Uses Every Day19:36 - How They're Handling Price Resistance in 202621:19 - Why Generators Became a Core Service Line21:51 - Why Private Equity Is the Biggest Threat in the Trades Right Now23:59 - Anxiety, Meditation, and Running a Company 50 Families Depend On39:08 - Where the Trades Are Headed as AI Reshapes Every Industry42:10 - How Prefabrication Cut Labor Costs 40% Overnight44:08 - What He'd Tell Himself Starting Out46:50 - The Plan to Hit $13.5M in 202647:31 - His Advice for Anyone Trying to Build What He Built Resources Venveo: the marketing team behind this show and behind the brands you hear about on it: https://venveo.com/ Building Radar: find and win commercial construction project leads before they hit the bid boards: https://buildingradar.com/ FOLLOW BLUE BILLIONS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlueBillX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluebillions_/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bluebillx X: https://x.com/BlueBillX_  FOLLOW ZACH Instagram: @zachwillx FOLLOW STEVE AKIAN & AKIAN HVAC & ELECTRICAL Website: https://www.akianplumbing.com/about-us/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr._akian/

    He Got Fired. Then He Built a $12M Trades Company.
  • 1 Episode

About

Real conversations with home service business owners who built million-dollar companies in HVAC, roofing, solar & flooring. Hosted by Zach Williams.

Information

  • Creator
    Zach Williams
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Blue Billions
  • Show Website
    Blue Billions