Apr 13

Ep #13 | Sean Gelvin | How a One-Man Garage Door Company Gets Customers (Real Marketing That Works)

This episode is a real look at what it actually takes to build a garage door business from the ground up. In Episode #13 of Lifted – The Garage Door Podcast, Blair Witkowski sits down with Sean Gelvin of Gelvin Garage Doors in Omaha, Nebraska. Sean started his company with just $10,000, a truck, and a willingness to figure it out—and today, he’s running a one-man operation that consistently generates calls without relying on big ad budgets or complicated systems. Instead of chasing every new marketing trend, Sean focused on what works: yard signs, local visibility, Facebook groups, and building a reputation that drives word-of-mouth referrals. This conversation dives into the practical side of running a small garage door business, including the challenges, the trade-offs, and the strategies that actually move the needle. You’ll also hear an honest discussion about pricing in the industry, what separates professionals from “chuck in a truck” operators, and what new business owners should expect when starting out. If you’re a garage door contractor—or any home service business owner—this episode is packed with real-world insight you can apply immediately. 🔧 In This Episode: Starting a garage door business with limited resources Simple marketing strategies that generate real calls How yard signs and local platforms still outperform digital ads The role of word-of-mouth in long-term growth Pricing differences across the industry The realities of running a one-man service business 🎧 About the Podcast: Lifted – The Garage Door Podcast features real conversations with garage door professionals, business owners, and industry experts. No fluff—just honest insights, proven strategies, and lessons from the field. 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Lifted? If you run a garage door company and have real experience to share, I’d love to have you on the show. Reach out here: https://thegaragedoorpodcast.com/be-a-guest/

50 min

Mar 16

Ep# 12 | Housecall Pro Cofounder Roland Ligtenberg on AI and the Future of the Trades

In this episode of Lifted: The Garage Door Podcast, Blair Witkowski sits down with Roland Ligtenberg, cofounder of Housecall Pro, for a fascinating conversation about AI, automation, and what’s coming next for home service companies. Housecall Pro has grown into one of the most widely used platforms in the trades, helping power more than 50,000 service businesses and supporting hundreds of thousands of technicians across the United States and Canada. With more than 100 million jobs processed through the platform, Roland and his team have a unique view into how contractors actually run their businesses—and where many of them are unknowingly leaving money on the table. During the conversation, Roland explains why some of the biggest problems contractors face today are surprisingly simple: missed phone calls, unoptimized schedules, slow follow-ups, and systems that still rely on paper, spreadsheets, and disconnected tools. We also dive deep into how AI is beginning to change the day-to-day operations of service companies, from answering calls and booking jobs to marketing, customer follow-ups, and even collections. Roland shares how Housecall Pro is building AI tools designed specifically for the trades, helping contractors automate the work they don’t enjoy so they can spend more time doing what they’re best at. Blair and Roland also discuss: • Why missed calls remain one of the biggest lost revenue opportunities in home service • How inefficient scheduling leaves empty space on technicians’ calendars • The rise of AI receptionists and automated job booking • Why financing options can dramatically improve closing rates • The importance of remarketing to past customers • How AI will reshape office work in the trades over the next few years One of Roland’s most memorable takeaways from the conversation is a simple but powerful reminder: “Everything you see today is as bad as it’s ever going to be.” In other words, the technology is only going to keep improving—and the companies that embrace it early will have a significant advantage. If you run a garage door company or any kind of home service business, this episode offers a rare inside look at where the industry is headed and how new tools can help contractors run smarter, more profitable operations. Watch this episode on YouTube Learn More About Housecall Pro https://www.housecallpro.com Connect with Roland Ligtenberg Roland can be found online or reached directly through Housecall Pro. About Lifted: The Garage Door Podcast Hosted by Blair Witkowski, Lifted explores the garage door industry through conversations with installers, entrepreneurs, and leaders shaping the future of the trades. Each episode dives into real stories, business strategies, and the challenges contractors face every day while building successful companies.

43 min

Mar 12

Ep# 11 | Thomas Holly | From Craigslist Side Hustle to a Real Garage Door Company

In this episode of Lifted: The Garage Door Podcast, Blair Witkowski talks with Thomas Holly of Hollywood Garage Doors, serving the Chattanooga area and North Georgia. Thomas has spent more than three decades in the garage door industry. He started out in commercial doors as a welder and fabricator, eventually moving into residential work on the side while still working a full-time job. What began as a simple Craigslist side hustle slowly grew into something much bigger. Over time, the demand kept increasing. More service calls, more installs, more referrals. Eventually the math became obvious — the garage door work was paying better than the day job. In 2016 Thomas made the leap and turned Hollywood Garage Doors into a full-time business. In this conversation, Thomas shares what it was really like building a company from the ground up with minimal overhead, starting with a beat-up service truck, a ladder, and a handful of loyal customers who kept calling him back. We also talk about the importance of local networking, including how BNI chapters, community involvement, and word-of-mouth referrals continue to drive a large portion of the company’s work today. While many contractors chase digital marketing and paid ads, Thomas explains why personal relationships and community presence have been far more valuable in his market. Other topics in this episode include: • How a side hustle can turn into a full-time garage door business • Why keeping overhead low early on can make or break a new company • The role networking groups like BNI play in generating steady referrals • How CRM software like Jobber is helping modernize operations • Why some digital marketing efforts don’t always translate into real jobs • How garage door technology has changed over the past 35 years • The reality of running a service business where the phone can ring anytime Thomas also shares honest advice for anyone thinking about starting their own garage door company, including the realities of long hours, customer service expectations, and the hustle required to build a reputation in a competitive market. If you enjoy hearing the real stories behind how garage door companies get built, this episode delivers plenty of insight from someone who has lived it. Connect with Thomas Holly Hollywood Garage Doors Chattanooga, TN & North Georgia Website: https://hollywoodgaragedoors.com • Think you’d make a great guest? Apply to be on the show: Guest Application Link • Need SEO for your garage door company? Learn more: GarageDoorSEOExperts.com • Learn more about Blair Witkowski: https://blairwitkowski.com/ • Follow Lifted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegaragedoorpodcast • Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube

41 min

Mar 6

EP# 10: Buying and Growing a Garage Door Company with Michael Barrett of Access Garage Doors

In this episode of Lifted: The Garage Door Podcast, I sit down with Michael Barrett, owner of Access Garage Door Sales & Service in Greenville, South Carolina. Michael’s path into the garage door industry is different than most. Before buying Access Garage Doors, he spent nearly a decade helping scale a garage door company across multiple markets through acquisitions and operational systems. That experience gave him a unique perspective on what makes a garage door company valuable, how deals actually happen, and what buyers look for when evaluating a business. We talk about what it was like stepping into ownership after purchasing an established company, how he approached culture and team trust after the transition, and why the customer database he inherited turned out to be one of the most valuable assets in the business. Michael also shares some of the marketing and operational ideas he’s experimenting with right now in the Greenville market—from newsletters and outbound customer outreach to simple local branding tactics that help keep the company top of mind with homeowners. We also get into a topic that’s frustrating a lot of legitimate garage door companies right now: fake Google Maps listings and lead-gen operations showing up in local search results. Michael has been actively investigating some of these listings in his market and shares his perspective on how they impact real businesses trying to compete fairly online. This episode is a practical conversation about ownership, growth, and what it really takes to run and expand a local garage door company today. Connect with Michael Barrett Access Garage Doors & Sales – Greenville, South Carolina Website: https://garagedooraid.com Connect with Lifted • Think you’d make a great guest on the show? Apply here. • Need serious SEO for your garage door company? Learn more at https://garagedoorseoexperts.com/ • Follow Lifted on Facebook • Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube

46 min

Feb 21

EP# 9 | Commercial Door Reality: Dock Levelers, High Speed Doors, and Hiring | Adam Williams

In this episode of Lifted, I sit down with Adam Williams, a nearly 20-year garage door veteran working in the Charleston, South Carolina market with Advanced Door Systems. Adam is in that transition a lot of techs talk about but few navigate well — moving off the truck and into the office while the work is still piling up. We get into what that shift really looks like, especially when you’re balancing residential growth with serious commercial work including dock levelers, rolling steel, high-speed doors, and large tilt-wall projects. We also have the kind of conversation most techs are already having privately. Brand quality changes. LiftMaster callbacks. Why Genie is back in the discussion. What holds up in heat and salt air. What fails. And what that means for companies trying to scale without drowning in warranty work. Beyond doors, we talk about hiring after COVID, training helpers into real techs, and why trade skills like welding still represent one of the strongest career paths available. If you’re in the garage door industry and thinking about commercial work, hiring better, or stepping into leadership, this episode is a practical look at what’s happening in the field right now. Connect with Lifted & Blair Witkowski • Think you’d make an interesting guest on Lifted? Apply here. • Need serious SEO for your garage door company? Learn more here. • Learn more about Blair and his work in the garage door industry. • Follow Lifted on Facebook • Watch the full video version of this interview on YouTube.

49 min

Jan 16 · Video

Ep. 8 | Scaling Gecko Garage Doors, Google Jail, and What Actually Builds a Real Operation

Preston Hiller grew up in the garage door industry, literally. He was on the truck as a teenager, took over his family’s business years later, and then made the hard shift from being a technician to building an actual operation. In this episode of Lifted, Preston breaks down what changed when Gecko Garage Doors went from a small, family-run shop to a six-truck company and what didn’t. We talk honestly about burnout, why wrench-turning doesn’t scale, and how putting the right systems in place was the only way to grow without losing control. Preston explains how CRMs changed their business, where companies quietly lose jobs without realizing it, and why hiring for culture matters more than resumes. A major part of this conversation centers on the Google Business Profile suspension, which Preston calls “Google jail.” After opening a second location, Gecko Garage Doors lost visibility almost overnight, cutting off a significant portion of inbound calls. We get into what happened, how vague Google’s enforcement has become, and what this kind of disruption actually costs real businesses. We also cover: Growing from one truck to six in a competitive market Hiring techs outside the garage door industry Why home-based operations can scale further than people think Email marketing that works without burning your list Social media and video content that actually builds trust Old-school tactics that still compound over time This episode isn’t theory or hype. It’s a real conversation about growth, mistakes, systems, and adapting when the rules change mid-game. If you’re building a garage door company or thinking about taking it to the next stage this one’s worth your time. Interview by Blair Witkowski

55 min

Jan 10 · Video

Ep# 7 | Kyle Dudley From Door Service Solutions | Interview by Blair Witkowski

Kyle Dudley didn’t leave the fire service on a whim. He built Door Service Solutions while working full-time as a firefighter and paramedic, then stepped out only when the numbers — and the demand — were undeniable. In this episode of Lifted, I sat down with Kyle to talk through what it actually looks like to grow a garage door company the right way while still holding down another career. We covered: Hiring your first full-time techs — and knowing when it’s finally time Training from scratch without burning customers or your sanity Why service work (not installs) became the backbone of his business The hidden cost of bad distributors, dented panels, and rescheduled jobs Old-school marketing that still works when everyone else is chasing ads What keeps a growing owner up at night — and what doesn’t Kyle’s background in the Marines and fire service shows up in how he runs his company: debriefs, accountability, pride in the trucks, and respect for the people wearing the uniform — whether that’s turnout gear or a DSS shirt. If you’re trying to scale without losing control, or you’re wondering whether you’re closer to that next truck than you think, this conversation will hit home.

45 min

12/19/2025 · Video

EP# 6 | Seth Neumann From Legacy Garage Doors | Interview by Blair Witkowski

I sat down with Seth Neumann from Legacy Garage Doors for one of my favorite conversations so far on Lifted. Seth has been in the garage door industry for over a decade, but his path hasn’t been clean or easy. We talk honestly about starting a business too early, watching it fail, swallowing pride, and going back to work to actually learn the trade the right way. We also get into how getting sober completely reset his mindset — not just as a business owner, but as a person. What makes Seth’s story especially interesting is that he’s growing a garage door company in southern Mississippi without the safety net most guys rely on. No Google Maps listing, no big brand, no franchise — just experience, consistency, and doing what he says he’s going to do. We talk about real-world lead sources, new door installs, hiring before you feel ready, branding, financing options, training techs, and what it looks like to build a company you actually want your name attached to. This episode is for garage door owners and techs who want something real — not motivational noise, not theory — just an honest look at what’s working, what’s hard, and what it actually takes to build something that lasts.

47 min

Lifted: The Garage Door Podcast

Episodes

Ep #13 | Sean Gelvin | How a One-Man Garage Door Company Gets Customers (Real Marketing That Works)

Ep# 12 | Housecall Pro Cofounder Roland Ligtenberg on AI and the Future of the Trades

Ep# 11 | Thomas Holly | From Craigslist Side Hustle to a Real Garage Door Company

EP# 10: Buying and Growing a Garage Door Company with Michael Barrett of Access Garage Doors

EP# 9 | Commercial Door Reality: Dock Levelers, High Speed Doors, and Hiring | Adam Williams

Ep. 8 | Scaling Gecko Garage Doors, Google Jail, and What Actually Builds a Real Operation

Ep# 7 | Kyle Dudley From Door Service Solutions | Interview by Blair Witkowski

EP# 6 | Seth Neumann From Legacy Garage Doors | Interview by Blair Witkowski

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