Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast

John Wilson
  • 4.7 (87)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

The Owned and Operated electrical, HVAC, and plumbing business growth podcast is hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr. These two Home Service Business owners bring you weekly podcasts and daily content with multiple perspectives, actionable advice, and info on an ever-changing industry revolving around advertising, lead generation, and more. Join us every Tuesday for topical conversations that unlock the potential for your business growth. Covering topics from top-tier talent recruitment to mastering marketing strategies and scaling your home service business, the podcast aims to be your guide on the path to entrepreneurial success.For more information, visit www.ownedandoperated.com. 

  1. 1D AGO

    Why We Stopped Buying Service Vans — And You Should Too

    Should Home Service Companies Stop Buying Vans? In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Nashville operator Jack Carr to break down one of the most overlooked expenses in home services: Fleet decisions. With service vans now costing $60,000+ and fuel and repair costs climbing, John and Jack make the case for a radical shift: Ford Mavericks for service… and trailers for installs. They unpack why the Maverick may be the most capital-efficient vehicle for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses, how truck stock changes operational discipline, and whether modular install trailers could replace box trucks altogether. If you’re scaling a trades business and trying to protect cash flow, this episode offers a practical framework for building a leaner, smarter fleet. Key Topics Covered: Why service vans have become a drag on the balance sheetThe real economics of Maverick vs high-roof Transit vansFuel savings, lower capital costs, and fleet scalabilityTruck stock limits in HVAC compared to plumbing and electricalThe “install trailer” system: modular packouts for equipment installs 💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers! We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here 💼Shoutout to Avoca AI! Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish. 🔗 Schedule a demo Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀 FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer! 📅 Book your demo  Connect: John Wilson - https://x.com/WilsonCompanies Jack Carr - https://x.com/thehvacjack #HVAC #Plumbing #Electrical #HomeServices #FleetManagement #ServiceBusinessGrowth Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    28 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Google PPC Isn’t Dead — You’re Just Running It Wrong

    Does Google PPC still work for home service businesses—or is it just an expensive mistake? In this Clicks to Calls episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Service Scalers CEO Sam Preston to break down the truth about Google Ads (PPC) for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies. Some operators swear PPC is dead. Others are spending six figures a month and winning. The difference isn’t the platform—it’s execution. They walk through why PPC fails for most owners, how it’s fundamentally different from Local Service Ads, and what has to be in place before PPC becomes a scalable, predictable lead channel. From budget minimums and landing pages to tracking revenue (not just calls), this episode lays out a clear framework for deciding if PPC belongs in your business—and how to avoid burning cash if you try it. If you’ve ever said “Google Ads don’t work for us,” this episode will challenge that assumption. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why PPC still works—and why most operators think it doesn’tThe real difference between LSA and PPC (and why PPC breaks first)Budget thresholds you actually need to make PPC viableWhy landing pages matter more than ad copy Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀 FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer! 📅 Book your demo  💸Sponsored by CFO Made Easy Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions. 📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers.  💼Shoutout to Avoca AI! Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.  🔗 Schedule a demo  Connect: John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCompanies Sam Preston: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston #OwnedAndOperated #HomeServices #HVAC #Plumbing #GoogleAds #PPC #Marketing #LeadGeneration #BusinessGrowth Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    33 min

  3. FEB 5

    How to Scale to $100M Without Breaking Your Business

    How do you keep growing fast without breaking your business? In this Owned and Operated supercut, John Wilson pulls together his favorite moments from recent conversations on what actually snaps when you scale: cash, leadership bandwidth, and the frontline experience that drives revenue. You’ll hear why growth is expensive (in trucks, infrastructure, and overhead), how disciplined operators reinvest instead of upgrading their lifestyle too early, and why “the war is won inside the home” no matter how good your dashboards look. If you’re running HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or roofing and feeling the strain of growth, this episode gives you the frameworks—and the hard truths—to keep momentum without chaos. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why growth consumes cash (and how to plan for it)The “overhead body” you must build early: leadership, CX, SG&A, marketing, purchasingHow owners stall out by pulling cash too early (the lifestyle trap)Why playbooks beat ego: don’t reinvent the wheel (Nexstar and more)Why frontline obsession matters more than dashboardsHow onboarding + clear pay plans create a culture that performsConnect: John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCompanies 💼 Shoutout to Quick Staffers LLC Need trained HVAC & plumbing CSRs at a fraction of the cost? Quick Staffers LLC specializes in placing top-tier global talent with the best SOPs and scripts.  🔥 Get $1,000 off your first placement HERE  💼Shoutout to Avoca AI! Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.  🔗 Schedule a demo 💼 Big Reputation — Stop chasing reviews and watching competitors outrank you. Big Reputation is the AI-powered review + SEO platform built for home service pros. Automate review generation, respond with AI, track local SEO, and integrate with your CRM. Setup is free, and your first month’s on the house. 👉 Book your demo #HomeServices #HVAC #Plumbing #BusinessGrowth #Operations #Leadership #Acquisitions #ServiceTitan #OwnedAndOperated #JohnWilson Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    36 min

  4. FEB 3

    Under $5M? Marketing Isn’t Complicated (Here’s the Playbook)

    How do you stop wasting money on marketing… and start building a lead engine that actually scales? In this episode of Click to Calls, John Wilson sits down with Service Scalers CEO Sam Preston to break down one of the biggest mistakes growing home service operators make: Hiring a marketing person too early — and expecting them to do everything. They walk through what your first real marketing hire should look like, why most owners misunderstand the budget math, and John’s spicy take: If you’re under $5M, marketing isn’t complicated — you just need to execute the basics consistently. Whether you run HVAC, plumbing, or electrical, this episode gives you a clear framework for when to stick with an agency, when to go in-house, and what “good marketing” actually looks like when the board is light and you need calls fast. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why “marketing is complicated” is usually an excuse under $5MThe difference between hiring a coordinator vs. a true marketing managerHow to know if in-house marketing actually beats agency economicsThe only good reasons to bring marketing inside (and the bad one everyone uses) 💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers! We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here  💼 Big Reputation — Stop chasing reviews and watching competitors outrank you. Big Reputation is the AI-powered review + SEO platform built for home service pros. Automate review generation, respond with AI, track local SEO, and integrate with your CRM. Setup is free, and your first month’s on the house. 👉 Book your demo HERE Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀 FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer! 📅 Book your demo HERE  Connect John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCompanies Sam Pr Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    39 min

  5. JAN 29

    Building, Scaling, and Selling Home Service Businesses (Supercut)

    This episode is a supercut of standout moments from multiple Owned and Operated episodes, focused on one theme: how great operators build, scale, and eventually sell home service businesses. John Wilson pulls together some of the most valuable conversations from past episodes—covering acquisitions, exits, org structure, leadership at scale, and what actually changes when you stop running a single trade business and start building a platform. These clips span decades of operator experience, from buying broken HVAC companies to leading a $600M national home services business, and now applying the same playbook to new industries. What you’ll hear in this supercut: How serial operators think about exits from day oneThe difference between running a trade and building a sellable businessWhy growth breaks when leadership and org structure can’t keep upHow multi-location platforms balance local autonomy vs centralizationWhat private equity looks for in home service acquisitionsThis episode is ideal for listeners who want the big-picture thinking behind acquisitions, roll-ups, and long-term value creation—without committing to multiple full episodes. If you’re building (or buying) a home service business and want to understand how experienced operators really think about scale and exits, this supercut is a must-listen. 💼 Shoutout to Quick Staffers LLC Need trained HVAC & plumbing CSRs at a fraction of the cost? Quick Staffers LLC specializes in placing top-tier global talent with the best SOPs and scripts.  🔥 Get $1,000 off your first placement here  Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀 FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer! 📅 Book your demo 💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers! We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?  🔗Check Them Out Here 🔗 Connect John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCom Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    36 min

  6. JAN 27

    How to Budget Marketing in 2026 (Without Wasting Cash)

    In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Sam Preston (CEO of Service Scalers) to break down how smart home service operators should budget for marketing in 2026. They explain why one-size-fits-all marketing budgets don’t work, how to reverse-engineer spend from the number of leads you actually need, and why most companies don’t have a lead problem—they have an execution problem. This conversation goes deep on gross profit–based budgeting, flexible marketing spend, and the exact frameworks operators use to decide what to scale, cut, test, or deploy in emergencies. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why marketing budgets should be based on gross profit, not revenueHow to calculate marketing spend by backing into daily lead requirementsThe difference between budgeting for a new business vs. a 10-year-old companyThe 4 (plus 1) marketing budget buckets every operator should useA simple kill vs. scale framework to test marketing channels without guesswork💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers! We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here  If you’re trying to grow profitably in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or any home service trade in 2026, this episode will help you stop guessing—and start budgeting with intention. 💼 Big Reputation — Stop chasing reviews and watching competitors outrank you. Big Reputation is the AI-powered review + SEO platform built for home service pros. Automate review generation, respond with AI, track local SEO, and integrate with your CRM. Setup is free, and your first month’s on the house. 👉 Book your demo 💼Shoutout to Avoca AI! Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.  🔗 Schedule a demo  🔗 Connect John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCompanies Sam Preston: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston/ Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    48 min

  7. JAN 22

    What Home Service Business Should You Start in 2026? (And How to Win Early)

    If you want to play the game on hard mode… randomly pick an industry and hope it works. In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down exactly how they’d build a home service business in 2026—and why the old 2016–2020 playbook is dead. They go deep on research-first market selection, avoiding late-stage consolidation traps, picking “boring” services with clean SKUs, and building a business that can win even when weather, competition, and ad platforms don’t cooperate. In this episode, we cover: Research, Research, Research: Why “randomly picking a trade” is hard mode—and how to find unmet demand in a specific market.The 2016–2020 Playbook Is Irrelevant: Why advice from the late 2010s doesn’t match today’s competitive reality.Consolidation & Multiples: How consolidation changes outcomes—and why “gold mine” industries can cool off before you’re big enough.Pick the Right Industry (Fragmented + Big TAM): What to look for in a winning service category in 2026.Boring Businesses Win: Drain cleaning, duct cleaning, leak detection, jetting, water filtration, septic, turf—simple offerings, repeatable operations.🔥 What You’ll Learn: How to choose a home service niche in 2026 using market demand + consolidation timing, not vibes.The fastest path to “easy leads” (and why competing in stacked markets is an uphill fight).A practical framework for building a saleable business—even if you don’t plan to sell.Why multi-location forces better systems (and reduces dependence on a few A-players).Where the next marketing edge is coming from as attention shifts and platforms evolve.Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀 FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer! 📅 Book your demo 💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers! We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here 💼 Big Reputation — Stop chasing reviews and watching competitors outrank you. B Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    42 min

  8. JAN 21 · BONUS

    How Smart Operators Plan for Real Growth (Bonus)

    Most security & life-safety companies don’t get stuck because they lack hustle—they get stuck because they lack measurement. In this special feed drop of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble (Alarm Masters, Houston) walk through their 2026 planning process: how they set revenue/RMR/EBITDA goals, translate them into departmental KPIs, and use actuals vs. budget to decide when to invest, when to cut, and how to avoid “hope-based” growth. They unpack why so many firms stall around $3M in revenue (comfort + underinvestment), why “Talent Wins” became a non-negotiable, and how to think about emerging trends like AI the right way—starting with a solid tech foundation and the right people before chasing shiny tools. You’ll also hear the core scorecard metrics they track across sales, marketing, finance, operations, and M&A, plus practical homework you can apply immediately in your own business. 🔗 Connect Stephen Olmon Collin Trimble Check out more from Entry & Exit Send Us Mail! More Ways To Connect with O&O John's YouTube Channel Weekly Newsletter Owned and Operated Leave a Review John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC 📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

    47 min
See All (318)

Trailers

4.7
out of 5
87 Ratings

About

The Owned and Operated electrical, HVAC, and plumbing business growth podcast is hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr. These two Home Service Business owners bring you weekly podcasts and daily content with multiple perspectives, actionable advice, and info on an ever-changing industry revolving around advertising, lead generation, and more. Join us every Tuesday for topical conversations that unlock the potential for your business growth. Covering topics from top-tier talent recruitment to mastering marketing strategies and scaling your home service business, the podcast aims to be your guide on the path to entrepreneurial success.For more information, visit www.ownedandoperated.com. 

Information

You Might Also Like