To The Point - Home Services VIP Room Podcast

Tommy Mello is back on To The Point Home Services VIP Room to pull back the curtain on his massive $2B deal with KKR and what comes next for A1 Garage Door Service.Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor sit down with Tommy to discuss the deal, why he chose KKR, and how he's thinking about the next phase of growth.Tommy also gets into building a company where employees have a stake in the outcome, scaling into new markets, recruiting and developing top talent, and why culture is becoming the biggest driver of long-term success.From creating millionaires within his organization to keeping people engaged as the business grows, this conversation goes beyond the headlines and gets into what it really takes to build a business at scale.In this episode:Behind the scenes of Tommy's $2B deal with KKRWhy he rolled equity and doubled down on A1How employee ownership creates long-term incentivesScaling into new markets and growing through organic expansionRecruiting, developing, and retaining top talentWhy company culture matters more than everBuilding stronger connections with employees and their familiesWhy enjoying the journey matters more than reaching the destinationThank you to our sponsors!Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepointYelp:  New multi-location advertisers on Yelp may qualify for a 20% bonus advertising budget when they start campaigns before December 31, 2026. That means Yelp adds extra advertising dollars on top of what you spend: https://business.yelp.com/campaign/homeservicevip/?utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=mloc_emerging_ent_to_the_point_podcast_leads_2026&utm_source=to_the_point&utm_term=q4Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com 

In this episode, Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor sit down with Jack Tester, former CEO of Nexstar Network, to discuss what it really takes to build a successful home services business.With more than 40 years of industry experience, Jack shares the lessons he's learned from helping build Nexstar, working alongside some of the biggest companies in home services, and developing leaders throughout his career.They dive into why leadership starts with self-awareness, how to develop managers into great leaders, why avoiding difficult conversations can hurt your business, and the importance of having a clear company mission.Plus, Jack answers one big question: What's broken in home services that nobody wants to admit?If you're looking to become a better leader, build a stronger company, and create an organization people actually want to work for, this episode is for you.00:00 Welcome to the VIP Room02:05 Jack Tester's 40-Year Journey in Home Services08:00 How Nexstar Got Its Start11:00 How the Home Services Industry Has Changed14:00 Advice for Growing Contractors17:30 Why Your Company Needs a Clear Mission23:30 Leadership Starts With Self-Leadership27:00 Developing Great Leaders and Managers32:45 How to Handle Difficult Conversations41:30 Building Better Leadership Meetings51:15 Why Great Leaders Must Be Vulnerable55:00 What's Broken in Home Services? Employee Turnover57:15 The Four Keys to Employee RetentionThank you to our sponsors!Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepointYelp: New multi-location advertisers on Yelp may qualify for a 20% bonus advertising budget when they start campaigns before December 31, 2026. That means Yelp adds extra advertising dollars on top of what you spend: https://business.yelp.com/campaign/homeservicevip/?utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=mloc_emerging_ent_to_the_point_podcast_leads_2026&utm_source=to_the_point&utm_term=q4Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com 

What does it take to build a successful home services business, and what happens when the founder and the next generation of leadership come together?In this episode of To The Point Home Services VIP Room, we're revisiting an incredible session from RYNOX 2026 featuring Alan O'Neill, founder of Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical, and Tony Patino, the company's current CEO.Alan and Tony share the story behind Abacus, how their paths crossed, how they went from competing to working together, and the lessons they've learned along the way. From building a strong company culture to developing leaders, retaining employees, and improving profitability, they break down what it takes to build and sustain a successful home services business.Whether you're growing your company, building your leadership team, or trying to take your business to the next level, this conversation is packed with insights you can put to work.In this episode:The story behind Alan and Tony's relationshipLessons from the founder and current CEO of AbacusBuilding a company culture that attracts and retains great peopleDeveloping leaders who can help your business growFinding opportunities to improve operations and profitabilityWhat contractors can learn from an established home services businessIf you enjoy the episode, make sure to like, subscribe, and share it with another home services business owner.Thank you to our sponsors!Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepointYelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevipSend It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com 

Most contractors think they need more leads to grow their business. But what if the next job is already sitting in your database?Nathan Klug joins Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor on the To The Point Home Services VIP Room to break down the follow-up mistakes costing contractors jobs and how to generate more revenue from the contacts they already have.Nathan shares how contractors can reactivate old estimates, clean up customer data, build referral networks, and use part-time sales reps to generate more opportunities without immediately increasing their advertising spend. He also explains why having the right systems in place matters before investing more money into lead generation.In this episode, you'll learn how to turn old contacts into new business, build a referral network that consistently generates opportunities, and create a follow-up process that helps your business stop leaving money on the table.Connect with Nathan Klug: https://nathanklug.com/CHAPTERS00:00 - Welcome to the VIP Room03:20 - Meet Nathan Klug05:20 - What Is Operational Marketing?09:15 - The Follow-Up Mistake Costing Contractors Jobs11:00 - Database Reactivation: Turning Old Contacts Into New Business13:00 - Why Customer Data Management Matters15:00 - How 100 Contacts Generated 12 Pieces of Business17:00 - Using Customer Data to Personalize Follow-Up19:00 - What Contractors Should Track in Their CRM24:00 - Text Messages, Email Deliverability, and Getting Customers to Respond29:00 - Building a Referral Network That Generates Jobs34:00 - Using Part-Time Sales Reps to Find More Business39:00 - Building Referral Programs With AI41:00 - Structuring Referral Partnerships and Commissions43:30 - When Should Contractors Invest in Paid Advertising?46:00 - Building Systems That Support Business Growth47:00 - Nathan's 90-Day Strategy and Coaching Process49:30 - How to Connect With NathanThank you to our sponsors!Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepointYelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevipSend It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com Subscribe to To The Point Home Services VIP Room for more conversations with business owners and industry experts on growing, scaling, and building a stronger home services business.

Most home service contractors are focused on generating new leads. But what if the next stage of growth is already sitting in your customer base?Joshua Warner, Owner of Maverick Electric, Heating and Air, joins Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor on the To The Point Home Services VIP Room to share how he grew his overall business to a projected 16M–17M in annual revenue, including a $5M HVAC operation built by leveraging his existing electrical customer base.Josh breaks down how he uses memberships to create long-term customer relationships, why he offers free memberships to veterans, teachers, and seniors, and how his team turns those relationships into opportunities across multiple trades.He also shares his approach to electrical sales training, giving customers ballpark pricing over the phone, using AI to estimate electrical jobs, and building a team of electricians who can deliver a better customer experience.00:00 - Intro & Meet Joshua Warner03:30 - Building Maverick Electric From the Ground Up07:30 - Expanding From Electrical Into HVAC09:30 - Growing HVAC Through Existing Customers10:30 - Turning Free Memberships Into More Revenue14:00 - Marketing to Existing Customers20:30 - Giving Customers Ballpark Pricing Over the Phone24:20 - Building an AI Estimating Tool for Electrical Jobs30:00 - Hiring and Training Electricians37:30 - A Different Approach to Electrical Sales40:00 - Educating Customers & Bundling Electrical Services44:00 - Setting Customer Expectations After the Sale49:50 - Would You Rather? Business Edition53:00 - Final Thoughts & Lessons on GrowthIf you're looking to grow your home services business, get more from your existing customers, or expand into additional trades, this episode is for you.Thank you to our sponsors!Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepointYelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevipSend It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com 👍 Like the video, subscribe to the channel, and let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments.