October 31, 2025 • 22 mins
Peakzi Podcast: What if the most powerful advantage in home services isn’t size or speed, but integrity you can feel at the door? Eddie Nichols, owner of 5th Generation Electric, joins us to share how a values-first approach built a trusted electrical brand across Dallas–Fort Worth—one careful hire, clear explanation, and honest job at a time.
Eddie’s story starts in Mesquite, Texas, with a life steeped in music, church production, and a fascination with wiring. After two back surgeries pushed him out of the field, he doubled down on leadership and built a company where people—not parts—set the standard. He walks through his slow, deliberate hiring system: video screen, in-person interview, and a paid day in the field wearing the company shirt. The result is a team that communicates well, respects clients, and delivers consistent work that wins reviews and referrals.
We dig into a medical facility project that others couldn’t solve and how Eddie partnered with friendly competitors to deliver a right-sized, code-strong solution. That collaboration, paired with transparent options and ethical recommendations, earned the company a BBB Torch Award for integrity. Eddie connects these choices to his faith, which anchors the employee handbook and guides how the team serves customers, pays staff, and shows up for the community. When mistakes happen, he turns them into standard operating procedures, building resilience and reliability with every lesson learned.
We also explore how Peakzi helps 5th Generation Electric stay visible as search shifts from typing to talking with AI assistants. Eddie shares why modern discovery, reputation signals, and hiring insights matter—and how technology can amplify, not replace, human service. Looking ahead, he’s excited to keep the team small and strong, train top-notch technicians, and host homeowner education that makes electrical safety simple.
If you care about home service done right—clear communication, honest scope, and craftsmanship you can trust—this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who runs a trades business, and leave a review with your favorite hiring or trust-building tip.
Peakzi Podcast: Home Services Success Stories
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome to the Home Services Success Stories podcast
powered by Peaksy, the numberone AI platform for growing your
home services business.
On the show today, we have EddieNichols, who is the owner at
Fifth Generation Electric.
Eddie, welcome to the podcast.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (00:17):
I'm doing good.
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (00:19):
Absolutely.
It's it's great to it's great tohave you on.
So um so Eddie, let's jump rightin.
Take a minute just to introduceyourself to our audience.
SPEAKER_00 (00:28):
Uh so obviously my name's uh Eddie Nichols.
I'm the owner of FifthGeneration Electric.
Uh, but just a little bit uhabout me.
Um I've been married to mybeautiful wife, Kendra, since
about 2017.
Uh I actually started thebusiness about a year before uh
we got married.
So she's she's been growing init with me.
Uh, she also works for us herein the office as well and helps
(00:51):
with some of the day-to-day anddifferent things like that.
Um, but my foundation, I wouldsay, would definitely be built
around uh my faith and uh myfaith and my church community.
Um I've had the pleasure and theblessings of serving in our our
church production team forseveral years now uh as an audio
assistant.
(01:11):
Um I I've I've loved doing thatjust for the simple fact that it
it gives back to a lot ofpeople.
It allows me to do somethingthat I enjoy greatly.
A little bit of break from theelectrical industry.
Um, but yeah, it's it's stuffthat I really uh enjoy.
Um but my background has alwaysbeen around music and in some
form or fashion, uh, fromplaying saxophone in my early
(01:32):
years to drums and piano and anddifferent things like that here
recently.
Uh, but I grew up here uh inmesquite, Texas, is where uh we
currently operate the businessout of.
Um I actually bought mychildhood home uh back in 2008,
which I still uh live in thehome today.
Uh so I I definitely have strongroots here in the mesquite uh
(01:53):
Texas community.
Um let me treat, I'm trying tothink of uh some other things
here, but um uh we we've triedto stay focused on uh just just
kind of staying in our our ourhometown.
Uh we've gotten plugged in withuh our local mesquite chamber of
commerce, uh, as well as joiningthe mesquite senior advocate
(02:15):
advocate, can't talk today, aswell as joining the mesquite
senior advocate alliance, uhthat's uh organization
specifically focused aroundtaking care of our senior
community with good qualityinformation and just making sure
they're taken care of.
Uh a few years later, I actuallygot the invite to uh uh hold the
chair for the um trying toremember the title of it here.
(02:38):
Um uh I'm I'm essentially theelectrical advisory board member
for the city of Mesquite.
So just advising the leaders ofMesquite about good safe
practices around the electricalindustry to make sure our
community is electrically safe.
Um, but yeah, my focus hasalways been uh a heavy focus
around serving and providingeducation where we can.
(02:59):
So a little bit about me.
SPEAKER_01 (03:01):
Interesting.
I think there's a lot to unpackthere.
So so the your wife is in thebusiness, true husband and wife
couple, serving in thecommunity, very faith forward.
You mentioned that is core toyour identity.
Um, and you've you've been inthe business for for a long
time, but true craftsman and andan expert in the space.
Um, also Deter Mesquite, I'm I'min Dallas also.
(03:21):
And uh interesting too.
I played the Saxo and I marchall throughout high school and
all that, but that's a that's awhole nother vibe.
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (03:28):
So um, you know, having been in the trade and
also actually create thatconnection there.
You you have kind of a like amusic production background.
Is there any tie to that and inthe electrical field?
Like what is all that?
SPEAKER_00 (03:39):
Uh ever since I was a little kid, it's I've I've
always been playing with wiresin some form or fashion, whether
it was um, you know, sciencefair projects back when I was in
school, or uh I had a an amateurcar car audio installation
business uh back when I was inuh high school.
So tinkering with that.
And then uh I kind of grew uparound uh recording studio
(04:03):
environments.
My dad played in a few bands asI was a child, so I grew up
around that.
And um I've I've played in a fewvery entry-level bands, uh,
nothing mainstream or anythinglike that.
But um I I've just I've alwaysbeen around something that was
technical, gadgets, wiring, uhjust being able to produce
(04:24):
something that goes out in thecommunity in a great way.
SPEAKER_01 (04:27):
I love that.
So there was like an inclinationearly on, and it kind of
manifested itself in sort ofdifferent ways.
Um okay, cool.
So, well, when did you first getthe calling to start your own
business and run your owncompany?
SPEAKER_00 (04:40):
Oh, um, you know, I've I've always kind of had the
entrepreneurial bug, I think, uhtalking about doing the car
audio installs.
Um, I I had a very entry-levelhome theater installation
business, and even to the pointwhere um even in my electrical
career, uh I had a side hustledoing uh data connectivity and
(05:01):
home security where I was doingwiring.
And I've just always had thatthing, that that mindset of
taking ownership of something,being a leader of something.
And uh most of the companies Iwork with, I I grew up on the uh
the the ladder, so to speak, atevery company I work for.
And I just I always wanted more.
(05:21):
Uh the cool thing about being anentrepreneur is there is no
ceiling.
Um, I'm a person thatappreciates challenges.
Um, I I like I like being ableto be creative in my space and
just um uh essentially beingable to grow.
But I uh I I decided to become abusiness owner, um, not to get
(05:42):
too much into it, but I had twoback surgeries back in the day
that kind of took me out of thefield.
And I still wanted a uh uh aneffective career in this in this
industry, this space.
And I had some really closefriends encourage me to it's
like, hey, maybe it's time to goahead and start this thing.
So uh I was able to build a teamum that was able to actually do
(06:03):
productive work, professionalwork, uh, that had my vision in
mine, and and they carried itthrough and they've done an
amazing job.
Um, our reviews are alone are atestament to that.
Um, but yeah, it's it's beengoing almost, it'll be 10 years
next year uh in business.
So it's it's been going for awhile.
SPEAKER_01 (06:20):
In 10 years.
Well, congratulations on that.
Um, so I guess given your uniquebackground and that you've
always had this kind ofentrepreneurial bug, how do you
think that has allowed you tokind of stand out from other
electrical contractors in theDallas Fort Worth area?
SPEAKER_00 (06:39):
And honestly, I I kind of talked with my team
about this not too long ago.
What truly makes us stand out?
And um one thing I had in placeas we're looking for candidates
that come work for us is Iwanted to hire true human
beings.
I wanted people that you knowgenuinely wanted to do better,
uh, take care of people, uh,just just had a passion for
(07:02):
doing the right thing.
And, you know, everyone on ourteam basically had the same
response.
It's it's the people within thecompany that make us different.
I mean, there's you know,everyone's installing
code-approved electrical panels,devices, different things like
that.
But the thing that really madeus stand apart was our people.
How we genuinely want to takecare of people.
(07:23):
And I I would say that's one ofthe big things that probably
sets us apart.
It's it's not just atransaction.
We're we're legitimately tryingto take care of people.
SPEAKER_01 (07:32):
So real focus on hiring great people and taking
care of them.
Can you share a tip, a hiringtip, a recruiting tip, an
attraction tip um that that hasallowed you to attract and you
know retain and grow some goodpeople?
SPEAKER_00 (07:45):
Um I've been I've been pretty open in the
community and different thingslike that.
People have uh I think gotten toknow me.
I've I've been pretty proactiveon on social media and the
community groups and stuff likethat.
So I I think people have knownof me for a while.
Uh, but the thing that we did uhspecifically as far as uh how we
hire people is it's it's a slowprocess.
(08:07):
We don't hire quick.
I think that's one mistake wemade in the earlier years is we
hired quick.
Uh and that's something youdefinitely don't want to do in
business.
So we we actually have athree-part interview process as
far as uh we do a videointerview, we do an in-person
interview, and we actuallyinvite candidates to come out
and work with us for a day, paythem for a day, and actually put
them in a company shirt.
(08:27):
We want to make sure not onlyare they comfortable in the work
environment we're in, we want tomake sure the team uh recognizes
them and accepts them.
And we just want to make sureit's a good match for for a
long-term employment.
So that's some of the thingsthat that we've done to make
sure we're always hiring reallygood candidates.
SPEAKER_01 (08:46):
I had to commend your process because I've been
speaking to a lot of differenthome services business owners
because of this, and it's quitedefined.
I heard a three-step process,uh, looks like virtual
in-person, and then an actuallike a working paid day
interview, like working aproject together to see how this
person, what better way tosample how a human being is if
(09:06):
not putting them in the work andworking side by side?
So I think that's oh yeah,great.
Yeah, okay.
Well, you know, one of yourmantras is doing whatever it
takes to get it done, right?
So make that real for us.
How has that ever come into playwith a particular project or
challenge?
And what was the outcome fromit?
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
I always I've always been a person that believes
there's there's a solution toevery problem.
Uh, we had uh one decent size uhcommercial project here not too
long ago for a medical facility,and um I think we might have
been the fourth, maybe fifthelectrical contractor that had
come in to find a solution forthis company, even after like
(09:47):
major components have alreadybeen installed on this thing.
Uh, we sat down with the client,did a full review of the system,
and realized uh everything wasbasically underbuilt.
As soon as they tried to do fullproduction, if they ever got to
that point, it would have fallenflat on its face.
So we we went into the project.
Uh, we did tell them we are asmaller company, but I told them
(10:08):
at the same time with whatthey've been dealing with, they
definitely got the rightelectrician.
So I told them what needed to behappening.
We built uh we built a solutionaround that, and um, you know,
the client uh decided theywanted to move forward with it.
So I knew immediately my team atthe time was not big enough to
turnkey this project.
So I actually pulled in uh twolocal electrical companies that
(10:31):
we're friends with, and wepulled together as a team, uh,
got the job knocked out.
Uh the client's stilloperational today and happy that
they're past this whole hurdle.
But it's one of those things.
I mean, we're DFW is a a hugespace to be an electrical
contractor in.
And uh a lot of people may notrealize that a lot of the
electrical contractors in thisarea, we know each other, we're
(10:54):
friends with each other, we'refriendly competitors, but uh
there's been a lot of times thatwe've all pulled together to get
jobs done.
And this was one of those forus.
Um, you know, the main focus isalways taking care of the
client.
Um, and and we did what we hadto do to get it done.
Um, and that was definitely justyou know, bringing in a solid
team and and getting everythingdone.
SPEAKER_01 (11:16):
So it sounds like really understanding what was
the need of the project, beinghonest about this scope, and
then bringing in the best basedon their capabilities and how
can you work together to reallyget the job done.
So um again, I think that has todo with kind of your focus on
people, knowing the players inthe industry, knowing what their
strengths are and bringing themtogether to get it done.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
So I think that's great.
SPEAKER_01 (11:39):
Okay.
So, you know, home services, asyou know, it comes down to
trust.
Um, how have you built trustwith your customers over the
years?
SPEAKER_00 (11:47):
Uh a biggest focus, one of the big focuses we have
is transparency.
Um we we have a very ethicalroute of going about things,
even to the point in 2023, uh,we actually got the Better
Business Bureau uh Torch Award,which is an award given to
businesses representing ethicsand integrity in the business in
the industry.
(12:08):
Uh, one of the other big thingsthat that's really uh near and
dear to my heart is um my mybiblical foundation.
It's it's my responsibility.
Um it's my job to always makesure we're always bringing the
right information, uh, beingvery transparent about
everything we do and making sureour clients 100% understand
(12:30):
everything that we're bringingto the table.
I never want anyone to feel likethey don't understand something.
Um, you know, my uh everythingthat I do, I have to be able to
sleep at night as a businessowner.
And um I sleep very well knowingthat we do everything the right
way.
Um but yeah, everything fallsback to my my biblical
foundation in life.
(12:50):
Um I always want to make surethat's that's always um upfront
on everything.
SPEAKER_01 (12:56):
Share more a bit about that because that is a
recurring theme of theconversation we've had so far.
I too am a person of faith.
Thank you for sharing that.
Um but how does that influencethe way that you run your
business, the way that you treatyour employees, the way that you
deliver in commitments?
Like, how does that influenceyour leadership style, your
culture, and just how the wayyou exist in the marketplace?
SPEAKER_00 (13:16):
Uh it's it's absolutely everything for me.
Um, you know, whether our teamis on that track or not, they
know where our roots are, theyknow where our foundation is,
even to the point that it'sliterally the first sentence uh
in our employee handbook thatwe're a biblically founded
company.
So how we treat our team, how wepay our team, how we take care
(13:39):
of clients, I mean, how wecommunicate with our clients,
uh, how we serve the community,everything falls back on to
those biblical roots.
I mean, if if you have biblicalroots, it's going to be in your
nature to serve people.
Uh, so that's something thatwe're always trying to do in
every way that we can.
SPEAKER_01 (14:00):
So it comes down to serving people, whether those
are your employees or yourcustomers, partners, associates.
Um, I think that is a great uhcore principle to have.
So thank you for sharing that,Eddie.
So running a home servicesbusiness is tough and um any all
business ownership really istough, right?
So what's a what's a challengeor hard lesson that you've
(14:20):
learned um that you've that'smade you stronger and others can
learn from?
SPEAKER_00 (14:25):
Um, I actually wrote this one down.
I'm I'm trying to go back to mynotes here.
I apologize.
Uh I I will say this humbly withwith any shortfall, you always
need to take time and reflect onit.
Uh, evaluate what went wrong,understand what need or system
was not met, and create astandard operating procedure
that ensures moving forward, youalways have a productive and
(14:47):
positive outcome.
If you're not learning from yourshortfalls, you will never grow
professionally and personally inlife.
Uh, always approach anyshortfall with humility,
honesty, and always do what ittakes to make it right.
I mean, there's there's a lot ofpeople that have gone to college
and different things like that.
I did graduate from a uhfour-year trade school uh way
(15:08):
back when.
Um, but I kind of make a joke.
Some people will go and investmoney in the college.
I invest money in a business.
Literally, my life aroundbusiness has has been my
training.
And sometimes we've we've paidmoney to to figure out how to do
things the right way.
Uh, whether it was a mistake wemade in early years or different
things like that, but we'vewe've always made it right.
(15:32):
And you have to approach yourshortfalls, your failures
humbly, and you have to growfrom it and come out on top.
And that's why when you havecompanies that have been in
business for years over years,you're always going to have a
company that um just has bettersystems in place, better
procedures.
They just know how to take careof clients much, much better.
(15:52):
The company we are today issignificantly better than the
company we were 10 years ago.
And I'm I'm proud to say thatit's it's been a growing process
for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (16:01):
I think that's a great way to go about it.
What I heard was once you doexperience a, let's say, a
failure or negative outcome, younumber one approach it with
humility.
And number two, it seems likeyou will dissect what happened,
what were the gaps, and then uhwhat what are the things that
you need to do next time, andthen turn it into a standard
operating procedure so thosemistakes are no longer repeated,
(16:23):
and that's how you've been ableto continue to improve along the
way the more that you dobusiness and serve your
customers.
SPEAKER_00 (16:29):
So 100%.
SPEAKER_01 (16:32):
Cool.
You need to write a book on thisstuff, man.
You said you said this is yourfirst time doing it, and it
seemed like you had someapprehension for doing this, but
but you're doing what um whatwhat you need to do is just
speaking from your heart,because that is uh more than
enough.
So so thank you for your yourhumility and earnestness in that
regard.
So uh so this show is brought toyou by Peaksy, and you're a
(16:53):
Pixie customer.
So how would you describe toothers who've never heard of
what Peaksy is, what Peaksy is?
SPEAKER_00 (17:00):
I'll tell you, um, when we first got introduced to
you guys, um it it was it was anawe factor.
I I just loved uh the AIintegration on how it's able to
I mean it's AI is a bit above myhead, but basically how it's
able to skim the public view ofof what fifth generation
(17:24):
electric looks like in thepublic view.
Uh and if if there's anythingpositive, mediocre, or negative,
we can see what that stuff isand we can uh build new systems
to create better uh systems inplace.
Uh, if we have something we'redoing great in, we can amplify
that and push it even further.
Uh some of the other things thatI really enjoyed, uh, you know,
(17:48):
and we haven't started thisprocess yet, but as far as when
we start looking for our nextservice technician as we're
starting to grow, there's somesystems in place that you guys
have that will really help ushone in finding that that
amazing candidate that's goingto add to our already amazing
team.
Um some of the other things thatI like is uh you guys helped us
(18:10):
as far as building um uhessentially some of that back
end AI stuff so we can uh betterbe seen in some of the newer
technology that's out uh withyou know, whether it be ChatGBT,
Google Gemini, different thingslike that.
Uh I feel like the the market'sreally getting away from you
know, more or less type ininternet search or different
(18:31):
things like that.
They're talking to an assistantto get the information they
need.
And if if us as a company, ifwe're not on that, that that
platform to be seen in that, uh,we're gonna we're gonna fall
behind quickly.
So I like that you guys arehelping us with that.
And there's there's a lot morethat we haven't even started
utilizing from what you guys areoffering.
(18:51):
I'm I'm excited to see thosethose next steps and as we grow
into that.
SPEAKER_01 (18:55):
So it sounds like I heard a couple of use cases.
The first one was like theonline presence, making sure
that you're visible and that'ssort of being maximized for you.
Um, the second was it soundslike there's like a uh a hiring
um use case and helping identifytalent.
Um so I think those are thoseare very, very important use
cases for uh for for theproduct.
Um so uh if you were to explainit to another home uh um
(19:20):
business owner, so uh if youwere to fill in the blank in
this question, right?
So uh use uh Peaksy because itwill help you do what?
What is that what?
SPEAKER_00 (19:31):
Have a presence in the current market.
Um we need to be seen to be aproductive business.
And if we're not being seen, wedon't have a business.
So uh I think Peaksy isstrategically allowing us to be
seen in the newer market thatwe're going into.
SPEAKER_01 (19:47):
Love that.
I think that's a great way to toshare and position it.
So um so we're about to uh endend the the podcast episode and
kind of land the plane here.
Um so where do you see fifthgeneration electric in the next
five to ten years?
Like what are you most excitedabout in the business?
SPEAKER_00 (20:04):
I know one thing for me personally is I've been
trying to create a company thathas the culture that is rock
solid, uh, where everyone seeseach other as a family member,
which we already have.
Uh, we're just growing that teamand basically getting it to
where the team can efficientlyrun on its own.
(20:25):
And that way I can dig into someof the more community things uh
as an individual, whether it betraining seminars, educating the
community, uh, even training inour new technicians to be uh
just top-notch servicetechnicians.
My heart and my focus has alwaysbeen around education, training,
um, just providing informationto the public.
(20:47):
I always want to be a part ofthe company.
I always want to support anduplift my team, uh, but already
I'm seeing signs of our teambeing very self-sufficient.
Um, we've got some amazingsystems in place that allow them
to do that.
Um, and we're probably gonnastay a small company, maybe not
more than four or five trucks.
Um, but uh yeah, I mean that'sthat's basically where I see us
(21:11):
in the in the next you knowcouple of years.
Uh so uh that's I I hope thatanswers that question.
SPEAKER_01 (21:18):
It does.
I think I think you are verypassionate about this business.
You are a caring individual, youpursue all things and every
aspect of the business withexcellence.
Uh, and I think it I think itcertainly shows in the results
that you make for the community.
That's really great, um, Eddie.
So um so so close us out.
How can our audience,prospective customers, or if
anyone wants to connect withyou, learn more about fifth
(21:40):
generation electric, tell uswhere to go.
SPEAKER_00 (21:43):
I I'd say the best route to probably get to know us
in the best way is just have uscome out to your home.
Uh, you know, we, you know, ourteam comes out, they're very
patient, they'll sit down withyou, and we just simply want to
learn about your home, learnabout you, and make sure we
provide safe and effectivesolutions.
So the best way is to give us acall, uh, book an appointment,
(22:06):
and uh essentially test drivethe company.
Uh, we're gonna make sure yougot all the information that you
need and help you make good,effective, smart solutions about
your home repairs.
SPEAKER_01 (22:16):
So go ahead and give us that number and plug your
website if you would, Eddie.
SPEAKER_00 (22:19):
Uh so the phone number is 214-728-1977.
Uh, the website is uhfifthgenelectric.com, and that
starts with the number 5th.
Uh but yeah, that's that's us.
SPEAKER_01 (22:33):
And we'll make sure to have all that contact
information in the show notes aswell.
So, Eddie, thank you so much forsharing your story with us here
today.
SPEAKER_00 (22:40):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (22:41):
And everyone else, thank you all for tuning in to
another episode of the HomeServices Success Stories
Podcast.
And we'll see you next time onthe next episode of the Home
Services Success StoriesPodcast, powered by PC.
Welcome to the Home Services Success Stories podcast
powered by Peaksy, the numberone AI platform for growing your
home services business.
On the show today, we have EddieNichols, who is the owner at
Fifth Generation Electric.
Eddie, welcome to the podcast.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (00:17):
I'm doing good.
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01 (00:19):
Absolutely.
It's it's great to it's great tohave you on.
So um so Eddie, let's jump rightin.
Take a minute just to introduceyourself to our audience.
SPEAKER_00 (00:28):
Uh so obviously my name's uh Eddie Nichols.
I'm the owner of FifthGeneration Electric.
Uh, but just a little bit uhabout me.
Um I've been married to mybeautiful wife, Kendra, since
about 2017.
Uh I actually started thebusiness about a year before uh
we got married.
So she's she's been growing init with me.
Uh, she also works for us herein the office as well and helps
(00:51):
with some of the day-to-day anddifferent things like that.
Um, but my foundation, I wouldsay, would definitely be built
around uh my faith and uh myfaith and my church community.
Um I've had the pleasure and theblessings of serving in our our
church production team forseveral years now uh as an audio
assistant.
(01:11):
Um I I've I've loved doing thatjust for the simple fact that it
it gives back to a lot ofpeople.
It allows me to do somethingthat I enjoy greatly.
A little bit of break from theelectrical industry.
Um, but yeah, it's it's stuffthat I really uh enjoy.
Um but my background has alwaysbeen around music and in some
form or fashion, uh, fromplaying saxophone in my early
(01:32):
years to drums and piano and anddifferent things like that here
recently.
Uh, but I grew up here uh inmesquite, Texas, is where uh we
currently operate the businessout of.
Um I actually bought mychildhood home uh back in 2008,
which I still uh live in thehome today.
Uh so I I definitely have strongroots here in the mesquite uh
(01:53):
Texas community.
Um let me treat, I'm trying tothink of uh some other things
here, but um uh we we've triedto stay focused on uh just just
kind of staying in our our ourhometown.
Uh we've gotten plugged in withuh our local mesquite chamber of
commerce, uh, as well as joiningthe mesquite senior advocate
(02:15):
advocate, can't talk today, aswell as joining the mesquite
senior advocate alliance, uhthat's uh organization
specifically focused aroundtaking care of our senior
community with good qualityinformation and just making sure
they're taken care of.
Uh a few years later, I actuallygot the invite to uh uh hold the
chair for the um trying toremember the title of it here.
(02:38):
Um uh I'm I'm essentially theelectrical advisory board member
for the city of Mesquite.
So just advising the leaders ofMesquite about good safe
practices around the electricalindustry to make sure our
community is electrically safe.
Um, but yeah, my focus hasalways been uh a heavy focus
around serving and providingeducation where we can.
(02:59):
So a little bit about me.
SPEAKER_01 (03:01):
Interesting.
I think there's a lot to unpackthere.
So so the your wife is in thebusiness, true husband and wife
couple, serving in thecommunity, very faith forward.
You mentioned that is core toyour identity.
Um, and you've you've been inthe business for for a long
time, but true craftsman and andan expert in the space.
Um, also Deter Mesquite, I'm I'min Dallas also.
(03:21):
And uh interesting too.
I played the Saxo and I marchall throughout high school and
all that, but that's a that's awhole nother vibe.
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
I love it.
SPEAKER_01 (03:28):
So um, you know, having been in the trade and
also actually create thatconnection there.
You you have kind of a like amusic production background.
Is there any tie to that and inthe electrical field?
Like what is all that?
SPEAKER_00 (03:39):
Uh ever since I was a little kid, it's I've I've
always been playing with wiresin some form or fashion, whether
it was um, you know, sciencefair projects back when I was in
school, or uh I had a an amateurcar car audio installation
business uh back when I was inuh high school.
So tinkering with that.
And then uh I kind of grew uparound uh recording studio
(04:03):
environments.
My dad played in a few bands asI was a child, so I grew up
around that.
And um I've I've played in a fewvery entry-level bands, uh,
nothing mainstream or anythinglike that.
But um I I've just I've alwaysbeen around something that was
technical, gadgets, wiring, uhjust being able to produce
(04:24):
something that goes out in thecommunity in a great way.
SPEAKER_01 (04:27):
I love that.
So there was like an inclinationearly on, and it kind of
manifested itself in sort ofdifferent ways.
Um okay, cool.
So, well, when did you first getthe calling to start your own
business and run your owncompany?
SPEAKER_00 (04:40):
Oh, um, you know, I've I've always kind of had the
entrepreneurial bug, I think, uhtalking about doing the car
audio installs.
Um, I I had a very entry-levelhome theater installation
business, and even to the pointwhere um even in my electrical
career, uh I had a side hustledoing uh data connectivity and
(05:01):
home security where I was doingwiring.
And I've just always had thatthing, that that mindset of
taking ownership of something,being a leader of something.
And uh most of the companies Iwork with, I I grew up on the uh
the the ladder, so to speak, atevery company I work for.
And I just I always wanted more.
(05:21):
Uh the cool thing about being anentrepreneur is there is no
ceiling.
Um, I'm a person thatappreciates challenges.
Um, I I like I like being ableto be creative in my space and
just um uh essentially beingable to grow.
But I uh I I decided to become abusiness owner, um, not to get
(05:42):
too much into it, but I had twoback surgeries back in the day
that kind of took me out of thefield.
And I still wanted a uh uh aneffective career in this in this
industry, this space.
And I had some really closefriends encourage me to it's
like, hey, maybe it's time to goahead and start this thing.
So uh I was able to build a teamum that was able to actually do
(06:03):
productive work, professionalwork, uh, that had my vision in
mine, and and they carried itthrough and they've done an
amazing job.
Um, our reviews are alone are atestament to that.
Um, but yeah, it's it's beengoing almost, it'll be 10 years
next year uh in business.
So it's it's been going for awhile.
SPEAKER_01 (06:20):
In 10 years.
Well, congratulations on that.
Um, so I guess given your uniquebackground and that you've
always had this kind ofentrepreneurial bug, how do you
think that has allowed you tokind of stand out from other
electrical contractors in theDallas Fort Worth area?
SPEAKER_00 (06:39):
And honestly, I I kind of talked with my team
about this not too long ago.
What truly makes us stand out?
And um one thing I had in placeas we're looking for candidates
that come work for us is Iwanted to hire true human
beings.
I wanted people that you knowgenuinely wanted to do better,
uh, take care of people, uh,just just had a passion for
(07:02):
doing the right thing.
And, you know, everyone on ourteam basically had the same
response.
It's it's the people within thecompany that make us different.
I mean, there's you know,everyone's installing
code-approved electrical panels,devices, different things like
that.
But the thing that really madeus stand apart was our people.
How we genuinely want to takecare of people.
(07:23):
And I I would say that's one ofthe big things that probably
sets us apart.
It's it's not just atransaction.
We're we're legitimately tryingto take care of people.
SPEAKER_01 (07:32):
So real focus on hiring great people and taking
care of them.
Can you share a tip, a hiringtip, a recruiting tip, an
attraction tip um that that hasallowed you to attract and you
know retain and grow some goodpeople?
SPEAKER_00 (07:45):
Um I've been I've been pretty open in the
community and different thingslike that.
People have uh I think gotten toknow me.
I've I've been pretty proactiveon on social media and the
community groups and stuff likethat.
So I I think people have knownof me for a while.
Uh, but the thing that we did uhspecifically as far as uh how we
hire people is it's it's a slowprocess.
(08:07):
We don't hire quick.
I think that's one mistake wemade in the earlier years is we
hired quick.
Uh and that's something youdefinitely don't want to do in
business.
So we we actually have athree-part interview process as
far as uh we do a videointerview, we do an in-person
interview, and we actuallyinvite candidates to come out
and work with us for a day, paythem for a day, and actually put
them in a company shirt.
(08:27):
We want to make sure not onlyare they comfortable in the work
environment we're in, we want tomake sure the team uh recognizes
them and accepts them.
And we just want to make sureit's a good match for for a
long-term employment.
So that's some of the thingsthat that we've done to make
sure we're always hiring reallygood candidates.
SPEAKER_01 (08:46):
I had to commend your process because I've been
speaking to a lot of differenthome services business owners
because of this, and it's quitedefined.
I heard a three-step process,uh, looks like virtual
in-person, and then an actuallike a working paid day
interview, like working aproject together to see how this
person, what better way tosample how a human being is if
(09:06):
not putting them in the work andworking side by side?
So I think that's oh yeah,great.
Yeah, okay.
Well, you know, one of yourmantras is doing whatever it
takes to get it done, right?
So make that real for us.
How has that ever come into playwith a particular project or
challenge?
And what was the outcome fromit?
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
I always I've always been a person that believes
there's there's a solution toevery problem.
Uh, we had uh one decent size uhcommercial project here not too
long ago for a medical facility,and um I think we might have
been the fourth, maybe fifthelectrical contractor that had
come in to find a solution forthis company, even after like
(09:47):
major components have alreadybeen installed on this thing.
Uh, we sat down with the client,did a full review of the system,
and realized uh everything wasbasically underbuilt.
As soon as they tried to do fullproduction, if they ever got to
that point, it would have fallenflat on its face.
So we we went into the project.
Uh, we did tell them we are asmaller company, but I told them
(10:08):
at the same time with whatthey've been dealing with, they
definitely got the rightelectrician.
So I told them what needed to behappening.
We built uh we built a solutionaround that, and um, you know,
the client uh decided theywanted to move forward with it.
So I knew immediately my team atthe time was not big enough to
turnkey this project.
So I actually pulled in uh twolocal electrical companies that
(10:31):
we're friends with, and wepulled together as a team, uh,
got the job knocked out.
Uh the client's stilloperational today and happy that
they're past this whole hurdle.
But it's one of those things.
I mean, we're DFW is a a hugespace to be an electrical
contractor in.
And uh a lot of people may notrealize that a lot of the
electrical contractors in thisarea, we know each other, we're
(10:54):
friends with each other, we'refriendly competitors, but uh
there's been a lot of times thatwe've all pulled together to get
jobs done.
And this was one of those forus.
Um, you know, the main focus isalways taking care of the
client.
Um, and and we did what we hadto do to get it done.
Um, and that was definitely justyou know, bringing in a solid
team and and getting everythingdone.
SPEAKER_01 (11:16):
So it sounds like really understanding what was
the need of the project, beinghonest about this scope, and
then bringing in the best basedon their capabilities and how
can you work together to reallyget the job done.
So um again, I think that has todo with kind of your focus on
people, knowing the players inthe industry, knowing what their
strengths are and bringing themtogether to get it done.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
So I think that's great.
SPEAKER_01 (11:39):
Okay.
So, you know, home services, asyou know, it comes down to
trust.
Um, how have you built trustwith your customers over the
years?
SPEAKER_00 (11:47):
Uh a biggest focus, one of the big focuses we have
is transparency.
Um we we have a very ethicalroute of going about things,
even to the point in 2023, uh,we actually got the Better
Business Bureau uh Torch Award,which is an award given to
businesses representing ethicsand integrity in the business in
the industry.
(12:08):
Uh, one of the other big thingsthat that's really uh near and
dear to my heart is um my mybiblical foundation.
It's it's my responsibility.
Um it's my job to always makesure we're always bringing the
right information, uh, beingvery transparent about
everything we do and making sureour clients 100% understand
(12:30):
everything that we're bringingto the table.
I never want anyone to feel likethey don't understand something.
Um, you know, my uh everythingthat I do, I have to be able to
sleep at night as a businessowner.
And um I sleep very well knowingthat we do everything the right
way.
Um but yeah, everything fallsback to my my biblical
foundation in life.
(12:50):
Um I always want to make surethat's that's always um upfront
on everything.
SPEAKER_01 (12:56):
Share more a bit about that because that is a
recurring theme of theconversation we've had so far.
I too am a person of faith.
Thank you for sharing that.
Um but how does that influencethe way that you run your
business, the way that you treatyour employees, the way that you
deliver in commitments?
Like, how does that influenceyour leadership style, your
culture, and just how the wayyou exist in the marketplace?
SPEAKER_00 (13:16):
Uh it's it's absolutely everything for me.
Um, you know, whether our teamis on that track or not, they
know where our roots are, theyknow where our foundation is,
even to the point that it'sliterally the first sentence uh
in our employee handbook thatwe're a biblically founded
company.
So how we treat our team, how wepay our team, how we take care
(13:39):
of clients, I mean, how wecommunicate with our clients,
uh, how we serve the community,everything falls back on to
those biblical roots.
I mean, if if you have biblicalroots, it's going to be in your
nature to serve people.
Uh, so that's something thatwe're always trying to do in
every way that we can.
SPEAKER_01 (14:00):
So it comes down to serving people, whether those
are your employees or yourcustomers, partners, associates.
Um, I think that is a great uhcore principle to have.
So thank you for sharing that,Eddie.
So running a home servicesbusiness is tough and um any all
business ownership really istough, right?
So what's a what's a challengeor hard lesson that you've
(14:20):
learned um that you've that'smade you stronger and others can
learn from?
SPEAKER_00 (14:25):
Um, I actually wrote this one down.
I'm I'm trying to go back to mynotes here.
I apologize.
Uh I I will say this humbly withwith any shortfall, you always
need to take time and reflect onit.
Uh, evaluate what went wrong,understand what need or system
was not met, and create astandard operating procedure
that ensures moving forward, youalways have a productive and
(14:47):
positive outcome.
If you're not learning from yourshortfalls, you will never grow
professionally and personally inlife.
Uh, always approach anyshortfall with humility,
honesty, and always do what ittakes to make it right.
I mean, there's there's a lot ofpeople that have gone to college
and different things like that.
I did graduate from a uhfour-year trade school uh way
(15:08):
back when.
Um, but I kind of make a joke.
Some people will go and investmoney in the college.
I invest money in a business.
Literally, my life aroundbusiness has has been my
training.
And sometimes we've we've paidmoney to to figure out how to do
things the right way.
Uh, whether it was a mistake wemade in early years or different
things like that, but we'vewe've always made it right.
(15:32):
And you have to approach yourshortfalls, your failures
humbly, and you have to growfrom it and come out on top.
And that's why when you havecompanies that have been in
business for years over years,you're always going to have a
company that um just has bettersystems in place, better
procedures.
They just know how to take careof clients much, much better.
(15:52):
The company we are today issignificantly better than the
company we were 10 years ago.
And I'm I'm proud to say thatit's it's been a growing process
for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (16:01):
I think that's a great way to go about it.
What I heard was once you doexperience a, let's say, a
failure or negative outcome, younumber one approach it with
humility.
And number two, it seems likeyou will dissect what happened,
what were the gaps, and then uhwhat what are the things that
you need to do next time, andthen turn it into a standard
operating procedure so thosemistakes are no longer repeated,
(16:23):
and that's how you've been ableto continue to improve along the
way the more that you dobusiness and serve your
customers.
SPEAKER_00 (16:29):
So 100%.
SPEAKER_01 (16:32):
Cool.
You need to write a book on thisstuff, man.
You said you said this is yourfirst time doing it, and it
seemed like you had someapprehension for doing this, but
but you're doing what um whatwhat you need to do is just
speaking from your heart,because that is uh more than
enough.
So so thank you for your yourhumility and earnestness in that
regard.
So uh so this show is brought toyou by Peaksy, and you're a
(16:53):
Pixie customer.
So how would you describe toothers who've never heard of
what Peaksy is, what Peaksy is?
SPEAKER_00 (17:00):
I'll tell you, um, when we first got introduced to
you guys, um it it was it was anawe factor.
I I just loved uh the AIintegration on how it's able to
I mean it's AI is a bit above myhead, but basically how it's
able to skim the public view ofof what fifth generation
(17:24):
electric looks like in thepublic view.
Uh and if if there's anythingpositive, mediocre, or negative,
we can see what that stuff isand we can uh build new systems
to create better uh systems inplace.
Uh, if we have something we'redoing great in, we can amplify
that and push it even further.
Uh some of the other things thatI really enjoyed, uh, you know,
(17:48):
and we haven't started thisprocess yet, but as far as when
we start looking for our nextservice technician as we're
starting to grow, there's somesystems in place that you guys
have that will really help ushone in finding that that
amazing candidate that's goingto add to our already amazing
team.
Um some of the other things thatI like is uh you guys helped us
(18:10):
as far as building um uhessentially some of that back
end AI stuff so we can uh betterbe seen in some of the newer
technology that's out uh withyou know, whether it be ChatGBT,
Google Gemini, different thingslike that.
Uh I feel like the the market'sreally getting away from you
know, more or less type ininternet search or different
(18:31):
things like that.
They're talking to an assistantto get the information they
need.
And if if us as a company, ifwe're not on that, that that
platform to be seen in that, uh,we're gonna we're gonna fall
behind quickly.
So I like that you guys arehelping us with that.
And there's there's a lot morethat we haven't even started
utilizing from what you guys areoffering.
(18:51):
I'm I'm excited to see thosethose next steps and as we grow
into that.
SPEAKER_01 (18:55):
So it sounds like I heard a couple of use cases.
The first one was like theonline presence, making sure
that you're visible and that'ssort of being maximized for you.
Um, the second was it soundslike there's like a uh a hiring
um use case and helping identifytalent.
Um so I think those are thoseare very, very important use
cases for uh for for theproduct.
Um so uh if you were to explainit to another home uh um
(19:20):
business owner, so uh if youwere to fill in the blank in
this question, right?
So uh use uh Peaksy because itwill help you do what?
What is that what?
SPEAKER_00 (19:31):
Have a presence in the current market.
Um we need to be seen to be aproductive business.
And if we're not being seen, wedon't have a business.
So uh I think Peaksy isstrategically allowing us to be
seen in the newer market thatwe're going into.
SPEAKER_01 (19:47):
Love that.
I think that's a great way to toshare and position it.
So um so we're about to uh endend the the podcast episode and
kind of land the plane here.
Um so where do you see fifthgeneration electric in the next
five to ten years?
Like what are you most excitedabout in the business?
SPEAKER_00 (20:04):
I know one thing for me personally is I've been
trying to create a company thathas the culture that is rock
solid, uh, where everyone seeseach other as a family member,
which we already have.
Uh, we're just growing that teamand basically getting it to
where the team can efficientlyrun on its own.
(20:25):
And that way I can dig into someof the more community things uh
as an individual, whether it betraining seminars, educating the
community, uh, even training inour new technicians to be uh
just top-notch servicetechnicians.
My heart and my focus has alwaysbeen around education, training,
um, just providing informationto the public.
(20:47):
I always want to be a part ofthe company.
I always want to support anduplift my team, uh, but already
I'm seeing signs of our teambeing very self-sufficient.
Um, we've got some amazingsystems in place that allow them
to do that.
Um, and we're probably gonnastay a small company, maybe not
more than four or five trucks.
Um, but uh yeah, I mean that'sthat's basically where I see us
(21:11):
in the in the next you knowcouple of years.
Uh so uh that's I I hope thatanswers that question.
SPEAKER_01 (21:18):
It does.
I think I think you are verypassionate about this business.
You are a caring individual, youpursue all things and every
aspect of the business withexcellence.
Uh, and I think it I think itcertainly shows in the results
that you make for the community.
That's really great, um, Eddie.
So um so so close us out.
How can our audience,prospective customers, or if
anyone wants to connect withyou, learn more about fifth
(21:40):
generation electric, tell uswhere to go.
SPEAKER_00 (21:43):
I I'd say the best route to probably get to know us
in the best way is just have uscome out to your home.
Uh, you know, we, you know, ourteam comes out, they're very
patient, they'll sit down withyou, and we just simply want to
learn about your home, learnabout you, and make sure we
provide safe and effectivesolutions.
So the best way is to give us acall, uh, book an appointment,
(22:06):
and uh essentially test drivethe company.
Uh, we're gonna make sure yougot all the information that you
need and help you make good,effective, smart solutions about
your home repairs.
SPEAKER_01 (22:16):
So go ahead and give us that number and plug your
website if you would, Eddie.
SPEAKER_00 (22:19):
Uh so the phone number is 214-728-1977.
Uh, the website is uhfifthgenelectric.com, and that
starts with the number 5th.
Uh but yeah, that's that's us.
SPEAKER_01 (22:33):
And we'll make sure to have all that contact
information in the show notes aswell.
So, Eddie, thank you so much forsharing your story with us here
today.
SPEAKER_00 (22:40):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (22:41):
And everyone else, thank you all for tuning in to
another episode of the HomeServices Success Stories
Podcast.
And we'll see you next time onthe next episode of the Home
Services Success StoriesPodcast, powered by PC.
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