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

Not every acquisition is worth making.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson shares the story of one of the biggest acquisitions he chose to walk away from, even though it had the potential to double the size of his business. What looked like an incredible opportunity on paper quickly unraveled as the due diligence process exposed problems with customer concentration, company culture, cash flow, and the financials.

John ...

Most home service companies think they're tracking marketing. They're actually tracking the wrong metrics.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down how to measure marketing ROI the right way. They explain why cost per lead is often a misleading metric, how to build a marketing scorecard that actually helps you make better decisions, and the attribution systems they use to understand what's driving ...

Most home service businesses are using AI the wrong way.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down how AI is actually changing the trades and why the biggest opportunity isn't replacing technicians, but removing the operational friction that slows growing companies down. They share how they're using AI across acquisitions, accounting, purchasing, reporting, dispatch, and marketing while keeping the ...

Most home service businesses aren't sold for what they're capable of being worth.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Will Schryver  reveal what separates a business that sells for a premium from one that gets discounted. From leadership and systems to pricing, technology, and operational maturity, they explain what buyers actually look for and why preparing for an exit should start years before you plan to s...

What does it really take to build a home service business from the ground up?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Ryan and Aaron Osterkamp of Quality Comfort Home Services to unpack the journey from one technician working out of a house to a company targeting more than $9 million in annual revenue.

They discuss the early years of wearing every hat, the decision to bring on an in-house marketing leader ye...

Managing the leadership challenges that come with being a CEO can be surprisingly lonely.

In this solo episode, John Wilson reflects on the last decade of leading Wilson Companies from a team of seven employees to more than 220. He shares the lessons that only come with experience, including imposter syndrome, difficult decisions, the weight of responsibility, and why leadership often feels different than people expect.

If you're lea...

Google search is changing. AI is changing how homeowners find contractors. And the marketing strategies that worked just two years ago aren't enough anymore.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Service Scalers CEO Sam Preston to break down what's actually working in HVAC marketing in 2026. From AI search and Google Business Profile optimization to Meta, Reddit, Yelp, and content marketing, they discuss ...

If We Had to Start Over, We'd Do This Instead

If John Wilson and Jack Carr lost everything tomorrow, how would they rebuild?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, they tackle one of the biggest questions every entrepreneur eventually asks: would you buy a business, build one from scratch, or take a completely different path?

John argues that acquiring a small home service business is still the fastest way to create wealth, while Jack...

Stop relying on quality work alone to grow your home service business. Learn why prioritizing marketing and sales is the real key to small business growth.

Many tradespeople and contractors believe that doing good work will naturally bring in more clients. That strategy often fails. Why? Because your business needs a steady flow of leads to survive. We break down why the phone needs to ring before you can worry about the qua...

When should you rebrand an acquisition, and when should you leave it alone?

In this episode, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down how they think about branding after acquisitions. They discuss the operational tradeoffs, marketing benefits, cultural impact, and why many of the largest home service companies take completely different approaches.

The conversation covers lessons learned from dozens of acquisitions, what customers actuall...

If We Started Over Today, These Are the Businesses We'd Buy

What’s the best home service business to start in 2026?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down the industries they'd bet on if they had to start over from scratch today. From HVAC, plumbing, and electrical to restoration, landscaping, roofing, septic, and even trash collection, they debate which businesses offer the ...

Many small business owners struggle with identifying core issues, often guessing at problems instead of relying on concrete data. This video emphasizes the importance of focusing on measurable key metrics within a home services business. By tracking performance metrics like leads, booking rates, and closing rates, owners can significantly improve their business management and gain clear insights into their operational health.

How do you go from Tesla to owning a plumbing company?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Jared Worthen to discuss buying a plumbing business, transitioning from tech into the trades, and what it's really like to acquire and operate a home service company.

After building his career at Tesla and ServiceTitan, Jared spent years searching for the right acquisition before purchasing Drain Doctors, a plumbin...

Most contractors are using AI to save time. John Wilson and Service Scalers CEO Sam Preston argue the real opportunity is much bigger: using AI to replace software, automate workflows, and build custom tools that drive growth.

In this episode, John and Sam break down how home service companies are using "vibe coding" to build websites, internal software, dashboards, and automation systems without hiring developers. They share practi...

How Speed to Lead Unlocks More Revenue From Every Lead Source

Most contractors think they need more leads. According to Tyson Chen, co-founder of Avoca, most home service companies actually need a better system for capturing, contacting, and converting the leads they already have.

In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Tyson Chen to break down the speed-to-lead systems that are helping home service companies double revenue, impr...

Most people think pet waste removal is a side hustle. Erica Krupin built a real business around it.

In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Erica Krupin, founder of Kroopin's Poopin' Scoopin', to break down the surprisingly scalable world of pet waste removal. From starting with a bucket, rake, and a 2007 Chevy Cobalt to building a recurring-revenue service business with hundreds of customers, Erica shares the hard lessons behin...

This week, I’m sharing the books that shaped the way I think about business and helped me scale my family’s company from $1 million to $44 million in revenue.

These are more than popular business books sitting on a shelf. Each one solved a specific problem at a critical stage of growth, from leadership and operations to hiring, sales, and scaling. In this episode, I break down the lessons that had the biggest impact on m...

Most contractors wrote off Yelp years ago. But the platform has quietly become one of the most powerful lead-generation engines in the home service space,  powered by AI partnerships with OpenAI and Perplexity that are funneling search traffic directly to Yelp listings. 

John Wilson sits down with Katy Lightsey, Head of Services at Yelp, to break down exactly how  61 home service leads  are flowing through the pl...

Most contractors think offshoring is about saving money. It's actually about creating leverage.

John Wilson and Jack Carr break down how offshore teams helped them scale faster, build better systems, and free up key leaders to focus on growth. They share exactly which roles to offshore, what to keep in-house, and the leadership lessons they've learned after managing dozens of remote team members across recruiting, dispatch, accounti...