Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast
The Owned and Operated Podcast is the go-to show for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical business owners who want to grow faster, increase profits, and scale smarter. Hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr, real home service operators in the trenches. This podcast delivers 2x weekly, no-BS conversations on what’s actually working in the trades today. From lead generation and marketing to hiring top-tier talent and building scalable systems, every episode is packed with actionable strategies you can implement immediately. If you're an HVAC contractor, plumber, or electrician looking to grow your business, improve operations, and stay ahead in a competitive market, this podcast is for you. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday. Learn more at www.ownedandoperated.com
Episodes
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 my entreprene...
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 platform and what 68 ...
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...
We swapped 40 Ford Mavericks into our home service fleet — and the results changed the way we think about fleet management.
Most home service companies are overspending on vehicles without realizing it. A new service van can cost $50,000–$60,000 today. A Ford Maverick? Around $27,000. We now run 40 Mavericks inside a 120+ vehicle fleet — and we’ve lowered overhead, reduced accidents, improved fuel economy, and still get th...
Most contractors who can't scale their home service business aren't failing — they're solving the wrong problems at the wrong time.
John Wilson sits down with FieldPulse Chief Growth Officer Daniel Eigner to break down the operational chaos that kills growth between $1M and $10M. From contractor CRM setup and price books to job costing, KPIs, and AI tools — they cover what actually moves the needle and why fundamental...
Most home service companies don’t fail because they scale too slowly — they fail because they scale too early.
In this episode, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down the biggest scaling mistakes contractors make between $2M–$5M, including second locations, new trades, over-hiring, and broken systems. They share hard-earned lessons on leadership, KPIs, operational bottlenecks, and what actually makes a business ready to scale.
If you w...
Having acquired 15 businesses in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services, John Wilson breaks down what really happens after the acquisition closes. Learn practical strategies for how to buy a business, including sourcing off-market deals, business valuation, negotiating with sellers, due diligence, and building a strong post-acquisition integration plan.
If you're interested in business acquisition, entrepreneurship, private eq...
What separates the fastest-growing home service companies from everyone else?
In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Julie from Big Reputation to break down what’s actually working in local SEO, Google Business Profiles (GBP), and online reviews in 2026. From review velocity and AI-driven search to multi-location GBP strategies and ranking in competitive markets, this conversation dives deep into the systems top operators use t...
What actually drives growth in home services?
In this compilation episode, John Wilson shares the systems and strategies behind scaling a $40M home service company — including how his team doubled a plumbing business in 90 days, improved cash flow, increased average tickets, and expanded through acquisitions.
From pricing strategy and speed-to-lead automation to technician training and buying businesses, this episode breaks down the ...
Most entrepreneurs think starting a business from scratch is the best way to grow. John Wilson disagrees.
In this episode, John breaks down why buying an existing business can dramatically accelerate growth, reduce startup friction, and create opportunities that organic expansion often can’t match.
Drawing from experience acquiring 14 companies and scaling a $40M plumbing, HVAC, and electrical business, John explains how elite operat...
Home service companies are leaving serious money on the table when it comes to referrals.
In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Murphy Nadauld from ReferPro to break down how top HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing companies are building scalable referral engines through lifecycle marketing, automation, and AI.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why referrals are underutilized in home services
• How lifec...
High ticket sales in home services aren’t about being pushy — they’re about giving customers the right options.
In this episode, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down the systems behind bigger tickets, better close rates, and stronger sales cultures in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses. They unpack why many technicians struggle with sales, how to shift the mindset around presenting options, and why education — not pressure — ...
Most home service companies think they have a sales problem. In reality, they have an organizational problem.
In this bonus episode, John Wilson breaks down why low average tickets usually come down to poor positioning, weak training, and solving the wrong customer pain points—not bad technicians.
Drawing from experience scaling a $40M plumbing, HVAC, and electrical business and acquiring 14 companies, John explains how elite operato...
In this episode, John sits down with Jackie Aubel, host of ServiceTitan’s Toolbox for the Trades, to unpack what content actually does for a home service business—and why most people get it wrong from the start.
They break down the real role of podcasting: not a short-term revenue driver, but a long-term play for brand, relationships, and access. Jackie shares how ServiceTitan approaches content as a distribution machine—turning one...
Most home service companies rely too heavily on digital channels—and that’s a risky game.
In this episode, John Wilson and Sam Preston break down door-to-door marketing (canvassing) and why it’s becoming one of the most powerful, scalable lead generation channels in home services. What started as a way to de-risk dependence on Google and Meta has turned into a multi-million dollar revenue driver—and a repeatable system for launching...
John Wilson, CEO of Wilson ($40M revenue, ~200 employees), breaks down a hard truth: profit doesn’t keep businesses alive—cash does.
In this episode, he explains how companies can look profitable on paper while quietly running out of money. From accounts receivable and payable to debt that never shows up in net income, John reveals why EBITDA and profit are often misleading—and what actually matters.
Drawing on his experience bootstr...
Most home service companies don’t have a lead problem—they have a follow-up problem.
In this episode, John and Sam break down lifecycle marketing and how to turn every lead into more revenue without increasing ad spend. From speed to lead to SMS, email, and outbound calling, they explain how top operators build systems that consistently generate repeat business.
If you want to stabilize lead flow, lower marketing costs, and scale fas...
Most home service companies treat their fleet like a necessity.
The best operators treat it like a strategy.
In this episode, John and Jack break down how to actually think about fleet management—from financing vehicles to choosing the right trucks—and why most businesses are overspending without realizing it.
They walk through the five main ways to buy vehicles (cash, loans, lines of credit, and leases), the real differences between ...
If you think a big EBITDA number alone will get you a big exit… you’re in for a rude awakening.
In this episode, John sits down with longtime business advisor David Barnett—who’s helped sell hundreds of companies—to break down what actually drives value when it’s time to sell your business.
From misunderstood multiples to messy financials, from distressed sales to “built-to-sell” winners, this conversation pulls back the curtain on h...
If you’re not building your business to sell, you’re building yourself a job.
In this episode, Jack sits down with Steve and Austin from McCall Wealth Advisors to break down what actually drives business value—and why most owners leave millions on the table when they exit.
From EBITDA games to private equity traps, this is a masterclass on how to turn your home service business into a sellable, high-multiple asset.
Because the reality...
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