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

Hosted by John Wilson

Business Marketing

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Episodes

382

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Owned and Operated is the podcast for home service entrepreneurs who want to build larger, more profitable businesses. Hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr , each episode features candid conversations with the founders, operators, investors, and industry leaders shaping the future of HVAC, plumbing, electrical, septic, roofing, restoration, and the wider home service industry. From acquisitions and marketing to sales, leadership, hiring, finance, AI, and operational excellence, you'll hear real-world lessons, proven strategies, and actionable playbooks from people who have actually built successful companies. If you're buying your first business, scaling past your next revenue milestone, or building toward an eventual exit, Owned and Operated delivers practical insights you can apply immediately. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Learn more at www.ownedandoperated.com

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 11, 2026Episode 33640 min

Why Home Service Businesses Get Stuck at $3M and How to Scale to $30M

The strategies that get your home service business to $3 million will not get you to $30 million.In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down why contractors stall at different stages of growth and how the owner’s role has to evolve as the business gets bigger.They discuss escaping “hero mode,” building the right teams and systems, reinvesting in growth, and why the owner can ultimately become the biggest bottleneck in the business.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━In This Episode━━━━━━━━━━━━━━• Why the playbook that gets you to $3M stops working as you scale• Why contractors commonly stall between $3M and $10M• Getting the owner out of "hero mode" and building a real organization• Reinvesting profits versus pulling cash out of the business• The systems and positions you need as the company gets bigger• Why adding trades and locations too early can slow down growth━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Connect━━━━━━━━━━━━━━John Wilsonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Jack Carrhttps://x.com/thehvacjack Owned and Operatedhttps://www.ownedandoperated.com/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Sponsors━━━━━━━━━━━━━━AvocaSee how Avoca helps home service companies book more jobs with AI that handles calls, texts, follow ups, and dispatching without adding more chaos. Book a demo: https://www.avoca.ai/partners/oao Service ScalersGet more high quality leads with marketing built for home service companies. Book a free strategy call with Service Scalers and see what's driving real jobs: https://os.servicescalers.com/go/oao_podcast/referral/podcastSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

August 6, 2026Episode 3351 hr 10 min

From a $2M Family Plumbing Shop to a Multi-Trade Powerhouse

Every growing home service company eventually hits the same wall. The systems that got you to $2 million will not get you to $20 million.In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Brady Jolly and Scott Sharrock of Jolly Heating, Air, Plumbing & Electric to break down what it actually takes to scale a second-generation home service business. They discuss moving from commercial to residential, building a leadership team, using acquisitions to accelerate growth, creating a culture people want to stay in, and the management systems that help businesses continue growing without relying on the owner.The conversation also dives into scorecards, leadership development, AI, private equity, and why investing in people often creates a bigger return than investing anywhere else.In This Episode• Growing a second-generation plumbing company into a multi-trade business• Why residential service changed the trajectory of the company• Lessons from acquisitions, launching roofing, and adding new trades• Building leaders before you need them• Creating a culture that people actually want to be part of• How scorecards and KPIs improve decision making• AI, private equity, and where home service businesses are headed nextConnectJohn Wilsonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Brady Jolly + Scott Sharrockhttps://justcalljolly.com/Reimagining Home Services Podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@ReimaginingHomeServices ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Sponsors ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━YelpLooking for more qualified leads beyond Google? See how contractors are using Yelp to reach homeowners who are ready to book and diversify their lead generation. Learn more: https://business.yelp.com/campaign/ownedandoperated/The Military Veteran (TMV)Hiring a VP, GM, or C-suite leader? The Military Veteran (TMV) specializes in executive search for home service businesses, connecting you with proven veteran leaders who know how to execute, build teams, and drive growth. Select Owned and Operated as your referral source when you schedule a consultation: https://themilvet.typeform.com/to/BDwkmCU0?typeform-source=www.themilvet.orgBig ReputationGet more from your Google Business Profile with Big Reputation. Automate reviews, improve local visibility, and turn more Google searches into inbound calls. Learn more: https://www.bigreputation.ai/oao?utm_source=oao&utm_medium=paidSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

August 4, 2026Episode 33444 min

The Complete Home Service Marketing Playbook

Home service marketing strategy isn't one-size-fits-all. In this Owned and Operated compilation, John Wilson sits down with Lisa Appleby and Ethan Wright of Service Scalers to break down the marketing systems, lead generation strategies, SEO, Google Ads, Local Services Ads, reviews, AI, and growth playbooks that help contractors scale from $1M to $10M+.Whether you own an HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, or other home service business, this episode explains where your next marketing dollar should go, how to generate higher-quality leads, improve conversion rates, and build a marketing engine that scales with your company.In This Episode The marketing roadmap from $1M to $10M in revenue Where to invest your next marketing dollar When to use Local Services Ads, PPC, SEO, and aggregators Why speed-to-lead dramatically increases booked jobs How online reviews impact rankings and revenue The biggest marketing mistakes growing contractors make How AI is changing SEO, Google Search, and digital marketing The KPIs every contractor should actually be tracking ConnectJohn Wilson https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Lisa Appleby https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-appleby/?originalSubdomain=ukEthan Wright https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanwrighttx━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Sponsors━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Comfort ConnectTurn one installation into years of repeat business with Comfort Connect. Give homeowners flexible payment options, stay connected after the job, and create new recurring revenue opportunities. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4wGXqSX YelpLooking for more qualified leads beyond Google? See how contractors are using Yelp to reach homeowners who are ready to book and diversify their lead generation. Learn more: https://business.yelp.com/campaign/ownedandoperated/ Profit & GritRunning a $3M–$15M home service business? Profit & Grit helps contractors improve cash flow, pricing, forecasting, and profitability with guidance from an operator who's built and sold a $25M service business. Book your free 20-minute strategy call: https://www.profitandgrit.comSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

July 30, 2026Episode 33326 min

Google Just Changed Local Services Ads (Here's What Contractors Need to Know)

Google is changing Local Services Ads again, and this one actually matters.In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Sam Preston of Service Scalers to break down Google's biggest LSA update yet. With Local Services Ads moving into Google Ads and Performance Max, contractors could see major changes to how budgets are spent, campaigns are managed, and leads are generated.John and Sam walk through what's changing, what could go wrong, and the simple checklist every contractor should work through before the rollout. If Google is an important lead source for your business, this is an episode you'll want to hear before the switch happens.In This Episode:Why Google is moving LSAs into Google AdsWhat Performance Max means for contractorsThe biggest risks during the migrationHow to think about budgets and campaign structureWhat data you need to save before it's goneWhy your Google Business Profile matters more than everWhat to watch for if your lead volume changes overnight━━━━━━━━━━━━━━John Wilson → https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Sam Preston → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━💰 SPONSORS━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Breaking $5M WorkshopJoin John Wilson and Jack Carr in Akron, OH for a hands on workshop built for home service owners ready to scale past $5M. Get the proven playbook, tour Wilson's operation, and connect with other growth minded contractors. Register here: https://www.ownedandoperated.com/upcoming-events/oao-workshop-breaking-5-million YelpLooking for more qualified leads beyond Google? See how contractors are using Yelp to reach homeowners who are ready to book and diversify their lead generation. Learn more: https://business.yelp.com/campaign/ownedandoperated/The Military Veteran (TMV)Hiring a VP, GM, or C-suite leader? The Military Veteran (TMV) specializes in executive search for home service businesses, connecting you with proven veteran leaders who know how to execute, build teams, and drive growth. Select Owned and Operated as your referral source when you schedule a consultation: https://themilvet.typeform.com/to/BDwkmCU0?typeform-source=www.themilvet.org━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS━━━━━━━━━━━━━━00:00 LSA Shakeup Preview01:02 Migration to Google Ads PMax09:20 What Stays Same vs Changes14:27 Budget Risks and Action Checklist26:31 Stats, Prep, and Final ThoughtsSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

July 28, 2026Episode 33239 min

Why We Stopped Buying $60,000 Service Vans

The fastest-growing home service companies don't scale by spending more. They scale by making smarter operational decisions.In this special compilation episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down one of the biggest hidden expenses in home services: your fleet. They explain why they're moving away from expensive service vans, why the Ford Maverick has become their vehicle of choice, and how rethinking truck stock, inventory, and install trailers can save hundreds of thousands of dollars while making technicians more efficient.They also dive into the future of fleet strategy, from modular trailer systems and simplified inventory to why most branded truck wraps no longer create a competitive advantage. If you're looking for practical ways to lower costs without sacrificing growth, this episode is packed with ideas you can apply immediately.In This Episode:• Why expensive service vans may be hurting your business• How Ford Mavericks reduce fleet costs and fuel spend• Rethinking truck stock to improve inventory control• The trailer system that could replace traditional install trucks• How fleet decisions impact profitability and cash flow• Why most truck wraps no longer stand out• Building a brand that actually differentiates your company————————————————🔗 CONNECT————————————————John Wilson → https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Jack Carr → https://x.com/thehvacjackBreaking $5M Workshop → https://www.ownedandoperated.com/upcoming-events/oao-workshop-breaking-5-million————————————————💰 SPONSORS————————————————QuickStaffersHire trained HVAC and plumbing CSRs without the overhead of traditional hiring. Save $500 on your first placement with Quick Staffers: https://www.quickstaffers.com/ Breaking $5M WorkshopJoin John Wilson and Jack Carr in Akron, OH for a hands on workshop built for home service owners ready to scale past $5M. Get the proven playbook, tour Wilson's operation, and connect with other growth minded contractors. Register here: https://www.ownedandoperated.com/upcoming-events/oao-workshop-breaking-5-million YelpLooking for more qualified leads beyond Google? See how contractors are using Yelp to reach homeowners who are ready to book and diversify their lead generation. Learn more: https://business.yelp.com/campaign/ownedandoperated/Send Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

July 23, 2026Episode 3311 hr 9 min

Why Growing Home Service Companies Can't Find Great Leaders

The fastest-growing home service companies don't fail because they run out of demand. They fail because they run out of leaders.In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Jim Lose of The Military Veteran to discuss what separates great operators from average managers. They cover how to hire executive talent, build a structured interview process, identify red flags before making an offer, and create leadership systems that scale with your business.From scorecards and reference checks to compensation, coaching, and military leadership, this episode is a practical guide to building the team that takes your business from operator-led to professionally managed.In This Episode:• Why leadership becomes the biggest growth constraint• How to identify and hire A-player operators• The interview mistakes most owners make• Building scorecards that drive accountability• Coaching vs. replacing underperforming leaders• Compensation, incentives, and equity for key hires• The next executive hire growing businesses should make————————————————🔗 CONNECT————————————————John Wilson → https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Jim Lose → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslose/The Military Veteran → https://themilvet.org/————————————————💰 SPONSORS————————————————Breaking $5M WorkshopJoin John Wilson and Jack Carr in Akron, OH for a hands on workshop built for home service owners ready to scale past $5M. Get the proven playbook, tour Wilson's operation, and connect with other growth minded contractors. Register here: https://www.ownedandoperated.com/upcoming-events/oao-workshop-breaking-5-million FieldPulseReady to ditch the whiteboard and spreadsheets? See how FieldPulse helps home service companies simplify scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and more. Book a free demo: https://landing.fieldpulse.com/owned_and_operatedQuick StaffersHire trained HVAC and plumbing CSRs without the overhead of traditional hiring. Save $500 on your first placement with Quick Staffers: https://www.quickstaffers.com/ Send Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

July 21, 2026Episode 33046 min

Why Septic Might Be the BEST Home Service Business to Own

Septic may be one of the most overlooked businesses in home services, but it might also be one of the best.In this special compilation episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson brings together two of the biggest conversations we've had on the septic industry, featuring Chad and Kyle from Epic Septic alongside Micah of Homefield. Together, they break down why septic has become one of the most compelling opportunities in home services and what it really takes to build a scalable business in the space.From pumping and repairs to installations, route density, marketing, and franchising, they share the economics behind the business, the operational challenges unique to septic, and the systems they're using to grow across multiple markets. Whether you're looking to buy a septic company or simply want to understand why so many operators are bullish on the industry, this episode is a complete deep dive.In This Episode:• Why septic is one of the most attractive home service businesses• The economics of pumping, repairs, and installations• How pumping creates long-term customer value• Why modern marketing is a competitive advantage in septic• Pricing, route density, and improving profitability• Scaling across multiple markets and states• The infrastructure challenges every septic operator faces• What buyers should know before acquiring a septic business————————————————🔗 CONNECT————————————————John Wilson → https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Chad & Kyle (Epic Septic) → https://epicseptic.com/Micah Findley (Homefield) → https://www.homefieldonsite.com/Breaking $5M Workshop → https://www.ownedandoperated.com/upcoming-events/oao-workshop-breaking-5-million————————————————💰 SPONSORS————————————————Service ScalersGet more high quality leads with marketing built for home service companies. Book a free strategy call with Service Scalers and see what's driving real jobs: https://os.servicescalers.com/go/oao_podcast/referral/podcastBig ReputationGet more from your Google Business Profile with Big Reputation. Automate reviews, improve local visibility, and turn more Google searches into inbound calls. Learn more: https://www.bigreputation.ai/oao?utm_source=oao&utm_medium=paidFieldPulseReady to ditch the whiteboard and spreadsheets? See how FieldPulse helps home service companies simplify scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and more. Book a free demo: https://landing.fieldpulse.com/owned_and_operatedSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

July 17, 2026Episode 3298 min

The Biggest Acquisition I Walked Away From

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 explains the acquisition framework he uses to evaluate plumbing, HVAC, and electrical businesses, why revenue and EBITDA rarely tell the whole story, and the common mistakes first-time buyers make when they become emotionally attached to a deal.Sometimes the best acquisition is the one you don't make.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━In this episode, John covers:→ The acquisition that looked perfect—but wasn't→ The biggest red flags uncovered during due diligence→ Why customer mix and company culture matter as much as financials→ How to avoid becoming emotionally invested in a deal→ What every first-time acquisition entrepreneur should know→ Lessons learned from the deals John decided not to buy━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Watch this episode early on the John Wilson YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnWilsonOAOSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

July 16, 2026Episode 32939 min

Stop Tracking Cost Per Lead (Track This Instead)

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 revenue across a growing home service business.They also discuss why blended marketing ROI matters more than individual lead costs, how to separate new customer revenue from recurring customers, the importance of clean CRM data, and why every owner—not their agency—is ultimately responsible for marketing performance.In This Episode:• Why cost per lead can lead you to the wrong decisions• The marketing KPIs every home service business should track• How to measure true ROI across every marketing channel• Building an attribution system that actually works• Why clean CRM data is the foundation of good marketing• How to separate new customer revenue from repeat business• The pitfalls of using lifetime value (LTV) to justify marketing spend• Why every owner should own their company's marketing scorecard————————————————🔗 CONNECT————————————————John Wilson → https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Jack Carr → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-carr-770b84117/Breaking $5M Workshop → https://www.ownedandoperated.com/upcoming-events/oao-workshop-breaking-5-million————————————————💰 SPONSORS————————————————Big ReputationGet more from your Google Business Profile with Big Reputation. Automate reviews, improve local visibility, and turn more Google searches into inbound calls. Learn more: https://www.bigreputation.ai/oao?utm_source=oao&utm_medium=paidService ScalersGet more high quality leads with marketing built for home service companies. Book a free strategy call with Service Scalers and see what's driving real jobs: https://os.servicescalers.com/go/oao_podcast/referral/podcastSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.

July 14, 2026Episode 32835 min

How We're Using AI to Scale towards a $70M Home Service Business

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 human experience at the center of the business.They also discuss why venture capital is pouring money into home services, how AI is creating a new wave of EBITDA expansion, the software they're replacing with custom-built AI tools, and why the companies that embrace AI as a force multiplier, not a replacement for people, will have the biggest advantage over the next decade.In This Episode:• Why home services has become an AI "safe haven" for investors• What AI should never replace inside your business• Using AI to reduce friction instead of cutting headcount• Replacing expensive SaaS tools with custom AI solutions• How AI is transforming acquisitions and multi-location growth• Why accounting is the biggest bottleneck in scaling through M&A• The balance between automation and human customer experience————————————————🔗 CONNECT————————————————John Wilson → https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/Jack Carr → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-carr-770b84117/Breaking $5M Workshop → https://www.ownedandoperated.com/upcoming-events/oao-workshop-breaking-5-million————————————————💰 SPONSORS————————————————AvocaSee how Avoca helps home service companies book more jobs with AI that handles calls, texts, follow ups, and dispatching without adding more chaos. Book a demo: https://www.avoca.ai/partners/oao QuoKeep every customer conversation in one place with Quo. Calls, texts, and voicemails are shared across your team so nothing slips through the cracks and no opportunities are missed. Learn more: https://quo.com/ownedSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack 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.