This episode is a supercut of standout moments from multiple Owned and Operated episodes, focused on one theme: how great operators build, scale, and eventually sell home service businesses.

John Wilson pulls together some of the most valuable conversations from past episodes—covering acquisitions, exits, org structure, leadership at scale, and what actually changes when you stop running a single trade business and start building a platform.

These clips span decades of operator experience, from buying broken HVAC companies to leading a $600M national home services business, and now applying the same playbook to new industries.

What you’ll hear in this supercut:

• How serial operators think about exits from day one
• The difference between running a trade and building a sellable business
• Why growth breaks when leadership and org structure can’t keep up
• How multi-location platforms balance local autonomy vs centralization
• What private equity looks for in home service acquisitions

This episode is ideal for listeners who want the big-picture thinking behind acquisitions, roll-ups, and long-term value creation—without committing to multiple full episodes.

If you’re building (or buying) a home service business and want to understand how experienced operators really think about scale and exits, this supercut is a must-listen.

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Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀

FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer!

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💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!

We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.
Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?

🔗Check Them Out Here

🔗 Connect
John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCom

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

• John's YouTube Channel
• Weekly Newsletter
• Owned and Operated

Leave a Review

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack 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.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Sam Preston (CEO of Service Scalers) to break down how smart home service operators should budget for marketing in 2026. They explain why one-size-fits-all marketing budgets don’t work, how to reverse-engineer spend from the number of leads you actually need, and why most companies don’t have a lead problem—they have an execution problem.

This conversation goes deep on gross profit–based budgeting, flexible marketing spend, and the exact frameworks operators use to decide what to scale, cut, test, or deploy in emergencies.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why marketing budgets should be based on gross profit, not revenue
• How to calculate marketing spend by backing into daily lead requirements
• The difference between budgeting for a new business vs. a 10-year-old company
• The 4 (plus 1) marketing budget buckets every operator should use
• A simple kill vs. scale framework to test marketing channels without guesswork

💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!

We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.
Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?

🔗Check Them Out Here

If you’re trying to grow profitably in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or any home service trade in 2026, this episode will help you stop guessing—and start budgeting with intention.

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💼Shoutout to Avoca AI!

Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.

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🔗 Connect
John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCompanies

Sam Preston: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston/

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

• John's YouTube Channel
• Weekly Newsletter
• Owned and Operated

Leave a Review

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack 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.

If you want to play the game on hard mode… randomly pick an industry and hope it works.

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Jack Carr break down exactly how they’d build a home service business in 2026—and why the old 2016–2020 playbook is dead. They go deep on research-first market selection, avoiding late-stage consolidation traps, picking “boring” services with clean SKUs, and building a business that can win even when weather, competition, and ad platforms don’t cooperate.

In this episode, we cover:

• Research, Research, Research: Why “randomly picking a trade” is hard mode—and how to find unmet demand in a specific market.
• The 2016–2020 Playbook Is Irrelevant: Why advice from the late 2010s doesn’t match today’s competitive reality.
• Consolidation & Multiples: How consolidation changes outcomes—and why “gold mine” industries can cool off before you’re big enough.
• Pick the Right Industry (Fragmented + Big TAM): What to look for in a winning service category in 2026.
• Boring Businesses Win: Drain cleaning, duct cleaning, leak detection, jetting, water filtration, septic, turf—simple offerings, repeatable operations.

🔥 What You’ll Learn:

• How to choose a home service niche in 2026 using market demand + consolidation timing, not vibes.
• The fastest path to “easy leads” (and why competing in stacked markets is an uphill fight).
• A practical framework for building a saleable business—even if you don’t plan to sell.
• Why multi-location forces better systems (and reduces dependence on a few A-players).
• Where the next marketing edge is coming from as attention shifts and platforms evolve.

Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀

FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer!

📅 Book your demo


💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!

We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.

Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?

🔗Check Them Out Here


💼 Big Reputation — Stop chasing reviews and watching competitors outrank you. B

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

• John's YouTube Channel
• Weekly Newsletter
• Owned and Operated

Leave a Review

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack 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.