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

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

By: John Wilson
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About this listen

The Owned and Operated electrical, HVAC, and plumbing business growth podcast is hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr. These two Home Service Business owners bring you weekly podcasts and daily content with multiple perspectives, actionable advice, and info on an ever-changing industry revolving around advertising, lead generation, and more.

Join us every Tuesday for topical conversations that unlock the potential for your business growth. Covering topics from top-tier talent recruitment to mastering marketing strategies and scaling your home service business, the podcast aims to be your guide on the path to entrepreneurial success.

For more information, visit www.ownedandoperated.com.

© 2025 Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast
Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How This Operator Turned a Viral Laundromat Video into a $20M Roofing Company
    Nov 6 2025

    In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Brandon Schlicter—better known as Investment Joy—to unpack how a viral laundromat video turned into a portfolio of laundromats, car washes, rentals, and now a fast-scaling commercial roofing company. Brandon shares the mindset shift from small plays to bigger bets, why he assumes success (and plans for failure), and how social media distribution can attract capital, deal flow, and talent.

    You’ll hear the real numbers on union commercial roofing (margins, ticket sizes, pay cycles), how to decide between lots of small jobs vs. fewer big ones, and why “every business either sells or shuts down.” We also dig into storm-driven market entry, travel crews, and what it actually takes to scale estimation capacity and cash flow when receivables hit seven figures.


    💡 What You’ll Learn

    • Media → Deal Flow: How one laundromat video sparked investor interest, partnerships, and bigger acquisitions
    • Think Bigger (On Purpose): Moving from $25k houses to $20M+/yr roofing—building the steps between vision and execution
    • Union Commercial Roofing 101: Typical gross margins, role of prevailing wage, crew structure, and why residential often doesn’t pencil

    🎧 Featured Guest

    🧠 Brandon Schlicter — Investment Joy


    YouTube: @InvestmentJoy

    🎙️ Hosted by John Wilson — x.com/@WilsonCompanies


    🚀 Huge Shoutout to SupplyHouse!

    When it comes to fast turnaround times, SupplyHouse has our back! With 250,000+ SKUs covering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical, they make sure we get the right materials—fast and hassle-free.

    💡Their Trademaster program offers free shipping, returns, and discounts, all with no membership fee. Use promo code SH5 for five percent off your first order— Code is valid through 9/30/2025.

    🔗 Check them out & level up your supply game here

    💼 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

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • The Consumer Always Wins: Building the Business They Actually Want
    Nov 4 2025

    In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Jamie from Modernize to unpack how a consumer-obsessed mindset is reshaping home services—from the first inquiry to the final install. They dig into why “experience always wins,” how answer engine optimization (AE/O) is changing search, and what a true platform approach looks like when lead gen, reputation, financing, and programmatic all work together.
    You’ll hear how Modernize is building for the full funnel, why smaller, fast-moving operators can out-execute well-funded incumbents, and how to prioritize innovation without getting whiplash from weekly tech shifts.

    💡 What You’ll Learn

    • Consumer > Everything: Practical ways to map (and measure) the end-to-end experience so customers call you back—again and again
    • AE/O, Not Just SEO: How answer engine optimization is rewriting local discovery and the quick-start tactics that move the needle now
    • Inquiry to Install: The modern funnel—leads, calls, reputation, email, and conversion flows that actually close jobs

    🎧 Featured Guest

    🧠 Jamie — Modernize

    🎙️ Hosted by John Wilson


    💼 Modernize is how smart contractors scale.

    With inbound calls, live transfers, and branded programs, Modernize connects you to ready-to-buy homeowners. Over 9M leads delivered and $4B+ in revenue generated.

    👉 Start growing

    💼 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

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • $170M in 2 Years: Premier Home Pros’ Playbook for Scaling Without Debt
    Oct 30 2025

    In this follow-up to our Premier Home Pros deep dive, John Wilson sits back down with AJ and Noah to unpack how they turned six greenfield locations into a nationwide engine doing $170 M+ run-rate—without outside debt. They break down the playbook for market launches, recruiting, and leadership restructuring that turned chaos into scale.

    Hear how they rebuilt their org for hypergrowth—cutting the VP layer, adding regional pods, promoting from within, and launching Zoom-based sales training that doubled new-rep output. You’ll also hear the real numbers behind marketing mix, payback windows, and bonus-driven sales comp that pushed them to record volume.

    If you’re trying to scale a home-service brand fast—but profitably—this is your blueprint for people, process, and playbook.


    💡 What You’ll Learn

    • The Greenfield System: Launching six locations in a year and hitting payback in under two months
    • Rebuilding for Scale: Why they removed the VP layer and replaced it with high-performance regional leaders
    • Zoom Sales Training: How virtual onboarding produced 22 new reps in one month and raised the floor company-wide
    • Continuous Recruiting: The “never stop bringing in talent” model to replace the bottom 10% and push the middle up
    • Comp & Culture: How a double-bonus structure and variable P&L (≈ 70%) fuel performance and retention
    • Path to Nine Figures: The assistant-manager farm system creating internal promotions and next-market leaders

    🎧 Featured Guests
    🧠 AJ & Noah — Founders, Premier Home Pros
    🎙️ Hosted by John Wilson — @WilsonCompanies

    💼 Shoutout to PayPerCall.io

    Stop paying for leads that don’t convert. With PayPerCall.io, you only pay when your phone rings with a qualified customer. Real calls. Real results.

    👉 Book your free call

    💼 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. Big Reputation is the AI-powered review + SEO platform built for home service pros. Automate review generation, respond with AI, track local SEO, and integrate with your CRM. Setup is free, and your first month’s on the house.

    👉 Book your demo:

    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.

    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
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