Can't Stop the Growth

Michael Aft is building a $1 billion commercial garage door empire — and his playbook for scaling skilled labor businesses is unlike anything you've heard.

Whether you're in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or any skilled trade, this episode reveals how to unlock the growth you've wanted for 15+ years.

#BusinessGrowth #HomeServices #Entrepreneurship #SkillLabor #Leadership

Additional Resources:

Connect with Michael Aft Learn more about Galaxy Service Partners

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Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

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Key Takeaways:

• Why commercial garage doors are "mission-critical" (and countercyclical)
• The "Genie Wish" question every business owner needs to answer
• How to execute violently on fewer priorities (not more)
• The operating rhythm that prevents shiny object syndrome

One simple tweak took an HVAC company from a 37% close rate to 68%. And it wasn't about working harder — it was about slowing down.

In this episode, Danny Zatarain (Head of Training at Can't Stop the Growth) breaks down the exact process he used to transform Ireland HVAC's sales performance in just 6 months.

Additional Resources:

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Why your techs are only showing 1-2 options (and how to get them to 6)
• The one metric that predicts success: Options Average
• How to make MORE money with FEWER calls per day
• The customer feedback loop that changed everything
• Why slowing down during busy season is your competitive advantage

The ABC Decision Framework changed how we empower our team.

Steve Sorenson, Senior Director of Learning & Culture at Johnsonville, breaks down how to build a culture where your team makes decisions without waiting for permission.

Company culture training expert Steve Sorenson shares the ABC Decision Framework for employee empowerment and leadership development. Learn how to stop micromanaging, build organizational culture, and create decision-making frameworks that work in home services, HVAC, plumbing, and trades businesses. The behaviors you tolerate become your culture, here's how to change that.

THE ABC FRAMEWORK:

→ A Decisions = Just do it (I don't need to know)

→ B Decisions = Tell me after (so I can back you up)

→ C Decisions = Ask me first (financial or customer impact)

This one framework stops micromanaging and empowers your team overnight.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Steve: LinkedIn:

Learn more about Johnsonville

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Why "the worst behaviors you tolerate become your culture"
• The ABC Decision Framework (A, B, C decisions explained)
• How to move from training to actual learning & development
• What Johnsonville does that home services companies miss
• The AI coaching tool they're building (and why it matters)

Most home service companies still treat the call center like an expense.

That is a mistake.

In this episode of Can't Stop the Growth, Chad Peterman sits down with Avoca's Tyson Chen to break down why the call center should be treated like a true revenue driver. From booking rate clarity to missed daytime opportunities, after-hours overflow, membership conversion, and smarter coaching, this conversation is packed with practical insight for HVAC, plumbing, and trade leaders who want to stop losing revenue they never even knew they had.

This episode is especially valuable for owners, GMs, call center managers, and operators preparing for peak season and trying to maximize every lead that comes through the door.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Tyson Chen

Learn more about Avoca

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Your call center is not overhead
• Know your real booking rate
• After-hours is a major revenue leak
• Missed calls reveal bigger operational problems
• Coaching needs more than a few sampled calls
• Input metrics drive output metrics
• Memberships increase commitment
• Operations and call center must stay aligned

What separates people who stay stuck from people who keep growing?

Chad breaks down what it really means to think like a winner and why leadership starts with the habits, attitude, and daily choices most people overlook.

From building an environment that supports success to avoiding dream stealers and chasing goals big enough to sound a little crazy, Chad shares a practical and energizing message for leaders who want to raise their influence and help others rise too. There is no fluff here, just a clear reminder that winning starts within, and that the best leaders put people first while moving boldly toward the future.

If you are building culture, leading a team, or simply trying to level up your own mindset, this episode will challenge you to think bigger, lead stronger, and keep growing. 🔥

Additional Resources:

Join The ARENA - a CSTG Community

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Winning starts with habits others avoid.
• Attitude multiplies leadership influence fast.
• Protect your vision from dream stealers.
• You only get one life, dream boldly.
• Great leaders help others win first.

High-performance sales teams are not built by accident. They are engineered through competitive culture, relentless action, and leaders willing to develop people at a deeper level. Chris and Chad sit down with serial entrepreneur and sales powerhouse Josey Parks to unpack what it really takes to scale an elite team.

Josey shares the gritty lessons behind growing a sales force from a few dozen reps to hundreds, revealing why mindset, data, and personal accountability matter more than flashy tactics. From door-knocking strategies and question-based selling to matching the right rep with the right opportunity, the discussion dives into the systems and leadership philosophies that separate top performers from the rest.

This episode goes beyond scripts and sales funnels. It is a people-first deep dive into building competitive cultures, developing leaders from within, and taking bold action even when the path feels uncomfortable. If you want to grow faster, lead better, and create real momentum in your business, this one will challenge the way you think about sales success.

Additional Resources:

Listen to To the Point, wherever you get your podcasts!

Learn more about To the Point

Join The ARENA - a CSTG Community

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Competitive culture fuels elite performance and scalable team growth
• Action beats analysis when building momentum in sales
• Data driven rep assignment increases conversion and revenue
• Personal development directly impacts professional sales success
• Systems scale businesses more effectively than individual talent

What if the reason your goals keep falling flat isn't that they're too big, but that they're not big enough? 🚀

Chad challenges leaders to stop playing small and start thinking 10X. He unpacks why bold goals are not really about bigger results, but about becoming a better version of yourself through daily behavioral change. From letting go of control to measuring progress the right way, Chad shares a grounded but powerful mindset shift that can change how you lead, grow, and stay motivated.

Drawing on insights from "The Gap and The Gain," Chad explores the difference between wanting a goal and needing it, why so many people quit too early, and how real fulfillment comes from focusing on what you can control. This episode is a wake-up call for people-first leaders who want to grow with intention, stay present in the process, and build something bigger than themselves.

Additional Resources:

Join The ARENA - a CSTG Community

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Big goals reveal the behaviors that truly move progress.
• Growth comes from changing actions, not chasing outcomes.
• Measure backward from progress, not forward from perfection.
• Want your goal, but never emotionally need it.
• Daily improvement creates long-term transformation and fulfillment.

Success doesn't happen in one big moment. It's built in the small decisions, the hard lessons, and the chapters you almost quit.

Chris and Chad are joined by Aaron Gainor to unpack the real turning points that shaped their businesses. From writing down bold revenue goals before they knew how to reach them, to surviving bad hires, sales struggles, and the weight of leadership, this episode dives into what actually changes a company's trajectory. It's not theory. It's lived experience from leaders who built, scaled, stumbled, and kept going.

If you're a home service leader navigating growth, culture shifts, or the pressure of scaling, this one will challenge you to look in the mirror, refine your vision, and lead with intention. Because the turning point isn't luck. It's ownership. 💥

Additional Resources:

Listen to To the Point, wherever you get your podcasts!

Learn more about To the Point and RYNO

Join The ARENA - a CSTG Community (powered by our media partner, PeopleForward Network)

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Vision must be written, shared, and reinforced daily
• Leadership failures often start in the mirror
• Sales teams need direction, coaching, and accountability
• Culture fit matters more as companies scale
• Growth requires personal development first

In this Around the CAMPFire episode, CAMP Digital CEO Katie Donovan sits down with VP of Marketing, US Dock & Door Michelle Fadeley to talk about something every HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and garage door business needs to nail: brand, trust, and hyperlocal marketing that actually drives calls.

The conversation digs into the "same day challenge" every home service leader feels: balancing low-interest, high-intent emergencies with long-term brand building. Michelle and Katie walk through practical ways small and midsize shops can lean into being local, family-owned, and community-rooted, without trying to be everywhere at once or wasting money on scattered marketing experiments.

Whether the goal is to grow from 1 to 3 trucks or from $3M to $5M, this episode gives HVAC, plumbing, and other trade leaders simple, high-impact actions to build brand equity, stand out in a crowded market, and support sales with smarter local marketing.

Additional Resources:

Michelle Fadeley on LinkedIn Learn more about US Dock & Door Connect with Katie Donovan on LinkedIn Follow Camp Digital on LinkedIn Learn more about Camp Digital

Key Takeaways:

• Start with "Who You Serve," not just who you are
• Own your hyperlocal story
• Market where your customers actually are
• Balance same day demand with long-term brand
• Fix the marketing "foundation" before adding more
• Ask directly for what is needed
• Longer decision funnels demand more touchpoints
• Commercial and residential share the same fundamentals

Join The ARENA - a CSTG Community (powered by our media partner, PeopleForward Network)

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Most HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies obsess over bookings, average ticket, and close rate. Very few obsess over how people feel at work.

In this episode of Can't Stop the Growth, host Chad Peterman interviews Mark Mears, founder and Chief Growth Officer of LEAF Growth Ventures and author of Love at Work and The Purposeful Growth Revolution. Mark explains why "love" is not soft, why disengagement is costing companies trillions globally, and how leaders in the trades can turn culture from a buzzword into a competitive advantage.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Mark Mears on LinkedIn

Love @ Work Book

Join The ARENA - a CSTG Community (powered by our media partner, PeopleForward Network)

Subscribe to CSTG on YouTube!

Connect with Chad on LinkedIn

Chad Peterman | CEO | Author

Learn more about the Peterman Brothers

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

Mark breaks down his L.O.V.E. Leadership Model:

• Listen graciously to build trust
• Observe generously to show investment
• Value the whole person, not just the job title
• Empower teammates to grow into their full potential