Escape The One Man Show

You built a business, but you're still acting like an employee. If you're the owner and you're still running a truck, you are the most expensive technician on your payroll — and your company is paying the price for it.

In this episode Derek Cormier, founder of Climate Experts and host of Escape the One Man Show, answers a real question from a contractor who called in doing $1.5 million in revenue and asked the two questions every growing trades owner eventually has to face. When do I get out of the truck? And when do I hire my first manager?

Derek breaks down exactly how he thinks about both decisions and why getting out of the field as fast as possible is one of the highest leverage moves a trades business owner can make.

If you are still running a truck in your own company this episode is for you.

What You Will Learn in This Episode: The difference between owner tasks and technician tasks is not just a title — it is a dollar value. You can hire a technician. You cannot hire someone to build your company. The longer you stay in the field the longer your business stays stuck at the ceiling you personally can reach.

Derek walks through the real math behind why owner time is worth exponentially more to the business than field time, why most contractors stay on the truck longer than they should, and exactly what the trigger point is for bringing on your first manager — and it is not just about revenue.

Topics Covered: When to get out of the truck as a trades business owner. How to stop being the highest paid technician in your own company. When to hire your first manager in a contracting business. The difference between owner tasks and technician tasks. Why your business growth is capped when you are in the field. How to transition out of the truck without losing revenue. What high value owner work actually looks like. When your infrastructure is ready to support a manager. How to think about labor cost vs owner opportunity cost. Real advice for contractors doing $1 to $2 million in revenue. How to start working on the business instead of in it. What happens to your ceiling when you stay in the field too long.

Who This Episode Is For: This episode is for HVAC business owners still running a truck, plumbing contractors doing it all themselves, electrical contractors ready to scale, trades business owners stuck between field work and growth, contractors doing $500k to $2 million wondering what the next move is, and anyone who started a business but is still operating like an employee.

About Escape the One Man Show: Escape the One Man Show is a podcast for contractors and trades business owners who are done being the bottleneck in their own company. Every episode host Derek Cormier breaks down the real tactics, leadership lessons, and culture shifts that helped him build Climate Experts into a multi-million dollar home services business in Florida.

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Recruiting in the trades is broken. Most contractors are posting a job ad, crossing their fingers, and wondering why they keep getting the wrong people through the door. In this episode Derek Cormier, founder of Climate Experts and host of Escape the One Man Show, breaks down exactly how he recruits great technicians, what most contractors are doing wrong, and the mindset shift that changed everything. If you are tired of settling for whoever shows up this episode is for you.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

Most trades business owners treat recruiting like an afterthought. They wait until they are desperate, post a generic job listing on Indeed, and hope for the best. The problem is the best technicians are not sitting around browsing job boards. They are already working somewhere. Your job is not to post and pray. Your job is to build a company that people want to come work for and then go find them.

Derek breaks down the exact recruiting process he uses at Climate Experts in Melbourne Florida, a multi-million dollar HVAC, plumbing, and electrical company he built from one truck to a full team over 14 years. This is not textbook advice. This is what actually works in the field when you are trying to grow a trades business in a competitive market.

Topics Covered:

How to recruit HVAC technicians. How to recruit plumbers. How to recruit electricians. How to find skilled tradesmen in a tight labor market. Why most contractors fail at recruiting and what to do instead. How to use Facebook ads for recruiting in the trades. How to build a company culture that attracts top talent. What great technicians are actually looking for in an employer. How to stop relying on word of mouth and build a real recruiting pipeline. The difference between hiring out of desperation and hiring with a strategy. How to compete with larger companies for top trade talent. Why your culture is your biggest recruiting tool. How to onboard new technicians the right way so they stick around.

Who This Episode Is For:

This episode is for HVAC business owners, plumbing contractors, electrical contractors, home service business owners, trades business owners, contractors looking to grow their team, contractors tired of high turnover, small business owners in the trades, one man show contractors ready to scale, and anyone who has ever hired the wrong person and paid the price for it.

About Escape the One Man Show:

Escape the One Man Show is a podcast for contractors and trades business owners who are done being the bottleneck in their own company. Every episode host Derek Cormier breaks down the real tactics, leadership lessons, and culture shifts that helped him build Climate Experts into a multi-million dollar home services business in Florida. Topics covered on this podcast include recruiting in the trades, marketing for contractors, Facebook ads for home service companies, building company culture, leadership for trades business owners, scaling a contracting business, HVAC business growth, plumbing business growth, electrical business growth, home service marketing, technician training, sales for comfort advisors, and how to build a business that runs without you.

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