Home Service Happy Hour

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, we dive into the summer lull that every seasonal home service business eventually faces and what you can do to stay ahead of it. We talk about why the weeks after July 4 can feel painfully slow, how to keep your technicians productive, and why planning your capacity matters more than ever. We also break down practical ways to generate more work through upsells, commercial jobs, and marketing to your existing customer database.

We also geek out on AI, business automation, and how new technology is changing the way home service companies make decisions and scale faster. I share updates from Best Damn Bookkeeping, what we've learned from growing through another business purgatory, and why building the right leadership team changes everything. If you're trying to navigate seasonal slowdowns while building a stronger business for the long term, this episode is packed with ideas you can put to work today.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, we dive into one unforgettable Boundary Waters adventure filled with canoe disasters, lost gear, incredible fishing, and nonstop laughs. We walk you through everything that goes wrong and why those moments end up becoming the best stories. If you run a home service business, you know that the toughest days often create the strongest teams and the best memories.

We relive the canoe capsizes, the race to claim the perfect campsite, the walleye fishing victories, and the camping gear wins and failures that made this trip one to remember. You will hear how we adapt, solve problems on the fly, and keep moving even when everything seems to fall apart. Grab a drink, hang out with us, and enjoy a Home Service Happy Hour episode that proves the journey is always better when you have the right people beside you.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, we dive into how to keep your home service business growing even when the summer slowdown starts to hit. We break down what we're seeing with seasonal demand, why running a lean team can actually be an advantage, and how the right lead generation strategy can keep your schedule full. We also talk about increasing your average ticket and finding opportunities beyond your core services.

If you're looking for practical ways to generate more qualified leads, improve your sales pipeline, and stay profitable during holiday weeks, this episode is for you. We share real conversations with other home service business owners about what's working right now, including cold text marketing, ancillary services, and staying ahead of seasonal shifts. We also have some fun with a Fourth of July themed Price Is Right game because building a business should be enjoyable too.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, Scott “Zig” Ziegler joins us in the bar, and we’re talking about what really happens when you try to sell a home service business. Zig still has his power washing business, the first buyer hit pause, and now he’s figuring out what kind of buyer actually makes sense. We get into seller financing, protecting yourself in a deal, and why selling your business is not just about getting someone to say yes.

We also talk about price objections, setting expectations with customers, and why business owners have to think in terms of return instead of just cost. Zig shares what he is building with vending machines, how he is finding locations, and what he is learning from starting another business after pressure washing. If you own a home service business and you have ever thought about selling, scaling, or starting something new, this one will hit close to home.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, we dive into technician pay structures, performance pay, overtime, commissions, and all the fun ways business owners accidentally make payroll more complicated than it needs to be. We talk through hourly pay, production-based pay, job ticket hours, and why the math has to work for both the employee and the business. If you have ever changed a pay plan and immediately thought, “Well, I may have just screwed that up,” this one is for you.

We also get into real stories about payroll mistakes, broken commission systems, sales follow-up, AI-built estimating tools, and what happens when employees do not fully trust a new pay structure yet. The big idea is simple: you want to pay your best people well, but the system still has to protect profit, reward production, and stay clear enough for the team to understand. So grab a drink, check your pay structure, and make sure your business is not lighting money on fire.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, Cole Sickafoose joins us in the bar, and we get into what it really feels like to scale a home service business when the easy problems are already gone. Cole talks through aggressive growth, hiring from competitors, adding new services, running out of cash faster than expected, and learning that every new level of business comes with a brand new set of headaches.

We also get into the personal side of growth, from changing goals to marriage, family, hunting trips, and figuring out what freedom actually looks like as the business gets bigger. If you are trying to grow past the owner operator stage, build a stronger team, or decide whether you are in growth mode or profit mode, this one will feel pretty familiar.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, we dive into the chaos of running a home service business when life, growth, employees, and payroll rules all hit at once. We talk through office fires, record-breaking weeks, team changes, client transitions, and what it really looks like to keep pushing when business gets messy. If you own a home service company, this one is a good reminder that growth is fun, but it also comes with problems you better be ready to handle.

We also get into employee pay rules, overtime, commissions, travel time, on-call hours, and some of the labor law details that can sneak up on contractors. Some of it is simple, some of it is clear as mud, and some of it might make you want to check how your payroll is actually being handled. Grab a cold one and listen in, because this is the kind of stuff home service owners need to understand before it becomes an expensive lesson.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, Mike DeJong, the master of the operator to owner transition, joins us in the bar, and we dive into the journey from working in the business to truly owning it. Mike shares how he went from pilot and engineer to franchise owner, and the hard lessons he learned about scaling, delegation, and building systems that actually work. If you've ever felt stuck doing everything yourself, this conversation will hit close to home.

We also get into financial literacy for business owners, why SOPs are the foundation of growth, and how to find people who are better than you at key parts of the business. Mike breaks down the mindset shifts that helped him build multiple successful businesses and create a lifestyle centered around freedom and travel. Grab a drink and pull up a barstool because this episode is packed with practical lessons you can use to grow your business without burning yourself out.

To know more about what Mike does, visit:

https://mikedejong.com/

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, we dive into the highs, lows, and hilarious mishaps from a Boundary Waters adventure while uncovering some powerful lessons about entrepreneurship along the way. From tipped canoes and lost fishing gear to teamwork, resilience, and problem solving under pressure, the stories from the wilderness sound a lot like what happens when you're growing a business. Sometimes the best lessons about leadership come from figuring out what to do when things do not go according to plan.

We also get into the realities of scaling a service business, building a leadership team, protecting company culture, and navigating the growth stages that every owner eventually faces. I share a behind the scenes look at our bookkeeping business, the investments we're making in people, and why developing leaders from within is the key to breaking through growth bottlenecks. If you're working through the challenges of growth, hiring, profitability, or creating opportunities for your team, this episode is packed with lessons you can apply right away.

Hey there, Home Service Heroes!

In this episode, we dive into the fast moving world of AI, automation, and what it means for home service business owners trying to stay ahead of the curve. We talk about the difference between visionaries and integrators, how great ideas become real systems, and why learning to communicate with AI may become one of the most valuable skills an entrepreneur can develop. There is also a deep discussion around Wispr, Claude, ChatGPT, business automation, reporting dashboards, and using AI to eliminate repetitive work while creating better customer experiences.

We get into the future of marketing, customer expectations, software development, and how business owners can use AI to make faster and smarter decisions. Along the way, we share practical advice on getting started with AI, organizing ideas, building scalable systems, and avoiding the trap of spending time on things that technology can handle for you. If you want to understand where business is heading and how to position your company for the next wave of innovation, this episode is packed with insights you can start applying today.