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

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Ismael Valdez, founder of NextGen and Nuva Thermostats, to unpack how he built one of the fastest-growing home service businesses in the country.

Valdez shares how he scaled NextGen from his garage to a $100M+ powerhouse with multiple locations, breaking down the exact strategies that fueled his growth. From high-ROI marketing plays to perfecting tech turnover processes and managing gross profit like a hawk, you’ll learn the playbook that took him from startup to industry leader.

For the first time, Valdez also dives into his latest venture: Nuva Thermostats — a game-changing tool for HVAC contractors that brands the thermostat with your logo, turning every home into a lead-gen engine.

This episode isn’t just about tactics. Valdez gets real about the personal sacrifices behind scaling to $100M, how to leverage social media for future growth, and what it takes to keep winning at the highest level.

If you’re serious about scaling your HVAC or home service business, this conversation is a must-listen.

💼 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.

 🔗 Schedule a demo

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

💼 Sponsored by Volca

 Supercharge your referral game with Volca—an automated referral program built just for home service companies. With ServiceTitan integration, SMS referrals, automated payments, and real-time tracking, Volca makes manual referral programs a thing of the past.

👉 Get 10% off all contracts—exclusive for Owned and Operated listeners.

 📅 Book a time with the team

🎙️ Host:
 John Wilson 

🎙️ Guest:
 Ishmael Valdez (NextGen, Nuva Thermostats)

⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview

01:21 Ismael Valdez's Journey with NextGen

11:06 Scaling and Business Strategies

26:47 Scaling Operations and Building an Executive Team

28:34 Effective Lead Generation Strategies

31:53 The Future of Marketing and Product Innovation

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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.

Welcome to Day 18 of the Double Your Profit Series
The go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.
Today, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked but powerful levers in your business: Reviewing and ruthlessly cutting recurring costs.
I call this the “F** It Up List”* (we’ll bleep it for YouTube 😉). Every month, I go through all recurring expenses in the business and ask one simple question: Do we really need this — and can we negotiate it down?

🧠 Why Recurring Costs Matter
Every dollar counts, whether it’s $100 or $2,000 a month. Those small recurring charges stack up fast — especially in a multi-million-dollar business — and they’re often the hardest to spot.
That’s why creating a system for tracking, reviewing, and renegotiating recurring costs isn’t just smart… it’s essential.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to build a “F* It Up List”** and audit every recurring cost in your business
Why setting up digital vendor cards (with tools like Ramp or Divvy) gives you leverage and control
The golden rule of negotiation: he who has the gold makes the rules
Why keeping a recurring cost list should feel “annoying” — and how that pain actually saves you money
The power of canceling vendor cards just to test if a tool is still really needed
Why renegotiating often isn’t just smart — it’s fun (and one of the few times business owners get to be ruthless guilt-free)

The best way to reinvest savings: back into your people, with bonuses tied to cost discipline

🧰 Sponsored By Contractor Commerce

Contractors: Ready to sell online without the tech headaches?
 Contractor Commerce lets you turn your existing website into a real online store—no coding, no inventory, no hassle. From filters to full system installs, your customers can shop 24/7, right from your site.

🚨 Special Offer: Get your first 60 days FREE
 👉 Start here

📌 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.

⚙️ The Big Picture
Recurring costs are like weeds — if you don’t check in regularly, they multiply. By putting strong controls in place, renegotiating constantly, and making it inconvenient to add new costs, you’ll protect profits and free up cash for the things that matter most.

🔥 Think of this episode as your playbook for cutting costs without cutting corners.

📚 Keep Learning

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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.

Welcome to Day 17 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.
Today’s topic is a little spicy but absolutely essential: Firing Bad Clients.

🧠 Not every customer is worth keeping — even if they fit your target market. Some drain resources, destroy morale, and create constant headaches. Protecting your team (and your profits) means knowing when to let go.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The warning signs of a client who’s hurting your business
• Why protecting your team comes before keeping every customer
• How to make “firing a client” an emotionless, SOP-driven process
• The exact steps for offboarding bad clients without drama
• How to prevent accidentally working with them again
• A little-known morale boost: referring them to “other” companies
• Why letting go of the wrong customers makes space for the right ones

💸Sponsored by CFO Made Easy

Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions.

📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers. [https://cfomadeeasy.com/owned/] 

📌 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.

⚙️ Your team’s time and morale are too valuable to waste on toxic customers. Learn how to fire bad clients respectfully, professionally, and without burning bridges — while freeing up space for better ones.

🔥 Think of this episode as your playbook for building a client base that actually fuels your growth.

📚 Keep Learning: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfUOiqyLJBXPy_FuoGkekCOZLTNDwR31z]

🔑 Keywords:
fire bad clients, when to drop customers, contractor client management, home service customer issues, protect your team, improve team morale, firing clients professionally, customer offboarding SOP, contractor success tips, business profitability strategies

📌 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon to stay updated with the full 30-day series.

Sometimes, the best way to grow is to let go.

#DoubleYourProfit #FireBadClients #ContractorSuccess #BusinessGrowth

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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.

Welcome to Day 16 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.
Today, we’re diving into one of the most powerful performance drivers in your business: Creating a Culture of Accountability.

🧠 Accountability means doing what you say you’re going to do — and it starts with setting crystal-clear expectations, assigning measurable goals, and holding regular check-ins to make sure you’re on track.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why “what gets measured gets done” is the foundation of accountability
• How to assign KPIs to every role in your company (and why it matters)
• The secret to simple, effective scorecards that keep everyone on track
• How to run weekly reviews that are emotion-free and solution-focused
• Coaching tactics to help struggling team members turn things around
• How to build ownership so your team solves problems before you need to step in

🧰  Sponsored By Contractor Commerce

Contractors: Ready to sell online without the tech headaches?
Contractor Commerce lets you turn your existing website into a real online store—no coding, no inventory, no hassle. From filters to full system installs, your customers can shop 24/7, right from your site.

🚨 Special Offer: Get your first 60 days FREE
👉 Start here

Thousands of contractors are already doing it. Don’t get left behind.

📌 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.

⚙️ Accountability isn’t about blame — it’s about clarity, measurement, and ownership. When every role has a number, and every number is tracked, your business will run smoother, grow faster, and perform better.

🔥 Think of this episode as your playbook for making accountability part of your company DNA.

📚 Keep Learning

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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.

Welcome to Day 15 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs.
Today, we’re talking about one of the most important — and most overlooked — levers in your business: Tightening Your Standards.

🧠 If you’ve ever wondered why performance slips or why “good enough” starts to spread… it’s probably because your standards aren’t as clear (or enforced) as you think.
 You get what you allow. And if you allow low standards, you’ll get low performance.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why performance defaults to the lowest standard you tolerate
• How to set crystal-clear expectations for behavior and results
• The power of documenting and sharing your standards across every role
• How scorecards and job descriptions can reinforce your culture daily
• Why even high performers need to meet all standards — not just hit numbers
• When (and how) to react fast to protect your culture
• Real-world example: letting go of a top producer who didn’t meet behavioral expectations

💼 This Episode is Brought to You By 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.

🔗 Schedule a demo

⚙️ Standards are the foundation of performance. Set them clearly, communicate them constantly, and enforce them quickly. Anything less — and your culture will drift.

🔥 Think of this episode as your blueprint for building a high-accountability, high-performance team that represents your business the way you want.

📚 Keep Learning

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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.

Welcome to Day 14 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today, we’re diving into one of the simplest, most powerful habits you can build: Making Your P&L a Daily Tool.

🧠 If you’re waiting until the end of the month (or worse, months later) to see your numbers, you’re already too late. Real profit decisions happen in real time — not after the fact.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Why monthly financials leave you 40–50 days behind the problem
The exact daily numbers you should be tracking (revenue, labor, materials, gross profit, and more)
How knowing your break-even day changes your decision-making
Why a fast feedback loop is the key to being profit-first
How to work with your accountant/bookkeeper to get data weekly, daily, or even hourly
The hidden cost of delayed reporting — and how to fix it now

💸 This Episode is Brought to You by CFO Made Easy

Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make confident financial decisions.

📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover your pricing blind spots.


⚙️ Profit is a scoreboard — and the team can’t play to win if they don’t know the score. When you see the numbers daily, you make better calls, faster, and with confidence.

🔥 Think of this episode as your “profit wake-up call” to stop running blind and start making data-driven moves every single day.

📚 Keep Learning

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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’re building a home service business in a rural market, the playbook looks a little different — and this episode shows exactly why. In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Plumbing in Ohio, sits down with Laura and Brian Beltz, founders of Beltz, to unpack how they’ve grown from a one-truck startup in 2001 to a 49-person team — all while staying true to their community roots.

If you’re thinking about expanding into multiple markets, growing in a rural area, or taking the leap into acquisitions, this conversation is a masterclass in building a durable trades business from the ground up.

💼 Sponsored by Volca

Supercharge your referral game with Volca—an automated referral program built just for home service companies. With ServiceTitan integration, SMS referrals, automated payments, and real-time tracking, Volca makes manual referral programs a thing of the past.
👉 Get 10% off all contracts—exclusive for Owned and Operated listeners.
📅 Book a time with the team

💡 Special Thanks to Modernize!
We've been using Modernize for our water quality leads, and it's been a game-changer. If you’re serious about growing your business with better water quality leads, HVAC leads, or home improvement leads, check them out:

🔗 Get Quality Leads Here

💸Sponsored by CFO Made Easy

Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions.

📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers


🎙️ Host:
John Wilson

🎙️ Guests:
 Lara & Brian Beltz 

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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.

Welcome to Day 13 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s lesson is short on purpose—because that’s the point: Cut Your Meetings in Half.
🕒 Meetings can be one of the biggest hidden drains on your profit. They pull people out of productive work, rack up payroll costs, and often could have just been an email.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

– Why most businesses have more meetings than they actually need
– How meeting time translates into thousands of dollars in payroll costs
– The difference between high urgency, high tactical meetings and “just because” meetings
– How to calculate the real cost of a recurring meeting
– Why leaders need boundaries on scheduling new meetings
– When to replace a meeting with a quick update or email
– How cutting meeting time increases focus on high-impact activities

💼 This Episode is Brought to You By 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.

🔗 Schedule a demo

📚 Keep Learning

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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.

Welcome to Day 12 of the Double Your Profit Series — the go-to profit series for contractors, home service owners, and small business entrepreneurs. Today’s topic is one of the fastest, easiest, and most effective ways to increase your bottom line: Using Scarcity to Raise Prices.

📈 Raising your prices isn’t about being greedy—it’s about charging what the market will bear, especially when demand is high and capacity is limited. If you’re fully booked and still discounting… you’re just giving money away.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
– Why 50%+ of businesses are underpricing (and that number’s probably low)
– How to recognize when competitors are charging more—and why you should match them
– What dynamic pricing really means (and why it works in both directions)
– How to use scarcity as a premium lever, not just a discount trigger
– When to remove discounts and charge full fees—especially during peak demand
– Real-world HVAC example: from dispatch fee waivers to full-price, no-discount sales
– Why you should give discounts on your terms, not the customer’s
– How to train your team to protect margin and apply pricing logic consistently

💼 This Episode is Brought to You By 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.

🔗 Schedule a demo

📚 Keep Learning

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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’re trying to grow a home service business, your marketing budget is one of your biggest bets — and biggest risks. In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Sam Preston host a no-fluff Q&A tackling real contractor questions on lead generation, paid ads, and when to actually bring in an agency.

They break down how to allocate marketing spend at every stage — from $1K/month up to $200K — and what it really takes to get traction with LSA, GMB, and PPC. You’ll learn how to play offense with your best-performing lead sources, why spreading your budget too thin kills momentum, and how to ride your winning channels like you stole it.

If you’re struggling to get leads from PPC or Google Ads, they also cover how to fix campaign waste, when landing pages are the problem, and how top operators manage their media vs lead-gen mix to scale past $10M.

Whether you’re just getting started or dialing in a multi-location growth strategy, this episode is a tactical deep dive into what’s actually working right now.

💼 Shoutout to Quick Staffers LLC

 Need trained HVAC & plumbing CSRs at a fraction of the cost? Quick Staffers LLC specializes in placing top-tier global talent with the best SOPs and scripts.

 🔥 Get $1,000 off your first placement 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 

💸Sponsored by CFO Made Easy

Built a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions.

📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers. 

🎙️ Host:
 John Wilson → https://x.com/wilsoncompanies
🎙️ Guest:
Sam Preston → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston/

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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.