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

Joining John for the podcast this week is Chris Bakke. Chris has worked for companies in the past such as Zillow and Indeed and co-founded the company “Laskie.”

Laskie is in the talent management space designed to help companies fill challenging positions such as engineers, executives, and many other difficult positions. Chris’s name may also sound familiar since he is very a frequent user in the Twitter world.

On this podcast, they’ll dive into the dynamics and setup of Laskie such as how it works, how their capital is used, and so much more. Enjoy!

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

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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.

Joining us today will be the one and only, Peter Lehrman. He and John will be discussing how to build up a marketplace, and how buyers are changing over to being SMB owners and retail investors.

We hope that you enjoy the show!

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Contact us:

Youtube: @OwnedandOperatedPodcast

X: @ownedoperatedco

www.ownedandoperated.com

[email protected]

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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.

We have a surprise for you all as we have not one, but two crowd favorites returning. Today, John is joined by both Reg Zeller and Kelcey Lehrich to talk SMB.

These three SMB pros are putting their heads together to discuss the ins and outs of their operations. You’ll get to hear all about rolling-up companies, their different business models, and what their typical day-to-day looks like. 

This trio will get you well acquainted with the SMB world from their individual perspectives. Enjoy!

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Contact us:

Youtube: @OwnedandOperatedPodcast

X: @ownedoperatedco

www.ownedandoperated.com

[email protected]

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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.

Alex Bridgeman will be joining us for today’s podcast, discussing how to run a full-time SMB podcast. And, boy, does he know his stuff.

Alex is from Portland, Oregon, and currently resides in Nebraska. He has a past as a research analyst at a wealth management firm where he spent time researching microcaps. During his senior year of college, he decided to start his own SMB podcast "Think Like an Owner."

Eventually, he was able to leave his previous job to work more heavily on running the podcast. You’ll get to learn about the podcast business model, his print publication of "The Operators Handbook," and the transition to working on a podcast full-time. Enjoy!

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Contact us:

Youtube: @OwnedandOperatedPodcast

X: @ownedoperatedco

www.ownedandoperated.com

[email protected]

Send Us Mail!

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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.

Cassi Niekamp will be joining us for today's podcast, discussing how, seven months ago, she bought a fencing company called Bowden Fencing based in Columbus, Ohio. We’ll be looking into all of the details of this acquisition and how it’s gone so far.

Bowden is 3 years old and had done roughly $750,000 in revenue prior to Cassi coming in. Since then, she’s hired more employees and worked towards helping them build up the company's future.

She’ll break down topics such as how to market a fencing company, how she fills positions, and how they've been dealing with the huge and overwhelming demand they’re facing. Enjoy!

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Contact us:

Youtube: @OwnedandOperatedPodcast

X: @ownedoperatedco

www.ownedandoperated.com

[email protected]

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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.

Today we have Mills Snell here with us, discussing the steps of how to start a commercial roofing business. Mills has a background in multiple industries and you’ll get to hear all about the path that has led him to where he stands now.

He started his career in the M&A world as the owner of an advisory firm in Columbia, South Carolina. Since then he has worked in financial planning, permanent equity, and real estate.

However, his most recent business endeavor has been becoming the owner of a commercial construction company that works heavily in roofing. He closed this deal in April of 2021, 10 months after coming across the business. The details of this will be our primary focus in this episode.

On today’s podcast, you’ll get to hear him discuss his experience of running this company as he approaches the end of his first year of ownership. He’ll help give you insight into what this type of acquisition looks like and any challenges you may face during it.

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Contact us:

Youtube: @OwnedandOperatedPodcast

X: @ownedoperatedco

www.ownedandoperated.com

[email protected]

Send Us Mail!

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• Owned and Operated Newsletter 
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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.

On today’s podcast, we have Sam Leslie here with us. Sam is our first guest to ever make a second appearance on “Owned and Operated.”

Since talking to him last time back in June, Sam has purchased a plumbing company in Denver Colorado which has been off to a great start.

You’ll get to hear him and John talk about his first four months of ownership and how the business is going.

Enjoy!

Today we have Mike Botkin of the Central Florida Home Service space. Mike is the founder and CEO of the Benchmark Group, a buyer of SMB service businesses. The Benchmark Group is a group that acquires home service businesses. They are the largest provider of residential maintenance in central Florida but are transitioning the company to more commercial maintenance and traditional landscaping as well.

He discusses the challenges faced with acquiring an absentee business and talent recruitment tactics that he uses when needing to fill a position. You’ll learn about his opinions on industry experience and why that isn’t always the primary indicator of potential.

On today’s pod, he and John will discuss where the Benchmark Group is at now and what direction he envisions it going in the future. Enjoy!

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Contact us:

Youtube: @OwnedandOperatedPodcast

X: @ownedoperatedco

www.ownedandoperated.com

[email protected]

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with OAO

• Start Here
• Owned and Operated Newsletter 
• Bonus Videos From John

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.

Today Brandon and John go head to head, talking about their opposing opinions, and workshopping some problems

One dynamic you’ll see in Brandon and John’s relationship is that they both have two very different ways of thinking about specific problems and solutions.

On this episode Brandon and John get into it, discussing things like how large of a team a single service manager can handle, or how we’ve started budgeting and our concerns about how it effects creative problem solving at the manager level.

On today’s episode you get to see the two hosts you know and love expressing their opinions and problem solving some company specific issues.

Enjoy

Also check out...
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Captarget.com for the best off-market deal sourcing platform ever.
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Today we have Aizik Zimerman, talking all about his journey on how to become a home service millionaire.  Aizik has a history in Small business, investment banking, operations, acquisitions, and startups.

John and Aizik have started a program called Servstart, which funds entrepreneurs who want to buy or start their businesses. On this episode, they discuss some of the details of Servstart as well as some of the exciting up-and-coming developments that you as listeners get to look forward to as we learn and talk more about investing in entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Check out Owned and Operated Weekly Insights: a newsletter where John discusses topics ranging from recruiting and marketing to the growth of your home service business.  Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Contact us:

Youtube: @OwnedandOperatedPodcast

X: @ownedoperatedco

www.ownedandoperated.com

[email protected]

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with OAO

• Start Here
• Owned and Operated Newsletter 
• Bonus Videos From John

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.