Plumbing & HVAC Hustle Podcast

Guest: Mike Milligan — Founder, One Oak Financial | Author, The One of a Kind Financial Plan
Guest Links: Website: https://mikemilligan.com | https://1oakfinancial.com | Text "IDEAS" to 600-700

Mike Milligan went from selling sandwiches with his grandmother at 11 years old to building a nationwide financial firm taking on Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and the big banks. In this episode, he breaks down the top three legal ways business owners can decrease their taxes, explains the buy-borrow-die strategy the ultra wealthy use to pay single-digit tax rates, and lays out specific loopholes like the Augusta Rule and the family management company that most contractors are leaving on the table. It's a tongue-in-cheek conversation (including how to pay more taxes if you really want to) packed with real, actionable tax strategy for home service owners.

You'll learn:

• The top 3 legal ways to decrease your taxes as a business owner
• Why structure and loopholes are how the wealthiest people pay single-digit tax rates
• The Augusta Rule: how to rent your home to your business 14 days a year tax-free
• The family management company: how to pay your kids up to ~$19K tax-free
• How to get money out of your business tax-free and still fund your household
• Why getting payroll right saves you on Social Security and Medicare tax
• Section 179, the 6,000-pound vehicle deduction, and data center solar deductions
• The buy-borrow-die strategy explained (and how regular owners can use the principle)
• How a $100K investment became $600K with zero tax paid using a line of credit
• The real difference between a CPA (records the past) and a tax strategist (plans now)
• Why the big firms call themselves financial planners but only do investments
• The coming Social Security shortfall and why tax planning matters more than ever

Guest: Keith Flores — Owner, HG Home Services | Founder, Home Guardian Guest Links: Website: https://hghomeguardian.com

Keith Flores started in the trades at 12 years old crawling under houses for $200 cash days, scaled and exited multiple HVAC companies (including walking away from a $7.5M payout when his partner wanted to keep grinding), and is now launching Home Guardian, the first real preemptive smart home monitoring system built for contractors. In this episode, he gets honest about what really happens when you go all in on a service business, the mistake of teaching people who aren't all in, and why the trades are the most recession-proof industry in the world right now. The conversation gets deep on Home Guardian, the wireless system that monitors water quality, SEER rating, leak detection, and electrical performance in real time, telling homeowners and contractors about problems before they happen so you stop being reactive and start owning the customer for life.

You'll learn:

• Why the trades are the most recession-proof and pandemic-proof industry right now
• Keith's "go all in" startup philosophy and the 12 trucks he bought before getting his license
• Why being an entrepreneur is gambling, and what you're really gambling on (yourself)
• The right teammate isn't a business partner, it's your spouse or significant other
• Why most gurus and coaches in the trades are looking out for their own wallet
• How to spot a "house of cards" exit story vs a real one
• Why teaching people who aren't all in is a waste of your time and theirs
• The first real preemptive smart home monitoring platform built for contractors
• Real-time water quality monitoring (patented, never been done before)
• Real-time SEER rating monitoring (also never been done before)
• How Home Guardian tells you a roof will leak before it leaks
• Why "smart home" lights and music aren't actually smart, they're dumb homes
• The contractor retention play: stay connected to every home through one dashboard
• Why builders want this for warranty reduction (2-3% off a 10-year warranty)
• How to budget your household like a car dashboard (real-time utility spend tracking)

Guest: Troy Daland — Owner, Air Zero Guest Links: Website: https://airzero.com | Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram: Troy Daland

Troy Daland spent 24 years in the Air Force as a CER specialist before launching Air Zero in Tampa, Florida. In this episode, he breaks down how military leadership principles translate directly into building an HVAC company that can scale, why "achieving the high ground" through technology and AI gives technicians an unfair advantage in the field, and the limiting beliefs that keep most owners stuck. The conversation also covers what private equity actually does better (and worse), why customer care drops as companies get bigger, and why being deeply involved in your local community is one of the hardest things for a corporate-owned HVAC company to replicate.

You'll learn:

• How 24 years of Air Force leadership translates into running a service business
• Why training tech proficiency early beats the old school "old guy teaches young guy" model
• Admiral Schumansky's "achieve the high ground" rule and how it applies to HVAC
• Why long-term thinking and knowing your numbers is also a form of high ground
• How AI tools (Claude, OpenAI, Service Titan) give field techs an unfair advantage
• The limiting beliefs that keep most owners stuck at their current revenue level
• Why you sell more when you're sold out for your own company
• Why Florida humidity makes dehumidification a real consultative sale
• What private equity does better: economies of scale, 401k, healthcare, capital
• What private equity does worse: customer care, tech rotation, people first culture
• Why family owned HVAC companies have an unbeatable community involvement advantage
• Why hoarding ideas closes you off from inflow (the sharing economy mindset)
• How being on local trade boards (RACA, Special Operations Memorial Foundation) builds business
• Why limiting beliefs are the most common diagnosis for stuck entrepreneurs

Guest: Kevin Strandberg — Owner, BWS Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Guest Links: Website: https://bwsheatingandair.com

Kevin Strandberg is a second-generation HVAC and plumbing owner running BWS in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. In this episode, he gets specific about how he's using Claude to run a tighter operation, from building a two-week CSR onboarding plan in 30 minutes to running deep first-quarter financial analysis straight from QuickBooks Online. The conversation also covers the squeeze hitting home service in 2026: back-to-back supplier price increases, Minnesota's high tax burden, the new paid family leave law, and why homeowners are shopping mom and pop shops harder than ever. Kevin shares his Nexstar three-day-look-ahead system, why ValPak direct mail is quietly producing real lead flow, the AI after-hours phone shift to Avoca, and the small percentage tweaks in booking rate and field close rate that turn into hundreds of thousands in revenue.

You'll learn:

• How to use Claude to build a 2-week CSR onboarding plan in 30 minutes
• Why uploading core values, brand assets, and an MD file changes everything
• How Claude connects directly to QuickBooks Online for real financial analysis
• The first-quarter executive summary Claude generated that surfaced new insights
• How Claude is starting to replace dashboard software for visual reporting
• Why Avoca AI after-hours phone agents are improving on the second try
• Real numbers on ValPak: 150,000 addresses a month for $4K
• Why three-day-look-ahead scheduling beats panic-filling tomorrow
• The Minnesota market squeeze: supplier price hikes, taxes, and paid family leave
• Why family owned, local, and "five miles from the office" is a real positioning angle
• How small percentage tweaks in booking and close rate turn into $200K in revenue
• Why your CSRs are your front lines and worth paying for
• The "just because you have a plow doesn't make you a farmer" framework for AI fear
• How to use Claude in small 3 to 5 task batches to avoid hallucinations
• The 18-business-book Notebook LM audio summary trick for non-readers on your team

Guest: Wymond Wong — Owner, Twin City Heating, Air & Electric Guest Links: Website: https://twincityheatingandair.com

Wymond Wong has run Twin City Heating, Air & Electric in Minneapolis for over 15 years and grew it from a 1-2 man shop into a 20-person operation. In this episode, he gets honest about how being the cheapest option almost put him out of business, why undercharging devalues your entire industry, and the leadership shifts that finally let him stop competing on price and start building a sustainable company. The conversation also goes into branding home service like a sports team, why community building beats traditional marketing for small businesses, and the gratitude practice that's changed how he leads.

You'll learn:

• Why being the lowest price option almost killed his business
• The 45% gross margin floor that changed everything (and when to enforce it)
• Why undercharging actually devalues your entire industry
• How to handle sales rep pushback when you raise prices
• Why a healthy company is the one that can fix mistakes
• The "create win-wins" core value that drives every pricing decision
• How to brand a home service company like a sports team
• Why a common enemy story makes people root for your brand
• The "we know what it feels like" mission statement framework
• Why networking and showing up beats trying to scale infectious branding
• The custom fortune cookie idea that builds brand memorability
• The 100% gratitude rule: why gratitude eliminates fear

Guest: Gary Singleton — Former Owner, Max Air | Former Partner, Mansfield Plumbing & Air | Private Equity Acquisitions Guest Links: Facebook: Gary Singleton | Instagram: @drsingleton

Gary Singleton has spent 39 years in HVAC and plumbing, scaled and exited two companies (Max Air and Mansfield), and now does acquisitions for private equity while selectively coaching technicians. He tripled Mansfield's HVAC side in 10 months without marketing. In this episode, he breaks down exactly how he did it and what most owners get wrong about hiring, training, and pricing structures.

You'll learn:

• How to triple HVAC revenue in 10 months without spending on marketing
• Why hiring on personality beats hiring on skill every single time
• The "band of idiots" hiring story that cost him a year of profit
• The technician hierarchy that puts the right tech on the right call
• Why every shop should have an in-house training school
• The personal/work goals exercise that builds real loyalty in your team
• How a one-year green tech can write $10,000 maintenance tickets
• The IAQ and UV light strategy that builds maintenance ticket averages
• The hybrid pay model that bridges hourly to performance pay
• Why "sell yourself, not the product" is the rule that closes more deals
• Tom Landry leadership: how to run your shop like a coach
• The four pillars of culture that retain top performers long-term

Guest: Michael Johnson — Owner, AC Man Heating and Air | Founder, Sales Elite Consulting

Guest Links: YouTube: Michael James Johnson HVAC

Michael Johnson has run AC Man Heating and Air since 2005, 21 years of building an HVAC company the hard way, starting with phone book ads and business cards on hospital windshields before Google Ads even existed. Now he consults HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and electrical contractors through Sales Elite. The through-line of this episode: the breakthrough you're avoiding is exactly where your next level lives. Michael lays out why HVAC owners are spoiled by the four months a year when demand sells itself, why the slow season is what actually reveals whether you're a good business owner, and why taking a page from the roofing playbook (creating demand, not waiting for it) is what separates a growing HVAC company from a stuck one. He breaks down the three hard things most contractors are actively avoiding: raising prices (which is almost always a fear and identity problem, not a market problem), texting and emailing customers consistently (the "FRAP" framework: Frequency, Referrals, Average ticket, Pricing), and asking for the sale directly instead of saying "I'll email you the quote." He shares the story of a homeowner telling him to his face "if I'm going to pay you that price, I might as well call one of the real companies" and how that single moment rewired how he thought about brand, perception, and what he was worth. Michael also covers the psychology of fear, overwhelm, procrastination, and overthinking, why a reason to not do something is never an excuse, and why stretching yourself on purpose (buying fleet vans sight unseen, doing consulting events in other cities) is the only way your mind can't snap back to its original shape.

Guest: Ryan Fitzgerald — Plumbing Department Leader, Fitzgerald Heating Air and Plumbing (Las Vegas, NV)

Guest Links: Facebook: Ryan Fitzgerald (Las Vegas, Nevada)

This episode covers how to layer a plumbing department onto an existing HVAC company and scale it from almost nothing to over $5 million in a single year. Ryan Fitzgerald joined a company in Las Vegas that was doing $14 million in HVAC but only $400,000 in plumbing, and within his first full year built the plumbing side to $5.4 million with a team of eight technicians and four installers. He breaks down exactly how that happened: a dedicated outbound team hammering phones to fill the board, assigning calls based on each tech's strengths and weaknesses, a four-option sales process where the homeowner feels empowered to choose rather than pressured, and leveraging HVAC cross-selling to get plumbing in the door. The conversation gets into why implementing systems too early can actually hurt you, including a real example of a field manager role they tried at $5 million that created friction between installers and sales techs and had to be pulled back until $7 or $8 million. Ryan also shares how growing too fast led to warranty callbacks when his install crew got overloaded, how he trains techs to turn leak detection and water quality testing into high-ticket opportunities in the Las Vegas market through education rather than pressure selling, and why the culture shift between HVAC and plumbing went from "redheaded stepchild" to healthy competition once the plumbing guys started keeping pace on revenue. He explains his leadership approach of quarterly deep dives with each team member, leading by example by still jumping into the trenches, and why accountability has to go both ways between leaders and the team.

Guest: Anthony Mound — Owner, Trust 1 Services

Guest Links: Website: https://trustoneservices.com/

This episode breaks down why most plumbing and HVAC companies get stuck at $5 million and what it actually takes to push past that ceiling to $10 million and beyond. Anthony Mound started Trust 1 Services in 2020 with nothing, moved to Boston with a garbage bag of clothes, got laid off from the union for doing too much side work, and turned that into a company on pace for $12 million this year, fully self-funded with no partners and no outside investment. He explains why the real difference between five and ten million is building a structurally sound leadership team so you stop being directly integrated into everything, why you shouldn't add another trade until you're at least 25% bottom line profit, and how implementing a daily huddle with clear department targets was one of the simplest but most impactful moves he made. The conversation gets into DISC profiles for hiring and firing, why having your personal name on the truck creates pricing and perception problems as you scale, the tools driving efficiency at Trust 1 including Hatch, Scribe, Loom, MacData, and Claude, and why customer surveys weeks after the job reveal problems that Google reviews never will. Anthony also shares his take on the balance between driving numbers hard and maintaining a culture people actually want to stay in, why the technician mindset and the growth mindset aren't opposed if you put the right people in the right seats, and why most owners stuck at five million are overcomplicating the basics instead of nailing booking rate, close rate, follow-up systems, and marketing efficiency.

Guest:
John Conway – COO, Redwood Services

Guest Links:
Website: https://redwoodservices.com/

This episode breaks down why “going rate” is one of the biggest myths in home services, and why undercharging has far less to do with the market than it does with fear, weak systems, and misunderstanding what customers are actually buying. It explains why homeowners do not usually say yes or no based purely on price, but on the value, professionalism, and overall experience delivered during the service call, and why owners who obsess over being the cheapest often limit their ability to invest in training, benefits, and better customer service. The conversation dives into what gross margin really tells you, why HVAC and plumbing owners should track it relentlessly, and how charging the wrong price quietly destroys a company even when call volume looks strong. It also covers how to raise prices without losing customers, why most owners overestimate price sensitivity, and how to think about average ticket, conversion rate, and call count as the three numbers that truly drive the business. Beyond pricing, the episode gets tactical on how to stop “teaching technicians to sell” and instead train them to follow a thorough process that naturally leads customers to better decisions, including full-system inspections, option presentation, and slowing technicians down enough to focus on quality instead of just quantity. It also explores membership strategy, why 350 memberships per technician creates stability, how to build real perceived value into maintenance agreements, and when it actually makes sense to add another trade like plumbing or electrical instead of chasing shiny objects too early. Overall, this is a highly practical roadmap for contractors who want to price correctly, build a healthier gross margin business, and scale with systems that create both better customer experience and better financial performance.