Profiles in Prosperity

Dave Rothacker joins us again to review his top business books from 2023. Of

all the books Dave read in 2023, these are the ones you can't afford to

overlook. Dave reviews the books, explains why they are the best of 2023, and

provides insight about maximizing value from your reading.

To contact Dave directly, email him at

[email protected]

Renee and Travis Lucas are the owners of LCS Heating and Cooling in

Indianapolis, Indiana. Renee was recently named Woman of the Year. Renee is

not just a great owner with an incredible track record, she is also a Service

Nation Premier Coach, a person who cheerfully helps others, and works to make

our industry stronger and better. Her award is clearly very well-deserved!

Her surprise and happiness at being named Woman of the Year.

Recent developments at LCS.

A new building for LCS.

Growth challenges.

Attracting and keeping women in the trades.

Being a Service Nation Premier Coach.

Renee and Travis' best vacation.

Books that Renee recommends.

Coaching insights: How to prepare for coaching, what you need in coaching,

why you need coaching.

How Renee finds time to read and invest in herself.

Background information about Renee Lucas, Travis Lucas, and LCS Heating and

Cooling can be found in this podcast, Profiles In Prosperity, episode 82

"Renee's Rules".

Doug Wyatt brings an impressive level of energy and commitment to everything

he does. That is demonstrated in his entrepreneurial endeavors, his personal

and professional growth, and most recently in the development of Synergy

Learning Systems. In this fascinating episode you will learn about:

How Doug Wyatt's childhood of rural poverty fueled his ambition, work ethic,

and values.

His early entrepreneurial success in the world of pizza coupons.

Doug's early and continuing commitment to personal growth and what that did

for him.

How to find time for personal development.

The unexpected way Doug entered the HVAC Residential Service industry.

The way Doug grew a company with no systems and processes to Lennox Partner

of the Year in only 14 months.

A great quote, "we overestimate what we can do in one day, but underestimate

what we can do in a year" and what that means for you.

Why Doug Wyatt is strategically incompetent, and why you should be

strategically incompetent too.

Can you afford to cut training in an economic downturn?

The new learning paradigm from Synergy Learning Systems, measuring the

personal growth of team members and what that can do for your company.

How much training should you provide your team?

Book recommendations.

And more....

You will leave this podcast episode motivated and with ideas to do more for

your company, your family, your team, and yourself.

Tom Piscitelli is a thought leader and top trainer in our industry, providing

training for technicians, salespeople, dispatchers, CSRs, and business owners

who provide HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical Service. Tom's training is

thoughtful, thorough, ethical, and extremely effective. In addition to

training, Tom is an accomplished and respected author, speaker, and

consultant. In this episode you'll hear from Tom and learn:

How Tom Piscitelli got into our industry, grew his career, and ultimately

decided to strike out on his own.

How T.R.U.S.T Training and Consulting was formed and the services they

provide now.

Advice for Installers

Advice for Service Technicians

Advice for Office Team (dispatchers, CSRs, back office)

Advice for Sales (comfort consultant, comfort advisor, project manager)

Advice for the business owner

Sales driven versus operations driven companies.

Tom's training programs. How online training can help your team.

How to contact Tom and T.R.U.S.T Training and Consulting.

Kim and Buford Martin had been in the HVAC industry, not as contractors,

before they started Martin's Heating and Cooling in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They

went through the struggles of starting and growing a Home Service Business

before joining Service Nation Alliance and then building tremendous growth and

profitability. Eventually they sold the business and are now Service Nation

Premier coaches where they share their accumulated experience and wisdom. In

this episode, Kim and Buford tell the story of their formative years, what

they learned, how they grew, the process of selling their business, and they

provide powerful advice for contractors. You need to listen to this: there's

so much great information!

How they started Martin's Heating and Cooling

Their reluctance to offer financing, and what happened when they offered

financing

Strategy and practice of offering financing

Back-office changes that helped them grow

Why they joined Service Nation Alliance, and the benefits they experienced

The process of selling their business

Using a third party to consult with during the sale of the business

What happens in the business audit

The emotional impact of selling your business

Involving employees in the sale of the business

The transition period

Their experience as coaches and the type of coaching they do

The fear of "knowing your numbers"

Why they enjoy coaching

Advice for contractors (don't miss this!)

Contact information for Kim and Buford

Lisa McCarthy is the brilliant Founding Partner and Chief Strategy Officer of

Out of the Box Technology. She has built a company with incredibly valuable

services for contractors. Her expertise and experiences with residential

service companies (and many other industries) gives her insight shared by very

few. A few highlights from our conversation:

How and why Lisa started working directly with clients and entered the HVAC

and Plumbing industries

The services Out of the Box Technology provides, and why they're important

What contractors overlook in their financial systems, but shouldn't

Good practices for avoiding fraud

Sad tales of fraud we can learn from

How to help your bookkeeper and accountant be better

He's back! The inimitable Ed O'Connell returns to Profiles In Prosperity to

give a report on Service World Expo, the leading residential service expo.  Ed

reports on:

Why he goes to Service World Expo every year.

Implementation of ideas from Service World Expo, and return on investment

What he learned

The keynote that impressed Ed the most

Information sharing

The amazing Service World Expo parties

Fundraising for the Joseph Groh Foundation

Why some contractors fail to attend

Ed's FREE step-by-step process for growth

And a digression into off-road biking and weight watchers

Jim Hinshaw has vast and impressive experience in Residential Service. In this

episode of Profiles in Prosperity, Jim focuses on what we need to be doing

differently in sales right now.

Story telling in the sales process to engage customers

Emotion and logic

The six categories of emotions in sales with examples

Fear

Greed

Jealousy

Altruism

Shame

Pride

How to find great salespeople

In addition to being a great consultant, Jim is an author, and he gives us a

brief review of his books:

Lessons Learned

The Good Stuff

Amazing Stories, which includes a story of how Jim's son saved two lives in

five minutes.

Krueger Heating, Air Conditioning, Geothermal is a great example of a successful family-owned company with organic, controlled growth. Rory Krueger, president, founder, and owner is a Service Nation Mentor with tremendous and experience in this industry.  Krueger has a substantial Geothermal division. Rory discusses his company history and growth, gives advice for advisory board members, and provides insight into Geothermal.

• How George started his business

• Why he rebranded

• How he accessed mentors that made a difference

• Advice for growth and integrity