The Home Services Marketing Podcast Growth To Acquisition

In this episode, I sit down with Lior Hason, owner of Good Day Garage Doors, to talk about how strategic branding, SEO, and strong business systems helped him grow his company from just a couple of trucks to nine service vehicles on the road.

Lior shares how rebranding his company, investing in professional vehicle wraps, and building a recognizable identity transformed customer trust and visibility in his market. We dive into why SEO is a long-term investment, the importance of mentorship and accountability, and how hiring the right people and developing effective training systems can help a home service business scale without sacrificing quality.

We also discuss what it takes to build a business that can thrive beyond its owner, why patience and consistency matter in marketing, and how making the right investments today can create lasting growth.

If you're a home service contractor looking to strengthen your brand, generate more leads, and build a scalable business, this episode is packed with valuable insights you won't want to miss.

Chapters

01:04 Rethinking Marketing Strategy

01:29 Episode Introduction — Host Welcome and Agency Overview

27:58 Mentorship & Growth: How Ryan Humphries Shaped the Business

45:50 Scaling the Business: Growth, Hiring, and Quality Assurance

54:16 Growth and Exit Plans for Good Day Garage Doors

Guest Profile: Lior Hason

Owner, Good Day Garage Doors

Lior Hason is the owner of Good Day Garage Doors, a family-owned garage door repair and installation company serving Knoxville and surrounding East Tennessee communities. His company specializes in residential and commercial garage door services, including repairs, installations, spring replacements, and opener maintenance.

Through strategic rebranding, professional vehicle wraps, consistent SEO investment, and a commitment to customer service, Lior has helped grow Good Day Garage Doors from a small operation into a recognizable local brand.

Under his leadership, the business has expanded to nine service vehicles, emphasizing in-house technician training, values-based hiring, and operational systems designed for sustainable growth.

Lior's entrepreneurial journey offers valuable lessons for home service contractors looking to strengthen their brand, generate consistent leads, and build a business that can scale beyond its owner.

#BlueForgeMarketing #GarageDoorBusiness #HomeServiceMarketing

Good Day Garage Doors — Contact Information

Website: gooddaygaragedoors.com

Phone: (865) 622-4433

Email: [email protected]

Address: 1624 Schaeffer Road, Suite 104, Knoxville, TN 37932

In this episode of The Home Services Marketing Podcast, I sit down with Isaac Pestana, Founder & CEO of PezScales, to discuss why so many contractors struggle to scale and why AI alone won’t fix a business that lacks the right systems.

We break down how home service business owners can use SOPs, automation, AI, CAC and LTV tracking, speed-to-lead systems, review and referral workflows, and better delegation to build a company that can grow beyond the owner.

Isaac shares real-world examples of recovering revenue from dormant leads, automating customer follow-up, using weather data for roofing outreach, and implementing AI as a trained part of the team rather than another piece of software.

The big takeaway: simplify, eliminate, then automate. Get your strategy, people, processes, and data right first, then use AI to create leverage.

If you're a roofing, HVAC, plumbing, or home service business owner looking to scale profitably, reduce owner dependence, and use AI effectively, this episode is for you.

Featuring: Isaac Pestana — Founder & CEO, PezScales

Hosted by: Adam Loveridge — Blue Forge Marketing

#HomeServices #AIForBusiness #BusinessGrowth

Chapters

00:11 Scaling Pitfalls: Why Many Contractors "Blow Up"

01:33 Episode Introduction: Home Services Marketing Podcast — From Growth to Acquisition

08:09 Revenue recovery — CAC and LTV explained

15:48 Niche Focus: How Specialization Supercharges SEO and Marketing

20:45 Simplify and Focus — Niching: Gym Coach Example

30:12 Shifting Gears — AI Strategies for Small and Mid-Size Businesses

31:42 Speed Delete — Automating Lead Response

36:47 Scaling Your Business: Strategy Over Website Tactics

41:34 When marketing isn't the solution — operational bottlenecks, conversions, and scaling

50:19 Why Contractors? Our Pivot to Home Services

52:56 Pitfalls Contractors Face with AI and Automation

01:00:34 Next Steps & Contact — How to Work with Pez Scales

Links referenced in this episode:

• blueforgemarketing.com
• pezscales.com

Isaac Pestana is the Founder & CEO of PezScales, a Utah-based consulting and technology company focused on helping founder-led home service businesses become more scalable, profitable, and less dependent on their owners. PezScales combines operational strategy with AI and engineering to help companies improve their systems, leadership, customer response, automation, and long-term enterprise value.

Isaac's entrepreneurial background began early: according to PezScales, he launched his first e-commerce and technology venture at age 15, later served as a general partner of a multimillion-dollar investment fund, and spent two years in South Korea in leadership and philanthropic work. He founded PezScales around the idea that technology should support a strong business strategy, not replace one.

Today, PezScales works primarily with home-service companies, helping founders identify operational bottlenecks and implement systems around areas such as lead response, customer follow-up, reviews and referrals, AI automation, operational efficiency, growth strategy, and exit readiness. The company's broader goal is to help owners build businesses that can operate and grow without depending on the founder for every decision.

Website: PezScales.com

Isaac Pestana: LinkedIn Profile

PezScales: LinkedIn Company Page

Headquarters: Orem, Utah LinkedIn

Contact / AI & Operations Audit: PezScales Contact Page

In this episode of The Home Services Marketing Podcast, I sit down with Court Lundberg, Founder of Rare Breed Plumbing, Heating & Air, to break down how his company grew from $2.4 million to $6 million in revenue by strengthening its brand, culture, leadership, and operational systems.

We discuss how Rare Breed’s rebrand helped improve recruiting and lower customer acquisition costs, why clearly defined core values and KPIs matter, and what it takes for an owner to transition from doing everything themselves to building a leadership team that can scale the business.

We also dive into delegation, employee accountability, marketing, technology, acquisitions, and the systems home service companies need to achieve sustainable growth.

If you're an HVAC, plumbing, or home service business owner looking to scale your company and become a stronger CEO, this episode is packed with practical lessons from the journey.

Featuring: Court Lundberg — Founder, Rare Breed Plumbing, Heating & Air

Hosted by: Adam Loveridge — Blue Forge Marketing

#HomeServices #HVACBusiness #BusinessGrowth

Links referenced in this episode:

• blueforgemarketing.com

About Our Guest: Court Lundberg

Court Lundberg is the Founder and Owner of Rare Breed Plumbing, Heating, and Air and a licensed Master Plumber in Utah. Court built the company from a one-truck operation into a growing home services business serving communities across Northern Utah. His approach emphasizes hiring and developing skilled people, creating an accountable company culture, building strong operational systems, and delivering work correctly the first time.

Originally operating as Lundberg Plumbing, the company rebranded as Rare Breed and has since expanded its services beyond plumbing to include heating and air conditioning. Rare Breed currently operates from locations in Sandy, Bountiful, and Orem, Utah, serving nine counties across the region.

Court is also a board member of the Utah Plumbing & Heating Contractors Association (UPHCA). His work focuses not only on growing Rare Breed but also on developing the next generation of tradespeople through training, leadership, and higher professional standards within the home services industry.

Connect with Court & Rare Breed

Website: callrarebreed.com

Court's Website: courtlundberg.com

Company Phone: (385) 449-0144

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Court Lundberg on LinkedIn

Locations:

Sandy — 8763 Sandy Pkwy, Sandy, UT 84070

Bountiful — 270 S Main St Ste 113, Bountiful, UT 84010

Orem — 1197 S 1480 W, Orem, UT 84058

In this episode, I sit down with Rob Young to talk about what it really takes to move from being a great contractor to becoming the CEO of a scalable, healthy business.

We break down why growth without the right systems can actually create more problems, and why profitability and positive cash flow have to come before simply chasing more revenue. Rob walks us through the stages businesses experience as they grow, including the challenges that show up when more employees, services, customers, and responsibilities start adding complexity.

We also discuss practical ways to build a stronger operation—from creating a clear business plan and budget to implementing simple KPIs, documenting your customer journey, improving your sales process, and holding the right people accountable.

From the marketing side, I explain why generating more leads isn't always the answer. Before you increase demand, you need to know your team has the capacity, processes, pricing, and conversion systems to handle that growth profitably.

We also get into Rob's Stage Three Success approach, and the tools he uses to help business owners turn goals into strategies, tactics, and actionable steps.

If you're a contractor or home service business owner who wants to step out of the day-to-day, build better systems, protect your margins, and create a company that can scale without everything depending on you, this episode is for you.

Companies Mentioned

Blue Forge Marketing

Stage Three Group

Remy Construction

Amazon

QuickBooks

E-Myth

Websites Mentioned

www.blueforgemarketing.com

www.stagethreegroup.com

About Our Guest: Rob Young

Rob Young is the founder of Stage 3 Group and author of Stage 3 Success. He works with growing business owners who have moved beyond the startup phase and are facing the added complexity that comes with growth. His focus is helping owners develop the systems, processes, financial discipline, and management framework needed to turn a growing operation into a sustainable business.

Through Stage 3 Group, Rob helps business owners strengthen areas such as business planning, profitability, cash flow, accountability, KPIs, processes, and leadership, so they can spend more time working at their highest value instead of being trapped in the day-to-day functions of the company.

Connect with Rob & Stage 3 Group:

Website: Stage3Group.com

LinkedIn: Rob Young

Phone: (513) 444-8065

Book: Stage 3 Success: You Didn't Start Your Business to Run the Business Side — Success Made It Unavoidable

Rob describes his work as helping owners navigate the “teenage years” of a business—the stage where the company has outgrown startup mode but hasn't yet developed all the structure of a mature organization.

I brought Kel Kelsch of North Star Heating and Air onto the podcast for one reason: he runs a 26-year-old family business that has done almost everything backward compared to what the industry tells you to do and it is working better than most.

No aggressive scaling. No chasing private equity. No high-pressure sales tactics on service calls. Just a slow, deliberate build anchored in treating every customer like family, and every technician like one too.

Kel took over from his father, Terry Senior, who started North Star with two unmarked trucks and no marketing budget. Today they run nine trucks, they are tracking toward $5 million in revenue, and their customers are inviting their technicians to weddings and birthday parties. That is not a line in a mission statement. That is what actually happens when you get the culture right.

In this episode, Kel and I go deep on how they built it, what they refused to do along the way, and what their free tune-up-for-life program actually generates in long-term revenue. We also get into the private equity wave hitting the HVAC space right now, and why Kel sees it as an opportunity rather than a threat.

If you are running a home services company and you are trying to build something you can pass down instead of something you can cash out, this one is for you.

CHAPTERS

Chapters:

• 00:05 - The Impact of Private Equity on Customer Dynamics
• 00:57 - The Importance of Sustainable Growth
• 10:28 - The Impact of SEO on Business Growth
• 24:15 - Building Relationships Through Customer Service
• 31:10 - Transitioning to Digital Marketing Strategies
• 43:16 - The Importance of Customer Relationships in Business
• 53:43 - Starting a Business in Home Services: Insights and Advice
• 01:00:05 - Expansion Plans for North Star Heating and Air

COMPANIES MENTIONED

North Star Heating and Air

Family-owned HVAC company based in Utah, founded by Terry Kelsch Sr. and currently led by Terry (Kel) Kelsch as second-generation owner. They serve the Salt Lake Valley, Utah County, West Jordan, Sandy, Lehi, and Park City areas. Known for free lifetime tune-ups, commissioned technicians who operate with a service-first mindset, and a zero-debt growth philosophy.

Blue Forge Marketing

Home services marketing agency owned by Adam Loveridge, specializing in heating and air conditioning, plumbing, remodeling, and garage door contractors. Blue Forge has managed North Star's SEO, Google Business Profile, social media, and Connected TV advertising for over 12 years.

WEBSITES MENTIONED

Blue Forge Marketing: https://www.blueforgemarketing.com

North Star Heating and Air: https://northstarheatingandairutah.com/

GUEST INFORMATION

Kel Kelsch

Kel is the second-generation owner of North Star Heating and Air, a family-run HVAC company in Utah founded by his parents roughly 26 years ago. He came up as a technician, spent time working for a larger company specifically to study their operations, then brought those systems back to his family's business and rebuilt it from the ground up.

Under Kel's leadership, North Star grew from two unmarked trucks doing under $700,000 a year to nine trucks on track to hit $5 million. He manages a straight-commission technician team, personally reviews every invoice, and follows up with customers after every service call. He also dedicates a set number of hours per week to in-person networking, which he credits as a meaningful driver of organic growth.

Kel is also the on-camera spokesperson for North Star's Instagram Reels and Connected TV ad content, where he focuses on homeowner education rather than promotional messaging. He is actively planning a plumbing service line expansion and is raising the business with the intention of passing it to the next generation.

To reach Kel or schedule a service in the Salt Lake Valley area, call North Star directly or find them on Google.

I sat down with Olga de la Cruz, co-founder of HQ Painting in Salt Lake City, Utah, to talk about what it takes to build a high-end painting company from scratch. Starting in 2012 with $500 in their first month, Olga and her husband have grown HQ Painting to target $2.2 million in revenue this year, with a team of eight crews dedicated to custom, detail-oriented work.

Olga breaks down how they hire, train, and retain painters, why referrals and networking drive the bulk of their business, and how they built a brand that homeowners and contractors remember. She also gets personal about what the $7 million goal really means to her and what comes after.

Timestamps

Chapters:

• 00:21 - Finding Your Niche in Business
• 02:03 - Starting a Business in the Painting Industry
• 10:29 - Transitioning to Marketing Strategies
• 22:31 - Establishing a Brand Identity
• 28:40 - The Future Vision: Growth and Giving Back

Guest Information

Olga de la Cruz is the co-founder and spokesperson of HQ Painting, a high-end residential and commercial painting company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She and her husband launched the business in 2012 and have grown it by focusing on detail-driven work, low employee turnover, and strong community relationships. Olga is also passionate about supporting women business owners and giving back in Mexico.

Companies Mentioned

• HQ Painting
• Blue Forge Marketing
• Vistaprint
• Sherwin-Williams

Websites Mentioned

• HQ Painting Utah
• Blue Forge Marketing

Key Takeaways

• Find your niche early and build your processes around it.
• Hire for attitude, train for skill.
• Pay your people first. Respect keeps them around.
• Referrals and networking can carry a business to $2M.
• Brand consistency across every touchpoint builds recognition.

In this episode, I sit down with Jessica Chase from Get Above the Fold to talk about programmatic advertising and connected TV for home service contractors. She walks me through how these ad formats work, when to start using them, and how they lift results across your other marketing channels.

We get into building a strategy around your first-party data, CRM lists, and event geofencing. Jessica shares real client numbers, including cost-per-lead results that most contractors have not seen from Google alone. She also breaks down budget ranges that make sense at different stages of business growth.

Chapters:

1. 00:04 - Scaling Marketing Spend and Testing Strategies
2. 06:00 - Introduction to Programmatic Advertising
3. 20:47 - Starting a New Marketing Strategy
4. 31:39 - Understanding Programmatic Advertising for Contractors
5. 43:16 - Understanding Customer Personas in Marketing
6. 48:03 - Understanding Customer Data for Business Growth

Guest Information

Jessica Chase is the founder of Get Above the Fold, a programmatic advertising agency. She has 20 years of marketing experience, including time at 1-800 Contacts, Rakuten, and a cash back marketing company. She helps home service contractors reach the right audience through CTV, audio, display, and native advertising.

Companies Mentioned

1. Blue Forge Marketing
2. Get Above the Fold
3. 1-800 Contacts
4. Rakuten
5. The Trade Desk
6. Service Titan
7. Hulu
8. Peacock
9. Spotify

Websites Mentioned

1. Blue Forge Marketing
2. Get Above the Fold

Take Aways

1. Start programmatic with your CRM and site retargeting data before broad prospecting.
2. Layer CTV into your marketing mix once you have at least $3,000 to $5,000 per month to test.
3. Knowing your customer data, zip code, gender, and home age, makes targeting more precise.
4. Running multiple ad formats across channels raises conversion rates on average by about 20%.
5. At higher spend levels, moving budget into programmatic can reduce cost per lead well below what Google Ads delivers on its own.

I sit down with John Jauvenaux from BB Septic in Northwest Arkansas to talk about what it really takes to build a stable, profitable home services company. We get into his early jobs, failed ventures, and how he turned a small septic outfit into a growing business by focusing on integrity, systems, and the right people instead of shortcuts.

From my side as an agency owner, I share how this lines up with the way we help contractors grow from survival into serious scale. We talk through old-school marketing like Yellow Pages and door hangers, how online listings and NAP consistency changed the game, why reviews matter so much, and how EOS, integrators, and clear processes let an owner step out of the truck without losing control.

Chapters:

1. 00:07 - Taking Ownership of Success
2. 02:07 - Transition to Digital Marketing and Business Strategies
3. 12:21 - The Importance of NAP Consistency in Digital Marketing
4. 21:34 - The Journey of Learning and Self-Discovery
5. 25:22 - Transitioning to Ownership and Leadership
6. 31:29 - Identifying and Solving Business Problems
7. 44:33 - Transitioning to Marketing Strategies
8. 52:14 - The Power of Local Marketing and Networking
9. 56:32 - Taking Action in Business: The Importance of Implementation
10. 58:55 - Navigating Success: Lessons from a Lifelong Entrepreneur
11. 01:06:38 - Building a Business: Growth, Acquisition, and Legacy

1. Blue Forge Marketing
2. BB Septic
3. Dex
4. Manta
5. Yext
6. TripAdvisor
7. Google

1. https://www.blueforgemarketing.com/
2. https://ip.com/
3. https://www.manta.com/
4. https://www.yext.com/
5. https://www.tripadvisor.com/
6. https://www.google.com/business/

John owns and leads BB Septic in Northwest Arkansas. He has worked in septic and portable sanitation for more than thirty years, growing from a two-truck outfit into a multi‑million dollar operation. John focuses on clear processes, education-based marketing, and building a team that can run the day-to-day while he works on new projects in wastewater and speaks at industry events.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Carrie Kelsch, CEO of A Plus Garage Doors, to talk about her incredible journey from mortgage broker to running the largest garage door company in Utah. We covered everything from surviving the 2008 housing crisis to building systems and processes that took her from six employees to 96 vehicles on the road. Carrie shared her strategies for creating a strong company culture, implementing Service Titan to gain transparency across operations, and the decision to join Guild Garage Group in 2022. This conversation is packed with practical advice for any home services contractor looking to scale their business.

What stood out most to me was Carrie's focus on the blue collar worker and her Youth in the Trades program that gives teenagers exposure to careers in the trades. She also emphasized the importance of making sure your technicians take ownership of customer reviews and creating a five star experience at every job. If you're in the home services space and want to grow, this episode is a must listen.

Chapters:

1. 00:09 - The Value of Blue Collar Workers
2. 06:41 - Transition to the Garage Door Industry
3. 07:34 - Implementing Systems for Business Growth
4. 21:10 - Transitioning to Effective Marketing Strategies
5. 23:30 - The Shift to Digital Marketing
6. 37:09 - Transitioning to Guild Garage Group
7. 49:04 - Strategies for Success in Home Services

Companies Mentioned

A Plus Garage Doors

Blue Forge Marketing

Guild Garage Group

Expert Garage Doors

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

Service Titan

Lehman Brothers

Countrywide

Websites Mentioned

blueforgemarketing.com

Guest Information

Carrie Kelsch is the CEO and founder of A Plus Garage Doors, which she started in 2005. She grew the company from six employees doing 1.5 million in revenue to 96 vehicles on the road pushing for 50 million in annual revenue. In 2022, she joined Guild Garage Group and expanded operations into Las Vegas.

In this episode, I sit down with Tom Rand from Climate Care to discuss practical HVAC marketing strategies that work. Tom oversees marketing for 30 independently owned HVAC companies and shares what he's learned about attribution, SEO, building marketing plans, and knowing when to hire help. We talk about the shift from reactive marketing to strategic planning, why organic search matters more than ever, and how AI is changing the game.

If you're an HVAC contractor looking to grow past the word-of-mouth stage, this conversation covers the foundations you need. Tom breaks down how to measure what's working, when to bring in specialists, and why treating marketing like any other business process will set you apart from competitors who are still throwing money at problems.

Chapters:

• 00:04 - The Importance of Details in Branding
• 03:41 - Transitioning into HVAC Marketing
• 09:37 - The Navigator Program and Its Importance
• 13:28 - The Importance of a Marketing Plan
• 21:51 - Understanding Customer Attribution in Marketing
• 27:08 - Understanding Customer Engagement and Marketing Attribution
• 31:08 - The Importance of SEO in Marketing
• 39:58 - Lead Generation vs. Brand Awareness
• 41:56 - Starting with SEO Companies
• 47:41 - The Importance of Active SEO Involvement
• 55:00 - Core Values Alignment in Business Partnerships
• 59:10 - Identifying When to Hire a Marketing Manager
• 01:07:31 - Understanding the Role of Marketing Managers in HVAC Businesses
• 01:10:14 - Meeting Customers Where They Are: Marketing Flexibility
• 01:18:41 - Embracing Courage and Differentiation in Business
• 01:20:03 - Strategic Planning for Business Growth

Companies Mentioned

Climate Care

Blue Forge Marketing

Searchlight

ServiceTitan

Nexstar Network

Guild

Websites Mentioned

blueforgemarketing.com

joinclimatecare.com

Guest Information

Tom Rand is the Member Marketing and Implementation Manager at Climate Care, a cooperative of 30 independently owned HVAC companies across Canada. He started in HVAC in 2021 after a background in retail management and operations, bringing a fresh perspective to the industry. You can connect with Tom on LinkedIn.

Key Takeaways

Start with your existing customer database before spending money on strangers. A strong referral program and regular outreach to past customers costs less and converts better than paid advertising alone.

SEO and organic search results build credibility that paid ads cannot replace. People still skip ads and trust organic rankings, so showing up naturally in search results should be a priority

Marketing needs a plan with clear goals and measurements agreed upon before you start spending money. Treat marketing like any other business operation with systems, accountability, and regular reviews.

Hire marketing help when you're ready to scale past organic growth. Look for specialists who understand HVAC specifically and can prove their expertise with examples and transparent reporting.

Meet customers where they are by offering multiple contact methods. Not everyone wants to call, so provide text, online booking, forms, and chat options to capture all opportunities.