The New Flat Rate

Today we sat down with Josh Teekell, the founder of SmartAC, to talk about how to turn your maintenance department into a profit center, boost service agreement success, and make sure you're the one customers call when something breaks—not Google.

Social Media Links:

Instagram

TNFR- https://www.instagram.com/thenewflatrate

SmartAC- https://www.instagram.com/smartachome/?hl=en

Facebook

TNFR- https://www.facebook.com/TheNewFlatRate

SmartAC- https://www.facebook.com/SmartACHome/

LinkedIn

TNFR- https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-new-flat-rate-inc-/posts/?feedView=all

SmartAC- https://www.linkedin.com/company/smartac-com-inc/

YouTube

SmartAC- https://www.youtube.com/@SmartAC-com

Links and Resources:

thenewflatrate.com

smartac.com

Why Won’t They Pay Me What I’m Worth? by Rodney Koop (Audiobook Series)

If your service company isn’t stacking cash, this book is for you. Rodney Koop reveals why homeowners hesitate to pay—and how to sell the way they already buy. Whether you’re in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or another trade, you’ll learn how to charge what you're really worth.

📖 Read along here: ⁠⁠Click to open the book⁠⁠

About the Author:

Rodney Koop is the founder of The New Flat Rate, the first in-home menu pricing system for contractors. With over 30 years of experience founding and selling service businesses, he's also a Master Electrician, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur who knows what it’s like to struggle—and how to win.

What does it really take to grow a profitable service business? In this episode of The New Flat Rate podcast, President Danielle Putnam breaks down what “money in the bank” actually means for contractors—and why growing your company the right way starts with a solid financial foundation. From simple savings strategies to smart marketing moves and service call tactics that actually work, Danielle shares the exact steps contractors can take today to build a stronger, more secure business.

0:00 - Introduction


0:30 - Money in the bank

1:05 - Growing from a position of strength

2:52 - Rules to grow your savings

5:22 - Let’s go back to the basics

6:36 - The discipline to save

9:07 - Story time with Rodney Koop

10:23 - Start small

11:51 - Generating extra money - service call options

12:22 - So, where do you start

15:52 - Your techs don’t need to upsell

17:19 - Securing the base - marketing

18:25 - 3 simple marketing tips

20:17 - Track your results

20:43 - TNFR gift

21:35 - Start small, think big

22:31 - Closing

Links and Recourses:

To learn more about The New Flat Rate- thenewflatrate.com

Fun-bound kit- https://app.hubspot.com/payments/tYZ4sz9TgZ9bYkdJ?referrer=PAYMENT_LINK

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz- https://a.co/d/gEFpilh

Foundation Wealth- https://foundationwealth.com/

Why Won’t They Pay Me What I’m Worth? by Rodney Koop (Audiobook Series)

If your service company isn’t stacking cash, this book is for you. Rodney Koop reveals why homeowners hesitate to pay—and how to sell the way they already buy. Whether you’re in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or another trade, you’ll learn how to charge what you're really worth.

📖 Read along here: ⁠Click to open the book⁠

About the Author:

Rodney Koop is the founder of The New Flat Rate, the first in-home menu pricing system for contractors. With over 30 years of experience founding and selling service businesses, he's also a Master Electrician, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur who knows what it’s like to struggle—and how to win.

Today we sat down with Jennifer Bagley, the CEO of CI Web Group, Inc., to talk about how she would rebuild a service business from scratch using AI, strategy, and smart leadership.

Links and Resources:

⁠Download the checklist HERE

thenewflatrate.com

ciwebgroup.com/

ciwebgroup.com/request-a-workshop/

Why Won’t They Pay Me What I’m Worth? by Rodney Koop (Audiobook Series)

If your service company isn’t stacking cash, this book is for you. Rodney Koop reveals why homeowners hesitate to pay—and how to sell the way they already buy. Whether you’re in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or another trade, you’ll learn how to charge what you're really worth.

📖 Read along here: Click to open the book

About the Author:
Rodney Koop is the founder of The New Flat Rate, the first in-home menu pricing system for contractors. With over 30 years of experience founding and selling service businesses, he's also a Master Electrician, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur who knows what it’s like to struggle—and how to win.

Today we sat down with Robert Plank, the founder of DFY Podcast, to talk about all things podcasts and how it can help contractors!

Links and Resources:

tnfr.us

https://www.dfypodcast.com/⁠

https://www.dfypodcast.com/contractors/

In this short but powerful episode, Matt Koop takes on the “superhero complex” in the trades. Are you giving away too much on the job—your time, your expertise, maybe even parts—just to feel like the hero? Matt breaks down what techs are really sacrificing when they try to save the day and why shifting from “superhero” to trade professional is the key to long-term success.

If you’ve ever left a jobsite wondering if you did too much for free, this one’s for you.

Links and Resources:

Schedule a demo here- https://thenewflatrate.com/daily-demo/

In this podcast Danielle talks with Ben Middleton about what's to come with A2L refrigerant in the industry!Links and Resourceshttps://www.daikinapplied.com/https://daikincomfort.com/https://r32reasons.com/https://www.hvaclearningcampus.com/Subscribe to Ben's podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@acceleratedhvacsuccess6915Learn More about The New Flat Rate by visiting https://thenewflatrate.com/learn-more-t-n-f-r/ or by calling us at 706-259-8892.

Ever hired someone with all the right skills who still tanked your team's morale? You're not alone! In this no-fluff episode, Danielle Putnam gets real about why those "core values" hanging on your shop wall aren't keeping your best techs from walking out the door.

Joining the conversation are Gregory Gabler, who grew his plumbing business from scratch in just three years, and Hayden Gifford, who learned the hard way that one bad apple can spoil your whole team. These guys don't just talk theory—they share the trenches with you every day.

You'll discover:

- A dead-simple exercise to identify what makes your A-players tick (hint: it's not pizza parties)

- Why desperation hiring is costing you WAY more than just a bad hire

- The "three interview rule" that could save your business thousands

- How to know if your core values are actually working or just collecting dust

- Real stories of what happens when values clash (spoiler: it ain't pretty)

If you're tired of the revolving door of employees and ready to build a team that sticks around, this episode is your roadmap. No corporate BS—just straight talk about what actually works.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICE BUSINESS OWNERS

- How to identify core values that actually represent your best team members

- Why quick fixes and wall plaques aren't enough to establish real company values

- How one bad cultural fit can negatively impact your entire team's performance

- What steps to take to implement a structured hiring process that avoids desperation hires

- How to build retention strategies that start before an employee's first day