To The Point - Home Services VIP Room Podcast

What does it actually take to scale a home services business without becoming the bottleneck?

Cameron Herold, known as the “CEO Whisperer,” joins To The Point Home Services VIP Room to break down what he learned helping scale 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2 million to $106 million in just six years.

Cameron has spent nearly two decades working behind the scenes with CEOs and leadership teams, helping entrepreneurs build stronger companies, develop their people, and step into the role only they can play.

In this episode, Cameron shares his approach to scaling from $2M to $10M and beyond, including why entrepreneurs need to delegate everything except their “genius,” when you actually need a COO, and why so many businesses give out executive titles before someone is ready for the role.

We also get into raising prices, hiring people who drive revenue, developing your leadership team, removing underperformers, using AI to make better decisions, and the simple things great leaders can do to build a stronger company culture.

Plus, Cameron explains why the CEO’s job is to make the CEO “iconic,” what a healthy CEO/COO relationship really looks like, and why some of the simplest leadership practices can have the biggest impact.

00:00 - Meet Cameron Herold, the “CEO Whisperer”

02:20 - How Cameron Became a Business Growth Expert

05:45 - Why Every CEO Needs a Strong Second-in-Command

07:15 - The Biggest Mistake Entrepreneurs Make When Scaling

10:00 - When Do You Actually Need a COO?

13:50 - What a True C-Level Executive Should Actually Do

16:35 - Why Your First Second-in-Command Should Be an Assistant

18:45 - The Ideal CEO/COO Relationship

21:55 - How to Grow a Business From $2M to $10M

27:25 - Simple Marketing Strategies That Drive Growth

30:50 - How Small Businesses Should Be Using AI

32:50 - How to Build a Strong Company Culture

38:00 - Why Leaders Need to Invest in Their People

43:00 - How to Turn Training Into Real Growth

45:50 - Why Your Employees Should Come Before Your Customers

50:00 - How to Create a Customer Service Culture That Scales

52:50 - Where to Find Cameron Herold 

Want to learn more from Cameron about scaling your business, leadership, and the CEO/COO relationship? Check out his website for more resources, books, coaching, and information about the COO Alliance. https://cameronherold.com/

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Shane Viggiani went from serving time in prison at 20 years old to building one of Las Vegas’ fastest-growing electrical businesses.

Today, Shane is the owner of Ampere Electric, a primarily residential electrical company that has grown from its first full year of roughly $700K in revenue to pacing $15M in 2026.

In this episode, Shane opens up about his unconventional journey, from growing up in a family of electricians, to finding himself in prison, earning his degree, trying multiple businesses, and eventually returning to the trades through a handyman business before getting his electrical contractor’s license.

Shane also breaks down how he’s scaled Ampere, including:

• Why hiring managers was critical to scaling past $2M

• How Ampere became one of the highest-reviewed electrical companies in Las Vegas

• Why Shane embraces sales in an industry that often pushes back against it

• How he recruits electricians and positions Ampere as the place to work

• The commission model helping his electricians generate millions in sales

• How he develops apprentices into lead installers and technicians

• The marketing channels driving growth, including LSA, PPC, SEO, Yelp and branding

• Why Ampere is investing heavily in billboards, radio and other brand-building strategies

• How referral partnerships with HVAC and plumbing companies have become a major growth channel

• Why Shane believes electrical could be a massive standalone opportunity in home services

• Why Ampere joined Nexstar and how the organization is helping them prepare for the next stage of growth

• His goal of building a $30M electrical business in Las Vegas

Shane’s story is a powerful look at what can happen when you combine sales, systems, marketing, training and relentless focus on growth.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Chris Yano is back with a personal update following his battle with throat cancer.

After ringing the bell on August 21 and completing his final treatment, Chris opens up about what the weeks following treatment were really like, including losing nearly 40 pounds, struggling to eat and drink, extreme fatigue, and having to rely on his “No Zero Days” mindset just to keep moving forward.

But this episode isn’t just about cancer. Going through the experience forced Chris to take a hard look at how he was spending his time, what really matters, and what he wants the next chapter of his life to look like.

Chris shares why his health, his wife Anna, and his family are now his biggest priorities, the boundaries he plans to put around his time, his plans to get back in the gym, and why he believes more people need to take their health seriously.

It’s a short episode, but an important one.

Thank you to everyone who supported Chris throughout this journey.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Sales Ask: Ready to turn conversations into predictable revenue? Book a demo with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer: https://www.salesask.com/

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com

What does it really take to take over a family business, expand into multiple trades, and build it into a $20M home services company?

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Chris Yano and Chad Peterman sit down with Mandie Hagan, owner of Rowell Services, a family-owned home services company in New Hampshire offering septic, drain cleaning, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, excavation, and pipe relining.

Mandie shares the story of stepping into the family business after the unexpected loss of her father, moving back from Colorado, and helping her mom continue the company. From starting with just a small operation to building a team of nearly 90 employees and pacing toward $20M in revenue, Mandie opens up about the decisions, challenges, and leadership lessons along the way.

The conversation covers adding multiple trades, finding the right leaders, moving from top-line growth to focusing on profitability, building an organizational structure, generating leads with a strong local brand, cross-trade referrals, and the personal pressure that comes with running a growing company.

Mandie also talks about why Rao Services has remained independently owned, her plans to preserve her father's legacy, and what she's focused on as the company enters its next stage of growth.

00:00 – Welcome to the VIP Room

01:30 – Meet Mandie Hagan & the Rao Services story

04:15 – Losing her father and returning home to the family business

08:10 – Moving back from Colorado and taking over the company

11:30 – How Rao Services began expanding beyond septic

15:00 – The lesson Mandie learned from adding multiple trades at once

18:00 – Finding the right people for the right seats

21:00 – Mandie's role as owner and Ian's transition out of the field

24:00 – Building the leadership structure at Rao Services

27:00 – Visionary vs. Integrator: Knowing your role as an owner

30:30 – Marketing strategies behind a $20M home services business

33:30 – The power of cross-trade referrals

36:00 – What's actually difficult about growing a larger company

39:00 – Dealing with criticism and the pressure of success

42:00 – Preserving her father's legacy and the 2027 vision

45:00 – What's next for Rao Services?

47:30 – Planning for the next stage of growth

49:00 – Final thoughts with Mandie Hagan

Thank you to our sponsors!

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What happens when a nearly bankrupt pool company decides to answer every question its customers are asking?

For Marcus Sheridan, it changed everything.

After nearly losing River Pools during the 2008 recession, Marcus transformed the business through radical transparency and became the bestselling author of They Ask, You Answer and Endless Customers.

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Marcus breaks down what home service companies need to do to win in sales and marketing today, from being transparent about pricing and building trust to adapting to AI and changing customer behavior.

He shares why pricing estimators can drive more leads, what makes AI recommend one contractor over another, why speed-to-lead matters, and how sales teams can build trust without relying on outdated or manipulative tactics.

If you want to win more customers and stay ahead of where sales and marketing are heading, this episode is packed with tactics you can put to work right now.

RESOURCES FROM MARCUS

Want to add a pricing estimator to your website?

Check out PriceGuide: https://priceguide.ai

Want to see how AI views your business?

Run your AI Trust Signals check: https://aitrustsignals.com

Want to learn more from Marcus?

Explore his books, including They Ask, You Answer and Endless Customers: https://marcussheridan.com/books

Put the customer’s questions first.

Learn more about Question First: https://questionfirst.com

00:00 - Welcome Back to the VIP Room & Marcus Sheridan Introduction

03:30 - Marcus' Story: River Pools Nearly Goes Bankrupt

08:00 - How the 2008 Recession Changed Marcus' Approach to Marketing

12:00 - The Origin of They Ask, You Answer

15:00 - Why Businesses Need to Become Obsessed With Their Buyers

18:00 - Should Contractors Give Pricing Over the Phone?

22:00 - Why Customers Get Frustrated When Companies Hide Pricing

26:00 - How a Pricing Article Generated $35M+ in Sales

29:00 - Why Pricing Estimators Can Transform Lead Generation

32:00 - AI Is Changing Search Forever

35:00 - What Makes AI Recommend One Contractor Over Another?

38:00 - The 3 F's of Innovation: Fear, Faster & Friction

41:00 - The "Mother of All Review Pages" & AI Trust Signals

44:00 - Why Contractors Need Awards & Expert Author Pages

47:00 - Speed-to-Lead & the Future of AI Voice

50:00 - Showroom vs. In-Home Sales

52:00 - Why Homeowners Should Know Who Is Coming to Their Door

54:00 - Stop Selling With Manipulation: The Power of Discovery

56:00 - Why 80% of Sales Training Should Focus on the Opening

58:00 - Teaching Homeowners to "Call Your Baby Ugly"

59:00 - Marcus' Final Advice for Home Service Contractors

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Ready to turn conversations into predictable revenue? Book a demo with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer: https://www.salesask.com/

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Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com

What does it take to build a home services company that lasts for more than seven decades?

In this episode of To The Point Home Services VIP Room, we sit down with Bobby Ring, President and CEO of Meyer & Depew Co., to talk about the incredible 73-year history behind the company and how a family-owned HVAC business has continued to evolve through multiple generations.

Bobby shares how Meyer & Depew grew from a small commercial-focused company into a thriving $14M HVAC business, the lessons he learned working alongside his father, and what he is doing differently as his own son becomes part of the next generation of leadership.

We also dive into the challenges of working with family, empowering the next generation of leaders, building a culture that lasts, and why Bobby believes contractors need to get really good at their core business before expanding into additional trades.

From failed attempts at adding electrical to deciding whether to eventually sell the business or pass it down, Bobby gives an honest look at the decisions that come with leading an independent home services company.

Plus, the guys discuss why a $10M to $20M business should not be undervalued, the impact of joining Nexstar, how to improve closing rates, and one of the biggest problems in the home services industry: contractors not understanding the true value of what they provide.

If you're building a family business, leading an independent company, or trying to grow your home services business without losing what made it special in the first place, this episode is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to the VIP Room

03:00 Meet Bobby Ring and Meyer & Depew Co.

06:00 The 73-year history of the business

12:00 Bobby’s journey from employee to owner

16:00 Working with family and preparing the next generation

21:00 How to build a culture that lasts

26:00 Empowering leaders and letting go of control

30:00 Generations of comfort and trust

34:00 Marketing a 73-year-old HVAC brand

38:00 Why Meyer & Depew hasn’t added another trade

43:00 Why bigger isn’t always better in home services

46:00 Joining Nexstar and getting better at HVAC

49:00 What’s broken in the home services industry

52:00 Understanding pricing, margin, and the true cost of doing business

55:00 Staying independent or selling the business

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Ready to turn conversations into predictable revenue? Book a demo with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer: https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

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Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com

Lacey Peevey, VP of WeCo Rooter, joins Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor in the VIP Room to share how she and her husband John went from operating under a national plumbing brand to building an independent company of their own.

After joining the business in 2017, Lacey and John helped grow the operation to nearly $7M. But when the time came to renew their agreement with the national brand, they made the decision to go out on their own.

Lacey breaks down what it took to fully rebrand the company into WeCo Rooter, why they were willing to take a step back to build something they could truly own, and how the business is now approaching $6M while continuing to build momentum.

The conversation also covers customer service, building trust, training technicians, pricing, growing the average ticket ethically, and the challenges of scaling a plumbing and drain business toward $10M.

Plus, Lacey shares what she believes is broken in home services, from customer service and licensing to continuing education and staying up to date with new technology.

00:00 – Intro & Meet Lacey Peevey

02:00 – How Lacey and John Got Into the Business

05:00 – Joining a National Plumbing Brand in 2017

08:00 – Growing the Business Toward $7M

11:00 – Why They Decided to Go Independent

15:00 – Leaving the National Brand the Right Way

19:00 – The Challenges of a Full Rebrand

23:00 – Building the WeCo Rooter Brand

27:00 – Growing Back Toward $6M

31:00 – Customer Service & Building Trust

35:00 – Training Technicians Beyond Technical Skills

39:00 – Ethical Pricing & Growing Average Ticket

43:00 – Scaling WeCo Rooter Toward $10M

47:00 – Building Relationships & Finding the Right Training

50:00 – What’s Broken in Home Services?

53:00 – Final Thoughts & What’s Next for WeCo Rooter

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com

Jack Hope, Owner of Hope Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, joins the VIP Room to break down the journey from a small plumbing company to a business that did roughly $62M in 2025 and is pacing toward $75M.

Jack shares how he and his partner started Hope Plumbing, the pivotal role Nexstar played in helping them build systems and scale, and why they spent years focusing almost exclusively on plumbing before expanding into HVAC and, more recently, electrical.

The conversation dives into the strategy behind dominating specific neighborhoods, why old-school tactics like door-to-door canvassing still work, how to know when it's time to add another trade, and why Jack believes having the right people in the right positions becomes the biggest growth lever once you reach scale.

He also shares his most underrated and overrated KPIs, why he believes average ticket can be overrated, and the importance of building trust with customers instead of simply maximizing every individual call.

00:00 – Intro & Meet Jack Hope

03:30 – Building Hope Plumbing From the Ground Up

07:00 – The Early Days & Learning From Mistakes

11:00 – The Nexstar Turning Point

15:00 – How Hope Took Over Its First Market

19:00 – Why Door-to-Door Canvassing Still Works

23:00 – “Win One Zip Code at a Time”

27:00 – Why They Stayed Focused on Plumbing

31:00 – Going From $2M to $60M+ in Plumbing

35:00 – Adding HVAC Through Acquisition

39:00 – Why Electrical May Be Easier Than HVAC

43:00 – The Opportunity in the Electrical Market

46:00 – What’s Broken in Home Services?

48:00 – The Health of the Trades Workforce

50:00 – Jack’s Rapid-Fire Growth Questions

51:00 – Best Growth Lever Under $10M vs. Over $50M

53:00 – Most Overrated & Underrated KPIs

55:00 – Jack’s Advice for Growing Home Services Businesses

56:30 – Final Thoughts & Outro

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

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Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com

Patrick Somers, President & CEO of General Air Conditioning & Plumbing, joins the VIP Room alongside special guest co-host Moe Abbas (CEO of Sales Ask).

Patrick’s journey is one of the most unique in home services. He started as an entry-level maintenance technician making $10/hour and worked his way up through leadership before eventually buying and leading the same company.

In this episode, Patrick breaks down what it really takes to scale a business, earn buy-in as a young leader, and build a high-performing culture. The conversation also dives into operating in a seasonal market, maximizing every opportunity inside the home, and how top companies are using training, systems, and AI to improve performance.

If you’re looking to grow your business, develop leaders, and get more out of your team, this episode is packed with real-world insights.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & guest introductions

03:15 Overview of General Air Conditioning & Plumbing ($17M → pacing $20M)

06:10 Patrick’s journey: from $10/hour tech to leadership

11:45 Rapid promotions & earning team buy-in as a young leader

17:30 Buying the business & structuring the deal

22:10 Operating in a seasonal market (Coachella Valley dynamics)

27:05 Maximizing opportunities inside the home

31:40 Training techs to think like sales professionals

36:20 Cross-selling between trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical)

40:45 Using AI & call tracking to improve performance

46:10 Coaching, role play, and improving close rates

50:30 Leadership philosophy, culture, and alignment

54:10 This or That segment

56:00 Outro

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

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Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com

What does it take to lead the next generation of a home services business that's been around for nearly 70 years?

In this episode of the To The Point Home Services VIP Room, Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor sit down with Ben Nalty, General Manager of Environment Masters, to talk about growing a third-generation family business, scaling across multiple trades, and stepping into the leadership role of a company his grandfather helped build.

Ben shares how he went from working around the business as a teenager to running HVAC service and eventually becoming General Manager. He breaks down Environment Masters' evolution from a business heavily focused on commercial construction into a residential service company across HVAC, plumbing, and electrical, and how the company has grown from roughly $25M to pacing $35M.

The conversation also dives into what it's like working alongside his father, navigating succession in a multi-generational business, and the decision to partner with Redwood Services. Ben explains what that partnership has changed, from stronger accountability and coaching to improving memberships, conversion rates, average tickets, and cross-trade opportunities.

Later, Ben turns the questions back on Chad and Aaron to get their advice on two challenges he's working through right now: generating more cross-trade opportunities and finding better ways to market and communicate with customers. Chad shares the cross-selling system that generated 900 additional appointments and roughly $1M in revenue in six months, while Aaron breaks down how contractors can build stronger brand messaging instead of relying solely on offers and lead generation.

It's a conversation about family business, leadership, growth, cross-selling, marketing, and what it takes to carry a decades-old company into its next chapter.

00:00 – Intro

02:45 – Meet Ben Nalty & Environment Masters

05:30 – Nearly 70 Years & Three Generations in Home Services

08:30 – Growing Up in the Family Business

11:30 – Ben’s Path to Running the Company

15:00 – Transitioning From Commercial to Residential Service

18:30 – Adding Plumbing & Electrical

21:30 – Taking Over Day-to-Day Operations From His Dad

25:00 – The Father-Son Dynamic in a Family Business

28:00 – Why Environment Masters Partnered With Redwood Services

32:00 – Navigating Private Equity as a Family Business

35:30 – What Changed After the Redwood Partnership

39:00 – Scaling From $25M Toward $35M

42:00 – Improving Memberships, Conversion Rates & Average Tickets

45:00 – Creating More Cross-Trade Opportunities

48:00 – Chad’s Cross-Selling Strategy That Generated $1M

51:00 – Marketing Beyond Just Buying Leads

53:30 – Final Takeaways

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Yelp: https://business.yelp.com/homeservicevip

Sales Ask: Book a free sales visibility session with SalesAsk and mention To The Point to access the exclusive listener offer. https://www.salesask.com/

Basic Capital: To The Point Podcast listeners get $0 employer fees for 12 months. Claim the offer and give your team a real path to retirement: https://basiccapital.com/tothepoint

Send It! Email Marketing: https://www.withsendit.com/

Can’t Stop The Growth: https://cantstopthegrowth.com

Contractor Commerce: https://www.contractorcommerce.com