To The Point - Home Services VIP Room Podcast

In this episode, Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor sit down with Jack Tester, former CEO of Nexstar Network, to discuss what it really takes to build a successful home services business.

With more than 40 years of industry experience, Jack shares the lessons he's learned from helping build Nexstar, working alongside some of the biggest companies in home services, and developing leaders throughout his career.

They dive into why leadership starts with self-awareness, how to develop managers into great leaders, why avoiding difficult conversations can hurt your business, and the importance of having a clear company mission.

Plus, Jack answers one big question: What's broken in home services that nobody wants to admit?

If you're looking to become a better leader, build a stronger company, and create an organization people actually want to work for, this episode is for you.

00:00 Welcome to the VIP Room

02:05 Jack Tester's 40-Year Journey in Home Services

08:00 How Nexstar Got Its Start

11:00 How the Home Services Industry Has Changed

14:00 Advice for Growing Contractors

17:30 Why Your Company Needs a Clear Mission

23:30 Leadership Starts With Self-Leadership

27:00 Developing Great Leaders and Managers

32:45 How to Handle Difficult Conversations

41:30 Building Better Leadership Meetings

51:15 Why Great Leaders Must Be Vulnerable

55:00 What's Broken in Home Services? Employee Turnover

57:15 The Four Keys to Employee Retention

Thank you to our sponsors!

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What does it take to build a successful home services business, and what happens when the founder and the next generation of leadership come together?

In this episode of To The Point Home Services VIP Room, we're revisiting an incredible session from RYNOX 2026 featuring Alan O'Neill, founder of Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical, and Tony Patino, the company's current CEO.

Alan and Tony share the story behind Abacus, how their paths crossed, how they went from competing to working together, and the lessons they've learned along the way. From building a strong company culture to developing leaders, retaining employees, and improving profitability, they break down what it takes to build and sustain a successful home services business.

Whether you're growing your company, building your leadership team, or trying to take your business to the next level, this conversation is packed with insights you can put to work.

In this episode:

• The story behind Alan and Tony's relationship
• Lessons from the founder and current CEO of Abacus
• Building a company culture that attracts and retains great people
• Developing leaders who can help your business grow
• Finding opportunities to improve operations and profitability
• What contractors can learn from an established home services business

If you enjoy the episode, make sure to like, subscribe, and share it with another home services business owner.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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

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

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

Most contractors think they need more leads to grow their business. But what if the next job is already sitting in your database?

Nathan Klug joins Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor on the To The Point Home Services VIP Room to break down the follow-up mistakes costing contractors jobs and how to generate more revenue from the contacts they already have.

Nathan shares how contractors can reactivate old estimates, clean up customer data, build referral networks, and use part-time sales reps to generate more opportunities without immediately increasing their advertising spend. He also explains why having the right systems in place matters before investing more money into lead generation.

In this episode, you'll learn how to turn old contacts into new business, build a referral network that consistently generates opportunities, and create a follow-up process that helps your business stop leaving money on the table.

Connect with Nathan Klug: https://nathanklug.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Welcome to the VIP Room

03:20 - Meet Nathan Klug

05:20 - What Is Operational Marketing?

09:15 - The Follow-Up Mistake Costing Contractors Jobs

11:00 - Database Reactivation: Turning Old Contacts Into New Business

13:00 - Why Customer Data Management Matters

15:00 - How 100 Contacts Generated 12 Pieces of Business

17:00 - Using Customer Data to Personalize Follow-Up

19:00 - What Contractors Should Track in Their CRM

24:00 - Text Messages, Email Deliverability, and Getting Customers to Respond

29:00 - Building a Referral Network That Generates Jobs

34:00 - Using Part-Time Sales Reps to Find More Business

39:00 - Building Referral Programs With AI

41:00 - Structuring Referral Partnerships and Commissions

43:30 - When Should Contractors Invest in Paid Advertising?

46:00 - Building Systems That Support Business Growth

47:00 - Nathan's 90-Day Strategy and Coaching Process

49:30 - How to Connect With Nathan

Thank you to our sponsors!

Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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

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

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

Subscribe to To The Point Home Services VIP Room for more conversations with business owners and industry experts on growing, scaling, and building a stronger home services business.

Most home service contractors are focused on generating new leads. But what if the next stage of growth is already sitting in your customer base?

Joshua Warner, Owner of Maverick Electric, Heating and Air, joins Chris Yano, Chad Peterman, and Aaron Gaynor on the To The Point Home Services VIP Room to share how he grew his overall business to a projected 16M–17M in annual revenue, including a $5M HVAC operation built by leveraging his existing electrical customer base.

Josh breaks down how he uses memberships to create long-term customer relationships, why he offers free memberships to veterans, teachers, and seniors, and how his team turns those relationships into opportunities across multiple trades.

He also shares his approach to electrical sales training, giving customers ballpark pricing over the phone, using AI to estimate electrical jobs, and building a team of electricians who can deliver a better customer experience.

00:00 - Intro & Meet Joshua Warner

03:30 - Building Maverick Electric From the Ground Up

07:30 - Expanding From Electrical Into HVAC

09:30 - Growing HVAC Through Existing Customers

10:30 - Turning Free Memberships Into More Revenue

14:00 - Marketing to Existing Customers

20:30 - Giving Customers Ballpark Pricing Over the Phone

24:20 - Building an AI Estimating Tool for Electrical Jobs

30:00 - Hiring and Training Electricians

37:30 - A Different Approach to Electrical Sales

40:00 - Educating Customers & Bundling Electrical Services

44:00 - Setting Customer Expectations After the Sale

49:50 - Would You Rather? Business Edition

53:00 - Final Thoughts & Lessons on Growth

If you're looking to grow your home services business, get more from your existing customers, or expand into additional trades, this episode is for you.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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

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

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

👍 Like the video, subscribe to the channel, and let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments.

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!

Affiniti: Get a $1,250 bonus at affiniti.com/card. Mention To The Point. Terms apply.

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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

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

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

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

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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!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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/

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!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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

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

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

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

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!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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

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 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!

Avoca.ai: Special Offer for Podcast Listeners: 4% Rebate, Your First 12 Months - https://avoca.ai/r/tothepoint

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

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

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

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