Podcasts about hvac

Episode 90: You will learn how to navigate the crucial early stages of building a custom panelized home, starting with thorough land evaluation to ensure your lot is buildable and cost-effective. You will discover how simple napkin sketches can be transformed into precise, permit-ready blueprints while avoiding costly architectural errors. You will also learn how to accurately budget for hidden structural elements, such as footers, plumbing layouts, and energy-efficient HVAC systems, rather than focusing solely on decorative finishes. Additionally, you will discover the benefits of off-grid and multi-generational "heirloom home" designs, aging-in-place features, and alternative builds like barndominiums or shop-living combinations. Finally, you will understand the immense value of receiving continuous, no-cost expert coaching and engineering support throughout your entire building journey.

Quotes from the episode:    "When your HVAC system is performing at 100%, but the home isn't, the problem isn't the equipment anymore."    "Our job is to be investigators first and installers second."    "Homeowners don't just need to know their HVAC system. They need to know their home."    "If you think I'm doing too much testing, I'd argue you're probably not doing enough."    Many HVAC contractors say they focus on comfort, but Derek Aarstad has built his entire business around proving where comfort problems actually originate. As the owner of DNA Heating & Cooling in Richmond, Virginia, Derek approaches every home as an investigator, using airflow measurements, static pressure, duct leakage testing, blower door testing, thermal imaging, and building science principles before recommending solutions.     In this conversation, Bill and Derek discuss why replacing equipment often fails to solve comfort complaints, how educating homeowners builds trust, and why standardized processes have been essential to growing a successful high-performance HVAC company. Derek also shares lessons learned from hiring technicians, the value of documenting every step of the customer experience, and how organizations like NCI have influenced his approach to technical excellence and continuous learning.     Whether you're an HVAC contractor, home performance professional, or simply interested in how buildings really work, this episode offers practical insights into diagnostics, customer communication, and building a business that stands out by solving problems instead of simply replacing equipment.    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-aarstad-91a328247/   Website: https://dnarva.com/    NCI: https://www.nationalcomfortinstitute.com/    NCI Summit: https://www.gotosummit.com/      This episode was recorded in July 2026. 

It's the annual summer tradition, the free Robison Summer Concert Series at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla. Set against the scenic backdrop of Westchester County's historic stone dam, this popular community tradition offers an eclectic mix of live music and tribute acts. On Thursday July 23rd, 2026, the concert featured a special performance by the Queen tribute band Xtreme Queen. Guests brought coolers, bring lawn chairs or blankets, and their love of great music! All under the stars. Host Andrew Castellano sat down with Zach Lerman, Regional Sales Manager for Robison, to discuss the company's sponsorship of the summer concert series. Lerman shared that supporting free community events allows Robison to connect personally with its 10,000+ local customers and give back to Westchester County. He detailed Robison's wide range of services - including heating oil delivery, HVAC, air conditioning, heat pumps, and geothermal solutions - and noted how joining the Star Group family has enhanced their resources while keeping their century-long commitment to local, trusted service intact.

In this live-stream episode, Bryan is joined by Tim DeStasio, John Semmelhack, and Ty Branaman for a deep dive into residential ventilation — the often-overlooked "V" in HVAC. The group opens with quick life updates before launching into a wide-ranging conversation covering the three core ventilation strategies (circulation, extraction, and dilution), how tight home construction changes the ventilation equation, and why there is no single "magic number" that works for every house. A major theme is the physics of pressurization and depressurization. Tim walks through balanced strategies (ERVs and HRVs), positive-pressure approaches using ventilating dehumidifiers, and exhaust-only setups — explaining why exhaust-only, while still code-compliant, is his least favorite option due to the risk of pulling air from crawl spaces, attics, or combustion appliances. Using REDCalc, Tim demonstrates how even modest airflow can swing a tight house's pressure by ten or more pascals, and the group discusses how wind, stack effect, and seasonal conditions constantly change a home's natural air exchange rate. Ty brings a service-focused perspective, emphasizing measurement before intervention — checking CO2, carbon monoxide, and other indicators before jumping to solutions like bigger fans or added dehumidification. He shares real-world stories, including a rental home with elevated CO from an unvented gas range, and stresses that building science problems (duct leakage, poorly placed bath fans, depressurized combustion appliances) often hide behind symptoms that look like simple ventilation shortfalls. Large kitchen range hoods get particular attention: hoods moving 1,200 CFM or more can seriously depressurize a house, and the group discusses code thresholds for interlocked and powered makeup air, along with practical products like the Fantech MUAS. John rounds out the discussion with a walkthrough of a real high-performance home design, showing how an ERV can serve both whole-house outside air and continuous bathroom exhaust, how MERV 16 pre-filtration has become a common upgrade since the 2021—2022 wildfire smoke events, and how an ERV can be configured to boost into a makeup-air role when a range hood kicks on. The episode closes with a look at ventilating dehumidifiers, demand-controlled ventilation, the tradeoffs of leaving blower fans in the "on" position, and recommended resources for anyone wanting to go deeper into building science. Topics Covered The three ventilation strategies: circulation, extraction, and dilution How tight, high-performance construction drives the need for mechanical ventilation Calculating and understanding natural air exchange rates Balanced (ERV/HRV), positive-pressure, and exhaust-only ventilation strategies Using REDCalc to model pressurization and depressurization Why exhaust-only ventilation can create combustion safety risks Designing ventilation with flexibility beyond code-minimum rates Measuring first: CO2, CO, and pollutant levels before choosing a solution Large range hoods, makeup air requirements, and the Fantech MUAS system Passive capture and range hood geometry (corner hoods vs. center islands) A real-world high-performance home ERV design walkthrough MERV 16 pre-filtration for outside air following regional wildfire smoke events Using an ERV in a makeup-air configuration for range hood operation Ventilating dehumidifier strategy and sizing considerations Demand-controlled ventilation and the new ASHRAE 62.2-2025 guidance Risks of leaving blower fans in the "on" position, including duct leakage effects Recommended building science resources: Joseph Lstiburek, Allison Bailes, and TEC classes   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, host Gary McCreadie continues his conversation with David Kim, Engineering Manager at LG Electronics, about advanced VRF technology and new heating and cooling solutions. David explains how LG's Hydro Kit works for hydronic heating and domestic hot water, along with water communication kits for larger systems. The discussion also covers chiller applications, data center cooling, cold climate residential heat pumps, dual fuel systems, smart thermostat controls, and AI features that improve system performance and energy efficiency. Gary and David discuss LG's latest VRF solutions and how they can improve heating, cooling, and hot water applications. David explains how the Hydro Kit and water communication kit support hydronic systems, along with their use in boiler replacement projects. The conversation also covers chiller solutions for larger applications, residential cold climate heat pumps, dual fuel systems, smart thermostat controls, and AI features that help improve efficiency and overall system performance. Expect to Learn: How LG's Hydro Kit supports hydronic heating and domestic hot water applications. How water communication kits expand VRF capacity for small and large projects. Why chillers are a better choice for large data center cooling applications. How LG cold climate heat pumps and dual fuel systems improve residential heating. How LG's smart controls, ThinkQ app, and AI features help improve system performance and efficiency.   Episode Highlights:  [00:00] - Sponsor: Factory Direct Filters ad [00:42] - Intro to David Kim in Part 02  [02:06] - Hydro kit explained: air-to-water, mid-temp vs high-temp (up to 176°F) [03:45] - Replacing boilers & water communication kit (1 to 32 ton capacity) [06:49] - LG chiller lineup for data centres & large applications [11:07] - Residential cold climate heat pumps: Deluxe unit works at -35°C [15:03] - Dual fuel systems: 24V control vs LG thermostat with EIM for true variable speed [18:11] - AI snow removal feature using AccuWeather data   This Episode is Kindly Sponsored by: Cintas: https://www.cintas.com/hvacknowitall Cool Air Products: https://www.coolairproducts.net/ Factory Direct Filters: https://www.factorydirectfilters.com/ SupplyHouse: https://www.supplyhouse.com/tm Use promo code HKIA5 to get 5% off your first order at Supplyhouse!   Follow the Guest David Kim on: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kim-156b9878/  LinkedIn - LG Electronics: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lg-electronics    Follow the Host on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/  LinkedIn - HVAC Know It All Inc.: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hvac-know-it-all-inc Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/615679643061429/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/    Follow the Podcast on:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HVACKnowItAll   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LCBJGw0EHG03rdWHxUMce  Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hvac-know-it-all-podcast/id1359253455 

It's PID Radio's Throwback Thursday. This week, we present a 2007 interview with researcher and author Kate Iola about America's vulnerability to disruption of our food supply through agricultural terror. Originally released June 3, 2007 OUR SUMMER “archive series” continues with an interview culled from Derek's radio program on The Eagle 93.9 (KSSZ-FM) in Columbia, Missouri. His guest on Friday, May 25, 2007 was agroterror expert Kate Iola. Kate has a master's degree in Molecular Pathology from the University of California-San Diego, and three issued patents. She started reporting on FMD (foot-and-mouth disease) in 1999. In 2000, she decided someone needed to tell the bizarre — and, unfortunately, true — story of the threat of FMD. Just as Sharon did with avian flu in The Armageddon Strain, Kate chose to spread the word about FMD with fiction. Her novel Deadstock is a chilling look at the ease with which America's agriculture industry could be brought to its knees. Derek and Kate also talked about the Department of Homeland Security's proposed new bioweapons lab, the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF). Columbia is one of 17 contenders to host this BSL-4 laboratory, and Kate is raising a red flag. Placing a lab that studies FMD in the middle of America's beef and pork producing territory raises some serious security issues. Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, is fighting stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Follow us! X (formerly Twitter): @pidradio | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert | @gilberthouse_tvTelegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunkerSubstack: gilberthouse.substack.comYouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelationFacebook.com/pidradio JOIN US IN ISRAEL (NOTE NEW DATES)! We will tour the Holy Land October 25–November 6, 2027 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square foot pole barn has a new HVAC system, epoxy floor, 100-amp electric service, new windows, insulation, lights, and ceiling fans! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here: gilberthouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to this podcast, our weekly Bible studies, and our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at pidradio.com/app. Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store/.

In this one, Mark heads out west for a road trip...and pulls the Casita with him. Bruce talks about his grading/dirt work, HVAC and laser stuff. Plus, a whole lot more! This episode is sponsored by Gorilla Glue! Order yours today using our link: https://gorillatough.com/webuiltathing Gorilla. Tough enough for the pros. Easy enough for everyone. Thanks to Gorilla Glue for sponsoring this episode! Mark's YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/gunflintdesigns Bruce's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/bruceaulrich DIRTtoDONE on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/DIRTtoDON Become a patron of the show! http://patreon.com/webuiltathing OUR TOP PATREON SUPPORTERS -Scott @ Dad It Yourself DIY http://bit.ly/3vcuqmv -Ray Jolliff -Deo Gloria Woodworks (Matthew Allen) https://www.instagram.com/deogloriawoodworks/ -Henry Lootens (@Manfaritawood) -Maddux Woodworks http://bit.ly/3chHe2p -Bruce Clark -Monkey Business Woodworks -AC Nailed It -Joe Santos from Designer's Touch Kitchen & Bath Studio -Trevor Support our sponsors: TOOL CODES: -MagSwitch: "GUNFLINT10" -SurfPrep: "BRUCEAULRICH" -Starbond: "BRUCEAULRICH" -Brunt Workgear: "GUNFLINT10" -Rotoboss: "GUNFLINT" -Montana Brand Tools: "GUNFLINT10" -Monport Lasers: "GUNFLINT6" -Stone Coat Epoxy: Gunflint -MAS Epoxy: FLINT -YesWelder: GUNFLINT10 -Millner-Haufen Tool Co: "ULRICH20" for 20% off -Camel City Mill: GUNFLINT10 -Arbortech Tools: "BRUCEAULRICH" for 10% off -Wagner Meters: https://www.wagnermeters.com/shop/orion-950-smart/?ref=210 ETSY SHOPS: Bruce: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BruceAUlrich?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=942512486 Mark: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GunflintDesigns?ref=search_shop_redirect We are makers, full-time dads and have YouTube channels we are trying to grow and share information with others. Throughout this podcast, we talk about making things, making videos to share on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc...and all of the life that happens in between.  CONNECT WITH US: WE BUILT A THING: www.instagram.com/webuiltathingWE BUILT A THING EMAIL: webuiltathing@gmail.com BRUDADDY: www.instagram.com/brudaddy/ GUNFLINT DESIGNS: https://www.instagram.com/gunflintdesigns

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, host Gary McCreadie is joined by David Kim, Engineering Manager at LG Electronics, to discuss variable refrigerant flow systems and how they work. David explains the difference between heat pump and heat recovery VRF systems, how inverter compressors and electronic expansion valves control refrigerant flow, and why each indoor unit can operate with its own set point. The conversation covers VRF system design, piping, refrigerant charge calculations, and the use of LG's LATS HVAC software. Gary and David also discuss the importance of nitrogen brazing, the temporary use of filter driers after service, and the move from R410A to R32 refrigerant. They also explore LG's Multi V i system, including its improved heating performance, service data tracking, building automation options, and higher system capacity. In this conversation, David explains what variable refrigerant flow systems are and how they provide heating and cooling to different indoor zones. He discusses the difference between heat pump and heat recovery systems, along with how inverter compressors and electronic expansion valves control refrigerant flow. David and Gary explore topics such as VRF system design, piping, refrigerant charge, nitrogen brazing, and the use of LG's LATS HVAC software. They also discuss the move from R410A to R32 refrigerant, the features of LG's Multi V i system, and why proper installation, system design, and service practices are important for reliable performance. Expect to Learn: What variable refrigerant flow systems are and how they provide heating and cooling to different zones. The difference between heat pump and heat recovery VRF systems and how each one operates. How inverter compressors and electronic expansion valves control refrigerant flow. Why proper VRF design, piping, refrigerant charge, and nitrogen brazing are important. LG's Multi V i system uses R32 refrigerant, improved controls, service data, and higher capacity. Episode Highlights: [00:00] - Sponsor Ad: Factory Direct Filters [00:42] - Intro to Guest David Kim from LG in Part 1 [02:51] - VRF Education: Definition and Heat Recovery [05:17] - History of VRF: From Asia to North America [07:05] - How Modulation Works: Inverter Compressors & Electronic Expansion Valves (EEVs) [08:52] - Comparison: Mini-Split Metering vs. VRF Metering [10:08] - System Design & Sizing: Using LG's LATS HVAC Software [13:28] - Installation Best Practices: The Importance of Nitrogen Brazing [14:51] - Service Debate: Filter Dryers on VRF Systems (Temporary vs. Permanent) [17:02] - New Technology: Introducing the Multi V i (R32 Refrigerant & AI Features) [20:13] - Building Automation Integration and Modular Capacity   This Episode is Kindly Sponsored by: Cintas: https://www.cintas.com/hvacknowitall Cool Air Products: https://www.coolairproducts.net/ Factory Direct Filters: https://www.factorydirectfilters.com/ SupplyHouse: https://www.supplyhouse.com/tm Use promo code HKIA5 to get 5% off your first order at Supplyhouse! Follow the Guest David Kim on: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kim-156b9878/ LinkedIn - LG Electronics: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lg-electronics/  Follow the Host on: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/ LinkedIn - HVAC Know It All: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hvac-know-it-all-inc Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/  Follow the Podcast on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HVACKnowItAll Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LCBJGw0EHG03rdWHxUMce Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hvac-know-it-all-podcast/id1359253455

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Business Edition Podcast, co-hosts Gary McCreadie and Furman Haynes from WorkHero sit down with Valeria Velázquez, Director of Customer Strategy at WorkHero and Co-Founder of Climate Champions to discuss what it really takes to grow and scale a successful HVAC business. Drawing from her experience helping transform an HVAC company from under $1 million to $5 million in revenue, Valeria shares practical lessons on business operations, leadership, marketing, customer retention, and building high-performing office teams. She also reflects on growing up in an HVAC family, the importance of community involvement, and why mastering the fundamentals is the key to sustainable growth. Valeria Velázquez is an HVAC business operations leader with extensive experience scaling residential HVAC companies through operational excellence, leadership, and process improvement. After helping grow an HVAC business from a small operation into a multi-million-dollar business, she has become a trusted voice on office management, customer experience, marketing systems, and helping contractors build businesses that can grow without sacrificing service quality.   Expect To Learn: - Why being a great technician doesn't automatically make you a great business owner. - How community involvement can become one of your strongest marketing strategies. - The systems every HVAC company needs before investing in paid marketing. - Why recurring maintenance agreements are essential for long-term growth. - How a strong office manager can transform an HVAC business. - The biggest lessons from scaling an HVAC company from $500K to $5M. - Practical advice for dispatchers, CSRs, and office staff looking to grow into leadership roles.   Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:24 – Why Small Business Owners Strengthen Their Communities 04:35 – Growing Up in an HVAC Family 07:42 – Scaling an HVAC Business from $500K to $5 Million 09:54 – Building Recurring Revenue with Service Agreements 14:27 – Why Great Office Managers Drive Business Growth. 15:36 – Where Growth Really Comes From 17:12 – The Marketing Strategies Every HVAC Contractor Needs 18:50 – Building a High-Performing Office Team 19:22 – Advice for Dispatchers and CSRs Who Want to Lead   Follow our Guest Valeria Velázquez: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeria-velazquez-6a00402b7/    Company LinkedIn: Climate Champions: https://www.linkedin.com/company/callthechampions/  WorkHero: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workherohvac/    Company Website:  Climate Champions: https://www.callthechampions.com/  WorkHero: https://www.workhero.pro/    Company Instagram: WorkHero: https://www.instagram.com/workhero__/    Follow Gary McCreadie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/  Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/    Follow Furman Haynes:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/furmanhaynes/  WorkHero: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workherohvac/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workhero__/  

Most home service businesses keep just 5 to 12% net profit, and most owners have no idea that is where they are. The best run HVAC, plumbing, and electrical shops keep 20%, and the gap almost always comes down to a few fixable mistakes. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch sit down with Matthew Mooney and Raymond Gong of Profitability Partners, a fractional CFO firm that spent years on the private equity side of the table and now helps owners find the profit already hiding in their business. They break down the real gross profit benchmarks for every trade, the labor and pricing mistakes that make your P&L lie to you, why fixing your booking rate beats spending more on ads, and how one plumbing company cut 3 million dollars a year in overhead in six months. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Upfrog, one of our show partners. Upfrog turns paid ad spend into booked, sold system replacements instead of wasted leads. Learn more at upfrog.com. CHAPTERS 0:00 – The 20% Net Margin Most Contractors Never Hit 3:49 – Meet Profitability Partners: Fractional CFOs From Private Equity 7:54 – What Private Equity Looks For in an Undervalued Business 11:00 – Gross Profit Benchmarks by Trade: HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical 15:56 – The Fully Loaded Labor Mistake That Hides Your Real Margin 18:16 – The What Is Everyone Charging Trap and the Discount Price Book 20:24 – Why Discounting Costs You More Than Spending on Ads 23:36 – Fix Your Booking Rate Before You Spend a Dollar on Marketing 27:47 – What Separates a 12% Company From a 20% Company 29:55 – Switching to Commission Pay Without Losing Your Techs 36:41 – Where AI Actually Helps a 5 to 30 Million Dollar Contractor 39:12 – The Overhead Trap: Unused Software and Oversized Leases 41:56 – Case Study: Cutting 3 Million Dollars a Year in Six Months 48:22 – The Exit Math That Turns 200K Saved Into 2 Million 52:15 – The 1% Booking Rate Worth 3 Million, and Why Your CRM Lies 55:33 – Where to Find Matthew and Raymond WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - The real gross profit benchmarks by trade, and why a 50% GP can secretly be sub 40 once labor is fully loaded - Why 20% net profit is realistic, and the mistakes keeping most shops at 5 to 12% - How discounting quietly wrecks your margin, and why 2 to 3% more on ads beats 10% off the price - Why booking rate is the first thing to fix before spending another dollar on marketing - How one plumbing company cut 3 million dollars a year in overhead in six months - The exit math that turns a 200,000 dollar expense cut into 2 million more at the sale THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY UPFROG System replacement leads from paid ads, nurtured and booked into sold jobs before your team arrives: upfrog.comBREEZY About 30 percent of inbound calls in home services go unanswered, and those are customers ready to book with whoever picks up first. Breezy puts AI agents on every call, books the job, and follows up instantly, so you wake up to booked jobs instead of missed calls. See how many jobs you are losing at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy. MARKET STORM Market Storm uses AI to catch early buyer intent and put your brand in front of homeowners before they ever search. Visit https://marketstorm.ai or text 213-575-5448. CALLRAIL CallRail assigns a unique tracking number to each marketing effort, so you know which channels bring your best leads. Try it free at https://callrail.com/sbmpod. PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Matthew Mooney (Profitability Partners): https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-mooney-54b09047/ Raymond Gong (Profitability Partners): https://www.linkedin.com/in/gongraymond/ ARTICLES WORTH READING HVAC profit margin benchmarks: https://profitabilitypartners.io/hvac-profit-margins/ Plumbing profit margin benchmarks: https://profitabilitypartners.io/plumbing-profit-margins/ ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery helps home service owners run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch break down the operations, technology, and leadership behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators actually doing the work. More at https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Want the frameworks from each episode in your inbox? Join the free Service Business Mastery newsletter: https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ Subscribe on YouTube and follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HomeServices #ContractorProfit #HVACBusiness #FractionalCFO

Navigating the dizzying world of home improvement can feel like dodging landmines in a war zone, especially when it comes to deciding whether an upgrade is truly worth it. Eric G takes the reins this week to dissect some products that might seem tempting but ultimately could lead to regret—think of it as your home improvement GPS recalculating your route when you stray into dangerous territory. Picture this: you're all set to buy a brand-new tool that promises to make your life easier, but what if it's a knockoff? Eric dives deep into the shadowy realm of counterfeit products, specifically focusing on Grabo tools, which boasts a whopping 60 patents. As he navigates through the murky waters of imitation products, Eric raises the alarm on knockoff battery packs and smoke detectors that could be lurking in your home, just like that one friend who always seems to show up uninvited. Spoiler alert: they're not just cheap, they could be hazardous! So, tune in for a lively chat filled with witty banter and serious warnings about the importance of investing in quality—because sometimes, you really do get what you pay for!Takeaways:In today's episode, we delve into whether expensive home improvement upgrades genuinely justify the price tag or not.Eric shares his thoughts on the latest home products, emphasizing that sometimes cheaper isn't better, especially with tools.Watch out for those sneaky knockoff products; they might save you a few bucks but can endanger your home and safety.Counterfeit smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms might look similar but can fail to alert you in emergencies—definitely a no-go!Essential oil diffusers connected to HVAC systems might sound fancy, but they could turn your home into a sticky disaster zone—yikes!When considering attic ventilation systems, it's crucial to ensure proper air sealing to avoid pulling conditioned air out of your home.Links referenced in this episode:aroundthehouseonline.comaroundthehousehqCompanies mentioned in this episode:GraboDeWaltVevorMilwaukeeEatonThanks for listening to Around the house if you want to hear more please subscribe so you get notified of the latest episode as it posts at https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/listenIf you want to join the Around the House Insider for access to the back catalog, Exclusive Content and a direct email to Eric G and access to the show early https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/support We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.

HOSTS: Pam Pybas, ASHI certified inspector at Inspect It Like a Girl.TOPIC(S) DISCUSSED: Pam talks about the importance of maintaining your air conditioning in the South. She talks about how to clean your HVAC system, avoid water damage, what temperature to keep your thermostat on, and more.EMAIL: fixit101@mpbonline.org. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB: https://donate.mpbfoundation.org/mspb/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode Arian is in the studio with Big T and PFT to get into all the news from the weekend and answer your voicemails. Enjoy! (00:02:33) MLB (00:08:42) Fauci's Diary (00:15:44) Lebron James (00:22:49) UNC & Bill Belichick (00:29:11) PFT's HVAC (00:46:07) VoicemailsYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/macrodosing

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Keith welcomes back Todd Drowlette, star of A&E's The Real Estate Commission, to help demystify commercial real estate for residential investors.  They explore which sectors are most resilient to disruption from AI, automation, and Amazon, why certain office and warehouse assets still work, and how service-based retail like nail salons and quick-service restaurants can offer durable returns.  Todd breaks down the basics and advantages of triple net (NNN) leases, key considerations in office-to-residential conversions, and how rising interest rates are reshaping commercial deals.  He also shares negotiation tactics from large commercial transactions that investors can immediately apply to their next rental property purchase. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/616 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  FAMILY to 66866  Unlock truly passive real estate income—visit flockhomes.com/GRE today to see if your properties qualify for a 721 exchange with Flock Homes. To get in the best physical, mental, and professional shape of your life, go to DanielThomasHind.com and apply for Daniel's intensive 1-on-1 coaching for burnt-out entrepreneurs and executives. Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. We're talking with the star of the A&E show, the Real Estate Commission today. What real estate sectors are safe from AI, robots, and Amazon disruption? How many deals on the commercial side are still going to implode due to mortgage rates resetting higher? And some of the best negotiation techniques from $100 million deals that you can use in your own deals, and more today on Get Rich Education. You know, Mid South Homebuyers, that top Memphis turnkey provider. I learned that a secret weapon behind their explosive growth is more than just you buying their properties. It's an executive coach. For nine years now, their CEO Terry Kerr and his COO Pat Nix have worked privately with a coach who I've now learned from too, and he doesn't market himself online anywhere. After 12 years behind the scenes, that coach is now making himself available exclusively for GRE listeners, his name is Daniel Thomas Hind. If you're a hard-charging business owner or investor who wants to get in the best shape of your life, physically, mentally, and professionally, you can fill out an application for a free consult. This is private one-on-one coaching for those willing to go to uncommon lengths to achieve uncommon results. Thanks to Daniel, we've all become better leaders, better operators, and better men. It started by showing up for ourselves. Now it's your turn. Go to DanielThomashHind.com. H-I-N-D. That's DanielThomashHind.com and sign up before spots fill. What if you got your mortgage loans the same place I get mine? You sure can at Ridge Lending Group NMLS 42056 They provided GRE listeners with more loans than anyone because Ridge specializes in investment property. They'll help you build a long-term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequal and even chat directly with President Caeli Ridge. While it's on your mind, start at ridgelendinggroup.com. That's ridgelendinggroup.com.   Speaker 1  2:19   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is Get Rich Education.   Keith Weinhold  2:35   Welcome to GRE from Peoria, Illinois to Peoria, Arizona, and across 188 world nations. I'm Keith Weinhold, and you're listening to Get Rich Education. Though we're a show centered on how to build wealth through residential real estate investing, today we're talking mostly about the commercial side with a guest that's more comfortable investing in commercial real estate than he is residential. We'll learn why. He is the star of the new real estate show called the Real Estate Commission that airs on A&E Network. Todd Drowlette, because he was here with us last year shortly before the show debuted, and he had so many interesting things to tell us then. That's why he's back. Now we know that residential real estate is positioned well at surviving the boom in artificial intelligence's influence because everybody still needs a place to live. You can't download a kitchen or living room, and a chatbot can't replace a roof. But some types of commercial real estate are vulnerable to AI. I'm going to ask Todd which types and businesses are the most resilient to survive AI, robots, and Amazon, because there surely are some. He does a good job of making commercial real estate approachable to those that have never invested in it before.   Keith Weinhold  3:59   Contrary to the narrative, he also likes to talk about why office real estate is not dead. Occupying both worlds, I will ask him about office to residential conversions and also get his take on what is happening with commercial loans because apartment investors have been feeling the pain ever since mortgage rates doubled and nearly tripled in 2022. I'll ask about commercial loans blowing up and just how much more of that is expected to happen because the pain is certainly not over there. Let's meet this week's guest. A series on A and E Television and streaming launched last year called The Real Estate Commission, and it's going well enough that it's gearing up for season two. The star of that show is with us today. He was with us last year just before the show debuted, and that's when he shared all kinds of interesting insights with us, like why. A gas station is on a certain side of the road. He's perhaps the most prolific commercial real estate broker in the nation. He's managing director at Titan Commercial Realty Group in New York, closing deals totaling over $2 billion all across commercial real estate sectors. He's represented everyone from local startups to national reits. Hey, welcome back to Get Rich Education, Todd Drowlette.   Todd Drowlette  5:26   Thank you so much for having me back. I appreciate it. It's always great to talk to you.   Keith Weinhold  5:30   Yeah, same. It was so interesting when you were here last year, and I do want to ask you about how it's going with the A and E show later. Most of our listeners own single family rentals or small multifamily, and I think the commercial side, Todd. Frankly, it it intimidates some people. I know I've thought of it that way before. What are some of the misconceptions that the residential side seems to have about the commercial side?   Todd Drowlette  5:56   So a big misconception is that you have to be smart to do it. You certainly do not. A lot of people also think you have to already be a multimillionaire to do it, right? So the same way with residential, there's levels to it. There's levels to commercial real estate. So I say there's pros and cons, right? So in commercial real estate, if you have an office building or a shopping center or a ground lease, you rent to a McDonald's, whatever. You don't get phone calls at two in the morning saying my hot water tank just exploded, my furnace isn't working. So you still get property management calls, but they're typically from you know Monday through Friday, nine to five type of thing, and you don't need millions of dollars. People think you do. It's like you can buy a small two or three tenant office building or a two or three tenant retail shopping center, maybe something has a nail salon, hair salon in it. Depending on the market you're in, that could be a couple $100,000 to buy. If you're in a tertiary town in the United States, if you're in a major metro, it could be a million, 2  million bucks. But the rent is commiserate with what you're paying. So if you can make an 8 or 10% return, a lot of banks will finance startup people as long they're looking in commercial at the quality of the tenant and what the lease is. So you could have no experience, but if you're going to rent to a Hertz rental car, a Starbucks, a McDonald's, even if you personally have like say a 750 credit score, it's decent. It's not a perfect credit score, but you're financeable. They're lending in commercial real estate based on the credit and the length of the leases, not necessarily on your own financials. And a lot of people don't realize that, and they think, "Oh, bank's never going to approve me because I've never done commercial real estate before. Well, nobody's ever done anything until they do it, right? So as long as you start small, banks will lend to people, you know, on smaller things, there's a ton of pros to being in commercial real estate compared to residential. There's less competition. It's easier to repeat deals because once you know one tenant's looking for something, then you can find the next thing they're looking for, and it's a small knit group. You know, if there's 3 million real estate agents in the United States, I would say across the entire country, maybe 10,000 of us are commercial real estate agents.   Keith Weinhold  8:05   Yeah.   Todd Drowlette  8:06   So if you get into commercial, once you get into that network of people with a deal with the tenants and the whatever, you know, if you're in, you're in. If you're out, you're out. That was a very long answer to a very short question.   Keith Weinhold  8:16   Well, some people even have one of the same hangups about residential real estate investing-they think just to buy income property takes an awful lot of money, not realizing you can start with a single-family home of less than 300k or even less than 200k still today and make a small down payment on it. And you know, Todd, I think one thing that refines commercial real estate for some people and piques interest among residential investors is one of the first things that they learn when they're finding out about commercial real estate investing is the triple net lease. Oftentimes, you see that abbreviated NNN out there, and how that can make things somewhat more hands off for that commercial real estate investor. So, can you tell us about triple net leases?   Todd Drowlette  9:00   I sure can. Number one, the funny thing about triple net leases: none of the three things the N's represent start with an N. So your triple nets are literally your real estate taxes, your insurance, and your commonary maintenance. None of which start with an N. Yet it's called N N N.   Keith Weinhold  9:14   It's kind of like reading, writing, and arithmetic. The 3r is what only one of them starts with an R. It's a terrible acronym, but yes.   Todd Drowlette  9:22   Exactly. So there's different types of triple net properties. So essentially, a triple net property, unlike most residential, where you're responsible, you get X amount of rent, and then out of that rent for your income, you're going to subtract out your school tax, your property tax, your property insurance, liability insurance, you know, snow plowing, lawn mowing, all that type of stuff, right? So triple net properties, you have absolute net properties, which is the best thing you can own from a landlord's perspective. Those are things that are called absolute ground leases or an absolute net lease. Typically, you'll see those in like many gas stations. Will be that a lot of McDonald's. Deals are that where essentially you own a piece of property, you buy a piece of property, and you go here. You have X amount of time to put your building up, do construction, get your approvals. You're going to pay me X per month in a ground rent. You build your own building, you own your own building, you're responsible for it, and I just own the dirt. And those are typically 10 to 20 year leases with options. The downside of a triple net ground lease is you can't depreciate anything because it's just ground, right? So you don't get the depreciation you get with other properties, but you have no risk other than the credit of the tenant. So if you're signing a lease with the United States Postal Service and it's the federal government, you know you're getting that. Those will trade typically about one percentage point higher than U.S. Treasuries because there's very, very little risk in it. But there is some risk, so as an investor, you need a little bit better return than the guarantee of a U.S. Treasury.   Todd Drowlette  10:54   Then you have roof and structure triple net properties, where basically, okay, the roof and the structure I'm responsible for as the landlord. Anything inside of that, or you're responsible for, and then the tenants pay the proportionate share of, like I said, the taxes, the snow plowing, whatever. If that's a multi-tenant building, then you run the risk. Oh, tenant moves out as the landlord, you got to pick up that percentage. If if you have a 10,000 foot building and someone's in 2000 feet and they move out, well, now you're responsible for 20% of that tax and CAM and insurance bill until you replace it with a new tenant. But typically, if you're investing in small strip centers, smaller office buildings, which people say office is dead, I've made a fortune in office. Office is not dead. You just have to own the right office in the right place. A lot of downtown offices are dead, where they're moving to the suburbs for drugs and a lot of other issues. But typically, you know, strip centers today, people are buying those for 8% returns to as much as 10, 12% and a lot of times they're vacancy. That's upside you can add into it as well. But again, these are all things that you can get into for a couple $100,000 down, and there's way more room for error than people think there is. As long as you have a professional that's looking at the lease for you before you buy it, you know you just want to make sure the guarantee is on the lease that you have corporate guarantees. But typically, if a bank will finance it, they're also looking at that. But it's not as scary as people think it is, and it's really a strong alternative to investing in single-family homes. Not that I'm knocking single-family homes. There's pros and cons to literally everything you do in life, as you know. 100.   Keith Weinhold  12:28   A triple net lease, where in commercial property the tenant covers three main expenses or nets: property taxes, insurance, and the maintenance and repairs. And in a lot of the situations, like Todd is describing, that really leaves landlords responsible for little more than the mortgage, really increasing the passivity here. And you know, tenants that are willing to shoulder a triple net lease, I don't think of them as taking on those extra costs for nothing. I think about it is in exchange, tenants typically pay lower rent then, and the tenant also gets more control over the property in a triple net arrangement.   Todd Drowlette  13:08   That's a generally safe thing to say, but I hate saying this. I can't believe I'm even saying this, but you know they say location, location, location. So it really depends on the market. The biggest mistake people make to go, oh, I get asked all the time, should I invest in land? I'm like, hell no, raw land. I go when I develop stuff, I have a use for it. Once I get the approvals, then I'll close and buy the land. Land banking stuff and just going and buying land and hoping it goes up in value. I have a number one rule that I always say to people, and it's anytime you can buy $1 for 50 cents, you buy it, but you don't buy property for $1 hoping it goes to $2 because there's no guarantee that that'll happen. In raw land, you know you have a guaranteed. You're paying taxes every year, so just paying taxes on something that's also not returning you anything is a terrible investment, in my opinion. You're speculating. If you want to speculate, just go to the casino, play roulette, pick black or red, and you have roughly a 50-50 shop minus the three greens, but there's a lot easier ways to make money than buying raw land. But shopping centers, triple net properties, there's definitely ways for people to get into that that are much lower risk, and they're not as scary as you'd think. And many banks will finance them.   Keith Weinhold  14:18   Now, if you had to buy one commercial asset today, what would that be? I know that might depend on some factors, but generally, I've got to say, industrial comes to mind for me as one of the hottest commercial real estate asset classes in quite a while.   Todd Drowlette  14:32   So I would pick two strategies. One would be high bay warehouse, whether it's specifically industrial or just warehouse, but things with high ceilings, open floor plans, like you know, a 20,000 foot warehouse, 30,000 feet, something in that range, that a lot of people want that type of use. Warehouse rents have been increasing way faster than office or retail rents have been in the same markets. And as things get more and more automated, you still need to ship stuff. You still need to. Stuff you still need to get things to people's houses, so with the whole AI boom and the crazy things that are happening, I think there's going to be a lot fewer people with jobs sooner than people realize. But I do think the warehouse is a good thing to be invested in, especially if it's on main streets. It could be retail, could be warehouse, could be whatever. The second thing I'll say that's very low risk are any businesses that Amazon can't compete with you for. So, a small strip center that's two or three tenants, that's a hair salon, a nail salon, service type business, retail tenants, because it's a turnover business. So, like nail salons, they're never going to come to your house and do your nails unless you're a billionaire, because they can make more money with people coming to them in back-to-back appointments. So any type of service business tenant that you can have, and typically nail salons, hair salons, they don't usually go out completely. Usually, if they don't want to do it anymore, they'll sell the business to somebody else, and you keep a tenant. From an ownership standpoint, there's very low turnover and having to pay new brokerage fees or do give tenant fit-ups or free rent to like get their business up and running. So I would either go high bay warehouse with loading docks like 18 foot, 20 foot or higher ceilings, open floor plans, overhead doors, 20, 30,000 square feet, or two or three tenant strip malls with high traffic counts, good suburban locations that have service type businesses. Those are your two. Would be very hard to lose as long as you don't overpay when you buy them.   Keith Weinhold  16:25   This is such an interesting thing to say when you think about a resilient business, something that can't easily be disrupted by AI or Amazon, which something like a nail salon would fit into. Tell us about some of those other types that might fit into a small retail center that are resilient that way.   Todd Drowlette  16:45   End caps, so any kind of like a Popeyes, a McDonald's, anything that's drive-through or food. Even you're starting to see, you know, the Tesla robots, and you're seeing more and more of that. However, people will still buy the food. So whether the employees are actually still in there, it's all robots. They still physically need a place that's close and convenient for people to drive to, or even the food delivery apps. Like a lot of the retail restaurants now are telling me 30, 40% of their orders are delivery through like Uber Eats and whatever. But those are great tenants to have because they're still making money, and as the world's changing, they're adapting. And I want tenants that adapt to the changing world. And honestly, they can afford to pay more. This is terrible. But from a strictly landlord perspective, the fewer employees they have, you don't have workers' comp claims, you don't have the insurance, you don't have all those things. The more you can afford to pay rent to landlords. So as the world's changing, those type of retail, small strip centers, end caps, fast food, QSR type food, quick serve retail. Those are definitely things that I would be considering if I was someone getting into this, and they're things that I also own. So I always recommend what I would do myself.   Keith Weinhold  17:55   Right, and with that commercial tenant, if they're serving fast food, yes, it's not like their customer has to physically show up there at that business for that business to thrive.   Todd Drowlette  18:06   And actually, if you have them as a tenant, because of the delivery, like with a drive-through, you're typically only working off one or two miles. But Uber Eats or these other meal services, they're now going out five, six, even seven miles in some places. So that actually means their sales could be higher. And another thing I didn't mention, but now I'm thinking, a lot of restaurant tenants will pay a percentage rent. So actually, as their sales go up, even though there's not more infrastructure, you know, strains from more customers coming in and out of your property, as they're doing the meal delivery, you're actually potentially be getting cut of that as a landlord with percentage rent, which is a thing that doesn't exist in residential real estate, obviously, there's multiple streams of income for triple net properties at times when you have percentage rent that doesn't exist in warehouse, where it's in retail. It doesn't exist in office, doesn't exist in warehouse, doesn't exist in residential. So that can be a nice bonus, and you see that with supermarkets, restaurants, different types of retailers pay percentage run.   Keith Weinhold  19:05   Okay, so in a sense, Todd, we've been talking about going against the flow, if you will, in being in businesses that are resilient toward disruption from AI or Amazon. But while we're talking about industrial real estate, warehouses do come to mind for me soon afterward, I think generations ago maybe industrial had the connotation of a dirty factory. But today, when I think about warehouses, I think about Amazon fulfillment centers or AI data centers. So, what is the business like for investing in those sort of warehouse deals, and how do those deals even get put together for these warehouse types.   Todd Drowlette  19:42   So you have two types. So you have people who do spec building. So there's guys that will go out and say, "Hey, I'm in the warehousing business, and they'll go through. They'll get approvals and they'll say they'll buy 10 acres, 20 acres, 30 acres, and they'll say, "Okay, we're going to." Put I'm making this up. 500,000 square feet of warehouse on this. They'll go get approved, but they basically will put up a spec building of 40,000 50,000 feet, and then they'll lease it. Depending how long it takes them to lease it, then they'll build the next one. Once you kind of have one building up, it's much easier to prelease. If you just have a piece of dirt and say, hey, I'm going to do a warehouse building here. Unless you have a direct in specifically with Amazon, and they're like, hey, we need to be in Skoda, New York, you know, at this exit within 10 miles of that. And it's like anything. Once you do something for someone once, they're working across the whole country. So if you're particularly good in a specific region as developer, they will often say, "Hey, find me a spot here, here, because they're in the business of getting open and running data centers. They don't care if you're making a profit on the real estate, and they're not set up to locally go through the approvals, know the politicians, know the process, that whole thing. So there's opportunities like that. If you don't know anyone from a hole in the wall, if you have a big piece of property and you start with whatever you're comfortable with to spec out a warehouse, 10,000 feet, 5000 feet. See how long it takes. Do you lease that in six months? Does it take three months? Does it take a year? And then you can kind of take some of the profits from that, either refinance, or if you have a construction loan, then build the next one, build the next one, and build the next one. You can kind of build out as the demand comes along.   Keith Weinhold  21:22   You're listening to Get Rich Education. We're talking to the star of the A and E show, the Real Estate Commission, Todd Drowlette. So much when we come back. He's going to update us on what's happening with office to residential conversions, how much higher interest rate pain is still going to surface in some of these deals, and a negotiation tactic or two that you can use for your own residential deals. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Flock Homes helps you retire from real estate and landlording, whether it's one problem property or your whole portfolio, through a 721 exchange, deferring your capital gains tax and depreciation recapture. It's a strategy long used by the ultra wealthy. Now, mom and pop landlords can 721 the residential real estate request your initial valuation. See if your properties qualify at flockhomes.com/gre. That's flockehomes.com/gre. Let me ask you something: If you've worked hard to build wealth, is your money positioned to actually support your goals? A lot of accredited investors leave capital sitting in cash because it feels safe, but inflation and missed income opportunities can quietly erode its value. Freedom Family Investments offers freedom notes for investors seeking structured income backed by real estate. It's a straightforward approach built on real assets, not speculation. And full disclosure, I'm an investor myself. What I like is that their team walks you through how it all works, so you can decide if it aligns with your portfolio and income goals. Every investment carries risk, and nothing is guaranteed, but with a track record of consistent, on-time investor payouts, they built real credibility.   Todd Drowlette  24:15   Well, I'll tell you about some of the pitfalls, and I'll tell you the huge opportunities. If you have office buildings that are vacant, you know, particularly in downtown municipalities like in Albany, New York, you know, our state capital in New York. Politicians and the government right now are creating a lot of incentives to convert those, where they're putting up grant and giving away millions of dollars to private developers that you don't have to repay. So there's a huge opportunity to have people take on a lot of the risk for you to do it. Some of the pitfalls people get into are you want to pick the right office building to do it for. So you want to a make sure that that office building either has on site parking garages or on site parking because I've seen people try to do it and that. Downtowns where there's no parking, and you can put a lot of money in a building with no parking. And if you're not in New York City, where people are used to, and you're competing against suburban apartments, that's a tough sell. So that's number one. Number two, for whatever reason, people really want in office buildings and downtown settings floor-to-ceiling windows. So you really want to pick office buildings that already have floor-to-ceiling windows because it can be very expensive. If you get over three floors, it can be very expensive to cut out windows and make them larger. And another, this is a huge money potential pitfall if you're not careful. Many municipalities and states have different codes for elevators for residential buildings than they have for office. It makes no sense to me, but office buildings. It has to do with fitting the elevator has to be large enough that you can get a stretcher if someone had a heart attack and needed to be wheeled out. Ah, for some reason, residential buildings require larger elevators, and if your shaft isn't big enough and your car isn't big enough. You could have a million dollars or more of an unexpected expense to either make the shaft bigger. Some buildings you can't even do it.   Keith Weinhold  26:08   Well, but if it was originally set up for-   Todd Drowlette  26:09   It doesn't make any sense either. This is new. If you have an office building that's 30 stories tall, people could have heart attacks in the middle of the day at the office. So how is that any different than if they're at home in an apartment and have a heart attack, so it doesn't make any sense to me why the code is different for the fire code. But in New York State, the fire code is different, and that can be astronomically expensive, or it can literally stop your project dead in the tracks if it just becomes cost prohibitive to do it.   Keith Weinhold  26:34   That's something that I never would have thought about. I generally like to see office to residential conversions revitalizing central business districts in our cities. You know, you talked about the parking before having less need for parking. If people can walk to work and where they work, that increases the walkability of an area. I like so many things about office to residential conversions, despite all the hardships and the pitfalls you have to avoid.   Todd Drowlette  27:01   Oh, they're great. You just want to make sure you're picking the right building. So my point is, if you have five or 10 vacant office buildings, mostly vacant office buildings, just make sure you're choosing the right one. And before you buy it, do your due diligence and go through with contractors and engineers and architects that understand all the codes and say, hey, the other positive thing that saves money in office conversions is most office buildings. If you have an elevator bank, typically have bathrooms directly across from the elevator bank, so water and sewer can be very expensive when you're running apartments. So having central lines going up through usually concrete floors can save you a ton of money in the design and the layout of how you place the units and do it around central bathrooms, but typically larger office buildings will have plumbing and sewer on different parts of the floor. So it just means you have to go less distance and it saves money. And a lot of office buildings, even older ones, have higher ceilings, which today is very desirable for apartments. So if you can have a building that has natural light, high ceilings, and you can get grant money to do it, that's definitely something people should look into. And even with a smaller building, I've seen people in New York people are converting 5000 foot office buildings into like five units. You know, there's money to be made. You just have to buy right. I always say, you know, if you can buy $1 for 50 cents. Buy it. Don't buy $1 and hope it goes to $2 A   Keith Weinhold  28:25   lot of these physical limitations, oftentimes in the office to residential conversion, and Todd in the residential world, oftentimes apartment buildings have been problematic. A lot of these syndicators have had their deals blow up because in 2022 or earlier they got five to seven year fixed rate debt. Those deals are coming due. The mortgage payments double, and a lot of times the operator just can't meet it, and it blows up. And apartment building values have been down about 30% nationally, largely for that reason, even though an apartment building owner gets a commercial loan, I still want to know from the commercial side and the commercial use type how much higher interest rate pain do you see that has surfaced and is still going to surface.   Todd Drowlette  29:17   So, I'll answer this by quoting my grandmother. She said, "Anytime you want to cook, whatever size pot you think you need, pick twice that size pot and start using that.   Keith Weinhold  29:29   Yeah.   Todd Drowlette  29:29   So I say the same thing when you're financing a deal or you're writing it out and seeing what your returns are. I always say to people, make sure that you have a big enough cushion in there for all the things you can never predict in commercial loans, there's a ton of guys that are about to lose their shirts, and you're starting to see it because, unfortunately, I don't know if it's true in residential real estate, but in commercial real estate, I've seen guys go from nothing to 50 million, 100 million, $200 million net worths, but I've also seen. Lose everything. So what happens in commercial real estate that you don't want to do is so many people say OPM, use other people's money, use other people's money, use other people's money, which is fine as a strategy. But what you don't want to do is cross collateralized loans. So if you have one property and then you go, oh, let me refinance that and then buy a next property and I'll refinance that and buy the next property, and then the bank's like, okay, we'll refinance that, but we're going to now tie all these properties together as one mortgage, or you're going to cross guarantee these properties. Right. The problem with that is, the people who do that strategy, if you started at that, you know, in 2021 when interest rates, you could get things at three and three quarters percent. Well, commercial loans are five-year loans typically, and they might have 20 or 20-five-year amortizations. So, unlike a residential mortgage that's a 15 or 20 or 30-year self-amortizing loan, they're not. At the end of five years, you have a balloon payment that you have to pay off. So, if interest rates are going down, that's amazing because if your tenants are the same, and even if your rents didn't change, and you bought something at 6% and now it's at 5% Your cash flow goes up significantly, and nothing happened other than your refinance. The problem is you have a ton of guys right now, guys, women, people that were financing stuff five years ago at three and three quarters, and now interest rates are hanging six and a quarter, six and a half, depending on the property, is might maybe seven. Same tenant, same everything. You're giving the keys back to the bank because you're broke now. Because all of a sudden you're financing, you squeeze too much out of the deal. I always say you can take on the in in or you can take on the out, but you can't have both. So when people are financing stuff, they just need to make sure. Like here's another thing I'll go off on. A lot of people will buy stuff with tax credits, and you see even with residential apartments, a lot of guys are financing that, selling people tax credits. Economies and things change and things move. If a deal is so tight that you need the tax credits to make the deal make sense, yeah, don't do the fricking deal because tax credits should be an added bonus. That's just, hey, that's a nice adding to the cushion. So many people have razor thin margins. They go, oh well, I do the tax credits. If I can get 70 cents on the dollar, this is how I make the money. I tell people I will have nothing to do with tax credit deals unless it's strictly a bonus. The deal has to stand on its own, and always assume in the course of five years interest rates could go up three points or down three points. Most people will not listen to me and will not do that. If you do that, you'll never get killed and you won't lose a property. It's super conservative, but there's enough money you can make, and if you buy it right, that's how you can afford to figure that spread in when you're financing something. But just so many people get greedy, and I just think back to my friend Bob Bear, who died. I met him when he was like 70-five. He was a billionaire, self-made, and he used to say to me, "It's not what you make; it's what you keep. And when people would ask how rich are you, he knew how rich he was. He would say, "I don't owe anybody in the world a dime.   Todd Drowlette  32:59   And to me, my entire strategy is I don't owe anybody in the world a dime. So I personally look at deals and say, out of my own cash flows, what can I buy? And instead of buying four properties a year, I might buy one property a year. But if I'm buying that and compounding my returns, I'm not paying interest to the banks. So it's just a different strategy. I sleep at night. I'm like the multimillionaire next door. I don't live extravagantly. I don't drive Ferraris and Rolls Royces. That's just not my thing. But I sleep at night and I have peace, which is important to me, knowing I don't owe anybody in the world a dime. But will I get as rich as the guy who's risking everything? No. But real estate to me is musical chairs, and the music always stops at some point. And there's never enough chairs for everybody. But if you're somebody who's in a cash position, which you're going to be going through in the next six months to a year, on the residential and commercial, I think there's going to be blood in the streets. And I think people who are sitting in cash are going to have like a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy things at a deep discount.   Keith Weinhold  34:02   Philosophically, we're different in one way. I use debt and leverage to grow larger, but ensuring that I do have enough income to cover the mortgage and all the operating expenses. But Todd, to your analogy about your grandmother in selecting a bigger pot than what she would need to cook whatever she's going to do, when it does come to debt, the last time I bought an apartment building myself, which wasn't recent, I could have chosen seven-year fixed-rate debt with a balloon at the end, or 10-year fixed-rate debt with a balloon at the end. The 10-year fixed-rate debt cost me one quarter of a percent more in mortgage rate, which dented my cash flow during the entire duration of that loan. But I did indeed choose that 10-year loan in order to have that much more certainty, and I sure am glad that that's what I did.   Todd Drowlette  34:54   That's always the game because it's people think that rich people know what you don't, or it's inside. Whatever I'm like. Number one, if you sit in a room with a bunch of rich people, yes, they will work against you if it benefits them to work together. But if it doesn't, you have egos and separate interests that are all competing. And there's always that thing of I know very very rich people who could buy and sell me 100 times over, and I also know that you don't know what you don't know, and the world has gotten so complicated, and financial markets are all intertwined globally. Anyone to be able to predict, it's like it's a crapshoot when you're like, okay, do I take seven years? Where do I think interest rates will be in seven years? It's hard to say where interest rates going to be tomorrow. You ask a banker tomorrow, they can't tell you. So it's like, what's your best educated guess of seven or 10 years? What's the better play? But I always go the conservative route.   Keith Weinhold  35:43   I think it's easier to predict the future direction of capital prices than it is interest rates. Myself,   Todd Drowlette  35:50   but I will say also, I am the exception. And if you have 100 other guests on here in the next year, well, 50-one more guests in here the next year, yeah, they would all say Todd's an idiot. That's terrible advice. If you want to get rich, literally leverage, leverage. Just do it intelligently, and I acknowledge that. I don't see the world the way other people do, but my end game is to be rich and comfortable, and to sleep at night with peace. And that's why I choose to do what I do, realizing I'm giving up. It's the you know what are you giving up to what do you gain benefit analysis, and I'm realizing I'm giving up some upside in my total potential net worth. But I like peace, and you know I had anxiety for years. I don't have it anymore, and I live my life to be as anxiety free as I can possibly be.   Keith Weinhold  36:34   That's interesting, and that certainly works for you, Todd. What's one negotiation tactic that you get from dealing with, well, let's say Decca or Centa million dollar commercial deals that our listeners could use the very next time that they buy a rental property.   Todd Drowlette  36:53   So the number one mistake I think people make is they assume what's motivating the other person, and they assume it's always price. So anytime I'm going to negotiate a deal from someone, whoever has the most information always wins, and whoever doesn't need the deal always wins. Yeah. So I want to know as much about that other person on the other side as I am. Are they going through a divorce? Are they desperate? Do they hate each other? Is it a partnership breakup? Did somebody inherit it and they live five states away and don't even know what this thing is worth that they have. So the number one thing from a negotiating standpoint is understand exactly who you're negotiating with and what's motivating them. From an actual tactic standpoint, just think logically through whatever the process is, and you can always go up. You can't go down. So the key is to offer as little as you can without insulting the person, so they don't even respond. So figure out what that fine line is, and before you go into the negotiation, know what your walk away number is. That's just the point you're not getting over. The fast way to lose in a negotiation is to get stuck in a bidding war. There's nothing I want so much that I'm going to overpay for it. So when people go, "Well, if somebody else is interested, I go then sell it to them. Yeah, I don't need it. Sell it to them. And then the other thing I'll say is, if you start the negotiation, this is the one piece. Say your number and shut up. So many people are scared of silence. And then, right, if the person doesn't immediately respond, they go, "Oh, well, I guess I offered you 500,000 I mean, I guess I could go 550. As soon as you talk after you give a number, you're negotiating against yourself. So throw the number, let it land wherever it lands, and do not talk until that person responds to you. That's like the number one mistake I see people do. They throw out a number, they get nervous with the silence, and then they immediately go up in their offer. That person could have been thinking, "Oh my God, did I forget to call back my whatever? And they're not even thinking about the number you just threw out. But people just assume, oh God, the number was too low, and then they negotiate against those. Do not do that.   Keith Weinhold  38:48   Risk the awkward silence. And yes, to your point about learning more about the other side, terms are often more important than price for sure. Well, Todd, you know a lot of commercial real estate content in mainstream media it tends to focus on these big institutional deals. But what has made your A and E show interesting, the Real Estate Commission, is what it's called. Is it focuses more on sort of leasing and this negotiation that we're just touching on there, and that's what makes you interesting. So tell us about what audiences can expect for season two of the Real Estate Commission on A and E.   Todd Drowlette  39:24   So, season two, you will 100% see real landlords, real brokers, real investors. You'll see real retailers. You'll see people relocating their offices in New York City. You'll see stuff in upstate New York. It's generally in the Northeast. In the first season, we helped a kitchen cabinet manufacturer relocate their suburban offices in Philadelphia. I sold a 50-unit HUD property that has a HAP contract you might be familiar with. That was crazy going through a bankruptcy foreclosure proceeding two year. That was crazy. Yeah, so you are going to. See more of that. It's a documentary. It's not a reality show, so you're watching the deal as it unfolds. Some things have happy endings. Some things have terrible endings, but they're real endings either way. So people will see a lot of that of deals happening in the Northeast. And if someone's listening and they're a business owner and they want to be part of the show, they can apply. We're announcing the casting will be open for about three weeks across the U.S. They can go to the realestatecommission.com/forward/tv and they can apply to be part of the show.   Keith Weinhold  40:32   Now, since you started this last year, I want to ask: Has this A and E exposure helped you generate more business and create traffic? I would really think so.   Todd Drowlette  40:42   Yeah, I wasn't sure. You know how because you never anything new. You never know, right? Like I put time and energy into it. It definitely did. Definitely, people start to notice you, which is a little weird. I was in a cell phone store, and they literally it was playing, and the guy's like, "Oh, it's you! Like, and then everybody who's walking in, he's like, "Hey, look, it's the guy on TV. He's right here. That was like kind of an awkward. Like, I'm like, "Okay, this is weird. Guy was excited, so that was fine. It's an adjustment of things, but it definitely has increased our overall visibility and people reaching out to do deals with us for sure.   Keith Weinhold  41:18   Is there any last resource you'd like to tell our audience about.   Todd Drowlette  41:21   I would just quickly announce the first season did so well. We're actually doing a spinoff show that'll also air on A and E called the Real Estate Commission New York that we're casting in upstate New York as well as New York City for brokers, agents, home sellers, home buyers that will actually document real buyers, real sellers, same thing. It'll follow our format, which I know there's a million shows on TV about real estate. Those are reality shows, not docu series. And I'll say, without going into the details, there's a very big difference between those two and what you're actually seeing on camera and what's happening. That will air in March of 2027, back to back with our show, I will make cameos in that. But I'm executive producing that show, so from your residential audience, that's a show they should tune into. I think they'll get a lot out of it.   Keith Weinhold  42:12   Congratulations! Your show has had so much success that it's setting the template for another show, and it has been most interesting since we first had you here last year to follow this along, Todd Drowlette. It's been a valuable chat. Thanks so much for coming back onto the show.   Todd Drowlette  42:28   I'd love to come back anytime, and thank you so much for having me on again. I appreciate it.   Keith Weinhold  42:38   Drowlette is spelled D R O W L E T T E. Todd and I talk a good bit off mic as well. In addition to the elevators, sometimes he emphasizes how cumbersome to impossible HVAC system compatibility is when you're doing office to residential building conversions. Too, you just never seem to hear about an easier than expected office to residential property conversion. It is most interesting and rare that Todd is not much of a leverage guy at all. Whereas in the vein of financially free beats debt free, I like to approach deals where the interest cost is lower than the expected opportunity cost. When it comes to negotiating, some of Todd's approach, you know, it's similar to what prominent hostage negotiator Chris Voss shared with you here on the show a few years ago. That silence is powerful in negotiating. In fact, if you feel like you need to say something to fill the silence. Use what Chris Voss calls the mirroring technique, and the mirroring technique that is simply repeating what the other party just said, kind of like a parrot would. For example, if you're trying to buy a property and the seller says that the best they can do is sell it to you for 550k and a delayed 90-day close. Reply with 550k and a 90-day close, and then listen to see if the seller comes down from there. Or instead, you can simply say nothing and just sit there with the silence like Todd recommended. The reason I like these particular negotiating techniques right here is that they're easy to remember and they're easy to do. You either remain silent or, per the mirroring technique, you just repeat the last words that the other party said. Thanks to Todd Drowlette today, you can check out the real estate commission on A and E Coming up here on the show soon. Back to residential, where for the first time ever on the show here we discuss what might be the greatest real estate cash flow strategy because it's becoming quite popular today. Until next week, I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your daydream.   Speaker 1  45:08   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal, or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial, or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of Get Rich Education LLC exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  45:36   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building getricheducation.com  

In this episode, we talked about objections, pricing, roleplay... ———————————————————- Stop leaving money on the table. Every call is a chance to close. Every day is a chance to win. If you're a plumber, HVAC tech, electrician, or roofer who wants to close bigger tickets, handle objections without flinching, and build a career in the trades — this is your community. Blue Collar Closer is where 346+ home service professionals get live sales coaching, proven scripts, and real-time Q&A with Brian Burton. Not theory. Not fluff. The exact words that close jobs. bluecollarcloser.com   Full show notes + transcript: Every episode has searchable show notes and a full transcript at wastenoday.com   Waste No Day is hosted by Brian Burton and Nate Minnich — two guys who are in the trenches of home services every single day. Brian is the General Manager of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Scottsdale, one of the top-rated plumbing companies in the Phoenix Valley, serving Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, and the East Valley. Find them at benfranklinplumbingaz.com

Gary discusses the importance of addressing water-related problems, from rusty appliances to crumbling chimneys, and shares expert advice on how to tackle them. The conversation covers a range of topics, including the consequences of ignoring water damage, the benefits of using a water-based formula to remove efflorescence, and the importance of hiring a reputable chimney sweep. Gary also shares tips on how to find an honest contractor and discusses the value of preventative maintenance when it comes to plumbing and HVAC systems. One caller shares a story about a chimney fire that led to a costly repair, and the speaker offers advice on how to navigate insurance claims and negotiate with contractors. Another caller asks about the best way to remove efflorescence from a concrete floor, and the speaker recommends a high-detergent efflorescence remover. If you're a homeowner looking for expert advice on how to tackle common household issues, this hour is a must-listen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quotes from the episode: "You sell an amazing product that represents the future of home heating and cooling. But selling it, promoting it, and capturing consumers' attention is hard. At 257, we use data to help you do that more efficiently."  "The best way to judge the effectiveness of machine learning and AI is by the outcome: Did I sell more at a lower cost?" "It wasn't simply having a heat pump or solar system. Talking about it during the sales process had a positive effect on the home's sale price." How can HVAC contractors identify the homeowners most likely to invest in better systems—and reach them before an emergency replacement? Bill welcomes Scott Rosenberg, co-founder of 257, a home-energy intelligence company using data and machine learning to profile nearly every home in the United States. Scott shares how his earlier work building Roku's advertising business led him from valuable "home screen real estate" to using data to understand actual homes and the people living in them. Scott explains how 257 combines roughly 200 attributes across 130 million households, including building characteristics, estimated HVAC type and age, household demographics, energy assets, and purchase-propensity scores. Its free conversational interface, Pink, lets users ask plain-language questions such as how many owner-occupied homes in a contractor's service area have aging HVAC equipment that appears ready for an upgrade. Rather than relying on a few simple assumptions, the platform uses hundreds of signals to help contractors, manufacturers, utilities, and energy companies improve customer acquisition. The conversation also explores a major study that examines more than 140 million real estate transactions. The research found that homeowners who highlighted solar systems or heat pumps in their real estate listings received a measurable benefit to their home's sale price. Scott discusses the disconnect between consumers, who increasingly value energy efficiency, and real-estate professionals, who may not yet feel prepared to explain these systems. For HVAC contractors, the message is powerful: a high-performance system is not only about lower energy use, comfort, reliability, and safety; properly documented and communicated, it can also contribute to the home's future value and marketability. LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottarosenberg/ Website:www.257.co Sign up to see the power of this data: https://257.co/#product   The study we mention: https://257.co/blog/highlighting-home-efficiency-boosts-value Canary Media: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/heat-pump-home-value   This episode was recorded in June 2026.  

HVAC Mistakes Costing You Hundreds Every Year! And Your Questions Answered! The real estate markets across Louisville and Southern Indiana are moving with purpose—and timing has become a critical advantage. For those considering selling, exploring buying opportunities, or monitoring shifts in interest rates and property values, waiting is no longer a passive option. In today's environment, hesitation can mean a missed opportunity. The most successful buyers and sellers are not reacting to the market—they are strategically positioning themselves ahead of it. Bob Sokoler, leading We Sell Louisville, brings decades of local market expertise to every client interaction. Bob and his team focus on helping clients protect equity, identify opportunities early, and execute with confidence in a market that rewards preparation and precision. Stay Ahead with Local Market Intelligence Real estate decisions require more than general information—they require relevant, timely insight. The Louisville Real Estate Show with Bob Sokoler, hosted by Bob, airs every Sunday from 8:30 to 9:00 AM on 840 WHAS. Each week, Bob Sokoler delivers focused, data-driven analysis on: Home values Mortgage trends Inventory shifts Investment opportunities This is not broad commentary—it is actionable intelligence designed by Bob Sokoler to help listeners make confident real estate decisions in real time. Gain Clarity Before Making Understanding market position should be clear and data-driven. Through WeSellLouisville.com, Bob Sokoler provides access to insights tailored to each property, neighborhood, and client goal—empowering clients to move forward with confidence rather than uncertainty. A Strategic Advantage with We Sell Louisville Success in a fast-moving market requires a defined strategy and experienced guidance. Sellers benefit from Bob's targeted marketing strategies, strategic positioning, and a results-focused approach designed to maximize value and exposure. Buyers gain a competitive edge through Bob's market intelligence, early opportunity identification, and decisive execution. Bob and the We Sell Louisville team operate with a foundation of preparation, precision, and performance—key drivers of successful outcomes. Take the Next Step The market is already in motion. The advantage belongs to those who are prepared to act with the right strategy and guidance. To move forward with clarity and confidence, connect with Bob Sokoler and the We Sell Louisville team today. Contact Information: Bob Sokoler 10525 Timberwood Circle Louisville, KY 40223 WeSellLouisville.com bob@WeSellLouisville.com (502) 376-5483

In this episode, Bryan welcomes back Trevor Matthews from Refrigeration Mentor for a conversation focused entirely on nailing a job interview in the HVAC and refrigeration trades — whether it's a technician's very first shot at breaking into the industry or an experienced tech looking to move to a new company or specialty. Trevor opens up about his own rocky start, admitting he cycled through roughly 25 different jobs before landing in refrigeration and that he struggled with confidence in early interviews because he assumed he needed a deep resume of experience. What actually got him hired, he says, was being coachable: showing up willing to learn and do what was asked, even if that meant starting by sweeping floors. For technicians just entering the trade, Bryan and Trevor lay out a practical playbook. Research the company before reaching out — knowing what services they offer, how long they've been in business, and what type of work they do builds instant trust. Cast a wide net rather than sending out only a handful of applications, and don't get discouraged by rejection; both hosts stress "pleasant persistence" as the key to standing out, following up warmly without becoming a nuisance. Trevor shares a story about motivational speaker Les Brown showing up at a radio station day after day until he finally got a chance, as a reminder that repeated, respectful effort pays off. They also recommend creative approaches like recording a video resume tailored to a specific company, and getting ahead on certifications such as EPA 608, confined space, first aid, or defensive driving before ever applying, since these small credentials can make a hiring manager's decision much easier. The conversation then shifts to technicians pursuing their next opportunity rather than their first. Bryan explains that many larger companies route candidates through HR before they ever speak with a service manager, and that each conversation requires a different tone: HR wants to hear about safety, a clean driving record, and reliability, while a service manager wants to know how you'll bring value to customers and the team. Both agree that driving records have become a surprisingly major factor in hiring, given how much liability and cost a company takes on with every vehicle on the road. They also encourage candidates to ask people already working at a company for an internal referral, since a warm introduction dramatically increases the odds of getting hired, and many companies even offer referral bonuses that make current employees eager to help. Finally, Trevor and Bryan get tactical about interview performance itself. They recommend using AI tools to generate likely HR and technical interview questions, then practicing out loud with a spouse or friend to shake off the "rust" of not having interviewed in years. Confident humility comes up repeatedly: it's far better to admit "I don't know that term" than to bluff, and to speak with genuine curiosity about the trade rather than reciting a list of accomplishments. Trevor illustrates how a candidate can talk through a hypothetical service call step by step to demonstrate real troubleshooting knowledge, even without hands-on experience in that specific niche. The pair close by touching on soft skills like conflict resolution and building good relationships with dispatch, and Trevor shares where listeners can connect with the Refrigeration Mentor community for more training and support. Topics Covered Why Trevor initially struggled with confidence in early job interviews Researching a company before applying or interviewing Casting a wide net and using "pleasant persistence" instead of giving up after a few no's Standing out with a tailored video resume Getting certifications early: EPA 608, confined space, first aid, defensive driving Why driving records and vehicle safety matter so much to HVAC/R employers The difference between talking to HR versus a service manager Asking a current employee for an internal referral Avoiding negativity about past employers during interviews Using AI to prepare likely interview questions, then practicing with a real person Confident humility: admitting what you don't know instead of bluffing Demonstrating resourcefulness through podcasts, courses, and industry resources Talking through a hypothetical service call to show troubleshooting ability Soft skills, conflict resolution, and building relationships with dispatch Trevor's own story of landing his first refrigeration job in Australia Where to connect with Trevor and the Refrigeration Mentor community   Learn more about all the great resources Trevor offers through Refrigeration Mentor at https://refrigerationmentor.com/. Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

The Human Element Advantage: Driving Authentic Conversion and Algorithmic Visibility with Liz MbwamboIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Liz Mbwambo, the Founder and CEO of Upwynn Marketing, to examine the shifting operational mechanics required for service-based businesses to maintain market dominance in an AI-saturated ecosystem. Liz, a veteran agency leader and strategic marketer, details how traditional local service providers—from legal practices and home services contractors to regional suppliers—can cut through automated digital noise by pairing human-centric content with advanced data-gathering tech. This conversation delivers an intentional marketing playbook for business owners looking to optimize their conversion funnels, leverage first-party conversational data, shoot authentic founder-led video, and future-proof their brand visibility against changing search engine algorithms.The Search Engine Transformation: Utilizing First-Party Data and Founder Authenticity to Capture Market ShareThe rapid proliferation of generic, low-effort AI content generators has created a noisy digital marketplace where prospective clients actively tune out polished sales pitches and sterile corporate messaging. Liz Mbwambo explains that despite technological advances in ad distribution and generative copy, the fundamental psychology of marketing remains unchanged: consumers purchase services based on trust, personal connection, and perceived authority. To differentiate a company from automated competitors, founders must step in front of the camera to deliver unscripted, conversational video content that directly answers real customer questions. Capturing spontaneous insights—even from a smartphone at a desk or in a vehicle immediately following a client call—builds immediate psychological rapport and establishes an authentic authority profile that polished corporate commercials simply cannot replicate.To maximize the return on marketing spend and streamline backend content production, scaling enterprises must utilize artificial intelligence as a strategic listening tool rather than a generic text generator. By recording and transcribing every inbound sales call, client onboarding session, and internal team review, an agency or business owner can collect rich first-party data that exposes the exact language, objections, and pain points of their target market. Feeding these unstructured transcripts into advanced AI engines allows leadership to analyze recurring customer queries and systematically generate highly targeted FAQ videos, blog articles, and social media clips. This data-driven approach aligns corporate messaging with natural conversational search patterns, ensuring the brand ranks prominently as search algorithms shift toward processing human, long-tail queries.Sustaining long-term local market dominance also requires service businesses to balance their digital inbound strategies with diversified media channels, including strategic podcasting and hyper-localized advertising. Hosting a niche corporate podcast enables a service provider to go beyond transactional product pitches, offering broader educational value that positions the firm as a trusted community pillar and industry authority. This multi-channel approach expands brand reach—such as targeting underserved demographics with tailored, bilingual content—while opening direct networking doors with local business partners and high-value prospective accounts. When an organization combines authentic founder-led video, automated first-party data analysis, and proactive multi-platform media distribution into a single marketing architecture, it removes administrative lead-generation friction, protects client acquisition margins, and predictably expands enterprise valuation.About Liz MbwamboLiz Mbwambo is the Founder and CEO of Upwynn Marketing, a prominent digital agency architect, and a seasoned growth strategist based in Orlando, Florida. Drawing from years of high-level corporate experience and a deep understanding of consumer psychology, Liz specializes in helping local, service-based businesses scale their market presence. She is a dedicated thought leader who focuses on helping plumbing, HVAC, legal, and trade contractors transition away from generic marketing tactics to build authentic, data-driven lead engines.About Upwynn MarketingUpwynn Marketing is an elite full-service digital marketing agency engineered to help small-to-mid-sized service enterprises streamline client acquisition and maximize brand authority. The agency specializes in delivering comprehensive local SEO audits, founder-led video strategy playbooks, first-party data transcription analysis, and omni-channel paid media management. Through tailored growth blueprints, educational resources, and personalized strategy sessions, Upwynn Marketing enables regional service providers to remove lead-generation bottlenecks and predictably command market share.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeUpwynn Marketing Official Website: upwynnmarketing.comLiz Mbwambo on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lizmbwamboKey Episode HighlightsThe Authenticity Imperative: Why raw, founder-led video content recorded on a smartphone outperforms overly polished corporate marketing in an AI-saturated market.First-Party Conversational Mining: Utilizing AI transcription tools to analyze real client sales calls and extract high-converting FAQ content topics.Optimizing for Conversational Search: Structuring written and video content around natural human speech patterns to match evolving algorithmic search queries.Corporate Podcasting as a Growth Engine: Leveraging niche, educational podcasts to build community trust, serve diverse demographics, and open B2B networking channels.Balancing Omni-Channel Local Media: Integrating localized paid ad formats with organic SEO and traditional media to capture dominant regional market share.ConclusionThe conversation with Liz Mbwambo underscores that thriving in the modern marketing landscape requires an intentional balance of high-tech data collection and unscripted human connection. By standardizing internal content production around real customer conversations, embracing founder-led video, and leveraging first-party data, business leaders can transform a noisy, generic marketing footprint into a highly structured, self-sustaining client acquisition asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

It's PID Radio's Throwback Thursday. This week, we present a 2007 interview with prophecy expert and author Terry James about a plot to corrupt the human genome just as the sons of God did long before the flood. Of course, this scenario is just fiction—or is it? Originally released November 25, 2007 WHILE WE complete the first stage of our move from Missouri to Indiana, we present a guest we think you'll find fascinating. Terry James has been writing about prophecy for years, but what led him to study and write about the coming end of the age is perhaps even more interesting than his work. Settle in for an hour of discussion about fallen angels, UFOs, nephilim, and the end of the world as we know it. Links: The Nephilim Imperatives: Book Two of the Second Coming ChroniclesRaptureReady.comBook review: The Nephilim Imperatives by Terry JamesTerry James prophecy study archive at RaptureReady.com Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, is fighting stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Follow us! X (formerly Twitter): @pidradio | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert | @gilberthouse_tvTelegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunkerSubstack: gilberthouse.substack.comYouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelationFacebook.com/pidradio JOIN US IN ISRAEL (NOTE NEW DATES)! We will tour the Holy Land October 25–November 6, 2027 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square foot pole barn has a new HVAC system, epoxy floor, 100-amp electric service, new windows, insulation, lights, and ceiling fans! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here: gilberthouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to this podcast, our weekly Bible studies, and our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at pidradio.com/app. Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store/.

Matt Kilgroe — President & CEO, Cyndeo Wealth Partners Matt Kilgroe shares how Cyndeo Wealth Partners grew from a newly launched $1.2B RIA to a $3.5B enterprise, and why the next challenge isn't independence, but building a firm capable of reaching $25B.  In Summary Five years after launching Cyndeo Wealth Partners from UBS, Matt Kilgroe returns to the podcast to discuss what happens after independence. Rather than focusing on the transition itself, Louis and Matt explore the next phase of growth: scaling an advisory business, attracting talent, developing niche expertise, taking on outside capital, and building an enterprise designed to last. Along the way, Matt shares how Cyndeo expanded from $1.2B to $3.5B, why serving professional athletes required a different business model, and what led the firm to partner with Rise Growth Partners as it looks toward a $25B future.  The Storyline For many advisors, independence is viewed as the finish line. For Matt Kilgroe, it became the starting point. When Cyndeo Wealth Partners launched in 2020, the goal wasn't simply to leave the wirehouse behind. It was to build a business with the flexibility to grow in ways that simply weren't possible before. Five years later, that vision has evolved into something much larger. Cyndeo has nearly tripled in size, expanded its niche serving professional athletes and entertainers, recruited advisors, added specialized operational talent, and recently welcomed Rise Growth Partners as a minority investor to help accelerate its next phase of growth. The conversation explores what changes when firm leaders stop thinking like advisors managing successful practices and begin thinking like CEOs building enduring enterprises. The discussion spans succession planning, capital strategy, recruiting, organizational design, and the mindset required to scale from billions to tens of billions—all while remaining focused on clients and culture.  Topics Covered Building an enterprise beyond independence Scaling from $1.2B to $3.5B in assets Organic growth versus recruiting Serving professional athletes and entertainers Why fiduciary independence matters for niche client segments Building operational infrastructure for growth Partnering with Dynasty Financial Partners Minority capital and Rise Growth Partners Succession planning and employee ownership Thinking from $3.5B to $25B > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors What did Matt learn after transitioning nearly 98% of his clients? (06:20) Why client relationships—not firm logos—proved to be the firm's greatest asset during one of the most challenging transitions imaginable. How did Cyndeo nearly triple in size in five years? (16:10) Matt discusses the combination of niche specialization, disciplined organic growth, recruiting, and operational investment that fueled the firm's expansion. Why has Cyndeo become a destination for professional athletes? (17:15) The conversation explores how deep industry expertise, fiduciary flexibility, and specialized service created a business that would have been difficult to build inside a wirehouse. Why bring on a minority capital partner when the business was already thriving? (24:15) Matt explains why succession planning, future recruiting, and long-term enterprise growth made outside capital the right decision. How should advisors think about ownership versus compensation? (35:40) A candid discussion about enterprise value, equity, and why many advisors underestimate the long-term economics of ownership. What does it actually take to scale toward $25B? (42:20) From hiring executive talent to expanding geographically, Matt shares how he's thinking about the next chapter of Cyndeo's evolution. Key Takeaways Independence creates opportunities that extend well beyond higher payouts, including enterprise value, recruiting flexibility, and ownership. Scaling a business requires investing in operational leadership, not just adding advisors. Specialized client niches demand expertise that goes well beyond investment management. Outside capital can accelerate growth when it's aligned with long-term strategy rather than an exit. Building an enduring enterprise requires thinking differently about succession, talent, governance, and equity. https://youtu.be/WRYJd9Lkt7o Quotable Moments “Don't rent your practice. Own it.” “You can't work in those niches and not be a fiduciary.” “We're not done.” “The road from $3B to $25B is going to really compound on your equity.”  FAQs Why did Cyndeo decide to take on a minority capital partner? To support its next phase of growth, strengthen succession planning, recruit additional talent, and benefit from the experience of leaders who have successfully scaled wealth management businesses before. How did Cyndeo grow from $1.2B to $3.5B? Through a combination of consistent organic growth, specialized client niches, advisor recruiting, and investments in operational infrastructure. Why is serving professional athletes or other niche client segments different from serving traditional wealth clients? Niche client segments often face unique financial decisions involving private investments, business opportunities, and career transitions that require specialized knowledge and a fiduciary framework. What advantages did independence create that weren't available inside a wirehouse? Matt points to greater flexibility around private investments, the ability to build specialized client experiences, reward employees with equity, and create an enterprise with lasting value. How should advisors think about building versus joining an independent firm? The discussion highlights the tradeoffs between creating your own firm and joining an established independent enterprise, emphasizing that ownership and long-term equity often matter more than headline payouts. What does Matt believe is required to build a $25B firm? A willingness to invest beyond advisors alone, adding executive leadership, expanding geographically, recruiting strategically, and maintaining a long-term enterprise mindset. To support its next phase of growth, strengthen succession planning, recruit additional talent, and benefit from the experience of leaders who have successfully scaled wealth management businesses before. Through a combination of consistent organic growth, specialized client niches, advisor recruiting, and investments in operational infrastructure. Niche client segments often face unique financial decisions involving private investments, business opportunities, and career transitions that require specialized knowledge and a fiduciary framework. Matt points to greater flexibility around private investments, the ability to build specialized client experiences, reward employees with equity, and create an enterprise with lasting value. The discussion highlights the tradeoffs between creating your own firm and joining an established independent enterprise, emphasizing that ownership and long-term equity often matter more than headline payouts. A willingness to invest beyond advisors alone, adding executive leadership, expanding geographically, recruiting strategically, and maintaining a long-term enterprise mindset. Related Resources Article: Your Practice Isn't Worth What You ThinkMost advisors misjudge their business's value, not because of the number, but because of the framework. Learn what really drives enterprise value. Rise and Reinvent: Joe Duran on Building and Rebuilding World-Class FirmsHe's built and rebuilt some of the industry's most successful firms and now he's helping others do the same. In this episode, Joe Duran, the founder of Rise Growth Partners, shares lessons from building, selling, and starting again, and how staying curious and adaptable fuels lasting success. Matt KilgroePresident/CEO Prior to launching Cyndeo Wealth Partners in 2020, Matt ran advisory teams at Merrill Lynch and UBS Financial for 29 years. Providing guidance, counsel, and strategy for families the firm serves is Matt's passion. In addition to his role as an advisor, Matt works in a leadership capacity for Cyndeo while also helping with business development. Matt has been recognized by Barron's as a Top 1000 or Top 1200 Advisor consistently since 2009. In 2020 Forbes named him to their “Best-In-State Wealth Advisor” list. A graduate of Eckerd College, Matt has served on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater since 2012. His three children are his pride and joy. Daughter Carrington owns Sunstate Yoga studio in St. Petersburg, son Kent is a financial advisor with Cyndeo, and daughter Jillian recently graduated Florida State University. An athlete in college, Matt continues to enjoy staying in shape, playing basketball, and bike riding. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… True Alignment: Advising Business Owners on Wealth, Significance, and Value A conversation with Jason Diamond, Nick Hubert and Taylor Gentry – Founding Partners at Panoramic Capital Partners. Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is True Alignment: Advising Business Owners on Wealth, Significance, and Value. It’s a conversation with Nick Hubert and Taylor Gentry, Founding Partners, Panoramic Capital Partners. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at 908-879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Advisory firms that work with business owner clients typically operate through a fairly traditional wealth management lens. The business may be the source of the wealth, but the advice itself often centers around investments, planning, and asset allocation, yet Panoramic Capital Partners approaches that equation differently. Nick Hubert and Taylor Gentry are the founding partners of the roughly $450 million RIA, serving about 150 families with a seven-person team. And while they come from very different professional backgrounds, Nick with more of a relationship and storytelling orientation, Taylor from the analytical and private equity side, they’ve built the firm around a shared philosophy tied to what they call personal significance, personal wealth, and personal value. A big part of that philosophy, or the north star as they put it, is applying some of the same accountability and long-term thinking frameworks commonly seen in private equity to the advisory relationship itself, not in a transactional sense, but in helping clients think more intentionally about decision-making, alignment, and outcomes over long periods of time. As a result, our conversation delves deeply into the private equity world, reframing how clients and advisors should consider this important tool as both a growth mechanism and a strategic part of their client’s plans. We talk about how that perspective also shapes not only how they think about serving business owners specifically, but also the role private equity should play in wealth management. Then we take a view of their long runway and how they and other younger advisors might see things differently about building firms today and why clarity of vision may matter more than sheer scale in the years ahead, and much, much more. It’s a narrative that is refreshing and informative, so let’s get to it. Taylor, Nick, thank you so much for joining. Walk us through your background. What brought you to the world of wealth management? Nick, let’s start with you. Nick Hubert: Sure. I think I got my first taste of the industry actually in a sophomore year of college internship, or I interned at Morgan Stanley here in Oregon. I studied finance and accounting at University of Oregon, and so I had this affinity for finance and markets and had that privilege of having that internship. So I had it early on in my career. Ultimately ended up setting my sights on doing investment banking and going that route and did that for a short period of time. Ended up not going very long due to a medical reason, so you don’t have to be that sorry for me. And ultimately started my career in business consulting before pretty quickly realizing that I want to get back to finance, back to investing these things that just felt like core competencies and that thing that you keep coming back to when you’re alone in the middle of the night thinking about stuff, it was always that. Just had this desire to work with smaller units than large corporations, which is great for wealth where you get to work with families and small businesses. And so it was just a natural alignment that took me back full-time to the space in 2016. Jason Diamond: I like the framing it through the size of the unit you’re working with and having more of an impact on the family. Taylor, what about you? Taylor Gentry: I’m a little more circuitous, if you will. Spent a couple of years in investment banking, so you can be sorry for me. Nick and I met in undergrad at the University of Oregon, had the opportunity to work in this investment group together where we were investing a portion of the university’s endowment. And like Nick, interned in wealth management and kind of walked away from it going, “Boy, that’s boring. I don’t really like that.” And so moved to New York, cut my teeth in banking for a couple years and we were working… So an investment bank for context, helping companies raise debt, raise equity, and with mergers and acquisitions, we’re working with huge companies. So the Mattels of the world, the largest toy company in the world. Like Nick, realized, “Hey, I’m going to work with smaller companies that we can get our arms around a little bit better and be more helpful with and have a bigger impact on.” So spent about 10 years with a private equity firm in the western half of the US and we invested in companies in what’s referred to as the lower middle market. So companies doing 50 to 300 million of revenue. And we would invest in those companies, grow those businesses and then look to sell them. Awesome experience, learned a ton, got a bunch of experience around how to invest in companies, how to grow businesses. Then had the opportunity to step into the CFO seat of a couple of different operating companies during that time. It was just a great learning ground, but also to see a whole bunch of different situations. Nick and I have always invested in things together. We’ve worked on things together and we’ve always wanted to work together full time. And a few years ago, the stars really just aligned to say, “Hey, what would it look like to create a differentiated offering in the wealth space where we can blend my background on companies, transactions, how to draw on scale and all those pieces and really marry that with the wealth management piece?” And Nick will get into that further, but it’s just a really unique way to partner with families and companies that are smaller which can have a really high impact experience with those families and really move them through their life journey, if you will. Jason Diamond: Yeah, there’s a lot to unpack there and we’ll get to some of the elements of how you run the business today. First of all, you can’t fool me by using a toy company as your example to make investment banking more interesting. I’m just kidding. Actually, my real takeaway there is you have a skillset that is incredibly relevant in the current wealth management ecosystem, especially in the model you’re currently in. So let’s talk about that a little. Tell us about your current chapter, which is Panoramic Capital Partners. Who do you serve? What types of clients? Give me some perspective on size as well. Nick Hubert: I'm going to take this first. Taylor can do the PE background side and give you a bunch of numbers. I’ll give you the story and see if we can piece it together that way. Jason Diamond: I get the impression you guys use that line a lot. Nick Hubert: Oh, no, that’s the first time. How’d it land? Jason, I spent eight years at our prior firm with our third founding partner, Andrew, and he was at that firm for 30 years. And so we’ve got this core DNA that we’ve always carried of serving high net worth families in a very holistic and deep planning-based capacity, which I think a lot of modern firms say that. And so that’s not necessarily that different, but it is a DNA that carries through. When we got struck with this vision of launching Panoramic and what inspired us to build the firm, it was as, Taylor outlined, around this idea of how do we partner with entrepreneurs and business owners more holistically across their entire entrepreneurial journey, not just around the exit as is so often where the gravity of the conversation sits. And so our firm vision and inspiration was all around that. And since launching in May of 2024, it has been about how do we bring that vision to life with a different business model. And to your point, there’s a bunch to unpack there, but that is ultimately the founding vision of what we are trying to build here overall and what inspires us every day to say, how do we, as Taylor mentioned, bring the combination of skillsets to bear in a way that allows us to be a better partner along the entirety of the journey as opposed to just towards the end when assets traditionally show up, so to speak? So that’s a story from a vision perspective. Taylor, I don’t know what you want to add to that. Taylor Gentry: As Nick outlined, it’s the ability to work with folks throughout the lifecycle. So in private equity, you invest in a company, you work with that management team for three to seven years and then you sell the business and move on to the next project or deal. And really, it’s the deal mechanic that is the value creation. Whereas, with what we are building here, we have the opportunity to really step along the journey with folks when they are in the early phases building what we talk about as the middle phase of allocating, and we’ll talk about this further, and then really the third phase of stewarding capital along the way. And it’s a life cycle or entrepreneurial journey that we’re able to be hand in hand with folks over decades opposed to measured in three to five year spans. Jason Diamond: So it sounds, and you’ve both kind of touched on this now, your different backgrounds, you view as very much a positive because it gives you, Taylor, the more in the weeds analytical perspective. Nick, you’re probably more the storyteller. Do you find that to be a benefit when you’re running your firm every day? And are there instances when it’s a negative? Is there ever a time when you say, Taylor, just maybe more for you, not coming from this world, you don’t speak the same language? Nick Hubert: Do you want me to drop off the call so Taylor can be honest and he can give you the scoop and then he can jump off and I’ll give you the scoop? Taylor Gentry: Jason, we talk about that a lot, honestly. I think it is atypical for someone with my background to step into the wealth space maybe more so. And we leverage that because we have the ability to work with folks on how do you drive value in the company, how do you set the business up for a potential sale exit or transition internally? But this business, historically, we’ve talked about it as almost like two tracks. You have Taylor on the quote unquote business consulting or the business work track and you have Nick on a wealth management track. It’s really not the case. And really, the power is the ability for these two pieces to come together and there isn’t a conversation we have with clients where those two perspectives and backgrounds or contexts aren’t married into one to create really truly holistic advice. And so Nick will probably tell you otherwise, but I haven’t seen an area yet where our two backgrounds has been a negative. It’s actually been immensely positive. And then on top of it, in terms of kind of building out the firm, Nick is more of a traction visionary and I’m more of the traction implementer. What’s amazing about it from our perspective is the partnership we have allows us to, A, recognize that, B, name it, and then C, leverage it in terms of being able to dole out duties and maximize our success together. Jason Diamond: Nick, anything you’d add? Nick Hubert: I think that’s all right. I mean, Jason, your question was from an operational perspective. I think a lot of Taylor’s view is from a client perspective, which is spot on that the overlap of that is really helpful for clients and I think what allows it to be a different experience for them. Internally, operationally, I think that where you could see friction there amongst partners with differences, and I think you do see that, and at the same time, Google was the one who did team research 15 years ago where they put out what you really want, is similarity and vision and differences in skillset when building a team. And so I think we’ve been intentional about that and it’s been really helpful for… Taylor and I functionally met in a quasi-professional setting back in 2011 and developed a friendship quickly, so we’ve got that deep level of friendship that underpins all of it. And same with Andrew and our time working together. So part of it is there’s just such a strength of relationship amongst us that we give space for each other’s differences and look for those as assets as opposed to negatives, but in some sense, beauty in the eye of the beholder as is the case with anything. Jason Diamond: Yep. I appreciate you adding that context. I’ll be honest that when I first encountered your firm, my reaction was your core value prop of serving business owners is not all that differentiated. And then I learned more about the way in which you serve business owners. Can you talk about that? Because a lot of advisors in general, but then I think more specifically, a lot of RIAs would say, “We service primarily business owners.” Tell me how do you do it in a way that’s different and meaningful? Nick Hubert: I’ll take a first stab at that and then Taylor can maybe add on with specific stories. The wealth space is an awesome business and it’s a place where it’s very difficult to differentiate. And so we think a lot about that through the lens of how do we grow this business well for the long period of time to create opportunities for clients and employees. And so we spent a lot of time thinking about that, not only for the sake of differentiation, but also how do we actually just continue to add value to clients? Because if we add value in a different way, growth will take care of itself. I’d say one way of cutting that is we revisit the mission is through this idea of, okay, if I want to be a partner along the journey, it’s about more than a single transaction, more than a single exit, whatever that might be, or a series of transactions as wealth is often created over a series of transactions. It’s this idea of how do we focus on wealth creation and driving business value as the engine of wealth creation for entrepreneurs and what we call personal significance, which is the life of the entrepreneur. And so there’s a next click down framing of our framework that we work through that lens. I think the most important piece for us has been how do we build a business model that actually brings that to life and that’s the trick because we can say that, and if we basically still just operate out of an AUM-based or an asset advisory fee-based business, the reality is my incentive is still towards getting assets out of the entrepreneurial environment, so to speak, into a place that I can manage them, which may or may not be the best thing for the entrepreneur based on where they are at. And so our current work continues to be around how do we build that business model. So layering in different ways of engaging, whether it’s a retainer fee or some other way of engaging so we can start earlier when assets aren’t there and actually encourage the entrepreneur, “No, keep reinvesting in your business. It’s your highest rate of return right now and it’s where the investment needs to go.” I don’t want to have a conflict in giving that advice. And so I think step two here has been building that business model from an actual engagement perspective to enable us to enact the vision. And then I think the third piece is how do we then build tools that are different than just evaluating pre-exit planning, and as is so often, the toolkit, but actually saying, okay, what are the value drivers of a business? And this is probably where Taylor has a lot more to add because it’s 101 of the PE model, but how do we take the mission and vision of an entrepreneur, what we call north stars, translate those into value drivers, ensure those tie to strategic initiatives in the business, ensure it ties to reporting, and ultimately, how capital is allocated between the business and other investments? So then that’s our toolkit that we continue to build out to deploy the mission through our business model with tools that back it up. So that’s how we frame it right now. Taylor, we can share stories about how that’s come to fruition to create different outcomes. Jason Diamond: Taylor, I’d love to hear that. Let me just add maybe my understanding, because this is what helped me, I think, to really understand how you defer, and Nick and Taylor, correct me if I’m wrong, it sounds like the typical advisor thinks about an entrepreneur, a business owner relationship as the next liquidity event in most cases. And you take the viewpoint that it’s a journey, in some instances, 30 years in the making. It’s not even about liquidity event might come that’s beside the point. Is that a fair summary? Taylor Gentry: Yeah. We talk about it as a growing business is a healthy business, a business that is creating incremental value and adding to the multiple in terms of how the business is valued in the marketplace is a healthy business. And so whether you are going to sell that business or retain that business into perpetuity, let’s make a really valuable business and grow a very healthy business. And that’s what we do with clients. Nick laid out the north star framework. And so how do we actually go about engaging with folks on a practical level? It does start with the north star framework. It’s got five steps to it as Nick outlined in terms of defining the north star, where we’re going, what we’re trying to do and that’s across those three pillars, personal significance, personal wealth and business value. And that personal significance has to be held at that same level. Otherwise, we find folks that are mid 50s, their business is crazy valuable, they’ve got a lot of dollars, but their family life isn’t where they want it to be because they didn’t take care of that along the way. So we lay out a place map that says, “Hey, these are the north stars that we are aligning on and coming back to every month when we work with these owners.” We then push that into, okay, what are we trying to do on the business side of the equation? Let’s lay out what is going to drive the value of the business from a multiple and enterprise value perspective. We push that into a set of strategic initiatives that is tactical, who owns what, when’s it getting done, and are we red, yellow or green on it? We then build out the performance reporting package with folks. And so that is a monthly reporting package that says what happened last month and what operational data are we looking at to be able to improve the business month over month and get a good feedback loop going into the company. And then the last piece is around capital allocation that Nick mentioned where if the business generates a million dollars, where’s that capital going? I think there’s a lot in there and it’s really deep, but if you zoom all the way back out, it’s take a private equity style playbook where private equity firms come and invest in a company. And what do they do after close? They put in place good financial reporting, good operational reporting, and then hold the team accountable to that reporting and those results on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. And so this is not rocket science or something that’s never been seen before. It’s just most business owners that have never experienced this private equity world don’t have access to it and don’t know how to go about doing it. It’s a relatively long process to get that installed with companies and with teams to really dig in and understand it, but it’s building out those packages to be able to say, “Okay, what happened last month? What changes do we need to make and what are we doing from a initiative perspective to drive the business forward?” So to Nick’s point, it was previously, this was all about liquidity planning or from a wealth management perspective, it’s about the exit. This is about how do we make a more valuable business along the way, and that’s going to be good for the entrepreneur as they move through the journey. Nick Hubert: When we were around the dinner table, the proverbial dinner table creating the vision of this firm, it was around this idea of the silver tsunami and everything that everybody reads in the headlines of this massive wave of transition, this generational transition of business ownership that we could help facilitate. So we launched with that thesis in some sense. In addition to this broader journey perspective, we have gotten to this place by following the market and listening to what entrepreneurs actually want through the big unlock was honestly in a deal process with one of our clients where we realized, “This is a great deal. This person’s going to put a ton of money in their pockets, secure their future,” and it’s completely the wrong outcome for the entrepreneur because it’s thinking all about the deal, not thinking about what this person didn’t want was an exit. They wanted a different relationship with their business, and that required, what do you actually want out of life, that personal significance piece? And it required, “Hey, if we can actually create a layer of team members and reporting that allows you to manage this like a board chair would do as opposed to a highly engaged CEO. That’s actually what you want. You don’t want out of this business. You want to still have this be a huge rock in your life.” And so we’ve ran through that door, said no to the deal with them and have been building the infrastructure around this, and that was the unlock and aha moment for us. There’s something bigger here and that’s what then inspired, in some sense, the broader build out of the toolkit, but I think puts more meat on the bone of actually saying no to a deal, which is not the classic wealth manager outcome to get to a way better outcome for the client and is ultimately still an awesome client for us as a firm and somebody that we can go build with for the next 20 years. I think just telling it through the lens of a story that’s different than what’s normal, so to speak, is a way to frame that up. Jason Diamond: It’s such a hyper focus on a fairly long-term and honestly nebulous potential outcome. You don’t have certainty. That, I think, is why most advisors would prefer the near-term liquidity. I mean, it’s not a secret, right? You can bill on assets, firms are incentivizing it and it’s a pretty direct recipe to net new asset growth, but it’s certainly a refreshing point of view. It resonates with me. I’m wondering if it’s resonated with clients and prospects. I guess what I’m asking is, do they feel that this is something different than the typical wealth management experience for this type of client? Nick Hubert: Yeah, Taylor, tell that story of the guy who said, “I’ve had this, but I felt alone.” I think that story of partnership, you tell pretty well. Taylor Gentry: Yeah. Jason, it was actually that same client, he had a investment banker, a wealth manager, attorney, and a CPA. CPA said, “The deal’s terrible, you shouldn’t do the deal.” Investment bankers obviously incentivized to do the deal. And so he’s saying, “You should do the deal.” That’s how he gets paid. He had a wealth manager who was silent and he had an attorney who just pushing paperwork. Jason Diamond: It’s like the start of a bad joke. Taylor Gentry: Yeah. No, seriously, it’s pretty remarkable. It’s like this guy did what he was supposed to do. He put the team of resources around himself. He got professionals in the seat. It’s that no one could connect the dots of all four of those people because they have the seat of those four people. And so it’s really resonated because there’s an ability to see a bigger picture and connect these dots and say, “Okay, this investment banker is saying X because of A, B and C.” And the CPA is saying it’s a bad deal and that it’s not a market deal. It’s 100% a market deal. This deal is right down the fairway in terms of what the market should value your company at and they just don’t understand how the transaction mechanics should work. And so it’s worked really well from that perspective of being able to be the quarterback or centralized point or personal CFO for folks in understanding where interests lie and also being able to think about what they are pursuing in a bit of a different lens. I think the second piece on that is where does it resonate for folks? I think that there is a gap in the marketplace that we are still working to close, and that gap is that business owners do not know what this monthly reporting package looks like. They do not know what really good reporting on their business looks like in terms of they have always run their… You’ve got a business owner. They’ve run their business for 10 or 20 years. They have a pulse on the business from their gut feel. That does not mean that the business has been optimized, is ready to go to the next level or is ready for a transaction and go through a transaction because they have not done the work on the backend to understand the moving pieces of the business at a granular level. This recording package, we oftentimes get this confusion around, well, I’ve got a temporary CFO or a controller or X, Y, Z. That is very different than what we’re talking about. Well, that is all accounting, close the books, have clean numbers. What we’re talking about is how do I marry operational data in the business, number of units ships, number of jobs completed, time on job, operational data to the financials in the business so I can then go make adjustments operationally on how to improve the business and continue taking steps forward. Jason Diamond: It’s very clear. Nick, anything you’d want to add to that? Nick Hubert: I’d say it’s easy to still cut that from a deal lens and say, look, when an investment partner comes to evaluate a business to sit in their seat for a moment, they’re going to look at the replicability of what that leader has done without that leader still in the seat. And if so many businesses are still reliant on that person and this gets talked about as processes, reporting systems, that ultimately results in a discount to the value of the business because although it can be viewed… For the leader, it’s like, it’s that control thing that entrepreneurs deal with. It’s what made them good. It’s what got you there. And so that transition is really hard. And that’s important from a deal lens because that does a direct impact to value. And to widen out the scope beyond the deal and to think about the entrepreneur’s life, this goes back to the dynamic that a lot of times entrepreneurs look for the exits because they’ve built something that it’s now owning them and what they’ve built is not resulting in the life that they want. And so how can we use this system to actually change that relationship, as I mentioned earlier, with the business so that they can run it more like an executive might and get out of the knife fight, so to speak, that often is how this can feel for a lot of folks, even for pretty large businesses. It can just feel like you’re a firefighter, you’re in a knife fight, whatever you want to use for that terminology. I think it’s as much about creating a different life outcome and different relationship and owning and leading a business as it is in driving deal value. Jason Diamond: Taylor, maybe I’ll ask this of you. Forgive the question, but private equity, I think in our space, has a little bit of a negative stigma at the moment. I don’t think that’s true across the board. I think people appreciate generally the need for capital and there are certainly benefits of private equity. But I’ll say as a whole, advisors are, let’s say, suspicious of private equity. You ever get that pushback? Does anybody ever view your experience or the way you position the story as a negative? Taylor Gentry: I think most people that we talk to don’t know what private equity is. They may have seen it in the headlines. They may have some sort of connotation around it. They won’t come out and say that they don’t like it. They don’t know why they don’t like it. The average American business owner, they don’t know what it is or what it means. So yes, you do have to fight that because of the headline piece around private equity, bad actor ABC, and that’s what gets the headlines. I think what private equity is really good at is taking a business that is not optimized or not running on systems and processes that it can run on. Again, it's not rocket science is not crazy hard. It’s just the private equity world has created ways to install systems and process that improve the value of the business by way of providing visibility to financials and operations in a way that the owner previously didn’t have. And so for us, we view it not by any means as the end all be all or the answer. There are clients we’ve worked with that have taken private equity capital and grown successfully, executed on some acquisitions and then exited again. There are clients that have evaluated those transactions and said, “Hey, not for me.” We are actually fairly agnostic to it. What we really spend a lot of our time on is what are we solving for? What’s the end game? How do we use this private equity transaction to get to where we’re trying to go and is it what we want at the end of the day? Because the reality is, if you’re going to stay on and run that business with private equity investment in, there’s a higher expectation on what you need to do Monday morning than when you owned it yourself and it was a little bit of your personal piggy bank too. Jason Diamond: I love it because you bring it back to the north star concept. Taylor Gentry: Yes, that’s exactly right. It’s what are we solving for and what game are we playing to be able to get to where we ultimately want to go? And for, as Nick mentioned that client that turned down the deal, it was a private equity investment. We got very clear with that, “Hey, here are going to be the expectations. You will have a monthly financial reporting call. You’re going to have quarterly board meetings.” These are things that need to happen in this business to be able to upgrade the management and cadence in this company. You don’t have to do it all tomorrow, but that is how you make a more valuable company, is installing some of these systems, process and cadence. And so we’re working with him now on doing that, just in a private context instead of in the private equity backed environment. Nick Hubert: I think there are three things embedded in this. I’d say number one, to Taylor’s point, this is a massive black box, in some ways by design. Wall Street’s had not a great reputation for a very long time of putting things behind the paywall, so to speak. And so we think a lot about our job as empowerment and education. Jason Diamond: Education, yep. Nick Hubert: Yeah. And so part of it is just, number one, how do we just demystify this thing and name things and take away the go to or bad? Because it can be that, but it should not be that from a core basis. That’s number one. Number two, a lot of entrepreneurs feel like they cannot get access to this ability to professionalize or level up or whatever these things are without bringing on that investment partner. And so part of our motivation is how do we actually bring this skillset in without needing to bring on an investment partner because oftentimes, that investment partner comes when you’re done, and so you don’t actually get to experience it. That’s number two. Number three is, Jason, part of your point earlier was like there’s still a trap here of potentially being able to get motivated primarily by the exit. And so again, that gets back to our business model, making sure our price Racing is right, all that good stuff. And it’s also the reality that a lot of businesses, if you just look at a very broad scope of American businesses, a lot of them don’t have value in the marketplace in a massively material way and/or won’t exit in a traditional way. And so the wealth creation journey then becomes much more of a conversation of, how do we manage the balance between investing in the company and distributing out of the company to invest elsewhere because we should actually be creating investment assets along the way because when you get to the exit, there’s no better power position at the moment of exit than already having financial security to some degree and giving you choice in the right deal, not the highest and best deal because you need to fill the piggy bank for retirement. Jason Diamond: I just want to be sure to ask because you did mention a couple times your pricing structure. How have you set it up so that you can be more agnostic about this as opposed to the typical… You want to talk about it for a minute? Nick Hubert: As it’s structured now, it starts with a retainer earlier on where we are working… As Taylor mentioned, we are going deep in the operational build of the business. We will do that on a monthly retainer. We’re engaging consistently. As assets get built up and if assets get built up, we start to chew that retainer down as assets go up. I think what we are ideally trying to figure out, and still honestly have not figured out yet, is how do we get to parity so that we don’t create an… I want to be able to work agnostically with a client to say- Jason Diamond: Yeah, I love it. Nick Hubert: … regardless of how I’m engaging with you, that’s the goal. So I’d say we haven’t cracked the code on exactly what that is yet, but mechanically, we’ve got the levers to pull to say how we price and move that retainer down is basically allowing to keep it at par, so to speak, for the client and allowing us to say, “I’m here to engage in making the best wealth creation outcome for you along the way, whether that’s investing in the business or investing outside the business.” Jason Diamond: I think that’s the right recipe. I agree. The levers can be fine-tuned, but to me, that’s the model you want to create where you can credibly look your prospects and clients in the eyes and tell them, “Our job is to serve you in the best way… We’re sitting on the same side of the table as you.” I want to turn this inward for a second. The home cooking concept. M&A, within the RIA independent space, is obviously a hot topic. Have you thought about it? Do you think it’s a critical part of a potential growth trajectory of a healthy, independent firm? I’m curious your perspective. I feel you, Taylor in particular, probably have a unique lens on this coming from the world you came from. Taylor Gentry: Yeah, Jason, I think if Nick and I wanted to put as much money as we possibly could in our pockets as fast as humanly possible. It’s a pretty easy recipe. It’s go get some private equity capital backer, roll up a few RIAs, get to a few billion of AUM and then sell it to the next private equity firm or roll it to the next private equity firm, do that a few times. We’d all make plenty of money and go on our way. We’ve been really intentional on this front, and again, I talk about this is what we want to do for the next 30 plus years. And really being intentional around building a business that has that enduring nature to it, decided to take private equity capital on, you are on a shot clock to some degree. Yes, you’re trying to build a best business, all of those pieces. You get cadence. You get capital. There’s a ton of value there, but you are on a shot clock that is not a shot clock we’re trying to get on at this stage. I’d say we opportunistically are looking at acquisitions. So we think about it, and Nick and I talk about it all the time, how much of our time should we be spending on acquisitions? And we think of it as 80/20 or even 90/10, 80% or 90% organic growth-focused, 10 to 20% acquisitions-focused. And so we’re actively evaluating those consistently and see deals on a monthly basis that we look at and evaluate, but it’s less of the focus today than it could be down the road. Jason Diamond: And Nick, do you think of that when you guys talk? Do you guys call that your true north? Do you think the same way you coach your clients and prospects to say, “For right now, it wouldn’t be the right move for us to take private equity capital and to do this acquisition rollup strategy because A, B and C are more important for us”? Nick Hubert: Yes. I think if we take our life north star for Taylor. I’m speaking for Taylor, but we’re close and so we share this of… To Taylor’s point, the life outcome of scaling that quickly with that type of capital backing is likely to create a life that I don’t actually want that’s not good for me, not good for my family, and honestly, not good for our clients at this point. And so that overrides in this case, even though the wealth, north star might say, “Hey, absolutely do that.” At some point something has to win. And so that is true. At the business side, as the north star is motivated by this mission of the entire entrepreneur journey, the worst thing I could do is shortcut my ability to be on that journey for a long period of time. One of our friends in this space says, “The best thing I can do for my clients is still be in the seat 30 years from now because I’ve lived a good life that enables that.” And I think that’s spot on for us, is everything, it’s so easy in today’s world to be consumed by short-termism and we are intentional in ensuring that we don’t succumb to that. While still recognizing to your point, I mean, you’re in this all day, Jason, right? There’s a massive opportunity in front of us to be thoughtful about how acquisitions fit into this. And I think we want to be open to that in a way that ensures we just don’t lose the core of the goodness of what we’re trying to build. Jason Diamond: I think that’s the right answer. The only wrong answer in my mind is we’re not open to this or we’re closed to it. To not at least be opportunistically aware of the dynamics in the market, I think is naive. But also, I’ll be honest, Nick, when I think about the concept of the north star, I have a hard time imagining, because we use a similar concept when we counsel advisors. What is your true north or your north star and your best business life, whatever you want to call it? To me, it does include absolutely the personal piece. I think it’s hard to define it only on the economic verticals because, I mean, I think about this for a transitioning advisor. Almost never is the conversation about crunch the spreadsheet and get us the biggest check possible. It’s, yeah, sure, transition capital is important, but it’s let’s also, we want a better work life and we want freedom to market and blah, blah, blah. To me, I think it’s a completely fair way. You two are looking at it at least for now and I assume you reserve the right to revise that opinion down the line. Nick Hubert: I think acquiring for size and scale is as often the headline is, yeah, we’re not into that at this point because I think… And yet, hey, if the right acquisition with the right people came along in that, we’d be extremely excited and would move very quickly to execute on that. So it’s a little bit of a both hand. Taylor Gentry: Yeah. Jason, I think it goes without saying, but my background on having done a bunch of transactions of businesses like this, it’s a natural fit for us to have this as a lever. And so we are looking at deals. We just haven’t prioritized it as the top priority. Jason Diamond: I think also where you are, 2024 was the launch of the business. It’s pretty common to see, all right, let’s nail this, let’s get our feet under us, client service model and then we’ll start to think about that down the line. A couple other things I want to ask you about running an independent firm. This is a pretty glowingly positive review, I think, of your ability to service clients, your ability to grow and to build and run the business that you want. Has there been anything negative that you haven’t enjoyed about running and operating this business, other than working with each other, of course? Nick Hubert: No, I was going to say, I’m like, can we get Taylor off the call again? Taylor Gentry: Jason, maybe I’ll take a first cut at it. I think for both Nick and I, it’s just the administrative components of running an independent business that we don’t enjoy candidly. I don’t think many people would. That said, you come full circle and it is a pretty glowingly positive review of running an independent business because we get to run it in the way that we see fit. And oh, by the way, we use the same things that we use with our clients. So the value drivers we’ve talked about, we have a value drivers worksheet. We refresh it every six months. Nick, Andrew, and I get together every six months and we’re 18 months into this thing and we’ve already got this cadence and system to it, if you will. So I personally really enjoy the running the business piece of it from a macro perspective. Yeah, I’m responsible for running our fee billing and running the math on all that and getting that done, for example. Jason Diamond: I think that’s actually a very thoughtful answer. And I appreciate you saying I enjoy running… I feel the same way, by the way. There’s some elements of running a business that I think are immensely fun. I think it gets painted with this brush of, “Ugh, running the business is the hassle and I want to work in the business.” Agreed, nobody likes invoicing and accounts receivable for the most part, but Nick, what are your thoughts on this? Nick Hubert: Yeah, I think mine is different a little bit coming from a different background where it’s easier for me to sit with the rose-colored glasses of the joy of the freedom that we have in this model. At the same time, when I’m counseling folks who are talking with folks or mentoring folks, younger people who are thinking about, “Okay, I want to go start my own thing,” I’m like, “Hey, it’s like I’m the same way. I want to look in the mirror and think I’m the boss or I’m one of the bosses and we get to go build this.” Then the reality is, at the end of the day, if there was something that you didn’t want to do that had to get done and you didn’t do it, you got to look in the mirror and be like, “Well, you’re the boss, you didn’t do it.” It’s the both sides of the coin that I think a positive, negative cut is one way to look at that because it can feel that way sometimes. And the reality is every job has 20 to 30% of it that you just don’t enjoy doing, and that’s totally true. Jason Diamond: It’s why they call it work. That’s why they pay you. Nick Hubert: They’d be pretty quick to point out that I’m the one of the partnership group that they’re going to have to chase for a smaller administrative item because, yeah, I honestly, just similarly speaking, don’t enjoy that. I want to go talk to clients. I want to go focus on building what we’re building. In finance speaks, it is a higher beta to just the all encompassing realities of running a business that is really hard to underscore without being in the seat. And yeah, there’s definitely 20 to 30% of that I would love to wave a magic wand and say, I don’t have to do anymore. Jason Diamond: Yeah, I appreciate that. Nick Hubert: You can’t have one without the other. It’s both sides. Jason Diamond: I think it’s getting easier and I think it’s getting more offloadable and some of it probably gets more… In some ways, more offloadable as you scale, but then you get a new set of problems, probably two, because you’re dealing with bigger… It’s a never ending. I think most business owners would agree with that. And you said it well, you take the good with the bad and overwhelmingly, most people we speak with in the independent space feel as you do, which is, are there things I would prefer to offload or that I would prefer not to do? Of course, but that’s almost just the price you pay for the freedom and for doing all the things you want to do. Two more questions that I want to be sure to ask about where this has been a great episode. One is AI. Need to know your thoughts. Is this coming for our jobs? Do you think your firm is positioned to capture either asset flows or also just to leverage this technology and use it to serve clients better? Just give me your thoughts. Nick Hubert: I think, in some sense, it would be irresponsible as people this early in our entrepreneurial journey and thinking about how do we optimize what we do for clients to not be engaging with AI in some way, shape or form, at least in an evaluative posture. So we are actively, in a bunch of different ways, whether it’s buy it off the shelf or build it, continuing to find ways to think about, not only how do we drive efficiency, because there’s an obvious surface level dynamic of if I can save time and spend more time with clients, that is a go to thing objectively. And there’s this deeper dynamic of if it can amplify what… Actually, back to your prior question, if it can amplify what I’m best at and enjoy and reduce what I don’t enjoy, that’s a massive win. And I think we’re on the surface of seeing that. That’s the opportunity we are motivated by that and pursuing that. And at the same time, I would say an operational principle that really is important to us, and you can almost call it a north star within the business is client security can never be put at risk for the sake of our own growth, our own efficiency, or anything else. There’s, I think, still a question mark as to how we think about trusting this. And so we are very cautious as we think about we will never try to move so quickly on any technology, whether it’s AI or otherwise that we risk our clients in some way, shape or form, because the reality is we are also in a context where AI is, when pulled, one of the least popular things happening in the world today for the average American. And so there’s no kudos here for being a leader. Jason Diamond: I totally agree. The first mover advantage here is slim to none. Nick Hubert: Yeah, you don’t want to be the one sticking your neck out on this in our industry. And yet there still objectively has a potential to be better for the clients. Navigating that I think is messy. Taylor Gentry: I think the only thing I’d add, which is pretty short, is the use of these tools has the ability to create a better deliverable for clients on a more consistent basis. And marrying that with exactly what Nick just outlined around the risk is really the magic piece here. And so I think, to the extent we can get it implemented effectively with the security, but also with, this is going to result in a lot better outcome for clients across the board, that’s a pretty attractive objective to go after and it’s pretty exciting to be in the industry with that now on the forefront in terms of ability to improve that experience over time. Jason Diamond: Yeah. No, that’s a good color to add. I want to end here with a potential HR violation, but you’ll forgive me. I’m not going to ask about age, but you are clearly both relatively young advisors. And this is a hot button issue in our industry, the idea that there are not a lot of talented, young next gen advisors at a time when a lot of gen one or older advisors are retiring out of the business. So what would you say… I think one of you made the comment earlier, it’s not necessarily the coolest industry to go into at 23 years old right out of school. I think more commonly people go into sales and trading, investment banking or some of the other finance verticals. What would you say to younger folks interested in wealth? And maybe I’d ask also, do you have any thoughts on how we solve this next gen talent crisis? And if you’re both secretly 90 years old, you can just do it. Taylor Gentry: You talking my internal age or my actual age? Jason Diamond: Why don’t you go first? Nick Hubert: Yeah, go ahead, Taylor. Taylor Gentry: I think there’s two threads here. The first is it’s not a sexy industry to go into and not as sexy as an investment banking, private equity shtick, if you will. I think from my perspective, it’s really important what you’re working on. The ability to be in a firm like what we are building with the diversity of work that is available is a little bit like the world’s your oyster and we’re designing it with that in mind. For Nick and I, the ability to work on many different situations throughout the day and throughout the week is actually why this business is so attractive and interesting and why we want to do it for 30 years. And so we’re building with that context. And so, in some ways, it’s almost like a plug for younger advisors, the ability to work in a firm like what we’re building where you’ve got this diversity of work that is not just trading stocks and bonds or just spreadsheeting or just financial planning. This is a much broader expression and experience than what I would call “traditional” wealth management. So I think that’s the key on that front. Then, on the talent development side of the equation, if you will, this AI thing is going to be a big question mark. And what I mean by that is there is significant training that will be required in, call it traditional wealth management or the firm we’re building with regard to folks’ ability to actually learn when you can plug it into AI and get an answer that you don’t have to critically question or think through. And so there’s going to be a significant learning curve for folks that we’re going to have to continue to train and educate on in order to produce talent that can be long-term sustainable and beneficial for clients more writ large. Jason Diamond: Nick. Nick Hubert: Well, first and foremost, we haven’t given our third partner enough here of time. I think we have a tremendous benefit of having a multi-generational team at the partnership level where he’s in his mid to late 50s and can bring that additional experience to bear and as is necessary, and as is important because investing is an experienced business and a lot of clients want that. And so the power of that matters. I think that actually speaks to firms being willing to think of partnership at that level that partnership is not reserved for just once you’ve been there for a long time. So I think it’s getting at like, how do you share ownership earlier, do it in a way that is actually giving people a stake in the outcome and allowing that elevation to happen. I think that’s number one. Number two, honestly, the existence of people like you and your team and that your family has built over the years, Jason, is awesome. And because of the ability for you to help people navigate and see how easy it is to actually run this business and build this business in some sense… And that’s in the broader spectrum of having seen. We work with so many different types of companies. We sometimes say our business is so much easier to run and it has come so far with technology and with people like you who are providers to us to allow it to be easier for us so to speak. That’s a big deal. I think that should be talked about more that there is a massive… What that allows is more time to, as Taylor mentioned, build what you actually want because you can outsource the compliance piece in a major way that allows you to not spend as much time on that as you used to. So I don’t think that gets talked about enough. And I think if you just zoom out and view this in the perspective of post-2020, there was this massive movement of entrepreneurship through acquisitions and people looking at this idea of how do I get the life I want by way of not having to be on a two-year clock to go to the next job to the next job. Have something that I can have a long-term impact on where I get to build something and have employees. This is the perfect space for that because it’s such an awesome business where you get to work so intimately with people and clients and their life outcomes. They’re, again, relatively speaking, easier businesses to run relative to what’s out there. I’m just baffled by the fact that it is not seen a larger wave of younger people coming out of these more “traditional” paths and seeing this as an awesome place when they’re willing to go buy an HVAC company. This is so much easier than that. So honestly, I think

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, Host Gary McCreadie Director of Player Development and Head Coach at Shelburne Soccer Club and President of McCreadie HVAC & Refrigeration Services and HVAC Know It All Inc, shares a service call involving a Lennox rooftop unit that kept shutting down on high pressure. Gary explains how he checked the airflow, condenser, pressure switch, refrigerant pressures, contactor, filter drier, and TX valve while trying to find the restriction. He also describes how equalizing the system pressures and tapping the TX valve helped the unit start running again. The episode covers compressor pressure relief, microchannel coil limits, the use of a system lubricant, and the value of testing different solutions before replacing expensive parts.  Gary discusses a difficult service call involving a Lennox rooftop unit that kept shutting down on high pressure. He explains how he checked the airflow, condenser fan, pressure switch, refrigerant pressures, contactor, filter drier, and TX valve while searching for the cause. The episode covers how equalizing the system pressures and tapping the TX valve helped the unit run again, along with compressor pressure relief, microchannel coil limits, system additives, and the importance of trying different tests before replacing costly parts. Expect to Learn: How a stuck TX valve can cause low suction pressure and high head pressure. Why checking airflow, fans, coils, and pressure switches should come before using gauges. How equalizing system pressures and tapping the TX valve helped restore cooling. Why compressor relief valves and contactors are important for system protection. How testing different solutions can prevent unnecessary and costly refrigeration repairs.   Episode Highlights:  [00:00] - Sponsor: Factory Direct Filters ad [01:33] - Intro: Service call overview & 30-year career context [03:22] - High pressure switch explained & rapid cycling issue [05:46] - Pressure differential theory & refrigerant logging in condenser [08:19] - Second visit: Zero low-side pressure, high-side off the charts [11:07] - Fix attempt: Equalizing pressure & smacking TX valve works [15:07] - Contactor replacement & SmartShot additive experiment [19:34] - Final lesson: Don't give up, try new approaches, learn from every call    This Episode is Kindly Sponsored by: Cintas: https://www.cintas.com/hvacknowitall Cool Air Products: https://www.coolairproducts.net/ Factory Direct Filters: https://www.factorydirectfilters.com/ SupplyHouse: https://www.supplyhouse.com/tm Use promo code HKIA5 to get 5% off your first order at Supplyhouse!   Follow the Host on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/ Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com LinkedIn - HVAC Know It All Inc.: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hvac-know-it-all-inc McCreadie HVAC & Refrigeration Services: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mccreadie-hvac-refrigeration-services/ Shelburne Soccer Club: https://shelburnesoccerclub.sportngin.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/     Follow the Podcast on:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HVACKnowItAll   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LCBJGw0EHG03rdWHxUMce  Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hvac-know-it-all-podcast/id1359253455 

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Business Edition Podcast, co-hosts Gary McCreadie and Furman Haynes from WorkHero sit down with Cornelio Martinez, Owner at Maize Mechanical, he shares the journey of building a successful HVAC business by focusing on relationships, strategic hiring, and long-term growth instead of chasing rapid expansion. He explains how partnerships, mentorship, and investing in apprentices helped him scale sustainably while navigating the challenges of staffing, sales, and business operations. The conversation also explores his vision for contractor co-ops, workforce development, and how small businesses can compete with large private equity-backed companies. Cornelio Martinez is an advocate for electrification, workforce development, and sustainable business growth. After starting as a subcontractor, he strategically grew his company through partnerships, mentorship, and investing in apprentices. Today, he's passionate about helping independent contractors build stronger businesses while creating more opportunities for the next generation of skilled trades professionals.   Expect To Learn: Why strategic partnerships can accelerate business growth. How to know when it's time to hire employees instead of subcontractors. The pros and cons of using subcontractors versus building an in-house team. Why investing in apprentices creates long-term business stability. How transparency impacts customer sales conversations. The biggest financial lessons every growing contractor should understand. How contractor co-ops could help small HVAC businesses compete with larger organizations.   Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 00:44 – When Is the Right Time to Hire Your Next Employee? 01:53 – Learning from Mentors and Building Strategic Partnerships 03:07 – Growing Through Relationships Instead of Marketing 03:34 – Subcontractors vs. Hiring Your Own Apprentices 04:08 – Why Investing in Employees Pays Off Long-Term 06:49 – Scaling Without Overextending Your Business 07:37 – Avoiding Technical Overload During Sales Conversations 08:59 – Selling with Logic, Emotion, and Trust 11:54 – Competing with Private Equity Through Collective Buying Power 12:38 – Streamlining Operations and Holding Contractors Accountable 13:54 – Final Thoughts   Follow our Guest Cornelio Martinez: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelio-martinez-38660b40/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corneliomartinez/  Company Website: https://maizemechanical.com/  Company Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/people/Maize-Mechanical/61556354961579/#    Follow Gary McCreadie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/  Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/    Follow Furman Haynes:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/furmanhaynes/  WorkHero: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workherohvac/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workhero__/

AI is not coming for your techs. It is coming for the busywork, the missed calls, and the guesswork that quietly eats your margin. In this episode of Service Business Mastery, Tersh Blissett sits down with Chris Plunkett, a Tucson HVAC owner who has been in the trade since he was eight years old, to talk about what using AI in an HVAC business actually looks like day to day. They get into how Chris turned home inspections from a loss leader into one of his highest paying jobs, why his AI voice agent books calls so well that customers swear they were talking to a person, and the simple pay change that made after hours emergencies fair to his technicians again. If you run an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical company and you are tired of AI hype with nothing to show for it, this one is built for you. This episode is brought to you in partnership with Breezy, the AI voice agent Chris uses for his after hours and overflow calls. See how many calls you are missing at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Why AI Won't Replace HVAC Techs 1:45 – Welcome to Service Business Mastery 2:37 – Fix Your Processes Before You Automate Anything 3:44 – Meet Chris Plunkett: From 8 Year Old Tech to HVAC Owner 7:33 – Where Chris Actually Uses AI in His HVAC Business 8:21 – Letter Grade Diagnostics Customers Understand 10:28 – The Real Way AI Is Changing the Trades 11:49 – Turning Home Inspections Into a High Ticket Profit Center 15:37 – Presenting Diagnostics So Customers Say Yes 18:04 – AI Voice Agents for After Hours and Overflow Calls 20:31 – The Call Nobody Could Tell Was AI 27:07 – Trigger Words and On Call Routing That Keep Owners Out of the Mix 29:41 – The Late Night Call Policy That Protects Your Techs 32:06 – Why Emergency Rate Beats After Hours Rate 35:02 – Nobody Wants to Work for YOU: Hiring the Next Generation 37:32 – Trade Culture, Mentorship, and Bringing Young Techs In 46:24 – Where to Find Chris and His Whiskey Side Hustle ABOUT SERVICE BUSINESS MASTERY Service Business Mastery is where home service owners come to run better, more profitable companies. Every week, Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch talk through the real operations, technology, and leadership decisions behind growing an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business, with the operators and experts actually doing the work. More episodes and resources: https://servicebusinessmastery.com/ https://linkin.bio/servicebusinessmasterypodcast    THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY BREEZY About 30 percent of inbound calls in home services go unanswered, and those are customers ready to book with whoever picks up first. Breezy puts AI agents on every call, books the job, and follows up instantly, so you wake up to booked jobs instead of missed calls. See how many jobs you are losing right now at https://getbreezyapp.com and use code SBM for 500 dollars toward Breezy. UPFROG Upfrog is the OG of pricing transparency online. They find hard to reach system replacement leads through paid ads, then nurture and book them into sold systems before your team even arrives. Learn more: upfrog.com MARKET STORM Market Storm works with home service companies across the country, using AI to catch early buyer intent and put your brand in front of homeowners before they ever search. So when they do search, your name already feels familiar. Visit https://marketstorm.ai/ CALLRAIL CallRail assigns a unique tracking number to each of your marketing efforts, so you know exactly which channels bring your best leads and which ones to cut. Try it free at https://callrail.com/sbmpod. PHONETAP Your calls hold the key to growing your business. PhoneTAP gives you instant AI analysis, real customer lifetime value, and tools to coach your team. Learn more: phonetap.ai/demo  COMPANYCAM Capture work, track job progress, and stay connected from the field to the office with photo documentation and AI tools that keep work moving. Start a free trial at: https://companycam.com/ CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS AND GUEST Tersh Blissett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tershblissett/ Josh Crouch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-crouch/ Chris Plunkett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-plunkett-11613385/ NEVER MISS AN EPISODE Subscribe on YouTube and follow Service Business Mastery on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If this one helped, share it with an owner who needs to hear it. #ServiceBusinessMastery #HVAC #AIinTheTrades #HomeServices #HVACBusiness   

This short podcast episode is Tyler Nelson's Bry-X presentation from the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium: Digital Tools and AI - "So Happy Together." Tyler is the Business Development Manager and Global Trainer at Sauermann Americas. Artificial intelligence (AI) is measured data, not an authority, and it will not replace techs. It may enhance technicians' abilities but must be used responsibly. AI operates on clear logic and supplies pattern recognition, what-if analysis, and decision support (but NOT decision ownership). The technician ultimately owns decision authority and technical judgment, but AI helps save time. Modern AI reinforces best practices, flags inconsistencies, and cross-references industry data, meaning it amplifies experience rather than replacing it. HVAC technicians' work depends on codes and standards, physics, and diagnostic cause and effect, which all have repeatable workflows; AI provides instant analysis and verification in those key areas. We already have a wealth of data from our tools and manufacturers' literature, and AI connects those to help us make decisions; technicians fear being incorrect or missing diagnostic factors, and AI can help us assimilate data by connecting data sources and ensuring that all angles are covered. It closes interpretation gaps and gives us the framework to make constructive decisions. measureQuick is an example of a diagnostic app that integrates AI in its workflows; it is leading the way in terms of digital tools and AI integration, and it gives technicians a lot of power in the field. Apps that use AI with digital tools help us navigate the industry as equipment becomes more complex, and they save time by making your work faster and more accurate. These tools come at a cost, but those costs can be spread across flat diagnostic fees and service agreements. Feeding readings from these apps into AI can also help you understand gaps in your own thinking and understand the relationships between the tools' readings and the field reality. AI can also take the data and provide technicians with scripts that are easy for customers to understand. If you give AI specific prompts and data, including images, equipment data, tool data, and commands to include or exclude certain sources (such as excluding crowdsourced information), you can learn a lot about the system in front of you. It can also help you interpret images or videos. These functions of the tool can help us question our own assumptions, expand our understanding of field problems, and vet our decisions.   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, Host Gary McCreadie Director of Player Development and Head Coach at Shelburne Soccer Club and President of McCreadie HVAC & Refrigeration Services and HVAC Know It All Inc, continues the Mental Health Series with a personal discussion about imposter syndrome, emotional struggles, and the loneliness that can come with leadership and youth coaching. Gary explains how self-doubt can affect even hardworking and successful people, and why kind words can have a lasting impact on someone's day or life. He also shares lessons from coaching youth soccer, including the idea that leaders do not always have to be nice, but they should always be kind. He discusses accountability, support systems, and the importance of listening to people who may be struggling. Gary also encourages listeners to notice small wins, keep moving forward, and find someone to talk to when life feels lonely or difficult. This episode continues the Mental Health Series with a personal discussion about imposter syndrome, leadership, and the loneliness that can come with coaching and responsibility. Gary shares how self-doubt affects him even when others support his work, and explains how a simple kind message can improve someone's mood and outlook. He also discusses lessons from youth soccer, including the idea that leaders do not always have to be nice, but they should always be kind. Gary explains how accountability and understanding can work together when helping players, employees, or family members through difficult moments. The episode also explores the importance of support systems, noticing small wins, and finding someone to talk to when life feels lonely or overwhelming. Expect to Learn: How imposter syndrome can affect hardworking and successful people. Why kind words can improve someone's mood and outlook. How leaders can be firm while still showing care and understanding. Why coaching and leadership can sometimes feel lonely. How support systems and honest conversations can help during difficult times. Episode Highlights: [00:00] - Episode Intro: imposter syndrome & transformational coaching [03:17] - Mental health struggles: obstacles, and stats on male listeners [04:48] - Pushback against "mental health is fabricated" argument [06:22] - Imposter syndrome: feeling undeserving despite hard work [09:43] - Youth coaching & the transformational "player-first" approach [11:59] - "You don't always have to be nice, but you always have to be kind" [17:00] - The loneliness of coaching: invisible effort & lack of gratitude [22:32] - Finding little triumphs; don't get stuck in negativity or praise [25:13] - Importance of support systems; talking it out is therapeutic This Episode is Kindly Sponsored by: Cintas: https://www.cintas.com/hvacknowitall Cool Air Products: https://www.coolairproducts.net/ Factory Direct Filters: https://www.factorydirectfilters.com/ SupplyHouse: https://www.supplyhouse.com/tm Use promo code HKIA5 to get 5% off your first order at SupplyHouse! Follow the Host: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/ Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com LinkedIn - HVAC Know It All Inc.: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hvac-know-it-all-inc McCreadie HVAC & Refrigeration Services: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mccreadie-hvac-refrigeration-services/ Shelburne Soccer Club: https://shelburnesoccerclub.sportngin.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/  Follow the Podcast on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HVACKnowItAll   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LCBJGw0EHG03rdWHxUMce  Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hvac-know-it-all-podcast/id1359253455  

Join the Conversation at 303-477-5600 or text to 307-200-8222. Saturdays from 9 am to 10 am MT. https://FixItRadio.com Beat the Heat: Summer Home Hacks That Save You Big When the summer heat strikes, is your home ready—or are you risking expensive mistakes? On this episode of Fix It Radio, John Rush and Larry Unger reveal the essential secrets every homeowner needs now: the right (and wrong) ways to water your lawn, the perfect timing for fertilizer, and how to protect your landscape from scorching temps and strict water bans. Discover the small tweaks—like adjusting mowing height or mulching—that can transform your yard from struggling to thriving. Next, your roof takes center stage! Uncover the hidden dangers that hailstorms can bring, and why booking a roof inspection right away (not months later) could save you thousands. John breaks down the costly risks of waiting—and the warning signs you can't afford to miss. In the second half, unlock game-changing tips for beating the heat and slashing your energy bills! John and Larry, joined by savvy callers, bust common HVAC myths—like removing furnace filters—and reveal smarter hacks for perfect airflow, zoning, and room-by-room comfort. Get ready for actionable advice you can use right away to keep your home cooler and more efficient all summer long.

THE STORY of Frankenstein and his monster can be read as a tale of daddy issues with catastrophic consequences. That's not quite how we see it.  Joining us for a deeper dive into the tale of Frankenstein and his monster is our regular Iron and Myth crew: Dr. Judd Burton (BurtonBeyond.net), author of Interview With the Giant; Doug Van Dorn (DouglasVanDorn.com), author of Battle for the Bible's Truth: Genesis, Jesus, and the Second Century Plot to Deny the Messiah; and Brian Godawa (Godawa.com), best-selling author of Daniel: Exile in Babylon, the first novel in a trilogy about the life of Daniel. The tale of Frankenstein, over 200 years old, has continued to inspire countless adaptations and debates. Brian notes that the narrative encapsulates humanity's (and the angelic realm's) primal drive to create life. This inherent desire raises questions about the morality of creation and the responsibilities that come with it. One cannot discuss Frankenstein without acknowledging its biblical undertones. From the story of Genesis, where knowledge leads to the fall, to the cautionary tales of the Watchers in the Book of Enoch, there is a recurring theme of humanity overstepping its bounds. Doug emphasizes that Victor Frankenstein's actions mirror those of the Titans in Greek mythology, who faced dire consequences for their hubris. The parallels between Victor's ambition and the biblical figures reveal a cautionary warning about the pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Today, the themes of Frankenstein are more relevant than ever as we navigate the complexities of genetic engineering and artificial intelligence. The discussions around CRISPR technology and AI echo the dilemmas faced by Victor Frankenstein. As we strive to enhance human life, we must confront the ethical implications of our advancements. We discuss how the creation of autonomous life forms could lead to unintended consequences—much like those faced by Victor and his creation. Follow us! X: @viewfrombunker | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbertTelegram: t.me/gilberthouseSubstack: gilberthouse.substack.com | sharonkgibert.substack.comYouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelationFacebook.com/viewfromthebunker Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! The building has HVAC, a new floor, windows, insulation, ceiling fans, and an upgraded electrical system! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at www.GilbertHouse.org/donate. Download our free app! This brings all of our content directly to your smartphone or tablet. Best of all, we'll never get canceled from our own app! Links to the app stores for iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle Fire devices are at www.GilbertHouse.org/app. Please join us each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details. JOIN US IN ISRAEL (NOTE NEW DATES)! We will tour the Holy Land October 24–November 3, 2027 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Special offers on our books and DVDs: www.gilberthouse.org/store. Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page (facebook.com/viewfromthebunker) and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network (Spreaker.com/show/fringe-radio-network)!

In this republished and condensed episode, we revisit the seven deadly objections every service technician needs to know. Through practical role-plays, we break down how to uncover what customers really mean, communicate value without being pushy, and confidently move the conversation forward. ———————————————————- Stop leaving money on the table. Every call is a chance to close. Every day is a chance to win. If you're a plumber, HVAC tech, electrician, or roofer who wants to close bigger tickets, handle objections without flinching, and build a career in the trades — this is your community. Blue Collar Closer is where 346+ home service professionals get live sales coaching, proven scripts, and real-time Q&A with Brian Burton. Not theory. Not fluff. The exact words that close jobs. bluecollarcloser.com   Full show notes + transcript: Every episode has searchable show notes and a full transcript at wastenoday.com   Waste No Day is hosted by Brian Burton and Nate Minnich — two guys who are in the trenches of home services every single day. Brian is the General Manager of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Scottsdale, one of the top-rated plumbing companies in the Phoenix Valley, serving Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, and the East Valley. Find them at benfranklinplumbingaz.com

Welcome to the Monday Minute – your weekly reset to lead better, think clearer, and build your independent dealership with intention.You could take the same million dollars and put it into a dealership, the stock market, an HVAC company, or a dozen other opportunities. The question is not which one sounds better. The question is which one gives you the best return. And if you cannot answer that for your own dealership right now, that is the problem.In this episode, Jeff and Luke make the case for ROI as not just a financial metric but a leadership mindset – and the one number that almost never shows up in a composite or gets discussed at convention despite being the most important scorecard in any business. Jeff walks through what return on investment actually looks like at the dealership level: not just the big picture of what your capital is generating annually, but the granular version – what is your advertising spend returning, what did that new software system actually do for you, what did sending your team to training produce, and is that vendor who told you to spend more money with them actually moving the needle? The best dealers are not making emotional decisions about vendors, marketing sources, or tools. They are measuring. Luke adds that the strongest operators he knows talk about their entire business in ROI terms – and that AI can now do what previous generations never had access to: summarize reports, identify trends, compare performance periods, and surface opportunities that get buried in a stack of DMS exports nobody has time to read.Your assignment this week: identify five major investments in your business right now – marketing, staffing, software, training, vendors – and define what success actually looks like for each one. Then pull the data, use AI tools to organize and compare expected results against actual results, and ask the hard question in black and white: what is producing a return and what is not. If something is not working, it is not an emotional conversation. Adjust it, negotiate it, replace it, or cut it – and take those savings and put them into something that actually moves the needle.Review this week's Sunday newsletter at TheIndependentDealer.com for the full theme and exercises.Not subscribed yet? Sign up now.https://theindependentdealer.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=603446580871d8522a454418d&id=50aae74348Let's build this together.

In this episode of the Try That In A Small Town podcast, the guys sit down with hitmaker George Birge to unpack his long road to “overnight success” in Nashville. George talks about grinding for a decade before his first number one, the moment Luke Bryan said “Play that motherfucker” about his song, and how TikTok flipped his career with Beer Beer Truck Truck.He shares how Clay Walker pushed him back into being an artist, how a Bobby Bones performance turned Mind On You into a life-changing hit, and why Jason Aldean giving that song back was a defining act of class. Along the way you'll hear wild road stories with SEAL Team Six and Post Malone, getting wrecked by Gary Allan's weed, the art of building a live set, and how country music's community creates careers that last decades. They close it out with golf at Augusta, Idiots of the Week, HVAC disasters, fan etiquette and plenty of laughs.Timed Highlights: 0:03:12 – Four number ones in a row, why Nashville is a “10-year town” and how hard it really is to break 0:04:35 – Building relationships with radio and listeners, and the pressure of chasing every hit 0:05:04 – Luke Bryan mentor story, Chesney's jet and the “Play that motherfucker” cowboy song moment 0:07:40 – Why country music is a “big happy family” and how fan relationships create 20–40 year careers 0:08:53 – Shouting out Kurt and Tully on a surprise Jason Aldean number one and how labels plan chart runs 0:10:00 – Original Glory beer spot and investing in America's small towns 0:11:14 – The magic and misery of the grind: why it's good that success doesn't come easy 0:12:20 – First number one, confidence, and how belief changes the way you write and perform 0:13:20 – Mike Eli's tough-love advice: “You just need to go get your ass kicked” 0:15:30 – Sprinter van nightmare in Kentucky, the meth'd-out “mechanic” and character-building on the road 0:17:49 – Moving from one recognizable song to multiple hits and the freedom of building a real setlist 0:18:38 – Covers as a “cheat code,” winning crowds in clubs and finding the sweet spot with 90s country medleys 0:20:19 – Club days: Dwight Yoakam medleys, Sweet Child O' Mine into Paradise City, and stretching 90 minutes 0:22:40 – Teaching an audience how to listen to your ballad and earning the right to play the slow songs 0:25:26 – Lessons from touring with Toby Keith: zero ego, human jukebox and knowing when to turn it into a honky-tonk cover set 0:28:19 – Tailgating with Toby Keith, SEAL Team Six and Post Malone on the bus in Virginia Beach 0:29:48 – Post Malone's country roots, respect for the genre and doing it the right way 0:30:09 – Pivoting to “just” being a songwriter, asking out of the duo deal and heading to Clay Walker's beach house 0:33:33 – Writing Clay Walker's We All Need A Bar Sometimes and Catching Up With An Old Memory and hearing the band's take from the studio side 0:36:35 – Refusing to quit, irrational optimism and how things fall into place when you keep showing up 0:37:38 – Clay Walker says “Get on TikTok” and the birth of Beer Beer Truck Truck from a country-music hater's video 0:39:41 – Going viral overnight, crediting the original TikTok creator and landing on The Bobby Bones Show 0:39:47 – Playing Mind On You live on Bobby Bones, getting a record deal and watching it go number one 0:41:03 – Jason Aldean had Mind On You on hold – and gave it back so George could release it as his debut single 0:45:08 – George's Mount Rushmore: Aldean, Gary Allan, George Strait and Tracy Lawrence, and how that shaped his sound 0:46:47 – First-hand weed disasters: Gary Allan's tackle box, the volcano, numb legs and the best pineapple ever 0:52:23 – Willie's Remedy, tequila pairings and trying to “just sleep” through a THC drink gone wrong 0:54:08 – Tequila on the road, giving up whiskey in the summer and survival strategies under 100-degree stage lights 0:55:16 – Golf talk: college golf background, shooting 75 at Augusta and winning the BMW Celebrity Pro-Am 0:57:31 – John Daly, a 27-minute Knocking on Heaven's Door and golf-country crossovers 0:58:08 – Weekly segment: Idiots of the Week – ducks on dashboards and Jeep duck culture 0:59:35 – People touching injured shoulders, hugging the sling side and unintentional pain 1:01:16 – HVAC conspiracy: the AC “just happens” to die right after the service check and buying a new unit 1:06:42 – Language rant: the word “literally,” dictionaries caving and when words stop meaning what they mean 1:08:37 – Fan behavior: phones in faces, reading the screen mid-song and completely losing the lyrics 1:10:19 – Fist bumps, picks, Sharpies mid-solo and why some fans think they're on stage with you 1:12:00 – World Cup tangent, flops, drama and sports rants 1:13:40 – Peacemaker Coffee plug and sending George beans for the bus 1:14:23 – The hosts on why George is great for country music, closing thanks and merch reminders______________________________________________________________________________________________SPONSORS: The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!Redefining Coworking - Exceptional Office Space for Every BusinessBook a tour today at espaces.comFrom the Patriot Mobile studios:Don't get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don't and they can't!Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOTRight now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.comPeacemaker Coffee CompanyFounded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.www.trythatinasmalltowncoffee.com________________________________________________________________________________________________Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.comProduced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.coSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Founderz Lounge Episode #96 with Bill Praschak.In this episode, Steve holds down the lounge solo while Don is out handling some HVAC chaos, and sits down with Bill Praschak, founder of Fully Loaded Defense, to talk about what it really takes to train civilians, businesses, churches, and organizations to protect themselves before something goes wrong.Bill shares how Fully Loaded Defense became North Carolina's leading firearms training academy by building hands-on, real-world training for everyday people. He breaks down why safety is not just about firearms, why corporate training has to go beyond a video and a binder, and why communication is the first thing that breaks down in a crisis.Steve and Bill also get into workplace violence, church security, healthcare safety, disgruntled employees, automation, complacency, leadership, and why every organization needs to know who takes charge when seconds matter.Bill also shares the personal experiences that shaped his mission, including how getting punched by a disgruntled employee changed the way he thinks about complacency, and why training should build confidence without pretending the real world is calm.If you care about leadership, corporate safety, self-defense, workplace security, team communication, emergency preparedness, and building a company that protects its people, this episode is for you.Timestamps:[00:00] Trailer and Intro[01:59] What Fully Loaded Defense does[03:04] Bill's path into firearms training[07:50] Training everyday civilians[12:39] Church and corporate security[15:52] Healthcare and workplace safety[21:33] AI, layoffs, and disgruntled employees[24:02] Leadership during a crisis[27:15] De-escalation and communication[29:43] Why safety plans fail[31:46] Hands-on training under pressure[37:26] The danger of complacency[39:34] Bill's personal wake-up call[44:34] Why more people are training[46:05] Law enforcement and self-reliance[49:11] What's next for Fully Loaded Defense[50:30] Final thoughtsKey Takeaways:• You do not need a military or law enforcement background to become capable of protecting your home, family, or organization. ~Bill Praschak• “How you practice is how you play in the game.” ~Bill Praschak• If your safety training is just a video, a test, and a binder, your team is not actually prepared. ~Bill Praschak• Corporate safety is leadership training because someone has to know who takes charge when things go wrong. ~Bill Praschak• “Complacency is the death of every company.” ~Bill Praschak• When communication breaks down, everything else breaks down with it. ~Bill Praschak• “Less complacency, more self-reliance.” ~Steve Bon• “Their brand culture is as strong as their strategy.” ~Steve BonConnect with Bill Praschak:Website: https://www.fullyloadeddefensellc.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091650174381&sk=aboutConnect with Don and Steve…Don Varady:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/don.varady/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donvarady/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-varady-450896145 Steve Bon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenbon Instagram: https://instagram.com/stevebon8 Tune in to every episode on your favorite platform: Website: https://www.thefounderzlounge.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFounderzLounge Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Nurr4XjBE747qJ9Zjth0G Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-founderz-lounge/id1461825349 The Founderz Lounge is Powered By:Clean Eatz:Website: https://cleaneatz.com/Bon's Eye Marketing:Website: https://bonseyeonline.com/ 

What happens when you put two industry-recognized HVAC business owners in a studio, hand them the mic, and let them talk through what it really takes to grow in the trades? You get magic… and the kickoff of a new Cracking The Code season built around real experience, hard-earned lessons, and conversations you only get from people still doing the reps every day. In this first episode of an all new season of Cracking The Code, hosts Brad Barron, CEO of Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing, and Jason Walker, Owner of Royalty Heating & Cooling, introduce the reimagined show and share the journeys that shaped their perspective as contractors and business owners. Brad shares the challenges that came with scaling a long-standing family business into new trade verticals while earning trust, building teams and leading through change. Jason shares his path from warehouse cleaner to high-performing comfort advisor to owner, and the obstacles he overcame starting a company from scratch. Together, they set the tone for a new era of the show, focused on honest conversations about growth, leadership, and the lessons contractors learn only by going through the fire.The post Real HVAC Insights From Our New Hosts first appeared on My Contractor University | Dashboard.

My father always told me that the smartest business people learn from the mistakes of others so they don't make them. In this podcast, you'll get the opportunity to learn real world, boots on the ground, leadership lessons from Keith Flores…a highly respected entrepreneur, HVAC industry leader, and founder/operator with over 30 years of experience in the trades and business world. Free P&L Statement and Balance Sheet https://tinyurl.com/2rjd6wxu Ruth King Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ruthking1650 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthking1/   Podcast Produced by Nick Uttam https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-uttam-4b33a1147

Jeff Urso slides back into the chair at Duffer's fresh off opening Hatricks in Mundelein right as the insane July heatwave hit. Half the AC working, belts snapping, fresh air intake fighting for its life — and he still got the place dialed in while running the kitchen and learning new wing tricks from his own chef.From bar ownership war stories (400-degree pizza ovens in 2010, ice makers holding up, bodies pumping out more heat than the equipment) the conversation rolls into what's actually happening in Lake Forest right now: the caucus interviewing mayoral hopefuls, the Block the Box fallout still costing the city, Jed Morris recusal drama, and whether anyone can run without splitting the vote.From there it's everywhere: Lake Forest Day parade route changes, the American Legion endowment debate, craft beer dying while big boys and infusions take over, fantasy football drafts on slow nights, Vegas stadium vibes, and why politicians sound different depending on who's in the room.So is the mayoral field already locked in with two caucus candidates?Will Lake Forest Day finally move to the weekend or stay mid-week for the bars?And who's actually paying attention to the charter, the pensions, and the block parties?We document. You decide.

Quotes from the episode:   "Comfort isn't just about air temperature—it's also about the temperature of everything around you."   "If it's difficult to maintain, eventually it simply won't be maintained."   "Stay curious about your built environment. Pay attention, ask questions, and keep learning."   Edward Louie of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory joins Bill Spohn for a thoughtful discussion that goes far beyond heat pumps. Known throughout the building science community for his data-driven LinkedIn posts and willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, Edward shares how curiosity has shaped both his career and his approach to research. From growing up in a drafty, inefficient home to conducting cutting-edge research on building energy, he explains why asking better questions often leads to better buildings. The conversation explores what really determines HVAC performance in the field. Edward discusses why airflow and proper system sizing matter more than headline efficiency ratings, how radiant temperature influences comfort just as much as air temperature, and why installation quality remains the industry's biggest opportunity for improvement. He also shares practical perspectives on dual-fuel systems, the refrigerant transition to R-32 and R-454B, duct leakage, and why equipment manufacturers should place a greater emphasis on serviceability and maintenance. Whether you're a contractor, designer, or building performance professional, this episode is a reminder that excellence comes from paying attention to the details. Edward encourages listeners to stay curious, collect data, challenge assumptions, and never stop learning—because the best improvements in our industry often begin with a simple question.   Edward's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-louie-5a58a13b/   The Building America Solution Center: https://basc.pnnl.gov/   Edward's LinkedIn discussions: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_heatpump-modernheatpumps-heatpumpperformance-activity-7425636437431115777-TIXA   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_green-energy-series-25-implementing-a-dual-activity-7314650421640208384-TLYS   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_green-energy-series-25-implementing-a-dual-activity-7314650421640208384-TLYS   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_r32-r454b-refrigeranttransition-activity-7331932555643969537-RMws   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_hvac-heatpump-qualityinstall-activity-7231203656295981057-szH9   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_hvacmaintenance-indoorairquality-activity-7372829495155724288-DWuh   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_hvac-hvacservice-datafromreality-activity-7420168545113747456-M-Tp   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-louie-5a58a13b_duct-design-significantly-impacts-duct-performance-activity-7291555164618924032-OhhC   This episode was recorded in July 2026.  

Not every acquisition is worth making.In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson shares the story of one of the biggest acquisitions he chose to walk away from, even though it had the potential to double the size of his business. What looked like an incredible opportunity on paper quickly unraveled as the due diligence process exposed problems with customer concentration, company culture, cash flow, and the financials.John explains the acquisition framework he uses to evaluate plumbing, HVAC, and electrical businesses, why revenue and EBITDA rarely tell the whole story, and the common mistakes first-time buyers make when they become emotionally attached to a deal.Sometimes the best acquisition is the one you don't make.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━In this episode, John covers:→ The acquisition that looked perfect—but wasn't→ The biggest red flags uncovered during due diligence→ Why customer mix and company culture matter as much as financials→ How to avoid becoming emotionally invested in a deal→ What every first-time acquisition entrepreneur should know→ Lessons learned from the deals John decided not to buy━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Watch this episode early on the John Wilson YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnWilsonOAOSend Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

In Episode 310 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, co-host David Prejeant sits down with Kat Gordienko, Co-founder and CEO of Builty, to explore one of the most overlooked and underutilized data sources in insurance: building permits. What began as a personal home improvement project during the pandemic ultimately sparked the creation of a company focused on transforming fragmented permit records into actionable intelligence for insurers.  Kat shares her journey from analyzing streaming data at Netflix to tackling the complex world of permit data, where information is scattered across more than 20,000 jurisdictions, filled with inconsistencies, abbreviations, and unstructured records. She explains how Builty uses AI and proprietary data models to normalize this information and turn it into meaningful risk insights for underwriting, claims, and property intelligence.  The conversation explores how permit data can reveal information that traditional property data sources often miss, including electrical upgrades, plumbing improvements, fire protection systems, and commercial property modifications. Kat also discusses how Builty is working with insurers, leveraging NVIDIA's Inception program, and uncovering new ways permit data can help carriers better understand future risks before they appear in claims history.  Along the way, David and Kat dive into some of the most unusual building permits ever filed, including catios, residential helipads, falconries, and fur storage facilities, proving that permit data can be both insightful and entertaining.  Key Highlights [07:00] Meet Kat Gordienko and Builty Kat shares her background in data analytics at Netflix and explains how building an ADU project during the pandemic led her to discover the untapped value hidden inside building permit records. [09:00] The Discovery That Started It All After completing a major property improvement project, Kat realized her insurance coverage had not automatically reflected the changes, revealing a gap that ultimately inspired Builty. [11:00] Why Permit Data Is So Difficult A deep dive into the challenges of working with permit records across thousands of jurisdictions, each with different formats, terminology, and standards. [12:00] Teaching AI to Understand Permits Kat explains why off the shelf AI models struggle with permit data and how Builty built specialized systems capable of understanding permit specific language and context.  [14:00] Learning Insurance from Scratch How Kat and her co-founder immersed themselves in the insurance ecosystem through carrier conversations, customer feedback, and industry accelerator programs.  [15:00] Turning Data Into Risk Scores Why clean data is only the starting point and how Builty transforms permit records into practical risk scores for insurers.  [16:00] Unexpected Commercial Insurance Applications How insurers are using permit data to uncover insights about commercial properties, fire protection systems, and other hidden characteristics.  [17:00] The Fire Protection Data Gap Why information about sprinklers, fire doors, and other mitigation systems is often difficult to find and how permit records help close that gap.  [18:00] Looking Beyond Aerial Imagery While aerial imagery can assess roofs and exterior conditions, permit data reveals what's happening inside a property's electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems. [19:00] Building AI Before the AI Boom Kat discusses Builty's early investment in custom language models and how recent advances in AI have accelerated their ability to process permit data at scale.  [22:00] The Wildest Permits Ever Filed From catios and private helipads to falconries and fur storage facilities, Kat shares some of the most memorable permits her team has uncovered.  [24:00] What Underwriters Might Be Missing How permit data can reveal commercial kitchens, specialty structures, and other risk factors that may not appear in underwriting applications. [26:00] Accelerating With NVIDIA Kat explains how participation in NVIDIA's Inception program is helping Builty improve speed, efficiency, and scalability across its AI models.  [28:00] Expanding Across Insurance A look at Builty's growing carrier relationships and the potential applications of permit intelligence across underwriting, claims, and reinsurance.  [29:00] Predicting Tomorrow's Risks Today Kat shares research exploring whether homes located near data centers experience increased HVAC replacement rates, highlighting the predictive potential of permit data. [ [32:00] The Future of Property Intelligence Why Kat believes permit data should become a standard component of insurance and real estate decision making, helping identify risks before losses occur.  [35:00] Advice for InsurTech Founders Kat shares lessons learned from building Builty, including the importance of finding one meaningful problem, proving value quickly, and earning trust inside the insurance industry.  [36:00] Go Narrow, Then Go Deep The story of Builty's evolution from an ADU marketplace concept into a permit intelligence platform, and why narrowing the focus ultimately created a bigger opportunity.

Figgy's Mixtape, featuring an HVAC thief on the loose, Figgy saluting a longtime Payne & Pendergast producer, and saying goodbye to the Nissan Altima.

ITL reacts to a new report from Bill Barnwell after conversations with NFL executives about player trade values quickly turned into a debate over Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. The guys discuss why opinions around the league are mixed, what Stroud must prove to re-establish himself among the NFL's elite quarterbacks, and whether the criticism is warranted heading into the season. B Scott joins the show for Around The NFL, shares his thoughts on Stroud, and brings his three biggest questions for the Texans before training camp. Reggie continues his Texans Re-Watch series by revisiting Houston's matchup with the Broncos, while Lunch-Time Confessions delivers another round of laughs before Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen joins the show to discuss the World Cup, the Dynamo, and soccer's continued growth in Houston. ITL also debates one of the greatest Houston sports arguments: Who was the better defensive player, Hakeem Olajuwon or J.J. Watt? Plus, the crew looks ahead to the Astros' trade deadline strategy, discusses what Dana Brown could do to improve the roster, and wraps up with Figgy's Mixtape featuring an HVAC thief on the loose, a salute to a longtime Payne & Pendergast producer, and a farewell to the Nissan Altima.

In this episode, Bryan leads a live team meeting focused on getting technicians mentally and practically ready for the summer rush. He opens by asking the group to name what makes the season different, and the answers pile up quickly: higher call volumes, hotter attics, more irritable customers, and a nagging pressure to move faster than usual. Bryan distills these observations into a central theme that runs through the entire conversation — the tension between speed and thoroughness, and how the desire to rush during the busy season is the root cause of most costly mistakes and callbacks. A major thread of the discussion is the idea of "sharpening your ax" before the season's workload hits full force. Bryan pushes the team to build real confidence in their tools rather than assuming they work correctly. He walks through practical habits: verifying that a leak detector is properly calibrated, understanding its components well enough to troubleshoot it, and periodically checking a vacuum pump with a micron gauge so a technician instinctively knows what normal performance looks like. He also shares a story about a mentor named Howard Erskine, using it to illustrate how small, deliberate routines — from hose-rolling technique to truck organization — compound into real speed without sacrificing accuracy. The conversation then turns to drain lines and diagnostic philosophy, centered on Bryan's "wide, narrow, wide" framework. He explains that rushing tends to collapse a technician's focus into the narrow middle step — fixing only the immediate complaint — while skipping the wide assessment before and after the repair that catches secondary issues like sagging platforms, damaged insulation, or drainage problems before they become bigger failures. A detailed real-world example involving an oversized system in a heavily shaded, lakeside home shows how factors outside a standard load calculation, like mature trees and humidity, can explain why equipment isn't "keeping up" even when nothing is actually broken. Bryan closes by connecting these technical habits to business outcomes, urging technicians to fully document and resolve issues rather than telling clients to "keep an eye on it." He frames average ticket size, callback rate, and time on call as honest indicators of thoroughness rather than sales pressure, and encourages the team to lean into detailed measureQuick reports, thermal imaging, and clear client communication so that no problem gets punted down the road. He wraps up with an honest, encouraging note about the grind of the summer season, reminding the crew that the long hours are temporary and that consistent, unhurried practices are what ultimately make the season more profitable and less stressful. Topics Covered What makes the summer HVAC season uniquely difficult, from heat and call volume to mental fog and burnout The connection between rushing and increased callbacks, mistakes, and missed opportunities "Sharpening your ax" — preparing tools and routines before the busy season hits Properly calibrating and understanding leak detectors, including the H10 Using a micron gauge to verify vacuum pump performance and knowing when to change pump oil Building personal routines and truck ergonomics to work faster without losing accuracy Common and costly drain line issues, including float switches, double traps, and pitch problems The "wide, narrow, wide" troubleshooting framework for full-system diagnosis A case study on an oversized system in a shaded, lakeside home and how site conditions affect load Handling clients who report a system "not keeping up," including thermostat lookers vs. comfort-focused clients Using measureQuick reports and third-party verification to build client trust Evaluating ductwork, insulation, and equipment sizing as part of a full home assessment Why documenting a clear path forward beats telling clients to "keep an eye on it" Average ticket size, callback rate, and time on call as indicators of technician thoroughness Maintaining a healthy mindset and work-life balance through the demands of summer   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

Send us Fan MailAlex Rutledge and Redbone sit down with Shane Wagner of Wagner Heating and Air for a wide-ranging conversation covering his roots in West Plains, Missouri, how he learned the HVAC trade hands-on, and tips for maintaining your split air units. Shane also opens up about his passion for whitetail and turkey hunting using Wise Eye trail cameras, his approach to deer management on the family farm, and his side gig coaching high school basketball at Koshkonong. Stick around for the bonus segment where Shane shares his favorite deer meat recipes. Plus, Cardinals baseball talk and Chiefs updates to kick things off.Chapters & Timestamps:0:00 – Show Open & Food Plot Tips1:04 – Welcome to American Roots Outdoors3:08 – Cardinals Baseball Talk4:16 – Chiefs & Travis Kelce5:39 – Shane Wagner Joins the Show7:31 – Shane's Roots & Heating Business10:17 – Certifications & Career Advice14:00 – Deer Hunting & Wise Eye Cameras19:44 – Sanctuary & Deer Management21:59 – Split Air Unit Maintenance Tips25:37 – Why Mini Splits Are Popular28:06 – Rifles & Long Range Shooting28:44 – Coaching High School Basketball32:37 – Bonus: Cooking Deer Meat35:45 – Invitation to Hunt & Closing Thoughts36:47 – OutroMissouri Hunting Heritage Federation:https://www.mhhf.us/To follow American Roots Outdoors Podcast:https://www.facebook.com/groups/448812356525413To learn more about American Roots Outdoors:https://americanrootsoutdoors.com/https://www.facebook.com/AmericanRootsOutdoors/To follow Alex Rutledge:https://www.facebook.com/americanrootsalex/To follow Wayne Lach:https://www.facebook.com/wayne.lach.5To follow Mike Crase:https://www.facebook.com/mike.crase

It's PID Radio's Throwback Thursday. Nearly 20 years ago, the Middle East—specifically Iran and Iraq—were at the center of the news cycle. Some things never change. Originally released February 25, 2007 WE'RE back with our first blather in weeks and it felt good to run through an hour of news analysis again! First things first: P.I.D. Radio will be here next week and for the foreseeable future. Thank you to everyone sent notes of support. It's truly humbling to know that this little homegrown show has reached around the world. We hope you had a chance to see The State Within on BBC America Saturday. The miniseries was a well-written and tightly directed political thriller that offers a glimpse into what might happen inside the halls of power in Washington, D.C. Wars are basically marketing ploys to drum up business for the military industrial complex back here at home. Meanwhile, it's back to blather on the news of the day. A remarkable development that has been little noticed by the major media: A group of American generals has apparently let it be known that they will quit if President Bush orders an attack on Iran. In addition, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, has said there is “no chance” of the U.S. going to war with Iran. In addition, a story that's set to break next week at the Intelligence Summit in Tampa reveals that Saddam had an active nuke program in 2002 and 2003. During the last six months of 2002, Saddam apparently built four very expensive nuclear storage and production facilities underneath the Euphrates River. Let's see how this is played in the media. Topics: BBC America's The State WithinKelly's death not suicide, MP saysCheney jet leaves Singapore after repairsU.S. generals may quit if Bush orders attack on IranIran: A Bridge Too Far? Article outlining the threat from Iran's Sunburn anti-ship missileIntelligence Summit promises big storiesSyria denies Israeli report that its army is advancingMore on arms seized near Mexican border“Move Along, Nothing to See Here” by Derek Gilbert U.S. media ignoring the birth of the North American UnionJames Cameron: I've found the tomb of Jesus Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, is fighting stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Follow us! X (formerly Twitter): @pidradio | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert | @gilberthouse_tvTelegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunkerSubstack: gilberthouse.substack.comYouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelationFacebook.com/pidradio JOIN US IN ISRAEL (NOTE NEW DATES)! We will tour the Holy Land October 25–November 6, 2027 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square foot pole barn has a new HVAC system, epoxy floor, 100-amp electric service, new windows, insulation, lights, and ceiling fans! If you are so led, you can help out by clicking here: gilberthouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to this podcast, our weekly Bible studies, and our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at pidradio.com/app. Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store/.

Leave an Amazon Rating or Review for my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Check out the full episode: https://greatness.lnk.to/1951DM A husband and wife showed up at Chris Koerner's house to wash his windows. No LLC. No insurance. No money. He paid them anyway. That story is the whole lesson. You don't need capital to start a business. You need hustle and the nerve to ask for a deposit. Koerner breaks down his barbell strategy. Stay far from tech on one side, no AI, no internet, just sweat. Or go all in on AI on the other. Skip the messy middle where either side can wipe you out. He's watched guys buy VCRs for five bucks on Facebook Marketplace and flip them for a $150 on eBay. Same trick works with couches, clothes, furniture, anything people don't know the value of. America is short three million plumbers, electricians, and HVAC techs. Robots aren't coming for that job anytime soon. If you've been waiting for permission to start something with your hands, this is it. Sign up for the Greatness newsletter: http://www.greatness.com/newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Business Edition Podcast, co-hosts Gary McCreadie and Furman Haynes from WorkHero sit down with Cornelio Martinez, Owner at Maize Mechanical, to discuss what it really takes to build a successful HVAC business from the ground up. Cornelio shares how he left the corporate world to protect his personal reputation, navigated launching a company during the COVID-19 pandemic, and strategically positioned his business around heat pumps and emerging technologies. The conversation explores business growth, networking, rebate programs, industry policy, and why intentional planning not advertising has fueled his company's success. After years working for large HVAC companies, Cornelio launched his own business with a focus on integrity, customer relationships, and delivering exceptional workmanship. Today, he leads a growing team specializing in heat pumps, home electrification, and high-performance HVAC systems while advocating for better collaboration between contractors, policymakers, and utility programs.   Expect To Learn: Why Cornelio left the corporate world to build his own HVAC business How launching during COVID shaped his approach to business growth Why heat pumps became the foundation of his company's strategy The importance of staying ahead of industry trends and rebate programs Challenges contractors face with utility incentives and rebate administration How networking and relationships outperform traditional advertising Practical lessons for scaling an HVAC company through quality work and customer trust Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 00:57 - Why Protecting Your Reputation Matters More Than a Paycheck 03:40 - Starting an HVAC Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic 06:01 - Managing Cash Flow on Large Residential Projects 08:26 - The Heat Pump Project That Changed Everything 09:37 - Building a Business With Intention Instead of Reacting 13:17 - What Policymakers Need to Understand About Contractors 17:40 - Growing From a One-Person Shop to a Full Team 19:15 - Scaling an HVAC Business Through Quality and Trust   Follow our guest Cornelio Martinez: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelio-martinez-38660b40/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corneliomartinez/  Company Website: https://maizemechanical.com/  Company Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/people/Maize-Mechanical/61556354961579/#    Follow Gary McCreadie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/ Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/    Follow Furman Haynes:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/furmanhaynes/  WorkHero: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workherohvac/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workhero__/  

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In this short episode from the Bry-X stage of the 7th Annual HVACR Training Symposium, Tessa Murry gives a class on building science basics: The House Always Wins! Tessa is a building scientist who works with TEC. Tessa's class is about how the house puts HVAC contractors in difficult situations. When people have indoor air quality or comfort concerns, the HVAC often takes the blame, even if the issue is with the house. There are usually several little home improvement decisions that create unintended consequences and add up. In many cases, when there aren't exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms, moisture stays inside and can cause indoor condensation. Air-sealing, adding or removing insulation, replacing windows, replacing furnaces with a different efficiency model, and even moving people in can all affect comfort and air quality. Comfort issues and complaints, such as hot and cold spots, often point to issues with the house, not necessarily just the HVAC system. Pressure boundaries and thermal boundaries in the building envelope need to be aligned, continuous, and consistent for HVAC systems to do their job well, but many houses don't have that. Those boundaries need to be clear between attached spaces like attics or garages. Those spaces create problems with energy efficiency and comfort, and humidity is a problem in some climates. Garages also have fumes we want to keep out of the house.  Heat moves from hot to cold, and air moves when there is a pressure differential. Mechanical equipment and wind can drive pressure differentials. If there is a pressure difference and a hole, there will be air movement. In the winter, cold air sinks and displaces warm air, which rises and creates positive pressure at the top of the house. That air will push through gaps around can lights, vents, and more. When that humid air gets into a cold attic, the moisture will condense on the roof decking surface and cause an ice dam to form. In the summer, hot, humid air comes into the structure. Regardless of the house's issues with air movement, it's on HVAC contractors to make the decisions that put the occupant's health and safety first, including calling the contractors with the knowledge to diagnose the house's problem.   Have a question that you want us to answer on the podcast? Submit your questions at https://www.speakpipe.com/hvacschool. Purchase your tickets or learn more about the 8th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium. Subscribe to our podcast on your iPhone or Android. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Check out our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.

Ever feel like your supernatural experiences make you question your sanity? You're not alone.   Many who've encountered the unexplained often keep quiet, fearing judgment or disbelief. But it's crucial to share these experiences. Sharing your story can be healing for you and a beacon for others who feel isolated in their experiences.  Bryan Sawyer (bigfootsofmichigan.com) is a professional actor who fell into the world of cryptid investigation. He explains how his experience in front of the camera has translated into real world Bigfoot investigations, his encounters with Sasquatch in Michigan, and how we integrate the existence of giant hominids and other cryptids, like dogmen, into a Christian worldview. Follow Bryant's podcast, Bigfoot of America, here: youtube.com/@BigfootofAmerica Follow us! X: @viewfrombunker | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbertTelegram: t.me/gilberthouseSubstack: gilberthouse.substack.com | sharonkgibert.substack.comYouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelationFacebook.com/viewfromthebunker Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! The building has HVAC, a new floor, windows, insulation, ceiling fans, and an upgraded electrical system! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at www.GilbertHouse.org/donate. Download our free app! This brings all of our content directly to your smartphone or tablet. Best of all, we'll never get canceled from our own app! Links to the app stores for iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle Fire devices are at www.GilbertHouse.org/app. Please join us each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details. JOIN US IN ISRAEL (NOTE NEW DATES)! We will tour the Holy Land October 24–November 3, 2027 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Special offers on our books and DVDs: www.gilberthouse.org/store. Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page (facebook.com/viewfromthebunker) and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network (Spreaker.com/show/fringe-radio-network)!