How We Bought a Company for $0 and Sold It for $70M+

Welcome back to another episode of the Build Sell Podcast! In this episode, host Lance sits down with special guest Tom Howard, the Vice President of Customer Experience at Service Titan and owner/investor in multiple home services companies.

Tom shares his incredible journey of buying and selling air conditioning and plumbing shops, including a massive deal where he and his partners bought a company for zero dollars and sold it 16 months later for over $70 million.

The duo dives deep into what it truly takes to be a successful business operator, emphasizing the power of fast implementation over endless analysis. They explore the evolving role of AI and automation in the trades, why networking at masterminds matters, and how transparency regarding business failures can help you grow faster. Finally, Tom clears up the love-hate relationship contractors have with Service Titan, explaining why enterprise-level software is critical for scaling to $100M+.345

Whether you are in HVAC, plumbing, or roofing, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you stop letting fear hold you back and start executing like a true winner.

Key Focuses:

The Power of Execution: Why ideas are worthless without immediate implementation.

AI and the Future of Labor: How robotics and automated technology are positioned to replace manual labor in trades like roofing.

True Networking: Stepping out of your comfort zone at mastermind conferences to learn from different operators.

Scaling with Enterprise Software: The challenges and massive data advantages of fully integrating Service Titan into your business infrastructure.

Overcoming Fear: Why the ultimate bottleneck for struggling operators is the fear of making a wrong decision.