If You're Not Ready to Sacrifice, Don't Start a Business | Rich Ortega Part 1

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, host Gary McCreadie is joined by Rich Ortega, the C.O.O. and co-owner of On The Rock Services and podcast co-host of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, to discuss the realities of starting and running a service business. Rich shares his experience working in the commercial kitchen industry for 20 years, including his time working for his father and grandfather before eventually moving into larger companies and starting his own business.

The conversation begins with the challenges of working with independent restaurants, including low budgets, price objections, and the difficulty of getting customers to understand the true cost of repairs and maintenance. Rich explains why he shifted his focus toward larger chain and multi-unit operations and how those customers provide more opportunities to perform profitable repairs and maintenance.

Gary and Rich then discuss Rich's journey into entrepreneurship, including the experiences that pushed him to leave his previous employer, the importance of building a strong personal reputation, and how existing customer relationships helped him establish his own company. They also explore the less-discussed side of business ownership, including long hours, being available 24/7, sacrificing vacations and free time, and the intense workload during the first few years. Rich shares what his first year was really like and why, despite the exhaustion, he genuinely enjoyed the journey.

Expect to Learn:

● The challenges of servicing independent restaurants and dealing with limited repair budgets.

● Why Rich shifted his business toward larger chain and multi-unit restaurant operations.

● How to identify additional legitimate repair and maintenance opportunities during service calls.

● Rich's journey from working for his family and larger companies to becoming an entrepreneur.

● Why building a strong personal reputation can help when starting a new service business.

● The sacrifices, long hours, and lack of work-life balance that can come with starting a business.

● What Rich's first six months and first year in business were really like.

Episode Highlights: