Alex Johantgen on Setting an Ambitious Vision at Rise and Shine - Ep.287

Alex Bridgeman and Alex Johantgen explore the journey of building Rise and Shine Garage Doors from two personal trucks to a fleet of over 20 vehicles projected to do $10–11 million in revenue. Johantgen shares how he and his business partner started the company in 2015 after selling a home and cashing out a 401(k), built early traction through door-to-door networking and Google reviews, and later rebranded from the generic "Garage Door Repair Company" to a memorable identity with eye-catching vehicle wraps. The conversation reveals how attending an industry conference in 2020 opened their eyes to what was possible and led them to implement structured systems, processes, and an eight-week technician training program.

They discuss:

- Why customer service ability matters more than technical experience when hiring technicians

- How twice-weekly team meetings and a structured career ladder help maintain consistency across 100+ daily service calls

- The surprising effectiveness of neighborhood-based direct mail campaigns tied to recent jobs, tracked through reverse lookup attribution

- How building a training center and hiring a full-time trainer freed up leadership to focus on growth instead of daily operations

- Why brand familiarity through billboards, radio, and vehicle wraps increases conversions when customers search on Google

This episode offers a detailed look at scaling a service business through deliberate investments in training, marketing, and leadership development for owners in the trades.

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:00:41) - How Alex got into garage doors

(00:02:26) - Starting the business with Josh