Episode 203: 28 Years Old & Running an HVAC Company | Total HVAC

<p>At 28 years old, Mitch Noto is already a licensed HVAC contractor, business owner, technician, installer, and the creator behind Total HVAC.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles, we sit down with Mitch to talk about what it&#39;s really like building a career in HVAC while taking on the responsibility of running a business.</p><p><br></p><p>Mitch grew up around the trade and eventually stepped into the family HVAC business, but his path wasn&#39;t as simple as deciding from day one that HVAC was going to be his career. We talk about how his perspective on the trades changed, getting licensed, taking on more responsibility, and realizing just how much opportunity exists in HVAC.</p><p><br></p><p>But owning an HVAC company isn&#39;t just buying a van, filling it with tools, and waiting for the money to roll in.</p><p><br></p><p>Mitch gets into the reality of finding customers, advertising, quoting work, ordering parts, handling warranties, underbidding jobs, and figuring things out as you go. Sometimes you quote a job wrong, something unexpected happens, and you have to eat some of the cost, keep the customer happy, learn from it, and move on.</p><p><br></p><p>We also get into a topic that needs more discussion: young technicians entering the skilled trades.</p><p><br></p><p>There&#39;s no shortage of people saying the younger generation &quot;doesn&#39;t want to work,&quot; yet we&#39;re watching 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds buy service vans, start companies, learn the trade, and build businesses. They may not approach the industry exactly like the generation before them—but that doesn&#39;t mean they&#39;re afraid to work.</p><p><br></p><p>Mitch has also experienced what happens when a young technician walks into a customer&#39;s home and immediately has his knowledge questioned because of his age. Sometimes the best response is doing the job, diagnosing the problem correctly, and letting your work prove what you know.</p><p><br></p><p>We cover:</p><p>• Growing up around an HVAC business<br>• Becoming a licensed HVAC contractor<br>• Technician vs. business owner mentality<br>• The realities of starting an HVAC company<br>• Finding customers and advertising<br>• Underbidding jobs and learning from mistakes<br>• Young technicians entering the skilled trades<br>• Service work vs. installation<br>• Digital HVAC tools vs. old-school fundamentals<br>• Social media and the HVAC creator community<br>• Creating content while still gett