In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Patrick Dichter, owner of AppleTree Business Services, to break down what “good accounting” actually looks like inside a growing home service business — and why financial clarity becomes a competitive advantage as you scale.

John opens up about a hard truth: he didn’t get his first clean month-end close until last year, and it made almost a decade of decision-making harder than it needed to be. Patrick walks through the real stages most home service operators go through — from “Checkbook Charlie” to outsourced bookkeeping to in-house controllers — and the exact problems that show up at each stage.

They dig into why growth eats cash even when the business is “doing everything right,” how bad accruals and broken CRM/accounting integrations quietly destroy margins, and what a simple cash forecast can do to keep you out of trouble. John also shares the painful lesson he learned in 2025: you can run a strong P&L and still get smoked on cash if you’re not thinking about the balance sheet.

If you’ve ever asked “where’s my money?” while growing, struggled to trust your gross margin, or felt like your business is flying blind month-to-month — this one is for you.

💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!

We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.
Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?

🔗Check Them Out Here

💼 Modernize is how smart contractors scale.
With inbound calls, live transfers, and branded programs, Modernize connects you to ready-to-buy homeowners. Over 9M leads delivered and $4B+ in revenue generated.

👉 Start growing

🚀 Huge Shoutout to SupplyHouse!

When it comes to fast turnaround times, SupplyHouse has our back! With 250,000+ SKUs covering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical, they make sure we get the right materials—fast and hassle-free.

💡Their Trademaster program offers free shipping, returns, and discounts, all with no membership fee. Use promo code SH5 for five percent off your first order— Code is valid through 9/30/2025.

🔗 Check them out & level up your supply game here

🎙️ Hosts & Guest

Host:
John Wilson — x.com/@WilsonCompanies

Guest:
Patrick Dichter — AppleTree Business Services
Website: appletreebusiness.com
Socials: @PatrickDichter (Twitter/X), LinkedIn

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

• John's YouTube Channel
• Weekly Newsletter
• Owned and Operated

Leave a Review

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

In this episode, John Wilson is on-site in Chicago with Aizik Zimerman, owner of Jay Blanton Plumbing, to break down how one of the fastest-growing plumbing companies in the country built a sewer and drain growth engine. Since buying the $6M Jay Blanton business at the end of 2022, Aizik has scaled it to ~$25M this year and a $30M run rate — and nearly half that growth is coming from sewers. They unpack the investments, the operational build-out, and the marketing + sales system that turned trenchless lining into a repeatable, high-volume profit center.

Aizik shares the exact playbook behind his “Unclogs for Dogs” offer, why they send salespeople with cameras first (no junior drain tech flip), and how they price lining as the cheaper alternative to excavation to beat inertia and win the market. If you’re trying to add $5–$10M of revenue through drains, improve close rates, or build a trenchless division that actually scales, this episode is a must-listen.

What You’ll Learn

• The 2022 → 2025 growth story: $6M to $25M+ and what changed operationally
• Why Aizik bet big on sewers while competitors stayed HVAC-heavy
• The economics of lining vs. digging: pricing, margins, and why “cheaper lining” wins
• How a $1M+ CapEx investment (UV curing trailers, jetting, prep teams) unlocked volume
  
  

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Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀

FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer!

📅 Book your demo

🚀 Huge Shoutout to SupplyHouse!

When it comes to fast turnaround times, SupplyHouse has our back! With 250,000+ SKUs covering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical, they make sure we get the right materials—fast and hassle-free.

💡Their Trademaster program offers free shipping, returns, and discounts, all with no membership fee. Use promo code SH5 for five percent off your first order— Code is valid through 9/30/2025.

🔗 Check them out & level up your supply game here

🎙️ Hosts & Guest

Host
John Wilson

Guest
Aizik Zimerman

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

• John's YouTube Channel
• Weekly Newsletter
• Owned and Operated

Leave a Review

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.

In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Daryna Kulya, co-founder of Quo (formerly OpenPhone), to unpack one of the most underappreciated growth levers in home services: how you communicate as you scale. What starts as “one tech, one phone, one truck” quickly becomes a bottleneck once you’re trying to hire CSRs, build a call center, and stop missing leads. Daryna shares the real story behind Quo’s rebrand, why they’re building for the long term, and how modern phone + text workflows are evolving with AI.

They dive into the hard operational truth most contractors learn too late: you don’t feel the communication pain until your customers already do. From missed calls, speed-to-lead, shared inboxes, and staffing by the hour (not the day), to AI call agents that outperform voicemail 3x, this is a tactical conversation for any operator trying to grow past the owner-operator stage. If you’re scaling HVAC, plumbing, electrical, restoration, or any service trade — and you want to stop leaking revenue through missed calls and messy handoffs — this one’s a must-listen.

What You’ll Learn

• Why Quo rebranded from OpenPhone — and what that signals about the future of communication
• The hidden scaling trap of using your personal cell number
• When contractors hire CSRs too late (and step out too early)
• Why staffing by the day hides the real missed-call problem

🎙️ Hosts & Guest

Host
John Wilson

Guest
Daryna Kulya — Co-Founder, Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

⏱️Brought to you by The Military Veteran

If you’re running a home service business and hiring feels slow, risky, or you’re just not seeing the leadership talent you need, TMV can help. They connect companies like yours with exceptional military veteran leaders, people who’ve already proven they can execute, adapt, and lead under pressure. And they do it fast, with a white-glove process that saves you weeks and avoids costly mis-hires.

Want to see who’s out there? Book a Free Coaching session Below

💼 Shoutout to PayPerCall.io

Stop paying for leads that don’t convert. With PayPerCall.io, you only pay when your phone rings with a qualified customer. Real calls. Real results.

👉 Book your free call

💼 Shoutout to ReferPro!

Want more high-converting referral leads without the manual tracking and check-cutting? ReferPro helps home service companies generate, track, and reward referrals automatically—so you capture the revenue you’re already leaving on the table.
🔗 Book a demo

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

• John's YouTube Channel
• Weekly Newsletter
• Owned and Operated

Leave a Review

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.