John sits down with Christian Rattin, CEO of Five Star Home Services, to unpack how he helped transform a single-family HVAC shop into a $40M+ multi-market powerhouse across Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati.

From growing through chaos to professionalizing with purpose, Christian shares Five Star’s evolution — blending faith, strategy, and servant leadership to build a home service company that gives back millions. They go deep on: the “profit on purpose” philosophy, scaling across markets without losing culture, leadership development for second-chance employees, and using systems like Scaling Up to sustain growth.

If you’re serious about building a multi-location business, leading through values, or turning revenue into real impact, this episode is a masterclass in intentional scaling.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• Profit on Purpose: How Five Star gives away 10% of revenue while driving sustainable profit.
• Scaling with Faith and Focus: Why doing business “on purpose” beats chasing fast exits.
• From $10M to $40M: Lessons from chaotic growth, leadership resets, and professionalizing ops.
• Leadership at Scale: Creating A-player development pipelines, manager roundtables, and clear career ladders.
• Multi-Market Playbook: The hard truths about central vs. localized leadership and GM accountability.
• Systems Thinking: Why Scaling Up won over EOS — and how to choose the right coach.

🎙️ Host

John Wilson

🎙️ Guest

Christian Rattin – CEO, Five Star Home Services (Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati)

📞 Sponsored by Quo — The Modern Business Phone for Service Pros

Missed calls mean missed business. Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is the AI-powered phone system that logs calls, creates summaries, and automates follow-ups — keeping your team connected and customers happy.?

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💼 Special Thanks to AppleTree Business Services!

One of the most common and expensive mistakes in acquisitions is not getting serious about accounting. Whether you’re buying a business or running one, you need the right financial partner. That’s why we’ve partnered with AppleTree Business Services — a one-stop shop fluent in tools like ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro.

👉 Listeners get a free tax & financial review, plus 10% off quality of earnings when buying a business.

💼 Shoutout to Avoca AI!

Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish.

🔗 Schedule a demo

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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.

John sits down with Tyler Griffin (Swift Pro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing) to unpack how he launched a fast-growing HVAC + Plumbing startup in one of the most competitive markets in America: Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia. From selling his previous exterior business to private equity, taking a six-month reset, and then sprinting from zero to multi-million in year one, Tyler shares the gritty playbook—reviews over revenue early, Angie Ads to jumpstart demand, vendor partnerships (hello, Trane/Ferguson), dialing memberships, and building leaders who model → mentor → multiply.

They get tactical on launching from scratch instead of buying, recruiting in a saturated market, wiring culture for speed, standing up next-day installs, and using Nexstar’s OPEX roadmap to avoid the common HVAC pitfalls. If you’re eyeing a greenfield launch or adding a second trade, this one’s a field guide.

• Launch vs. buy: why greenfield can beat pricey acquisitions
• The “Day 1 legitimacy” stack: branded wraps, website, and review flywheel
• Demand plumbing: Angie Ads, map pack, and referral loops that convert to system replacements
• Memberships as a moat (and how to fix a lopsided install/service mix)
• Vendor strategy: pricing, warranty support, and picking partners who bet on
  
  

John Wilson

Tyler Griffin (Swift Pro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing – Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia)

🔨Sponsored by WeSupplyTrades — Thousands of Plumbing, HVAC, and Hydronics parts shipped fast.

Sign up free, save big, and get 20% off your first order with code OWNED20 HERE

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

📞 Sponsored by Quo — The Modern Business Phone for Service Pros

Missed calls mean missed business. Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is the AI-powered phone system that logs calls, creates summaries, and automates follow-ups — keeping your team connected and customers happy.

🎁 Start your 7-day free trial and get 20% off your first six months

https://www.ownedandoperated.com/

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

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

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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.

John sits down with Micah Findley (HomeField) to talk about building a national brand in one of the most overlooked trades: The Septic Pumping Business. From pricing thousand-gallon pumps to dump fees, grease traps, and service agreements, this is the real playbook for scaling a modern Septic Pumping operation.

They unpack the entire stack—how a Septic Truck Business goes beyond “just pumping” into repairs, installs, commercial work, and recurring maintenance—plus route density, transfer (frac) tanks, land application vs treatment plants, AR policies, and the software/marketing engines (LSA, PPC, ServiceTitan/Housecall Pro) that drive profitable Septic Pumping growth.

💡 What You’ll Learn

-The septic stack: pumping → repairs → installs → commercial → grease

-Pricing pumps when dump fees, fuel, and labor vary by market

-Service agreements that stabilize cash flow and boost LTV

-Capacity building: route density, day/night shifts, and transfer tanks

-Vertical integration: land application vs full treatment plants (CapEx math)

-Tech & marketing: LSA, PPC, map pack, and card-on-file AR policies

-Hiring/training techs in a niche trade and standardizing KPIs

🎙️ Host
John Wilson

🎙️ Guest
Micah Findley (Home Field)

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

💼 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

📈 Keywords
septic pumping, septic pumping business, septic truck business, grease trap pumping, service agreements septic, wastewater treatment plant, land app

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.