This HVAC Owner Scaled from $11M to $250M (Ken Goodrich’s Playbook)
Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast
Outro
John and Ken close the episode, invite tours of Gettle operations, and thank listeners.
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Ken Goodrich — legendary home services operator, turnaround specialist, and former CEO/Chairman of Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing — to unpack what it really takes to build, scale, and successfully exit a home service business.
Ken shares the origin story that shaped his entire career: buying his first HVAC business at 25, getting crushed by payroll tax mistakes, and discovering The E-Myth at the exact moment everything fell apart. That wake-up call turned into a repeatable business-building playbook — one he’s used to build and sell six home service companies, including taking Goettl from $11M in revenue and losing $3M to $250M across 11 locations and 1,000+ employees.
John and Ken dig into the real mechanics of multi-location growth: why most owners hit a wall, how daily scoreboards and call-by-call discipline keep branches aligned, and what changes before you have a full senior leadership bench. Ken also lays out his view on the “sweet spot” for exits, when to bring on capital, and why operators should treat every growth phase like a 1,000-day value creation sprint.
If you’re thinking about acquisitions, preparing for multi-market expansion, or asking “when is the right time to take chips off the table?” — this episode is the blueprint.
What You’ll Learn
- How Ken used E-Myth systems to go from tech-owner chaos to scalable process
- The multi-branch management cadence that keeps remote locations on-track
- Why “easy lead years” create sloppy habits — and how to run with a scarcity mindset
- The real EBITDA thresholds that change your exit options and multiples
🎙️ Hosts & Guest
Host:
John Wilson
Guest:
Ken Goodrich
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More Ways To Connect with O&O
John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC
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