In this episode, John Wilson and co-host Jack Carr break down how home-service companies can actually future-proof in 2025: flattening org charts, using AI to nuke overhead, building adaptable teams, and keeping a balance sheet that can take a 30% punch. We get into real numbers (gross margin, overhead targets, EBITDA), how to think about “risk on” vs. “risk off,” and why the middle of the market gets squeezed when big operators cut costs with automation.
You’ll hear play-by-plays on automating call centers, choosing what to systematize vs. keep human, when to de-lever, and how to bob-and-weave against giants who pass cost savings straight into marketing.
What You’ll Learn
- People vs. Systems: The two ways to future-proof—and how to train for adaptability.
- Automation That Moves the P&L: Where AI actually drops overhead (call center, dispatch, admin).
- Healthy by Design: Gross margin, overhead, and cash targets that create real nimbleness.
- Debt & “Risk Off”: How interest rates change the game and when to prioritize de-levering.
- Competing with Giants: What to do when national players cut cost structures by ~8–10 pts.
- Numbers First: Why you can’t future-proof if you don’t know your break-even.
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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC
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