How He Built a $40M Home Service Business from the Ground Up
Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast
GM Structure, Bench Strength, and Assistant GMs
Christian outlines GM reporting, assistant GM roles, daily standups, and developing bench strength via the 'shooting star' program.
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
🎙️ 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.?
🎁 Start your 7-day free trial and get 20% off your first six months
💼 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.
💼 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.
🔗 More from Us
More Ways To Connect with O&O
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.
The AI-powered Podcast Player
