Promoting technicians into managers: the risk

In this episode, Chris Yano and Chad Peterman sit down with Tyler Wickstrom, President of Wickstrom Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in Boise, Idaho, to unpack how he turned a small $1M multi-trade company into an $11M powerhouse and where he’s headed next.

After his mother’s passing, Ty was thrust into leadership at just 27. With no prior management experience, he rebuilt the business through grit, learning, and extreme ownership. This episode dives into his journey the lessons, the leadership shifts, and the strategies that helped him scale rapidly while maintaining culture and purpose.

🧩 Key Takeaways

• Stepping Up Through Adversity: How Ty transitioned from accounting student to business owner overnight after his mother’s passing.
• Scaling from $1M to $11M: Why sales process, recruiting, and culture became the cornerstones of growth.
• The Power of Mistakes: What happened when ¾ of his plumbing team walked out and how that loss became the turning point.
• Recruiting and Culture: Building a strong team, learning to demote with empathy, and creating an environment where leaders can thrive.
• Leveraging Technology: How ServiceTitan, forms, and memberships helped Wickstrom systemize and scale operations.
• Marketing Momentum: Starting brand awareness in 2022, balancing plumbing vs. HVAC, and driving memberships and retention.
• Looking Ahead to 2026: The roadmap to $16–18M, tech training programs, and inside sales expansion.
• Personal Legacy: How Ty honors his late mother through leadership, community impact, and career creation in the trades.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro banter & Boise roots

02:10 – Ty’s unexpected path from accounting to home services

06:00 – Taking over a $1M multi-trade business

10:00 – First steps: fixing sales processes & finding mentors

12:15 – The technician-to-manager mistake and lessons learned

19:30 – When ¾ of the plumbers left — what went wrong

22:00 – Rebuilding with better culture and recruiting

25:00 – ServiceTitan setup & the importance of forms and data

29:30 – Marketing shift: launching branding in 2022

33:00 – Membership growth and customer retention tactics

35:30 – 2025–2026 goals: adding HVAC install crews, inside sales

40:00 – Market outlook, leadership lessons, and taking calculated risks

42:20 – What Ty’s late mother would think of his success

46:00 – Closing reflections with Chris & Chad

🔗 Resources & Mentions

• Wickstrom Plumbing, Heating & Cooling: https://www.wickstromphc.com
• Book: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin
• ServiceTitan: https://www.servicetitan.com
• Chirp Automation: Chiirp: https://chiirp.com/

⭐️ Thank you to our Sponsors!

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