Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast

#195 The From Zero to 10 Million Cold Calling

19 snips

May 9, 2025

Elias Youssef, a 24-year-old entrepreneur from Denver, dives into the world of business acquisitions, sharing his inspiring transition from selling appliances to owning a booming plumbing company. He reveals his strategies for sourcing deals through cold calling and emphasizes the value of mentorship. Discussing the importance of perseverance, he highlights challenges faced by small contractors and how innovative financing helped turn around a struggling business. Elias also balances the dynamics of scaling through acquisitions and organic growth in the competitive home service industry.

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ANECDOTE

Elias' First Acquisition Journey

Elias transitioned from selling appliances to acquiring his first business via cold calls after nearly two years of effort.
He acquired an assisted living facility but quickly realized he didn't enjoy the healthcare industry.

ADVICE

Persistence in Cold Calling

Purchase a leads list of businesses and systematically cold call them to find motivated sellers.
Persistence in outreach is critical since most businesses won’t respond or will say no initially.

ADVICE

Avoid Owner-Dependent Businesses

Most small trade businesses are owner-dependent and lack scalable systems.
Buyers should beware paying high prices for businesses heavily reliant on the owner's work.

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Looking to break into the home service industry through business acquisitions? In this episode of Jackquisitions, we sit down with Elias Yusef, a 24-year-old entrepreneur who’s quickly making a name for himself by acquiring and scaling blue-collar service businesses. Based in Denver, Colorado, Elias shares how he transitioned from selling appliances to owning a fast-growing plumbing company, using creative deal structures and relentless outreach to land his first acquisition. His story offers a blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to grow through home service business acquisitions and enter the trades without large upfront capital.

Elias walks us through how he sourced deals through cold calling, built a team of experienced operators, and executed a management services agreement (MSA)—a unique acquisition model that minimizes financial risk while maximizing upside. With ambitious plans to hit a $10 million revenue run rate by the end of the year and scale to $27 million, Elias reveals his playbook for growth through acquisitions, operational excellence, and mentorship from seasoned industry professionals.

🎙️ Episode Host:
🗣️ Jack Carr
🎙️ Guest: Elias Youssef

🚨 This episode is sponsored by

💼 Shoutout to Appletree Business Services
HVAC and plumbing pros—ditch tax surprises and unresponsive accountants. Appletree handles your books, taxes, payroll, and acquisitions, and they know tools like ServiceTitan cold.

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👉 Book a call at appletreebusiness.com — tell Patrick Jack sent you.

💼 Special Thanks to First Internet Bank!

Looking to buy or expand a business? First Internet Bank is a National Preferred SBA lender specializing in acquisitions for the skilled trades. Their SBA loan program offers up to 90% financing for business acquisitions, partner buyouts, and commercial real estate—plus optional lines of credit to fuel future growth. Unlike traditional lenders, they take a “how can we” approach, making deals happen for both first-time buyers and experienced operators.

👉 Special Offer: Mention Owned and Operated for a reduced good faith deposit and a complimentary deal review + buyside prequalification.

Connect with Alan Peterson from First Internet Bank here to get started

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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

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