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The Wealthy Contractor

The True Story Behind His $250M Garage Door Empire | Tommy Mello

Mar 31, 2025
01:06:26

EPISODE 236: When you look at incredibly successful 9-figure home improvement businesses—the kind that have absolutely exploded and are raking in gobs of cash (and notoriety), you may wonder how what THEY do applies to what YOU could do in your own business

Well, if you think your business is too small and their methods won’t apply, then I strongly encourage you to catch this week’s episode of The Wealthy Contractor podcast.

In it, I sit down with Tommy Mello, the founder and CEO of A1 Garage Door Service, the largest non-franchise residential garage door company in the US, operating in 43 markets across the country. 

Tommy is also the author of Home Service Millionaire and Elevate, and host of The Home Service Expert podcast.

Tommy isn’t just running a $250 million business—he’s doing it with nearly 25% net profit! In this powerful episode, he unpacks the exact systems, compensation methods, and mental frameworks that helped him create his behemoth.

Together, he and I talk about why it's actually not hard to double, triple, or quadruple your business when you're still small.

We also share how to hire smarter, the best ways to manage your time as an owner, and how to create equity incentives that drive next-level loyalty.

Additionally, we discuss:

  • Why most contractors lose money without realizing it
  • The equation that predicts revenue, capacity, and ROI
  • What holds owners back from “just doing it” when they finally get the advice they need
  • Why the phrase "I buy how I want to be bought from" might reveal a lot about you
  • Why MC Hammer went broke

If you’re ready to leave the grind behind, then don’t miss this episode.

Tune in now for more!


Key Takeaways: 

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Tommy (00:48)

Why you need to plan for the end (06:10)

Why some people work fast and some don’t (12:43)

Why you need to fail forward (19:38)

The five Fs (27:03)

How to be a people’s leader (35:44)

How to make $10 million (43:31)

The numbers don’t matter, the strategy does (55:52)


Additional Resources:

⚡ Learn more about Tommy’s work: https://www.tommymello.com/

⚡ Get your copy of Tommy’s book, Elevate: https://angels.homeservicemillionaire.com/order-537068861647523872885 

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⚡ Learn more about The Wealthy Contractor Success Society: https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/SuccessSociety

⚡ Learn more about The Profit Masters: https://www.TheProfitMasters.com/

⚡ Brian’s book, The 7 Secrets To Becoming A Wealthy Contractor, is now available. Visit https://www.TheWealthyContractor.com/ for a free copy (just pay shipping).

⚡ Follow us on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthyContractor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthyContractor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/TheWealthyContractor/

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The Wealthy Contractor is a podcast for home improvement professionals who want to grow their business, work less, and make more money. Follow us for more!

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