Success Story with Scott D. Clary Tommy Mello - $1 Billion Company Founder (A1 Garage Doors) | Why Control Keeps You Small
Dec 31, 2025
Tommy Mello, billionaire entrepreneur and founder of A1 Garage Door Service, shares his inspiring journey from debt to a multi-state powerhouse. He discusses vital strategies for scaling operations, the importance of delegation, and how hiring an integrator transformed his business. Mello reveals his groundbreaking employee equity program, distributing $100 million from a partial exit, and emphasizes the significance of curiosity in leadership. He also dives into the impact of AI on the future of business and the balance between work and personal life.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From Busboy To Business Owner
- Tommy Mello started by washing dishes for $4/hour, then ran landscaping and painted garage doors while juggling school and multiple jobs.
- He took ownership of a debt-ridden garage door business and scaled it by learning operations, marketing, and systems.
Scale With Repeatable Systems
- Build repeatable systems: use SOPs, checklists, manuals, and a CRM to scale reliably.
- Learn from others by podcasting, interviewing experts, and implementing proven practices quickly.
A $100M Payout To Employees
- In 2022 Tommy sold a minority stake and engineered a payout that distributed about $100M to 24 employees.
- He used an equity incentive program to create ownership mentality across technician-level employees.